lane@dalcs.UUCP (John Wright/Dr. Pat Lane) (02/20/88)
A dramatization:
So there I am in the field with my super-duper hi-power AT clone portable.
The system hangs and my EPROM chip gets wiped (which does happen occasionally).
When I try to re-boot the system demands I run the SETUP program which of
course means I must re-boot from floppy and run the SETUP program. Do you
think I had the foresight to bring along a bootable disk with SETUP. Of
course not, not with everything I could ever possibly need on my hard disk,
... presently locked in a now-useless hunk of plastic and electronics!
Seriously, this has happened to people I know and It struck me as really dumb
not to have this facility written into the BIOS, much like the disk format
utility in the XT disk controller ROMs, and to have it automatically
invoked when the machine sensed it's EPROM was clobbered, or maybe be
Alt-Del-SysReq or somesuch.
So I wonder if anybody makes such product, a plug-in ROM chip with the
goodies right on it. In fact does anybody make any ROM-based software
for XT/AT's besides BIOSes and those supplied with XT disk controllers?
John Wright
--
John Wright ////////////////// Phone: 902-424-3805 or 902-424-6527
Post: c/o Dr Pat Lane, Biology Dept, Dalhousie U, Halifax N.S., CANADA B3H-4H8
Cdn/Bitnet: lane@cs.dal.cdn Arpa: lane%dalcs.uucp@uunet.uu.net
Uucp: lane@dalcs.uucp or {uunet,watmath,utai,garfield}!dalcs!lane karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger) (02/22/88)
In article <2790@dalcs.UUCP> lane@dalcs.UUCP (John Wright/Dr. Pat Lane) writes: >A dramatization: >(Dramatization of having no formatter/setup program deleted) > >So I wonder if anybody makes such product, a plug-in ROM chip with the >goodies right on it. In fact does anybody make any ROM-based software >for XT/AT's besides BIOSes and those supplied with XT disk controllers? DTK's BIOS chip has a setup program and a low-level formatter built-in, accessible with a hot-key... Really nice, with windows and the whole garb. This is what is in our 'cheap' AT clone line; it seems to work ok with the software I've tried (it appears compatible) I can probably supply the BIOS only if desired; email or call for specifics. ----- Karl Denninger | Data: +1 312 566-8912 Macro Computer Solutions, Inc. | Voice: +1 312 566-8910 ...ihnp4!ddsw1!karl | "Quality solutions for work or play"
chasm@killer.UUCP (Charles Marslett) (02/23/88)
In article <2790@dalcs.UUCP>, lane@dalcs.UUCP (John Wright/Dr. Pat Lane) writes: > ... > When I try to re-boot the system demands I run the SETUP program which of > course means I must re-boot from floppy and run the SETUP program. Do you > think I had the foresight to bring along a bootable disk with SETUP. Of > ... > So I wonder if anybody makes such a product, a plug-in ROM chip with the > goodies right on it. In fact does anybody make any ROM-based software > ... > John Wright As a matter of fact at least a couple of the AT clone makers are now putting the SETUP code in the system board BIOS -- CTL-ALT-Something brings up the setup SCREEN (can you believe it, a full screen version of SETUP as well -- no glass TTY!) and it happens automatically if the system is unable to boot for whatever reason. With a little luck this feature will spread like wildfire! Charles Marslett --------------------------------------------------- STB Systems, Inc. -------- Very unofficially ----------------------- chasm@killer.UUCP ---------------------------------------------------
davidsen@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP (William E. Davidsen Jr) (02/24/88)
The AMI and Award BIOS' have setup in ROM, at least as an option (I have
never seen one without it, but ??). If you change the BIOS in a real
IBM system you lose BASIC.
--
bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa)
{uunet | philabs | seismo}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen
"Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -memvolo@ecsvax.UUCP (Michael R. Volow) (02/24/88)
Zenith 248 AT clone has a ROM setup with included diagnostics and a debug-like program. I don't know what bios our unit uses. Michael Volow, M.D. Dept of Psychiatry, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 27705 919 286 0411 mvolo@ecsvax.UUCP
jnk@drutx.ATT.COM (KelleyJN) (02/25/88)
in article <2790@dalcs.UUCP>, lane@dalcs.UUCP (John Wright/Dr. Pat Lane) says: Dramatization deleted > Seriously, this has happened to people I know and It struck me as really dumb > not to have this facility written into the BIOS, much like the disk format > utility in the XT disk controller ROMs, and to have it automatically > invoked when the machine sensed it's EPROM was clobbered, or maybe be > Alt-Del-SysReq or somesuch. > > So I wonder if anybody makes such product, a plug-in ROM chip with the > goodies right on it. In fact does anybody make any ROM-based software > for XT/AT's besides BIOSes and those supplied with XT disk controllers? > > John Wright ////////////////// Phone: 902-424-3805 or 902-424-6527 The DTK AT Clone that I just bought has setup in ROM all of there new AT Mother boards come that way. I don't know if the ROM is available by itself. John Kelley AT&T End User Organization Denver, CO
dave@westmark.UUCP (Dave Levenson) (02/26/88)
In article <2790@dalcs.UUCP>, lane@dalcs.UUCP (John Wright/Dr. Pat Lane) writes: > So I wonder if anybody makes such product, a plug-in ROM chip with the > goodies right on it. In fact does anybody make any ROM-based software > for XT/AT's besides BIOSes and those supplied with XT disk controllers? The AWARD AT-compatible BIOS has a self-contained SETUP program. Cold-start the machine, and let it test memory and such. As soon as it reports that the keyboard is okay, press CTRL-ALT-ESC and you're in SETUP. Now, does anybody know of an AT BIOS that has setup and a disk low-level formatter? -- Dave Levenson Westmark, Inc. A node for news. Warren, NJ USA {rutgers | clyde | mtune | ihnp4}!westmark!dave
tkevans@fallst.UUCP (Tim Evans) (02/28/88)
Although I replied via mail directly to the original poster of this question, I now thought I'd put it here, too, since it's come up again. Everex's AT clones (sold by many people under other brand names) now have SETUP built into ROM. At bootup, you get onscreen message: "Press Del to run SETUP"