Has anyone heard of an Osborne One computer?

If so, do you have one?

If so, does it have an OZROM chip?

If so, so you have the disk for it?

I assume nobody got beyond the 2nd question but you never know...
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Re: Osborne One
By: nelgin to All on Tue Sep 17 2024 03:59 am

Has anyone heard of an Osborne One computer?

yes

If so, do you have one?

no

If so, does it have an OZROM chip?

what?

If so, so you have the disk for it?

nope. sorry

I assume nobody got beyond the 2nd question but you never know...

What's an ozrom chip ?
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On Thu, 26 Sep 2024 20:30:01 -0400
"Amessyroom" (80:774/21) <Amessyroom@f21.n774.z80.fidonet> wrote:

Re: Osborne One
By: nelgin to All on Tue Sep 17 2024 03:59 am

Has anyone heard of an Osborne One computer?

yes

If so, do you have one?

no

If so, does it have an OZROM chip?

what?

If so, so you have the disk for it?

nope. sorry

I assume nobody got beyond the 2nd question but you never
know...

What's an ozrom chip ?

It's a third party rom to replace the factory rom that has additional
features. Unfortunately it needs a floppy disk with utilities to make
full use of it. It seems like I'm the only person in the world that has
an ozrom that was in the Osborne 1 I purchased but there were no disks.
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Re: Osborne One
By: Amessyroom to nelgin on Thu Sep 26 2024 20:30:01

What's an ozrom chip ?

It's an additional daughterboard and ROM for the Osborne One that provides extra functions like a memory test but for some of it to be useful there's a disk that goes with it. It seems I'm the hero of the community since I seem to be the only person with that ROM. Unfortunately the system it came with did not have the disk that goes with it.
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Re: Osborne One
By: nelgin to Amessyroom on Thu Apr 10 2025 17:02:56

What's an ozrom chip ?

Oh, I answered this already, just didn't scroll down enough :)
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On Fri 4-Oct-2024 1:19a, Nelgin@80:774/10.0 wrote:

It's a third party rom to replace the factory rom that has additional features. Unfortunately it needs a floppy disk with utilities to make
full use of it. It seems like I'm the only person in the world that has
an ozrom that was in the Osborne 1 I purchased but there were no disks.
--

I never had an OSBORNE or had the opportunity to use one, but I have SEEN one.. I never knew how anyone could use that thing with that small of screen (Of course my eyesight is worse than a bat!)

I did some digging for you on the webs, and you are right... Everyone is saying the OZROM setup utility is unobtainium.. I guess Osborne users were not as facstidious as other retro computer users.... I can not believe someone out there does not have a copy in their collection as computer nerds are just as bad as ham radio operators when it comes to throwing anythingo out! We have learned over time that regardless of how long something sits on a shelf, in a box, etc. Once you throw something out you will need it the following day!

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On Tue, 27 Jan 2026 21:50:28 +0000
"Rug Rat" (80:774/40) <Rug.Rat@f40.n774.z80.fidonet> wrote:

On Fri 4-Oct-2024 1:19a, Nelgin@80:774/10.0 wrote:

I never had an OSBORNE or had the opportunity to use one, but I have
SEEN one.. I never knew how anyone could use that thing with that
small of screen (Of course my eyesight is worse than a bat!)

I've got 2. Some guy advertised one for $100 non-working with a bunch
of software and he lives right in my city. The other one I had to drive
6 hour round trip to west Texas to pick up. It worked, except for the
keyboard.

I did some digging for you on the webs, and you are right... Everyone
is saying the OZROM setup utility is unobtainium.. I guess Osborne
users were not as facstidious as other retro computer users.... I
can not believe someone out there does not have a copy in their
collection as computer nerds are just as bad as ham radio operators
when it comes to throwing anythingo out! We have learned over time
that regardless of how long something sits on a shelf, in a box, etc.
Once you throw something out you will need it the following day!

When I posted pics of the machine I picked up in west Texas, some guy
said "I don't think you know what you've got there" and I'm like nope.
It seems people were salivating to get their hands on a copy of this
OZROM, even without the software. I agree, it must live somewhere. I
had to pull this thing apart to get to the ROM, and I was going to
recap it while I was at it. I really am not sure how to put the thing
back together. I have pictures but you know...it never looks the same
when its apart.

As for that tiny screen, there's a mod to make it 132 characters rather
than 80 :) It's also possible to connect an external monitor.
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On Sat 14-Feb-2026 9:38p, Nelgin@80:774/10.0 said to Rug Rat:

back together. I have pictures but you know...it never looks the same
when its apart.

Ahhh, this is why I was never allowed to touch anything expensive (Computers included) when I was a child.. I was great at taking them apart!! I SUCKED at putting them back together. I have only gotten marginly better later in life.

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Re: Re: Osborne One
By: Rug Rat to Nelgin on Sun Feb 15 2026 07:32:24

Ahhh, this is why I was never allowed to touch anything expensive (Computers included) when I was a child.. I was great at taking them apart!! I SUCKED at putting them back together. I have only gotten marginly better later in life.

I've got 2 Nintendo WiiUs, 2 ZX Spectrums, a Commodore 64 and a BBC Micro all in bits right now.

I tried to remove the Z80 from the Spectrum and ended up pulling a couple traces. Kinda stopped me in the my tracks. I've got a bad memory chip on my BBC and I'm shit scared to nuke it, desipite having a decent desoldering gun, I fried one of the pads on the C64 trying to get a chip off! Not a good record so far.

I just hope the Dragon 32, TRS80 and Ti99/4A work "out the box" cos I'm screwed otherwise!

nelgin
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Speaking of soldering.


Don't you just hate all the videos on Youtube of people effortly soldering and desoldering things?!

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
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(Computers included) when I was a child.. I was great at taking the apart!! I SUCKED at putting them back together. I have only gotten marginly better later in life.

I've got 2 Nintendo WiiUs, 2 ZX Spectrums, a Commodore 64 and a BBC
Micro all in bits right now.

I tried to remove the Z80 from the Spectrum and ended up pulling a couple

I have an Amiga 1200, and a C64 in storage. I would like to update the OS for it, and need a CMD HD for the other.

... I am NOT a tagline THIEF. I am a tagline CONSERVATIONIST.

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Re: Re: Osborne One
By: Rug Rat to Nelgin on Mon Feb 16 2026 11:18:16

Speaking of soldering.

Don't you just hate all the videos on Youtube of people effortly soldering and desoldering things?!

Very much so. Reference Joey Does Tech.
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Re: Re: Osborne One
By: Odysseus to nelgin on Mon Feb 16 2026 14:55:10

I have an Amiga 1200, and a C64 in storage. I would like to update the OS for it, and need a CMD HD for the other.

Oh yeah, I had a 10MB hard drive for my BBC too. Cost me a lot of money back then, even used. I'm such an idiot. I wonder if I can go dig around the tip on my next trip back to England!
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Don't you just hate all the videos on Youtube of people effortly soldering and desoldering things?!

I meant EFFORTLESSLY, but apparently you got the idea... LOL.. :)

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On Tue 17-Feb-2026 2:17a, Nelgin@80:774/10.0 said to Odysseus:

Oh yeah, I had a 10MB hard drive for my BBC too. Cost me a lot of money
back then, even used. I'm such an idiot. I wonder if I can go dig around
the tip on my next trip back to England!

First hard drive I got was a 52MB Quantum for the Macintosh SE.
Second was a 20MB hard drive for the C=64 (Lt. Kernel), it had an old miniscribe mechanism, one with a stepper motor.. Thing was so loud, I would wake up at midnight if the baord had crashed because I didn't hear it! I then upgraded it to a 105MB Quantum. I thought it was funny at the time that I had a larger hard drive on the 64 than the Mac...

Now I find it funny that 1 photo on my DSLR is larger than my first hard drive!

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Oh yeah, I had a 10MB hard drive for my BBC too. Cost me a lot of money back then, even used. I'm such an idiot. I wonder if I can go dig around the tip on my next trip back to England!
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I wish I still had my old setup on my c64 from the 90s. I had FD4000 drive running my old board running c*base cyborg modded.

... I have a really good memory, except it's short.

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Re: Re: Osborne One
By: Rug Rat to Nelgin on Tue Feb 17 2026 03:51:16

I thought it was funny at the time that I had a larger hard drive on the 64 than the Mac...

That's because you had more money left over.
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On Thu 19-Feb-2026 1:54p, Mortar@80:774/10.0 said to Rug Rat:

Re: Re: Osborne One
By: Rug Rat to Nelgin on Tue Feb 17 2026 03:51:16

I thought it was funny at the time that I had a larger hard drive on the

64

than the Mac...

That's because you had more money left over.

If you are trying to say the Mac cost more than the C=64 hard drive system than the Mac, I have shocking news for you....

The LT Kernal HD system brand new was almost $800 just for the hard drive!
I was luck and my friend located one for me for a very good deal (A steal actually at the time $250)... The 105MB Hard drive upgrade was $450..

So in the end the Macintosh SE might have come out even, or slightly cheaper.

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