BIOS 8088

[mickketto]

Sorry for the language is not perfect but a translation ...

Hello Boys, I am a new user and I have a problem that I bring a long time.
I have a "museum piece" a Philips NMS TC100 1989 that still works perfectly unless the BIOS, but the BIOS works properly but can not log into.
I tried all possible combinations that I found online, the motherboard is ACER_710_II _N and the processor is un'AMD 8088, I downloaded a few programs to see the system and tells me that the BIOS is IBM, strange because at that times this type of machine that was a clone of IBM, but had the BIOS of Phoenix.

Surely you do not know this old PC, but many times if one of you the past is in your hands you can give me a straight, because these models have been sold to thousands!

We enclosed a picture, thanks for any answers, GoodBye.

http://retro.spaziodigitale.net/images/philips-nms-tc100.jpg

[_r.u.s.s.]

have you tried pressing some of the F1 ... F12? and doesn't it say anything on start? like "press [something] to enter bios"

[The Fifth Horseman]

mickketto, your description of the problem is rather unclear. Which one is it:
1. You don't know how to enter the BIOS.
2. You know how to enter the BIOS, but it is password-protected.

[mickketto]

Hello RUSS,I tried with all combinations:

CTRL-ALT-INS,CTRL-ALT-S,CTRL-ALT-ESC,ALT-F1...F10,CTRL-F1..F10,CTRL-ALT-SHIFT,CANC,ESC,F1..F10,TAB,CTRL-ALT-TAB,REQU.SYST,CTRL-ALT-REQU.SYST,SPACE,CTRL-ALT-SPACE,CTRL-ALT-ENTER,RESET,CTRL-ALT-CANC,CTRL-ALT-A..Z,etc,etc....,but nothing.

Hello The fifth Horseman,the answer is 1

[_r.u.s.s.]

and the boot screen on start doesn't say anything about bios? try pressing pause key to read what's written there

[The Fifth Horseman]

Does you machine display on the screen "Press [button] to enter BIOS" when it's starting?
Press and hold that key and you should get into BIOS setup.

It should be a single button.
A lot of old PCs used Delete for this purpose.

[dosraider]

It should be a single button.
A lot of old PCs used Delete for this purpose.
Indeed, most of them used DEL.

[mickketto]

For Russ: you write only the version of bios (4.06) nothing more.

For The fifth Horseman and Dosraider: Do not you write what you have to press button,you write only the version of bios

[The Fifth Horseman]

Then try pressing DELETE when it shows the BIOS version.
See if it does anything.

[Peter]

try holding the left shift pressed while booting (from start till you hopefully get in the bios)

[mickketto]

Ok after Try With Shift,tanks Peter.

[dosraider]

For Russ: you write only the version of bios (4.06) nothing more.
If I understand this whole topic swell, it shows the BIOS version and then stops?
That's not a very good sign I'm afraid. :no:
Even when the BIOS battery is stone dead you should get a BIOS failure message.

[mickketto]

No, the computer starts normally, the problem is that before he read the 1.44MB floppy and now only 770KB.

This machine has no battery so I do not know why he lost the initial settings

this is the picture of my motherboard:
http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/9198/imag0091wj2.jpg

[mickketto]

And this is the otherhttp://img359.imageshack.us/img359/9876/imag0090hn9.jpg

[Pellaeon]

Have you tried to reset the bios? I don't really know how to do it, but this is a way how my brother fixed a PC's BIOS. You should give it a try, but I can't give you, in details, how to do it. Maybe TFH or Dosraider can give you detailed info on that.

[dosraider]

Oh crap, what a blast from the past.....

Jumper settings OK?
http://stason.org/TULARC/pc/motherboards/A/ACER-INC-8088-ACER-710.html
Check if the SW2 pins or flat cable pins aren't corroded.

*Qui ci doveva....* qué? If you ask why there is no battery, if I remember swell there was only one when the second BIOS IC was present ... or something.
Was used for larger 'user definied' HDs or extra extended memory ????.... pffff something, whatever, don't matters anyway.

[Edit]
@Pellaeon, don't think those old BIOS could be 'reset', no 'user definied' data in those ol'ones.
Came only later or as extra.

[_r.u.s.s.]

didn't he work it out and fix the problem by holding the shift key?

oh, have you managed to change what you wanted in bios?

[Pellaeon]

Ah, copy. I'm not a big IT-Architect, was just guessing.

[mickketto]

No,no shift russ.

For Dosrider: this machine had only 1 bios,Jumper setting OK,nothing added memory(512),Since I bought this motherboard has remained the same.

[The Fifth Horseman]

So no change in BIOS, and it suddenly started recognizing your floppy drive as a smaller one?
Or, did you change the drive to a different one?

[Japo]

Are you sure you're using the same diskette?

Very old 3½'' diskettes held data on one side only and had half the capacity. "High/double density" floppies with 1.44 MB capacity were identified mechanically by the drive from a hole they had, through the side opposite to the write protection switch.

If the floppy disc doesn't have that hole it means it's single-density and isn't supposed to have 1.44 MB capacity, but only half as much just like you're getting. Are you using the same diskettes that once had 1.44 MB?

The pin that fits in the hole could be stuck so that all floppies are detected as single-density even if they have the hole; I guess that may be a possibility. It wouldn't be surprising a mechanical malfunction of a moving part in a machine that old.

[mickketto]

For The Fift:No change in the BIOS but do not read more Floppy 1.44

Hello Japo, could also be a mal functioning of the floppy drive, yet today I have a floppy from 1.44 in 1991 and read no more, but first I would check the BIOS.

[The Fifth Horseman]

First thing to try is a different floppy drive.
It can be a drive malfunction or a motherboard malfunction.

[mickketto]

My problem is to solve the BIOS, then the Floppy.

[The Fifth Horseman]

*sigh*
You apparently didn't get most of what was said. To recap:

* The BIOS in your machine is not configurable. Everything is set by switching the jumpers on the motherboard instead.

* That BIOS is OLD. BIOSes that old can only be updated by being physically replaced. Assuming that it's really what's at fault here to begin with.

* It's very likely that the cause of your problem with the floppy drive is the floppy drive iself. Check the drive with a different cable first, if that made no difference check with a different drive to eliminate this possibility.

first I would check the BIOS
My problem is to solve the BIOS, then the Floppy.
:no:
As you said yourself, the problem is that your floppy drive stopped reading larger disks.
When attempting to resolve hardware problems, it is standard procedure to first check the least expensive and most easily replaceable components.
Unless you have a spare BIOS chip for that motherboard - or an entire different motherboard to test the floppy drive with - that means first the cable connecting the drive with your motherboard and then the drive itself.

[mickketto]

*sigh*
You apparently didn't get most of what was said. To recap:

* The BIOS in your machine is not configurable. Everything is set by switching the jumpers on the motherboard instead.

* That BIOS is OLD. BIOSes that old can only be updated by being physically replaced. Assuming that it's really what's at fault here to begin with.

* It's very likely that the cause of your problem with the floppy drive is the floppy drive iself. Check the drive with a different cable first, if that made no difference check with a different drive to eliminate this possibility.



:no:
As you said yourself, the problem is that your floppy drive stopped reading larger disks.
When attempting to resolve hardware problems, it is standard procedure to first check the least expensive and most easily replaceable components.
Unless you have a spare BIOS chip for that motherboard - or an entire different motherboard to test the floppy drive with - that means first the cable connecting the drive with your motherboard and then the drive itself.

Ok,it seems that the problem is the Boot EPROM that is gone, that's why I can not enter the BIOS Setup.

I'm buying a Willem programmer, 27C256 buy a virgin and will try, even if some of you have already done give news, in this area.
However you do know ...:)

[Kugerfang]

Ok,it seems that the problem is the Boot EPROM that is gone, that's why I can not enter the BIOS Setup.

I'm buying a Willem programmer, 27C256 buy a virgin and will try, even if some of you have already done give news, in this area.
However you do know ...:)

Whoa.

[_r.u.s.s.]

hahaha