Blizzard PPC flash update - which flash excecutable to use?

[Franko]

Also is there any way to check what "firmware version" those excecutables contain? (For example this one - BlizzPPC060Update)

And is there any way to check "firmware version" of any Cyberstorm PPC or Blizzard PPC?

On my Phase 5 Blizzard 060/PPC which I believe has the most up to date "flash" files stored on it, all I can tell you is the following...

It should have these library versions installed in the "flash" once done...
68060.library Ver 46.15
PPC.library Ver 46.35

I've never had to re-flash my PPC and the documentation that comes with the flash updates doesn't give you a clue as to what versions of the libraries they contain but when you do re-flash the blizzard just check to see if the 68060.library and the PPC.library match the versions given above and then you should have the most up to date "flash" available...

You should use the "BlizzPPC060.UpDate" file to reflash your Blizzard and I believe the file you provided a link to is the correct one to take you to the versions mentioned above but like I say, the documentation is very poor and until you actually run the flash installer on your Blizzard there is no way of knowing if it is indeed the correct one...

I have a number of these flash updates & other than the dates on the files there is no way to say which is the correct one until you actually "flash" the Blizzard...

So unless you can contact the author or someone posts here telling you if you have the correct update, all you can do is give it a try and see if you end up with the library versions installed on your Blizzard's Flash as mention above...

[Franko]

Like I say I have number of the "Flash Update" files but due to the lack of info in the documentation I have no idea which versions of the library they contain...

All I know is the PPC.library installed on my Blizzard is version 46.35, so if you send me a PM with an email address I'll email you the UpDate archives I have and you can give them a try to see if one of them will take you up to PPC.library ver 46.35...

[Franko]

DCE basement's shelves are full of CSPPC and BPPC, in need to full reflash theyrs firmware chips! :-/

and IIRC, the firmware content is cripted as well.

The firmware content is encrypted but rather poorly, less than 20 minutes to crack...

Course it still doesn't help if you can't write to the Flash in the first place...

[Franko]

The BPPC/CSPPC firmware is not encrypted. You should know better than to listen to more lies about this.

Any encryption would be pointless as it would need to be decrypted at run time, making it trivial to extract the decrypted code. Needless to say no such encryption exists.



Elbox Spider USB drivers were encrypted, with special checks to see if the encryption had been removed. If the detection was triggered the code would overwrite the RDB. This was done so that Elbox could keep on selling USB2 cards at premium price.

Dunno if you've ever checked the software updates but as usual you are wrong, they are encrypted & packed, still as you know everything then I bow to your superior intellect and knowledge even though you obviously aint ever checked them... :rolleyes:

Ooops... sorry I forgot you can't read this... tough luck eh... :roflmao:

PS: The ElBox FastATA drivers are also encrypted to check for hardware but a simple modification of 24 bytes at the start of the code removes this protection and the same applies to the AllegroCDFilesystem... easy when you know how...

[Franko]

Sorry to interrupt intresting debate, but this is not really helpful. By going close to offtopic and struggle for expertice makes this thead way longer and decreases chances that someone that still has optimism for this issue reads all these replys and provides something useful.

It would be nice to hear if anyone could borrow DIL40 to TSOP32 adapter like this or provide a link where it would be available with a lot cheaper price:
http://www.elnec.com/products/programming-adapters/?f=DIL32_TSOP32_ZIF_18.4mm

If flash memory content is not codeprotected it would give some hope if I would get another Blizzard PPC even faulty one with working flash memory, I could carefully desolder and place to that kind of adapter. It does not matter if flash memory content is encrypted, compressed or anything else if the chip itself is not programmed with code protect on. I assume code protect is off, because running flash update is possible.

The encryption isn't checked for by the Blizzard hardware itself, it's only there I assume to stop anyone changing the actual software update code with a hex editor and distributing a "dodgy" version of the software update...

So installing it isn't protected in any way by looking for the attached genuine hardware, it's only to try and prevent folk mucking around with the software update code...

Not sure, but I assume you have already removed and replaced the original flash ROM, might be worth trying the flash update to see what happens, after all what have you got to lose...

[Franko]

I'm afraid I would need a little favor to proceed faster. This is what I would need.

1) Download this archive http://phase5.a1k.org/download.php?f=a12c7b93e0a936ab933791543da26d84&countonly=1
2) Extract the archive and put this file BlizzPPC060Update to formatted 880k AmigaDOS disk
3) Convert this disk as ADF file
4) email it to me at hanzux (at) gmail.com or provide me with download link
5) once I received it I will post here to let others know I don't need it anymore

Why don't I do this myself with all that gear in my sig, you may ask. Because right now they are not where I'm and all I have in front of me right is A1200 mobo without any OS installed where I'm supposed to try the flashing and PC with Catweasel 4 where I could write ADF-file as a flashdisk.

If there is no-one who can do this for me. It takes several days before I'm with those A4000 to do it myself.

No Problem... do you want it left in the lha archive or extracted to disk on the ADF file...

[Franko]

What I mean is that I need ADF-file that contains image of normal AmigaDOS disk containing BlizzPPC060Update.

The disk does not need to be bootable or have startup-sequence since I will boot from Early Startup and just type BlizzPPC060Update to flash.

And do not worry I won't blame anyone if flashing fails. That is expected.

That's what I ment, I'll extract the archive and create a normal AmigaDOS ADF image. I'll have to leave out the 040 update though as there is too much data to fit onto an Amiga floppy image...

Give me a few minutes and I'll send it to you...

[Franko]

Sent the ADF...

Hope things work for you...

[Franko]

@ Hanzu

Sorry to hear you couldn't get it working...

Been a long time since I've opened my tower to check anything but I notice you did say the BPPC has no simms installed...

If I remember correctly I when I first purchased mine I tested it first to see if it was working without any simms and got nothing, pretty sure you have to have simms installed before it will work...

Or it could have been the fact that I had to replace the edge connector on mine, think old age is creeping up on me memory...