Omnibook 530 ROM needed

[Stu]

I'm working on restoring some old OmniBooks. I have a ROM 1.1 card, but would like to get a hold of the ROM 2.0 (or better) that came with the OmniBook 530. I have a 530, unfortunately the original owner lost (or kept) the ROM card.

Internally, what kind of card is the PCMCIA ROM card? Is it some kind of linear flash?
How would someone "image" a 2.0 ROM for me, and to what sort of blank or reprogrammable card and how would I write out the ROM?

I think there's value in imaging ROM cards, at the very least the files could be put up on archive.org.
It would also benefit us that have OmniBooks and need a ROM upgrade!
Especially those with ROM 1.0 cards stuck on Linear Flash cards only, and no CF support.

Personally, I'd like to install my own full copy of Windows 3.11 instead of being forced into using the version on the ROM card, which I understand is possible to work around with the ROM 2.0 card.

Thanks,

-Stu

 

[kyodai]

Unfortunately i never had an OB530.

However - I do have a 425 and 430. So maybe it helps if i share a bit of my observations.

Technically the 425 and 430 are the same. Identical hardware - but different ROM card. The 425 contains Windows 3.1/Office and uses a "restrictive" boot sequence - it checks the command.com on boot and overrides all attemps to load a different version. So that is why I can't install Windows 95 on the OB425. The OB430 has the "Light" ROM - it does not contain Windows and office and thus no option to "restore" Windows if you killed your installation (Which is unfortunate because obviously you'll never get the drivers) - but it lets you boot what you want, so I run Windows 95 on my OB430.

I am not entirely sure what technology is actually behind these ROM cards, but i remember someone made an image of a 4XX card, so my guess is that it would work with some type of flash card.

Here's a big pack with all my OB 4XX and 5XX stuff:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6VA5CHJJPxjT3Z5VXZGWVBvYUU

Theres the 425 ROM image in there as well as the original HDD contents of the 530. Technically i think the 425 ROM might work in the 530.


Actually the ROM cards are localized - so if you could copy a ROM card from a German OB430 it would come completely in German and with German keyboard layout.

 

[Wobbe]

Unfortunately i never had an OB530.

However - I do have a 425 and 430. So maybe it helps if i share a bit of my observations.

Technically the 425 and 430 are the same. Identical hardware - but different ROM card. The 425 contains Windows 3.1/Office and uses a "restrictive" boot sequence - it checks the command.com on boot and overrides all attemps to load a different version. So that is why I can't install Windows 95 on the OB425. The OB430 has the "Light" ROM - it does not contain Windows and office and thus no option to "restore" Windows if you killed your installation (Which is unfortunate because obviously you'll never get the drivers) - but it lets you boot what you want, so I run Windows 95 on my OB430.

I am not entirely sure what technology is actually behind these ROM cards, but i remember someone made an image of a 4XX card, so my guess is that it would work with some type of flash card.

Here's a big pack with all my OB 4XX and 5XX stuff:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6VA5CHJJPxjT3Z5VXZGWVBvYUU

Theres the 425 ROM image in there as well as the original HDD contents of the 530. Technically i think the 425 ROM might work in the 530.


Actually the ROM cards are localized - so if you could copy a ROM card from a German OB430 it would come completely in German and with German keyboard layout.

Hey there, do you by any chance, still have the big pack of OB4xx and OB5xx stuffs available?

Thank you very much!

 

[Wobbe]

Got it! Thank you very much!