Path: utzoo!attcan!lsuc!ncrcan!ziebmef!mdfreed
From: mdfreed@ziebmef.uucp (Mark Freedman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Information requested on IBM 5150
Message-ID: <1989Mar3.151352.4303@ziebmef.uucp>
Date: 3 Mar 89 20:13:51 GMT
References: <2854@ihuxy.ATT.COM> <16800415@clio>
Reply-To: mdfreed@ziebmef.UUCP (Mark Freedman)
Organization: Ziebmef Public Access Unix, Toronto, Ontario
Lines: 34


 
(upgrading older PC's with hard drives and such ...)
 
    IBM did sell an upgrade ROM for the original PC which allows the addition
of devices which extend the BIOS (e.g. hard drives, EGA cards).
 
     IBM no longer sells these, but I noticed an ad in Computer Shopper (October
1988) for "original IBM parts" at $25 / each  (IBM charged $50 several
years ago).
 
 The ad is from:  Mentor Electronics Inc.
                  7560 Tyler Blvd. #E
                  Mentor, Ohio  44060
                  Tel. (216) 951-1884   or 9924
 
   Usual disclaimers (I've only seen the ad, and have no experience with the
company).
 
   If it IS the IBM upgrade kit, it seems to work nicely (I've got a hard drive,
EGA card, and 640K (576K on a multifunction card) in my system).
   
  (a humorous note). IBM would not sell the upgrade kit unless you returned
the original ROM. The upgrade kit include an IC-extractor. I always wondered 
WHY IBM supplied the tool AFTER you had already pried the chip out with a
screwdriver.
   Perhaps they anticipated an annual release of upgrade ROMs ????
 
  btw  I also replaced the original 8088 (which had a bug when switching
      the stack) with a NEC V20. It gives a slight performance improvement
      and runs cooler / draws slightly less power. If one is NOT concerned
      with portability, one can utilize the enhanced instructions (specify
      80186 code generation).