.

Ampera wrote:

Unfortunately, VOGONS is not the place to come asking for software. While I understand the despair over needing a new BIOS, transferring it is still illegal.

It is against the rules to give abandonware, even through third party means. I'm afraid you should ask elsewhere.

Uhh... a BIOS image from an old 386? Illegal? I think you haven't seen the "BIOS Images" section of vogonsdrivers.com.

Ampera wrote:

Unfortunately, VOGONS is not the place to come asking for software. While I understand the despair over needing a new BIOS, transferring it is still illegal.

It is against the rules to give abandonware, even through third party means. I'm afraid you should ask elsewhere.

Yes, it is... what on earth are you on about!? Software is exchanged here all the time.

Besides, if the owner has the software already, only that the bios itself is corrupt, then it is perfectly normal to obtain a copy from someone.

I think you have serious mental problems.

lowlytech wrote:

I have posted a few times here with cache upgrade issues on an older Packard Bell and it seems that a BIOS update is the only option left to make this work. I for the life of me can't find a BIOS update anywhere online, but it is documented in Packard Bell archive support notes. I wondered if anyone had a BIOS that they could backup or write to a file so I could get a chip burned. The board is a PB55 (A) and the current 386 phoenix bios installed is version 1.01.08. This needs to be at least 1.01.17 for the extra cache to be enabled. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I actually JUST picked up a Packard Bell Legend 386SX that seems to have a fully functional cache according to benchmarks.

I'll try to pull it out later and see if it has what you're looking for.

Ampera wrote:

Unfortunately, VOGONS is not the place to come asking for software. While I understand the despair over needing a new BIOS, transferring it is still illegal.

It is against the rules to give abandonware, even through third party means. I'm afraid you should ask elsewhere.

BIOS updates were/are given out as FREE for computers. There is nothing illegal about giving somebody a copy of a BIOS file.

Moderator verdict: Qbix and I discussed this way back when Marvin was starting to take off.

In the case of emulators, we'd really rather people not trade BIOSes and other ROM images here, or link to sites that host them.
"This site hosts no abandonware. There is no material that is knowingly illegal here."

In the case of Marvin, we're intentionally overlooking some BIOS and other vintage firmware trading in moderation, since flash updates were often distributed free of charge from vendors, and we support right-to-repair, etc.

Everything in moderation.

We realize this is inconsistent depending on where you are in the forums, VOGONS is inconsistently moderated and there are very few writ-in-stone regulations.

"Welcome to VOGONS, deal with it." 😉

Exactly my thoughts. Firmware is no stand-alone product. Firmware is functionally bound to a specific hardware.
It is a digitized piece of hardware, so to say. Hence, owners of that hardware are authorized to obtain a digital replacement part for the hardware they own.

So the conclusion is, that Firmware has a Freeware status. You aren't allowed to sell it, but you can share it.
That's also the way hardware vendors seem to handle it for some time. They give it away for free on their websites
or if you contact their friendly support personnel, they will send it to you for free via e-mail.

(The only rare exception to this rule are commercial third-party upgrades, like some GoTek firmware.)

I didn't mean to break any rules, I apologize for the disruption on this issue. I honestly couldn't think of anywhere else to ask for help with a machine this old.

Keenerb.. I would appreciate it so very much if you happen to check your BIOS version. I think the main issue I am having is an outdated BIOS. From what I can gather it needs to be 1.01.17, I guess the Reference ID that shows on bootup is the last two digits of your BIOS version. Mine is .08

Thanks again

Stiletto wrote:

Moderator verdict: Qbix and I discussed this way back when Marvin was starting to take off. […]
Show full quote

Moderator verdict: Qbix and I discussed this way back when Marvin was starting to take off.

In the case of emulators, we'd really rather people not trade BIOSes and other ROM images here, or link to sites that host them.
"This site hosts no abandonware. There is no material that is knowingly illegal here."

In the case of Marvin, we're intentionally overlooking some BIOS and other vintage firmware trading in moderation, since flash updates were often distributed free of charge from vendors, and we support right-to-repair, etc.

Everything in moderation.

We realize this is inconsistent depending on where you are in the forums, VOGONS is inconsistently moderated and there are very few writ-in-stone regulations.

"Welcome to VOGONS, deal with it." 😉

Understood. It is an inconsistency, and people have come asking for the same stuff and been turned down before.

We are supposed to be a community, pull together and through sharing (non-profit) software that makes hardware tick, help each other to keep our systems alive!

If we all turn our backs on each other anytime someone needs a replacement bios... then we might as well all simultaneously call in a big skip where we can all just chuck our hardware into rather than wait for the inevitable death of parts 20, 30 , 40+ years from now... unless we have a nuclear war before then, in which case all our hardware, including ourselves, would be fucked.

If we do not share, this hobby will not last very long, for any of us. It's getting hard enough to source replacement parts!

Those of you who don't want to share the odd replacement bios to help revive a retro enthusiasts hardware are essentially hobby killers.

Was circling back around on loose ends on my unfinished projects and thought I would bump this thread. Still looking for a BIOS upgrade for this Pack-mate x20 386 Packard Bell. I can't get the extra cache memory to work until I apparently upgrade the BIOS to at least version 1.01.17 on this PB55A board.