🚀 go-pugleaf

We have a dept. on campus with some old original IBM
PCs - with the old ROM BIOS (the one that didn't support
a hard disk and, I believe, didn't recongize the full
640K compliment of RAM).  Anyone know:
 (1) now that IBM no longer markets the upgrade ROM
     BIOS for these machines (and none of the local vendors
     have any old ones in stock), is it possible to
     use a third party ROM in an original IBM PC (i.e.,
     AWARD or Phoenix)?
 (2) has anyone done this successfully without problems
     (I would imagine you'd probably lose the BASIC
     interpreter, at least)?
 (3) if "yes" to (1) and (2), what's the best source for
     obtaining a third party ROM BIOS?  Are they available
     to people other than OEMs?
 
Thanks in advance for any info.  Please reply via e-mail.

-- Jim Gogan (ugogan@ecsvax.uncecs.edu)
   Office of Data and Video Communications
   Univ. of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
-- 
     Jim Gogan                       MAIL:ugogan@ecsvax.uncecs.edu
     Microcomputing Support Center
     University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
     Chapel Hill, NC  27599