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Pheonix/DataTrain BIOS Diskette?

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X_ArchAngel

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Feb 17, 2006
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I recently fished out a nice 8088 system that I'd like to toy around with however one of the problems I am facing is I don't have a way to access the BIOS, to hopefully upgrade to a 3.5" floppy disk drive for better ease of use. I've browsed around on the Internet but haven't come up with anything.

It is a DataTrain DPC 1000 if that makes any difference. It's operating with Phoenix BIOS ROM 8088 Version 2.51a.

If anyone could help me out with this I would be most appreciative. :)
 
Well, I'm not familiar with the actual unit, but, I don't recall seeing any XTs with a configurable BIOS (that doesn't mean that someone didn't do it, just that I've never seen one).

As far as getting a 3.5 drive in there, there MIGHT be some software around (look in old DOS archives like simtel) to run a 720K, but, I doubt it's likely you'll get a 1.44MB drive to work (since XTs were pretty passe before the 1.44MB even came out).

However, you never know and good luck
 
I briefly installed a 3.5" drive on my XT, it worked fine, just connected it up and it went...

Of course, you need to change the switches on the motherboard to two drives.

There is no BIOS on an XT. You just need to configure the switches properly. They should be the same as on the IBM XT.

xtdips.gif
 
The drive itself was a 1.44MB, but using the standard IBM controller it was acting as a 720kB drive.

Personally, I transfer files to the XT using 360kB floppies (I have a 1.2MB drive in my desktop PC), anything bigger than that I send it via a LapLink cable. Since the files are usually small, it's not really a problem.
 
Well, seems I found enough parts spread amongst the latest truckload of "stuff" someone brought me to re-build a DataTrain DPC-1000 XT system which fires up just fine.

Still sorting through this 20 boxes of bits and pieces to see what I can find to complete other partial computers. It's like Christmas LOL.
 
Actually since I posted my original comment I have been regularly using the 3.5" drive as a B: drive in my XT quite successfully (at 720kB). I can't seem to format disks with it though, I am not sure if PC-DOS 3.2 has the commands.

The only real downside is that you have to replace the original full-height floppy with a half-height one, and get a bracket to mount the two on top of each other. My full-height drive is faulty, so the current setup will stay until I can find an 'original' replacement :)
 
What WAS the original, BTW? I got several FH 360s in this shipment and I just grabbed one of them to get the unit fired up. I haven't been able to find the specs on the original setup to see what was in the box at manufacturing.

The cable, which was still attached to the motherboard has two drive connectors on it and, therefore, may not be OEM.

There seems to be a fair bit of information on the DPC-2112, but nothing outside of this forum on the DPC-1000.
 
X archAngel, if you want to use a 1.44 meg. 3-1/2 inch floppy, you will have to get a floppy drive controller card with a BIOS that can recognize a high density floppy drive, such as the one at this link:

http://www.jdr.com/interact/item.asp?itemno=MCT-FDC-HD4

No XT class of computer has any (native) support for high density floppies, either 5-1/4 or 3-1/2 inch. Only 360K and possibly 720K drives.

There is no such thing as a BIOS floppy diskette for any of the 8088/8086 XT class of computers, what few items you could set in the BIOS were controlled by the switches on the motherboard.
 
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