Charles Darwin

I agree...yet, I paid for the VCS many years ago (I owned AMD shares in 2016 and read about the project) and didn't really expect to get anything useful. A year ago I was very surprised that finally I received a quite solid mini PC. To me it seems that the original design was pretty good, but the "designer" quit too early and the remaining staff wasn't fit for the job. That explains this weird thermal isolation stuff they put between the fan and the CPU...and it also explains the weird bios settings. Anyway...my VCS is connected to a large TV and I watch Netflix movies, run Virtualbox machines and surf the www...it's fun...especially since the fan-on-off-behavior is gone. This turned out to be mostly a consequence of a thick rubber layer on the CPU...

Just one more thing...it could well be that every time you boot into the "ATARI OS" that the bios settings are set to standard and the boost gets activated. I haven't tested it yet. I just use my VCS with Linux Mint.

Well...my VCS is quiet now...if you use "sudo su" in the Linux terminal and enter @tadream 's command, it works. (I can tell, when I run CPU-X in Linux Mint) Of course, the removal of the "isolation pad" at the CPU is also required...this is complete crap!!!

I forgot to mention @tadream 's fix. The terminal echo-0-boost thing (sudo su) is required to get your VCS quiet. Thanks!!! And you have to repeat it after every bios update...

Again, thank you @Rob Merritt Finally the thermal management of the VCS works...no fan noise anymore...watching Netflix at 0 rpm at < 50°C ?

Wonderful!!!! After one year....I have a new Atari...thanks to you. This clearly is bad design! This plastic pad is rather a thermal isolation gum. I removed it, put just a little bit of thermal paste onto the cpu...and suddenly the fan doesnt run at all ((Linux Mint, Netflix, Firefox). At first I was afraid that something is wrong with my VCS because it was COMPLETELY QUIET...but all is fine (CPU-X) ??

Regarding the password and the keyboard issues: Do you use any non-US-layout keyboards? I also had a problem with the password once, but soon realized that my German keyboard was the issue. It worked well within the OS, but the BiOS did not recognize it correctly.

Did you connect the correct pins (red dots)? I have done it now a 100 times or so...no issues at all...but of course there is always a risk!

There is also another challenge...when you use a German keyboard, you have to enter a Z instead of a Y. Funny thing is, once the AtariOS or any Linux boots, the german keyboard is recognized...not so in the Bios

Does audio work?

The paperclip method is the only way to change any bios settings. It still works... https://atariage.com/forums/topic/315163-vcs-bios-password/?do=findComment&comment=4726383

I did it a 100 times...my VCS still works.

to me it sounds like, they will implement it in the April update...April 2022

@CPUWIZ Well...I was looking for the output pin. The labeling was kind of different. I assumed that this one is most likely the output. The idea is that once you hit enter, the chip cannot supply the password info and after a timeout the system loads some backup bios config. After you change settings you can save them permanently. Unfortunately, once you open the Bios you always see the backup standard configuration, regardless what you changed last time. So you always have to repeat all changes and save...

@0_obeWAN I also removed AtariOS on the eMMC. It seems they implemented additional checks (BIOS). I did not deactivate secure boot and my boot list is still there. It seems one has to decide, which way to go: I) using the VCS as a PC (streaming etc) II) using it as designed by Atari Thanks for the flowers, but I am just a hobbyist, who was upset with the current software supplied by Atari

The BIOS update doesn't help against the paper-clip method. It seems they implemented some extra BIOS checking during boot of the AtariOS. Yet, I dont care...I dont use it anymore...

Well...there is still my workaround...

does audio work?

If it runs smoothly and if you can use a real AppleID (store, AppleTV), the VCS would be the cheapest Mac on the planet. How long takes it to boot. (completely, until the HDD activity stops)

Anyway...the AtariOS is just an average Linux distro with a dashboard, a shop, an Atari-emu, and Chrome-shortcuts to Netflix and Amazon...at the current stage. Dont try to fix anything. Either install a working Linux distro or just wait until Atari will fix it.

I am not sure, if the Wifi issues of the AtariOS are related to this, but when I first installed Linux Mint the Wifi was unusable. I found this article and changed the power save settings in a config file. After that everything worked fine. It's here somewhere https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=324341 ".... etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/default-wifi-powersave-on.conf which has a setting called with a value of "wifi.powersave = 3". So I changed the value from 3 to "2", saved the file and reboot." ...but it wont help you, because you cannot do anything in the AtariOS. The next update should fix it, if not...it's not a good sign ?

I received my VCS on Dec 31st. I removed the AtariOS a week later or so and installed Linux Mint. The hardware is excellent for a mini PC/media center. 4K worked great, but I use 2560x1440 60Hz now, because the GUI of Linux Mint looks best at this resolution (icon size, font size). Upgrades: 16GB RAM 512GB m.2 SATA SSD Monitor: Samsung TV panel 50" Microsoft all-in-one keyboard I use my AtariVCS every day now, watching TV, surfing the web...etc Reinstalled the AtariOS on the eMMC, just in case anything useful will be published. eMMC boot is deactivated in the BIOS.

I originally installed Linux Mint on the eMMC, then I installed it on a m.2 SATA. The m.2 SSD was faster...boot time was about 30% shorter.

So now...you just have to replace the CPU/GPU, the motherboard, the fan... This is a mini PC!!! ?

There is an issue with a Linux kernel and this Wifi chip. As already mentioned, it is about energy saving. It is fixed in newer Linux kernels. So I assume the VCSs, which have unstable WiFi, still use the old kernel.