Re: NO ROM BASIC
H. Peter Anvin (hpa@transmeta.com)
12 Dec 1998 10:18:45 GMT
Followup to: <Pine.LNX.3.96.981210223540.961A-100000@frank.watsons.edin.sch.uk>
By author: Alistair Riddell <alistair@watsons.edin.sch.uk>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> On Fri, 4 Dec 1998, Gerhard Mack wrote:
>
> > Actually that error means it can'y find a bootable device.
> > It dates mack to the early XT. Perhapse the boot block got corrupted...
> >
> > The early XTS would looks for basic in rom if they couldn't find a
> > bootable device, if none then that error came up. some of the bios
> > maufacturers still keep that message for some unknown reason.
>
> I have an original 1981 IBM PC which has the ROM Basic. It was removed
> (along with the tape interface) in the later IBM XT model. IIRC the XT
> also had twin 360k floppy drives instead if a single drive.
>
No, IBMs had ROM BASIC for much, much longer than that; in fact, I
believe they still do. Something to do with one of the early
IBM-Microsoft agreements; obviously noone would actually *use* it.
Note that IBM's BASICA.COM used the ROM BASIC somehow.
-hpa
--
PGP: 2047/2A960705 BA 03 D3 2C 14 A8 A8 BD 1E DF FE 69 EE 35 BD 74
See http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/ for web page and full PGP public key
I am Bahá'í -- ask me about it or see http://www.bahai.org/
"To love another person is to see the face of God." -- Les Misérables
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/