FrancisK wrote on 2026-08-08, 15:50:

Problem: PicoMEM and PS/1. S doesn't show BIOS.

Solution: Put BIOS C800 and PREBOOT in config.txt

On the PicoMEM 2 I have the BIOS at C800 and the PREBOOT command as well, I got the file example from Github as recommended for the Book8088. Still the mouse is not detected.

my mouse on pc port works

My mouse is on the PS/2 port on the PS/1

I have PicoMEM 2 in the PS/1. I can connect to my router by WiFi but cant connect to the internet with mTCP.

Changed ne2000 to pm2000. All works now. logged on to SlashNET irc with IRCjr from mTCP.

I have a free ISA slot now.

Does anyone know how to connect a joystick or buttons to the PicoMEM 2 to control floppy disk swapping? I have an OLED LCD working already but the buttons are not labeled on the PiCOMEM 2.

What's the latest on the PicoMem 2? I don't see anyone really talking about it even tho it just came out and seems quite exciting. Is it just not in people's hands yet?

I'm seeing its primarily talked about wrt really old machines like XTs, but it seems like its a viable / better solution than PicoGUS 2 all around because its got a 2350 in it and more capability? thanks!

I have one and am just getting around to installing it. I'll try and give some feedback, etc once I have spent some time with it.

nickpunt wrote on 2026-08-31, 01:13:

What's the latest on the PicoMem 2? I don't see anyone really talking about it even tho it just came out and seems quite exciting. Is it just not in people's hands yet?

I'm seeing its primarily talked about wrt really old machines like XTs, but it seems like its a viable / better solution than PicoGUS 2 all around because its got a 2350 in it and more capability? thanks!

If all you want is GUS compatibility, PicoGUS is still the more straightforward and cheaper option. It focuses on doing one job really well, with minimal bus load and fewer "moving parts". Setup is simple, firmware is mature, and it behaves very predictably across a wide range of systems.

PicoMEM2 is a completely different beast. It can emulate a GUS, but that’s just one of many subsystems it’s juggling. The card is mostly interesting for older machines because of the things they struggle with: large HDD emulation (XT/286 systems benefit the most), RAM beyond 1mb, etc. On newer systems, the “extra RAM” isn’t a performance upgrade — it’s actually slower than what a fast 386/486 expects.

Yes, PicoMEM2 has more raw horsepower thanks to the RP2350, but that power is spread across a lot of simultaneous emulation tasks: RAM, ROM, SB, OPL3, GUS, MPU‑401, NE2000, USB HID, storage, etc. It improves on the original PicoMEM, but the first version was the real breakthrough, and PicoMem2 is the refinement and expansion of that idea. Perhaps that's why it isn’t generating the same buzz...

And yes, I got one for my IBM PS/2 8530-286 and I love it.

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low and a Adaptec 6360 SCSI card. I am on 4 x 2GB CF based drives off a 8GB IDE. The SCSI card is not HDs, not boot rom, its for Zip, CDR, MO. This all works flawlessly.

During boot i can hit S and the Picomem looks fine, but, im a newbie.

Dropping in the PicoMem 2 all default causes a hang right when XTIDE would normally show Boot A Boot C.

I tried the orginal BIOS, I pulled the Adaptec, I tried all the IRQs. Same issue..

Untill... I happened to unplug the cmos batt. On power cyc the laptop complained about cmos and time date. I enteted bios setup and saved exit without changes. It booted perfectly. I can ctl-alt-del and it will boot fine UNTIL i plug in the batt and it boots without entering BIOS setup first and save exit.

This is true for all BIOS including the fact orginal.

I admit, i dont know how to deal with this one.

Xymox wrote on Yesterday, 22:25:

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low an […]
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The attachment IMG_2999.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_2999.jpg is no longer available

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low and a Adaptec 6360 SCSI card. I am on 4 x 2GB CF based drives off a 8GB IDE. The SCSI card is not HDs, not boot rom, its for Zip, CDR, MO. This all works flawlessly.

During boot i can hit S and the Picomem looks fine, but, im a newbie.

Dropping in the PicoMem 2 all default causes a hang right when XTIDE would normally show Boot A Boot C.

I tried the orginal BIOS, I pulled the Adaptec, I tried all the IRQs. Same issue..

Untill... I happened to unplug the cmos batt. On power cyc the laptop complained about cmos and time date. I enteted bios setup and saved exit without changes. It booted perfectly. I can ctl-alt-del and it will boot fine UNTIL i plug in the batt and it boots without entering BIOS setup first and save exit.

This is true for all BIOS including the fact orginal.

I admit, i dont know how to deal with this one.

You definitely picked ‘hard mode’ by combining XTIDE with PicoMEM, but it’s still a feasible setup.

First, verify that XTIDE isn’t using the same ROM address as PicoMEM — your screenshots show PicoMEM at D000. If they do overlap, you can change PicoMEM’s ROM address so it gets scanned first. I would suggest moving it to C800 (add the line ‘BIOS C800’) by editing the config.txt file on the SD card.

Also, if you already have a PicoMEM installed, you might not need XTIDE at all. You could simply image your CF card and let PicoMEM emulate the drive directly. It tends to be cleaner and avoids ROM‑address conflicts entirely (like what you're experiencing most probably).

** Edit: just noticed XTIDE is using address F900... My hypothesis was wrong... But I would still give it a try at C800; it's usually the silver bullet to fix everything.