2 Scrambled PERQs - Going, ... Going, . Help! I have two PERQs for disposal, a PERQ-1 and a PERQ-2, here in the UK. I would like to get some data off them before disposal, but am unable to do this on my own as both machines are somewhat 'scrambled'. I am in contact with half a dozen PERQ owners, who have helped with copious advice, and to whom the machines will be going once I have finished with them. The purpose of this posting is twofold. Is there anyone who can make me replacement boot floppies (I have blank discs onto which copies can be made)? Is there anyone who has successfully archived data from a PERQ to a PC who can speed up the rather tedious process of writing RS232 communications software that I have embarked upon? This is an update on a posting I placed on the alt.sys.perq newsgroup before Christmas. I am officially chairman of the Mil-DAP (Military version, Distributed Array Processor) Resurrection Working Party. These two machines were donated to the CCS (Computer Conservation Society) to help in the attempt to resurrect the Mil-DAP. We have succeeded in bringing together the complete set of hardware for the Mil-DAP itself and its PERQ-2 host computer. The DAP and host PERQ have been handed over to The Science Museum, South Kensington, London. The equipment will go to the Science Museum outstation at Wroughton, near Swindon. The Science Museum does not want our two remaining PERQs, as they are not actually a part of the Mil-DAP itself. The PERQ-1 is thought to contain some DAP-specific software, which we intend to copy off onto floppy discs. Copies will then be sent to the Science Museum. After that, we have no further use for the PERQs and we have nowhere to keep them. I would have been unhappy (euphemism!) to see them chucked in the bin. From contacts made thorough alt.sys.perq, I now have homes for the two machines, but I still have a duty to archive the data on them before I can release them. The PERQ-1 is thought to contain some DAP-specific software, which we intend to copy off onto floppy discs (and, if possible, archive onto CD). This is proving to be more difficult than we expected; any advice would be appreciated! Specifically, does anyone have precisely the right software to build boot floppies for either machine so that the hard discs can be fixed? The states of the two machines are: The PERQ-1 is the machine that might have some DAP software on it. I am effectively in the 'forgotten password' situation (except that I never knew the username or password and have tried most of the usual combinations). This is a PERQ-1 T1 with 4k Control Store, portrait monitor and no tablet. (No, we haven't lost the tablet; it was not there when we picked up the machine! We have now found a possible replacement.) The machine is running POS; the top line of the screen reads: "LogIn version 3.10 POS G.666 a-boot". The machine boots up from its 'rigid disc' and gets to the date/time and user/password prompts. After taking advice, I am going to attempt to archive the entire disk at block level before attempting to change things to give me access at file level. The PERQ-2 is a machine that I hoped to use for copying floppy discs, if nothing more. I appear to have damaged the disc, possibly (probably?) by doing a 'Bye Off' instead of just a 'Bye' or 'Bye Wait'. If this is what is wrong, then I have only myself to blame! Whatever, it now only boot up to Diagnostic 157 (Disc Failure) when supplied with its boot disc. Until recently, the machine booted up correctly when supplied with its Boot Floppy; though it has always stopped at Diagnostic 014 (Could not Boot from Either Disc) when attempting to boot from the hard disc alone. This is a PERQ-2 T2 (feature no. = F2361/06, build control serial no. = T2 1619) with landscape monitor and tablet. If there is a friendly PERQ owner out there somewhere with the appropriate boot floppy or engineering tools could you help, please? If so, please reply to this posting or get in contact at the address below. I have a stock of 8-inch floppies, donated by CCS members, which I can post out to anyone able to make me the necessary copies. Brian M. Russell. bmrussell at iclway.co.uk