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WANTED: IBM Personal System/2 ROM BIOS images
- Thread starter 5247846
- Start date
IBMMuseum
Veteran Member
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- Aug 28, 2006
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Between all of the models and BIOS versions there has to be over 25 ROM images...
First, let's begin with the model 30, one of the very first IBM Personal System/2 models.
linuxlove
Veteran Member
Fair warning to all the vintage-computer staff and users: 5247846 will find any reason, plausible or not to keep bumping threads and asking for the same thing over and over, even when other people give him exactly what he wants.
That said, I think it might be a pretty difficult project to get every single BIOS version from every PS/2 machine. Not impossible, but difficult.
That said, I think it might be a pretty difficult project to get every single BIOS version from every PS/2 machine. Not impossible, but difficult.
kishy
Veteran Member
This reminds me...someone emailed me (possibly the person behind that user account?) asking for the ROM images from my 3 PS/2s.
Was too busy at the time and forgot...also got buried in a confusing guide on using debug to dump the ROM. Something about how there was no clear, concise instructions for how to do it, or what address range, or something.
I'm happy to contribute them if someone tells me how. (not the method, step-by-step direction - or provide a utility that will grab it on its own)
Was too busy at the time and forgot...also got buried in a confusing guide on using debug to dump the ROM. Something about how there was no clear, concise instructions for how to do it, or what address range, or something.
I'm happy to contribute them if someone tells me how. (not the method, step-by-step direction - or provide a utility that will grab it on its own)
IBMMuseum
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There weren't many BIOS versions among a particular model on average, it is mostly the number of models...
What mostly caught my attention was a seeming perspective that "PS/2" didn't understand the variations...
JohnElliott
Veteran Member
I remember writing a utility to save the BIOS ROM: http://www.seasip.info/DOS/saverom.zip. Note that it only saves the BIOS segment (0xF0000-0xFFFFF) and does not attempt to scan for hard drive or video ROMs.
Instructions: Boot DOS (if the PC doesn't run DOS, copy SAVEROM.EXE to a bootable DOS floppy and boot from that).
Type SAVEROM filename.rom -- the BIOS should then be written to the file you specify. This was 6 years ago so I don't remember how much testing it got
Last edited:
IBMMuseum
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2006
- Messages
- 1,488
I remember writing a utility to save the BIOS ROM: http://www.seasip.info/DOS/saverom.zip. Note that it only saves the BIOS segment (0xF0000-0xFFFFF) and does not attempt to scan for hard drive or video ROMs.
Instructions: Boot DOS (if the PC doesn't run DOS, copy SAVEROM.EXE to a bootable DOS floppy and boot from that).
Type SAVEROM filename.rom -- the BIOS should then be written to the file you specify. This was 6 years ago so I don't remember how much testing it got
And on many of the PS/2s, it will need to get both the E000h and F000h segments...
kishy
Veteran Member
So...does this mean it will not grab all of what is being requested, but would for earlier machines?
Thanks John, ready to run with it if it'll grab what I need.
Thanks John, ready to run with it if it'll grab what I need.
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JohnElliott
Veteran Member
I've now updated SAVEROM so it can save more than just the top 64k. If run with a size, for example:
SAVEROM file 256
it saves that number of kilobytes, working down from the top of memory. So
SAVEROM file 128
would save the E000 and F000 segments.
If run without a size, eg
SAVEROM rom
it saves the F000 segment (64k) plus any adaptor ROMs it finds between C000 and F000, as separate files.
SAVEROM file 256
it saves that number of kilobytes, working down from the top of memory. So
SAVEROM file 128
would save the E000 and F000 segments.
If run without a size, eg
SAVEROM rom
it saves the F000 segment (64k) plus any adaptor ROMs it finds between C000 and F000, as separate files.
@kishy
Person sending you email was me, so not person starting this thread ( I am not aware who this person is ; acording to his username).
Anyway I can just thank John Elliott for updating his utility and for his previous contribution to MESS project.
Not sure if users here are aware, but there was a recent change on managing MESS and I took over position of project coordinator.
There are lot of space for improvement but, as some of you are aware, we are quite lacking on developers.
Recently we got lot of external contributions for one person named Carl, and he did lot of work improving 286 emulation, so for example
Windows 3.0 and 3.1 are now bootable in our at and atvga emulation, also OS/2 1.0 is working fine.
Anyway all kind of help is welcomed and everything that leads to better emulation of system is also.
We are all easy to contact over emil (can be found at : http://mess.redump.net/contacts ) or message board there.
Also please all be aware that we are not pc only emulator so we are not trying to make just that one perfect, but also need to take
care of over 1000 other machines, anyway lot of progress in last few months pushed the boundaries a little, so additional
developer and rom dumping help is needed.
As MESS coordinator I can say that our goal is to document all brand PC machines of pre-pentium era, and to document some
specific software for it and make it run. Project exist for more then 14 years, but it changed a lot.
Person sending you email was me, so not person starting this thread ( I am not aware who this person is ; acording to his username).
Anyway I can just thank John Elliott for updating his utility and for his previous contribution to MESS project.
Not sure if users here are aware, but there was a recent change on managing MESS and I took over position of project coordinator.
There are lot of space for improvement but, as some of you are aware, we are quite lacking on developers.
Recently we got lot of external contributions for one person named Carl, and he did lot of work improving 286 emulation, so for example
Windows 3.0 and 3.1 are now bootable in our at and atvga emulation, also OS/2 1.0 is working fine.
Anyway all kind of help is welcomed and everything that leads to better emulation of system is also.
We are all easy to contact over emil (can be found at : http://mess.redump.net/contacts ) or message board there.
Also please all be aware that we are not pc only emulator so we are not trying to make just that one perfect, but also need to take
care of over 1000 other machines, anyway lot of progress in last few months pushed the boundaries a little, so additional
developer and rom dumping help is needed.
As MESS coordinator I can say that our goal is to document all brand PC machines of pre-pentium era, and to document some
specific software for it and make it run. Project exist for more then 14 years, but it changed a lot.
kishy
Veteran Member
I haven't forgotten...
It's just extremely inconvenient for me to be setting computers up just to do this. I'll get to it when I get to it. Of course, if it's urgent, you can always ship the machines both ways to get them... Only a $1500 or so investment by my estimate.
It's just extremely inconvenient for me to be setting computers up just to do this. I'll get to it when I get to it. Of course, if it's urgent, you can always ship the machines both ways to get them...
Only a $1500 or so investment by my estimate.