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What happens to my ArcaOS 5.0 subscription downloads after I upgrade to ArcaOS 5.1?

If you have only one current Support & Maintenance subscription for ArcaOS 5.0, and you upgrade that license to ArcaOS 5.1, whatever remaining time on your ArcaOS 5.0 subscription will be added to your ArcaOS 5.1 Support & Maintenance subscription, and your ArcaOS 5.0 subscription will be terminated as of the date of the upgrade. Here’s why:

Upgrading an ArcaOS license from 5.0 to 5.1 implies that the installed copy of ArcaOS 5.0 will be upgraded to the new 5.1 license. It is a violation of license terms to continue using the ArcaOS 5.0 license when it has been upgraded to 5.1. Thus, there are no more subscription downloads available for the (now upgraded) ArcaOS 5.0 license.

If you need to continue using ArcaOS 5.0 on one or more systems, but wish to install ArcaOS 5.1 on another system (or partition), you must purchase a new ArcaOS 5.1 license. This will allow your existing ArcaOS 5.0 Support & Maintenance subscription to remain in force, with associated downloads available for that version and provide you with a separate Support & Maintenance subscription for the new ArcaOS 5.1 license, which has separate (and different) subscription downloads available.

What is the maximum resolution supported by the Panorama Video Driver?

The maximum theoretical resolution limit for Panorama is 65535x65535x32bpp. However, other factors outside of Panorama may significantly limit this.

The maximum resolution for the Custom Resolution module is 4095x4095x32bpp. This is due to 12 bits used to store the resolution in the EDID and the various BIOS mode tables.

The primary limiting factor for what resolutions Panorama will support is in the video hardware itself and the video BIOS that controls it. Panorama has been tested at resolutions up to 3840x2160x32bpp at 60Hz and works perfectly provided that the BIOS supports the desired resolution.

More information regarding Panorama’s capabilities may be found in the wiki.

Does ArcaOS include Bluetooth support?

No. At this time, we are unaware of any Bluetooth stack for the OS/2 platform. We are continuing to evaluate the need for Bluetooth support and the effort required to implement a Bluetooth stack for ArcaOS.

Can I install ArcaOS on top of an existing eCS or Warp 4 installation, as an upgrade?

This type of installation is known as a migration, and not an upgrade. ArcaOS 5.0.x cannot be installed in this way.

The recommended way of installing ArcaOS to ultimately replace an existing eCS or Warp 4 installation is to install it to a new partition and then reinstall applications and move data as necessary, building an entirely new working environment.

A migration feature is planned for the ArcaOS 5.1 release cycle.

For more information concerning updates, upgrades, and migrations, see this wiki page.

When I request a fresh ArcaOS ISO, do I get the latest code level?

Requesting a fresh ISO will provide the same code as originally delivered for the same ArcaOS version (major version . minor version . release, e.g., 5.0.8) as when that version was originally released.

Example:

Assume you requested your ArcaOS 5.0.8 ISO on July 1, 2023 and installed it the same day. Two months later, your ISO was no longer available, but you needed to reinstall the operating system, so you log into your customer portal, access your ArcaOS Download Center, and request a fresh ISO by clicking the Download ISO button. This “new” ISO will be functionally equivalent to the original 5.0.8 ISO you previously downloaded, even though several updates may have been released since your initial download.

After the reinstall, you should follow the normal post-install update procedures outlined in the wiki.