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>>I might try it if someone had it running on the exact same hardware, down to part #'s for the ram.

Fortunately, you don't need exact matching hardware to recover from a botched BIOS update if you have a socketed BIOS chip. The flash memory your BIOS is stored on can be easily removed, placed in someone else's computer with a compatible socket (It can be a whole different architecture, even), and reprogrammed with the vendor's BIOS using Linux+Windows compatible utilities such as Flashrom ( http://linuxbios.org/Flashrom ), vendor-provided flash utilities which usually run in DOS, or through Linux MTD. There are even services set up to do it for you ( http://www.badflash.com/ ) if you don't have access to another mainboard with a compatible socket.

Unfortunately, BIOS upgrades can become necessary after purchasing a machine if only to support more advanced CPUs (Remember the transition to dual-core CPUs?), to get power management right, etc. The lesson: If you're worried about BIOS updates, buy a motherboard with a socketed BIOS.

You can try to go to http://www.badflash.com/.
They might have something for you.
If you feel like something really cool, you can put a good bios in the mobo (one you got from badflash or a similiar mobo), boot up, pull the good bios, put the bad one back in and reflash.
Sounds crazy-I know-but it's worked every time for me.

A few years ago I bought up some of those Virgin WebPlayers and I-Openers from eBay and other places, and proceeded to hack into them with the instructions provided.

The WebPlayer I'm using in the living room has Windows 95 on it reduced down using LitePC, and has Opera running as a web client. Also installed is Identafone, a piece of software that will display caller-id information on the screen. Add a cheap USB network adapter, plug in the phone line to the modem, and fire up the web browser to bring up a variant of the Block-random script provided by the Gallery distro, and you have a Photo Frame/Caller-ID box that has a small footprint and has no moving parts (no fan or hard drive).

I've also done the same thing with the I-Openers, installing a small 10-Gig laptop drive or so using a custom IMOD2 Kit. They both run very well and you end up with a much more configurable picture frame than a store-bought one for around a third of the cost. Now, I wish I could do something with some type of Linux distro on these guys, and I'm sure that it's possible, but I just haven't had the time after doing these. Ideas anyone? Would a Linux distro run on these boxes and still have enough memory to run a GUI to display photos?

A few years ago I bought up some of those Virgin WebPlayers and I-Openers from eBay and other places, and proceeded to hack into them with the instructions provided.

The WebPlayer I'm using in the living room has Windows 95 on it reduced down using LitePC, and has Opera running as a web client. Also installed is Identafone, a piece of software that will display caller-id information on the screen. Add a cheap USB network adapter, plug in the phone line to the modem, and fire up the web browser to bring up a variant of the Block-random script provided by the Gallery distro, and you have a Photo Frame/Caller-ID box that has a small footprint and has no moving parts (no fan or hard drive).

I've also done the same thing with the I-Openers, installing a small 10-Gig laptop drive or so using a custom IMOD2 Kit. They both run very well and you end up with a much more configurable picture frame than a store-bought one for around a third of the cost.

Now, I wish I could do something with some type of Linux distro on these guys, and I'm sure that it's possible, but I just haven't had the time after doing these. Ideas anyone? Would a Linux distro run on these boxes and still have enough memory to run a GUI to display photos?

Is this an ev4 system or is it by any chance an ev6 based system with a (Samsung embedded design) UP700 or XP700 (IIRC) motherboard?

I may know someone who can fix it, but I don't know if they'll give it back to you...me!!!

But seriously, scoot your browser over to BadFlash and ask the man there. There are two things he'll need; if possible the extracted BIOS (or you'll need to send the entire motherboard just so Jack can manipulate the BIOS), and you also need to include the BIOS flash image data that you want re-flashed onto the BIOS. Jack is quite skilled and he is not a dull boy; his work all day consists of playing with everyone's BIOSs. This is the same Jack that provided the earliest of upgrades for the Netpliance I-Opener "Internet Appliance" modifications. Don't give up on your Alpha, as it will never give up on you! Alpha hardware is highest quality components and their replacement is trivial when you have access to a source of similar replacement parts and the right extraction tools.

Sincerily,

Alpha Troll (as so I am known at LinuxGames

• Unicore Software
• FlashBios
• BadFlash

Overwriting the BIOS with garbage is as good as destroying it, unless you have a system with dual BIOS chips. If you can't boot to DOS, you can't re-flash it with the correct software

You can always send the PROM to these guys and have them reflash it for you. They can also send you a new PROM if you want, flashed with the correct BIOS.

With the new "I-Opener 2001 Membership" charging you $299 for the I-Opener plus $21.95 a month with no commitment, you can get the unit for $320.95 plus shipping and handling.

Take the I-Opener off it's stand and build a light plastic stand for it, and you've got a nice 10" dual-scan LCD, for less than the Ceiva with a year of service.

Now, you'll apparently need to buy a new BIOS chip from a place like BadFlash before you can hack it and install Jailbait, the 16mb distro for the onboard flash disk, but you can gut Netscape off it and save yourself 8mb, write a custom image displayer, and have the unit either dial out to any one of the myriad free ISPs, or plug in a USB ethernet adapter to download images off of Grandma's DSL or cable connection.

--Vito