delorie.com/archives/browse.cgi   search  
Mail Archives: djgpp/2000/01/03/16:54:37

Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 22:46:25 +0100
From: Hans-Bernhard Broeker <broeker AT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de>
Message-Id: <200001032146.WAA01332@acp3bf.physik.rwth-aachen.de>
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: y2k problem and BIOS-Editor
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Organization: RWTH Aachen, III. physikalisches Institut B
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com

In article <3 DOT 0 DOT 6 DOT 16 DOT 20000103113903 DOT 2b37b688 AT mail DOT cybercable DOT fr> you wrote:

> NOW (!!!) at the 01.01.2000 I have gotten 5 problems, exactly, 2 DNS-
> Servers, 2 Access-Servers and one NTP-Server. I am using 5 mainboards of 
> the same Type (VL/I-486SVOG) with a Cx486dx40. The AWARD-BIOS is from 1993.

'Problem' means what, for those computers? 

The first and foremost thing to try, in such cases, is to get a BIOS
update directly from the mainboard vendor. For machines that old
(1993), it's somewhat unlikely that the BIOS would be flashable, i.e.
you'ld have to burn your own EPROM from an image file. 

Trying to analyse the BIOS code without any further knowledge, to find
that '19' or '1900' being added to the year number from the clock
chip, is going to be painful, to say the least. You should try to get
some more detailed information about what that magazine was talking
about.

None of this is DJGPP-specific, though, nor is DJGPP particularly
helpful in this situation. Thus, you may want to ask elsewhere.

The only thing doable in DJGPP (but a bit sub-optimally) would be a
small utility to fix the clock on bootup. A program called from
autoexec.bat can read the clock in it's 190x state, add the missing
100 years, and write it back. This is helpful for PCs that can
correctly keep their date during one session, but loose the century on
reboot or power-down because of BIOS bugs.

--
Hans-Bernhard Broeker (broeker AT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de)
Even if all the snow were burnt, ashes would remain.

- Raw text -


  webmaster     delorie software   privacy  
  Copyright © 2019   by DJ Delorie     Updated Jul 2019