Uncreative Labs

Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 20 Location: Gurnee, IL, USA

Now, I don't consider this warez now that we're in the days of flash bios images, so please be leanient with me...

I found two images of the 5/9/86 (last release) PC/XT BIOS and would like to burn them to an EEPROM to install into my Portable.

I have two questions about this process:

1. The images came split into two 32K files (which makes sense, because it is a 64K rom). Does anyone know WHY they would be split, if the XT uses a single chip for BIOS?

2. Does anyone know of a compatible EEPROM to use for the IBM XT BIOS chip?

Guest

Call me stupid but, I always thought the XT used a HI and LOW bios.

Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Posts: 20 Location: Gurnee, IL, USA

Is this the case? If so, maybe I'm looking at the wrong chip, but Upgrading and Repairing PCs only identifies one chip as the BIOS.

Guest

the " guys" at one company back in the 1980's worked on ibm xt's as a company supplied product with a few special items ( genuine xt)

they found one with a eprom rather than the masked prom. masked proms had no window.
they copied it and it didn't work some kind or either copy protection or odd pinout.
I know the pc used a 2332 masked prom NOT a 2732 eprom ( uv erasable).

possible the xt did the same thing and used an uncommon chip.

clone xt's used a 2764 (uv erasable) and it was easy to change.
slow clones up to 8 mhz had several rom sockets and there was a set
of basic chips that permitted IBM DOS or IBM basica. to be run on a clone.

ther ewas a 2 chip xt clone bios set and it was roumored that the 2nd chip was empty.
any copy of ANY xt clone bios would work in any xt clone, as far as I could find out.
or experienced.

but attempts to make a updated bios for a genuine xt
were not sucessful. this is not to say it cannot be done.
But i never herd of it.

I was stuck in XT land longer than most and did not switch to 286's until they became surpus and free boards.

I don't know what you hope to accomplush by upgrading the bios in a ibm xt or what function you hope to achieve,

I updated bios' in clone xt's hoping to find one that supported F11, F12 but never did,
I put later phoenix bioses up to ver 2.52 in clones, I GUESS it worked better,
but who knows.

the only major upgrade was the old pc's . the early bios did not see "bios extensions" and therefore a hd controller or ega/.vga card could not be used.

there may have been different versions of the ibm xt bios but i never heard of it.