[PW] Re: ? IBM Micro Channel PS/2 50Z Reference Disk

[jpike at gpl.org]

> A patron from a local research foundation is helping 
> someone with a ca. 1986 IBM PS/2 Model 50Z, which is 
> stuck in a BIOS loop and can only be revived with the 
> reference disk which came with it.

Bob:

Is there any indication during the BIOS loop of the cause of the problem? Has he disconnected a printer or other hardware that might be attached to the computer? Was there an event, possible reversible, after which the loop began?

Does the reference disk revival leave him at a DOS prompt or in BIOS setup or somewhere else? If it is at a DOS prompt, I assume he can't access the C: drive directly, but could he run Norton Utilities to either rebuild the FAT (if it is corrupted) or retrieve the files?

> He is trying to recover some word processing files... 

There are companies who specialize in data recovery that I'm sure could do the job. They are not cheap; maybe that is an obstacle.

Jeffrey Pike
Technology Services Librarian
Groton Public Library
Groton, MA 01450
jpike at gpl.org