www.virtualacorn.co.uk/forum

I have just got round to trying to update my school's VA (SE Risc
OS 4) on an early microdigital alpha laptop - one of the first they ever supplied.
Download 1 from the VA website worked fine - rit equired a re-entering of unlock code as stated on the site, but as i had it to hand no problem! Download 2 was fine as well.
But download 3 (boot upgrade 1) resulted in an error message...
"...plugins\atapicd\atapicd.dll: unknown version"
I've tried getting help from Aaron, - gave him the product number and unlock code to prove ownership, but it seems that as microdigital didn't send me a riscos sticker (and they are apparently no longer in business), he is powerless to help. Everything hinges on the sticker it seems.
Does anyone else have any ideas as to how to solve the updating error issue?

Read my last e-mail.

I realise that VA are able to help due to the absence of a sticker and uncontactability of Microdigital. Hence my request for help on the forum - hoping maybe Graeme (or someone else who might have the problem) might be able to offer a programming solution (ever hopeful!).
It also raises the whole sorry issue of OEM software - acorn people used to chastise microsoft for this practice. Big companies dumping their customers at times of trouble - that sort of thing. This would never happen in the acorn world we were told! How the world moves on.
As I assume microdigital didn't actually write the software they couldn't actually help even if they were still in business. No doubt they couldn't even lay their hands on a sticker. So I simply thought that presumably you know what versions etc you sold MD (I gave you the month and year of purchase - and there's the product information given in the software itself) so surely you could identify the problem and suggest a resolution.
Any way enough ranting -
Perhaps Graeme might be challenged by the probelm from a programming point of view? Ever hopeful...

Once again, please read my last e-mail to you, this time try reading it very carefully and slowly with your brain engaged.

Putting brain in gear was a good suggestion - "read between the lines" and all that.
Sorry for rants and criticisms - end of term tiredness strikes again.
Will read more Agatha Christie's in future
Thanks

That's OK I know what it's like at the end of a term. Anyway hopefully the problem is now sorted.