Re: NEED HELP: Program Recovery from PROMs

[paulb@eecs.nwu.edu (Paul Brazis)]

In article <3uj2p9$6uu@netnews.upenn.edu>,
Laurel Fensterer <tdavis@motown.ge.com,laurel@libertynet.org> wrote:
>	
>
>
>	I am in need of some advice, and I thought some folks here might be able
>to assist me.  So here goes...
>
>	Once upon a time, long long ago (1985) a program was coded, compiled, 
>and put into 4 PROMs, all on an Apple IIe.  I had absolutely nothing to do with
>this, so that is as indepth as I can get on that part.  Since that time, the 
>code has been 'lost', so that all that remains is the four PROMs.  Now, is it 
>possible to download or read that program out of the PROMs?  How would I go 
>about doing this?  What format would I get it in?  Have I supplied enough info?
>HELP!  Any advice or tips would be appreciated.
>
>	Please reply to:
>	tdavis@motown.ge.com

Does the PROM's have a window on them? Thre may be a sticker on them as well.
If they do, there is the possibility that UV light got through long enough to
erase them. Also, if these are EEPROMS (doubt it considering that you said
that they were from 1985), the PROMS could have lost their charge, and then
the data is lost (this isn't supposed to happen in only ten years, though). If
it's just a write-once PROM, then it is possible that a fuse inside the PROM
have inadvertently broken (or it is even possible that it will short out
again.). In all above possibilities, the data will be damaged and/or lost.