IBM ROM BASIC or lack thereof

From: gwynp_at_artware.qc.ca <(gwynp_at_artware.qc.ca)>
Date: Tue Oct 2 21:33:16 2001

On 30-Sep-2001 Tony Duell wrote:
> There was one time I was glad I had a true IBM PC/XT and not a clone. I
> needed ROM BASIC. The reason was, my floppy controller had suffered a
> hardward failure. The machine managed to give up trying to boot from
> floppies, and fell into ROM BASIC. Where I could use OUT commands to
> send values to the floppy controller ports, and I could look at signals
> on the floppy controller card with a logic probe. Took me about 5 minutes
> to find the dead 74LS273 latch that was holding the 8272 in the reset
> state.
>
> If I'd not had BASIC in ROM, I'd have had a long day ahead of me trying
> to debug that machine...

You, sir, are, and I mean this in the best possible way, INSANE. I am in
awe.

-Philip
Received on Tue Oct 02 2001 - 21:33:16 BST