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Compaq DeskPro ROMs

jeffpar

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2015
Messages
11
Location
Seattle, WA
I'm looking for a few Compaq ROMs for my PC emulation project (www.pcjs.org). Specifically, I'd like to obtain a copy of Compaq's original DeskPro 386 system BIOS ROMs, as well as the EGA video card ROM that was sold with early DeskPro 386 systems.

If anyone has a DeskPro 386 and/or Compaq EGA card, I'd love to work with you to grab a dump of those ROMs.

Through ebay, I've already obtained a couple of different DeskPro 386 motherboards and dumped their ROMs. One is from a 386-16 and the other from a 386-25, but both were manufactured in 1988, so I'm still looking for any earlier DeskPro 386 ROMs. I've posted the 386-16 ROM dump on my site, and will continue posting everything else I find.

The Compaq EGA video card (and its ROM) has been much harder to find. It seems that most people who hung onto their DeskPros invariably upgraded their video card at some point, and probably tossed the old EGA card out.

Which is unfortunate, because at the time, Compaq's EGA was a very special card. Its ROM was designed to be relocated into RAM by the DeskPro BIOS, improving overall video performance.

Thanks,
Jeff
 
Can't PM you but I've got a desk pro 386/20e that I just advertised for sale. I could possibly get a ROM dump for you before anyone claims the computer.
 
here are some part numbers from the service manual 108033-003

System Board, Version 1
108060-001
System Board with 80387 Coprocessor Socket, Version 2
108407-001
Video Display Controller Board
101340-001
COMPAQ Enhanced Color Graphics Board, Version 1
106373-001
COMPAQ Enhanced Color Graphics Board, Version 2
109196-001
Video Display Controller Board
101340-001
COMPAQ Video Color Graphics Board
109253-001
ESDI Fixed Disk Drive Controller Boards (130-Megabyte)
1:1 Interleave
3:1 Interleave
113245-001 108140-001
ESDI External 300/600-Megabyte Fixed Disk Drive Controller Board
115839-001
Fixed Disk Drive Controller Board (70-Megabyte)
102778-001



I would be interested in firmware dumps and the 386/20e for CHM
what is the url on your site where the 16mhz image is located?
 
That would be awesome. It's pretty easy to dump a ROM with almost any version of the DOS "DEBUG" command.

You can capture the entire top 64Kb (of the first 1Mb) as two 32Kb files, like so:

B>DEBUG
-M F000:0 7FFF 100
-RCX
CX 0000
:8000
-N COMPAQ1.ROM
-W
Writing 8000 bytes
-Q

B>DEBUG
-M F800:0 7FFF 100
-RCX
CX 0000
:8000
-N COMPAQ2.ROM
-W
Writing 8000 bytes
-Q
 
here are some part numbers from the service manual 108033-003

System Board, Version 1
108060-001

what is the url on your site where the 16mhz image is located?

I located the hex dumps on your site and received a deskpro 386 today with the original motherboard (80287 w/o 80387 socket), but
the bios roms had been updated to 10959x-005 circa 1992 at some point :-(
 

here are the rom revisions from dp386.pdf on the net

System ROM Revisions (Spare Part 108283-001)
Revision Number on ODD ROM Number on EVEN ROM
E 108284-001 108285-001
F 108327-001 108328-001
G 108327-002 108328-002
H.8 113269-008 113270-008
J.4 109591-001 109592-001
K.2 109591-003 109592-003
M.1 109591-004 109592-004
N.1 109591-005 109592-005
 
The DEBUG "move" command syntax is:

[starting source address] [ending source address] [destination address]

and an address range of 0x0000 to 0x7fff, inclusive, spans 32Kb (32768 bytes).
 
PCjs doesn't emulate PS/2 hardware (yet). The Compaq DeskPro 386 is the first post-AT class system I'm working on implementing.

[Btw, I just noticed that I should have started this DeskPro 386 thread in the "Later PCs" forum, since this is supposed to be 8086 through 80286. Oh well. Sorry.]
 


The files are uploaded to bitsavers.org/pdf/compaq/firmware. I added an early Compaq/Paradise VGA board today.

I've actually made some progress getting the Deskpro 386 running. http://www.ebay.com/itm/261783680468
It was in pretty bad shape and I've slowly been finding
all the pieces to put an original system with the first 40mb IDE drive together. I bought a 101 key keyboard, but the case
is really badly yellowed (not uniformly either). It was missing the 287 and 386 and the memory board has a fault on the
expansion daughterboard. Pulled that off, put in the VGA and it's getting to where it is complaining about corrupt CMOS on
the screen.
 
Interesting! I recently picked up this DeskPro 386/25 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/271809314091) but haven't tried powering it on yet. It appears to have a full complement of parts, including a Paradise VGA card (not the original Compaq VGA, but I'm expecting one of those in the mail soon). I also picked up a decent Compaq keyboard from recycledgoods.com. Unfortunately, the real showstopper right now is that I don't have a VGA monitor, of all things. I suppose I could put in a CGA card for now, since I do have a CGA monitor....
 
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