Upgrade RomWBW from 3.2 to 3.6

[Bob Kircher]

I'm upgrading my SC126 from RomWBW 3.2 to 3.6. I burned a new ROM and it checks out okay, but now I need to upgrade HBIOS on my current CF card.  Is there a way to do this short of copying a new hd1k_xxx,img onto the card?

I'm on a Linux system and I'm familiar with dd.

[Wayne Warthen]

Hi Bob,

I don’t have time for a full response right now, but wanted to make sure you have looked at the RomWBW User Guide.  It has a lot of good info on upgrading.  Try reading that and ask specific questions.

Thanks, Wayne

[Robb Bates]

Any ETA on the full 3.6 release?  Ballpark guess is fine.

Robb

[Wayne Warthen]

It’s going to be a while.  The testing cycle for each stable release takes 2-3 months and 3.5 is only a few months old.  Mid-2026 at the earliest.

Thanks, Wayne

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[Mark Pruden]

Hi Bob

In short upgrading an existing system is primarily about copying the newer files over the older ones, ignoring any user files or config you may have created. There are 2 primary things you need to consider.

Source of files 

A) if you have ability to support multiple drives, then you can copy a New image onto fresh media and that can be the source

B) if you only have a single drive then DD can be used to copy the newer images to an empty area (above existing slices), and this is the source. See docs for DD examples, assumes hd1k format

How to copy:

A) the normal files can simply be copied from source to target Slice. Make sure to copy system files eg. COM, but don’t overwrite  files you created. Also note files may exist in different user areas, e.g user 15 contains files for ZCPR o/ss

B) System files (required for boot volumes) need to be copied with SYSCOPY utility, each type of OS has different system files, see docs for each OS

[Bob Kircher]

I reread chapters 7 and 13, and saw lots of information on how to update the ROM using various methods. However I didn't see anything on updating the SD/CF card other than installing a new .img file and updating applications.  Perhaps I just lack the wit to see something less than obvious, where the HBIOS was updated.

-Bob

[Bob Kircher]

Why are my replies being deleted?

On Friday, July 11, 2025 at 8:39:28 PM UTC-4 Wayne Warthen wrote:

[Spencer Owen]

On Tue, 15 Jul 2025 at 12:27, Bob Kircher <rek...@gmail.com> wrote:

Why are my replies being deleted?

It looks like Google has marked 3 of your messages as suspicious and put them in to quarantine.  I have released the ones that aren't a duplicate.

Why did they get marked as suspicious? I have no idea!  Google never indicates what it doesn't like about any messages.

Do I get notified if messages have been quarantined? Yes - however, it normally takes at least 2 days before I get notification from Google that there are messages waiting to be checked.  Often this means that there are multiple messages as the OP has tried several times.  Sometimes the conversation has moved on since they were quarantined, and releasing the message then would be out of context and might make the poster look foolish.

How can I release them earlier? Let me know :-) Unless I know there are messages waiting to be checked I don't often check.  A message to the group like this one or a personal email is the best way.  Note that I am based in the UK, so I might be asleep when the message comes in.

How can you prevent further messages being quarantined? I have no idea. Sorry. Google does what Google does :-( 

Spencer

[Wayne Warthen]

Hi Bob,

On Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 4:26:59 AM UTC-7 Bob Kircher wrote:

I reread chapters 7 and 13, and saw lots of information on how to update the ROM using various methods. However I didn't see anything on updating the SD/CF card other than installing a new .img file and updating applications.  Perhaps I just lack the wit to see something less than obvious, where the HBIOS was updated.

Yeah, that section of the documentation is pretty sparse.  I will try to beef it up over time.

As you have already said, there are two basic approaches to updating your disk media (which means SD Card, CF Card, etc.).

1. Backup any files you wish to retain, write a new .img file over the media, then restore your custom files from backup.
2. Update the files on your existing meda by 1) copying over the updated applications, and 2) updating the system images.

Assuming option 2, you would boot CP/M or ZSystem from ROM, then copy over the current application files from the ROM disk to each of the disk slices you are using.  Then, you will need to follow the directions in the Operating Systems section of the User Guide to update the system image on each of the disk slices you are using.

I will say that option 1 tends to be easier and less error prone.  The trick is to get one of the file transfer mechanisms working well for you so that you can retain your custom files.  Mark has described oa couple waysw that work well.  However, there are many ways to retain or transfer files.

I realize I am not giving you explicit instructions.  It is very difficult to do that due to the variations in individual setups.  For example, transferring file to your system can be done multiple ways and will vary depending on your host system.  You should start by picking option 1 or 2 above based on your situation.  Unless you have made a lot of changes or additions to your disk files, I recommend option 1.

Please ask for clarification as needed and I will be happy to help.

Thanks, Wayne