Supporter Updates - 2023-06-27
Added 2023-06-27 22:03:10 +0000 UTCHello! This is the update video I wanted to make to talk about some stuff like how I made the 9122C repair video. As a tease, I didn't edit this video after shooting it in any way other than adding some text and color work, but it still has multiple cameras, video capture, and a fully cut timeline in my editing software!
Also the pressure relief from the schedule change has allowed me to finally get some things done around the office I've been needing to tackle for a long time as well. And I've been continuing to research the HP 9836C computer I've been working with recently, it is extremely weird with how it handles floppy disks.
Here are links to some things I talk about in this:
DMCA Exemptions for Museums: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/10/28/2021-23311/exemption-to-prohibition-on-circumvention-of-copyright-protection-systems-for-access-control
My Wiki Page for the 9836C: https://wiki.techtangents.net/wiki/HP_9836C_Technical_Computer
Video Link: https://youtu.be/ShKLweet0ok
Comments
An update on some of the things I touched on in this, after four days of research and testing on the floppy disks and images I finally cracked it and can make viable 5.25" images for the HP! Here's the computer booting from a Gotek using an HFE image of one of my floppy disks after being decoded! https://dialup.space/notice/AXA1fO0181d6V4FCG8 After that I was also able to boot an image from the HP Museum that was original on a 3.5" disk by converting it back to the structure needed for the 5.25" drives. I need to spend some time ironing out the process, but I should be able to convert everything to work correctly on this computer now. I also found that this computer does in fact have an ID PROM in it, which may mean it's possible to run DRM'ed software if it's possible to clone the ROM onto a new chip to trick it into thinking it's running on the same system.
Tech Tangents
2023-06-28 22:19:57 +0000 UTCAfter recording this I looked deeper into service manual for the machine and I think mine *may* have the ID PROM on it. I had a similar thought that I could try to get the HP Museum to dump the PROM of the machine they showed the software working with and try to clone it into mine. I'm pretty sure that doesn't actually count as circumvention since they could just mail me the CPU card to put in my machine as well, they're just sending a key that is accessible. And while joining another existing organization (does making an archive.org account qualify?) could work for being able to, it wouldn't allow me to distribute the resulting files, only the organization I was affiliated with. This may be the way archive.org operates, but I would like to be able to self-host some things as well (like manual scans on my wiki with the machine info would just make sense)
Tech Tangents
2023-06-28 14:06:17 +0000 UTCID PROM you say? π€ After a quick read of some documents it sounds like the ID PROM solely stores the serial number of the machine, possibly in plaintext for the 200 series. And I agree the expected typical key generation/check implementation seems to work exactly as you say although couldn't find anything about locking the floppy to a machine once used but if so it would track with why a key floppy is needed for some software. However I would guess the ID PROM is just simply mapped to a previously unused area of the boot or system address space, you could probably make an adapter that plugs into the existing boot ROM socket that takes the boot ROM and your own ID EPROM and maybe some glue logic for address selection, you could then spoof any serial number, say HP museum's and run their software with their keys. I can see such a tool being very valuable to the preservation of those machines and their software. If you could figure out what address `SYSTEM$("SERIAL NUMBER")` accesses I think it would be feasible. But you'd probably also need that and a lot of time, stubbornness and stupidity not to give up. π I also wonder if you would gain the use of the copy protection circumvention laws if you merely 'volunteered' for or even just created an account with an actual library/museum/non-profit while doing said circumvention?
WizardTim
2023-06-28 13:33:33 +0000 UTC
