Firmware versus ROM upgrade

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

Hi there,

I noticed on the HP site that there was a firmware update in November last
year. Does the ROM upgrade released last week replace the need to install
the firmware update or are both required?

Cheers,
Pete

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

ROM and Firmware are used interchangably. Both refer to reprogrammable
chips on circuit boards that store software/configuration code

The term firmware has come into wider use recently because of it's
similarity to "software" and the confusion that "Read Only Memory" in
PPC's (actually "Flash ROM" ) now has the ability to be overwritten.

Beverly

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

To clarify my understanding of what's been offered over the years.

Programs or files in ROM or firmware on the PPC can be replaced by
software placed in RAM memory with the same filename and location which
hides and disables the file in ROM. While this would change the
bahaviour of the software still in ROM, technically the ROM or firmware
has not been modified.

The ROM image is partitioned into different "sections" so it's possible
to upgrade a portion of the OS/App code in ROM and leave the rest in
place... it could have been the case that something critical to updates
was put in place by either of the above.

It also makes sense for an OEM to require that all updates prior to a
new release be in place before the latest upgrade can be made and it's
pretty simple to have the new version test for this before it proceeds.

I could be totally off base on the above because it was gleaned only
from public posts over the years and is not from any specific
information on the process obtained from those that manufacture the
upgrades ;-)

Beverly Howard

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

Thanks everyone.

Pete

"Andy" <nobody@nowhere.co> wrote in message
news:c5s41m$485$1@sparta.btinternet.com...
> "Pete" <NOSPAM.peter.i@optusnet.com.au> wrote in message
> news:uYMAJB$IEHA.2880@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> > Hi there,
> >
> > I noticed on the HP site that there was a firmware update in November
last
> > year. Does the ROM upgrade released last week replace the need to
install
> > the firmware update or are both required?
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Pete
> >
>
>
> I would say you should read the revision history and pre-requisites to
> decide whether you need to install a previously release update. <Rant>
This
> is made very difficult however when manufacturers such as HP release
updates
> with no revision history or pre-requisite information and after installing
> the update the version number and date remain the same. Just how their
> support people will be able to tell if the update has been installed in
> future I don't know.</Rant>
>
> To get back to your question, although ROM and Firmware can be used
> interchangably I would understand firmware to mean a program stored in
flash
> memory, whereas ROM means the entire ROM image.
>
> Andy
>
>