Workbench Release 2.04, version 37.67 (Kickstart version 37.175)

Release date: Late October, 1991

Shipped with: Amiga 500+, 3000, 3000T and available as an update for all Amiga models.

Media: New ROM (512 KB) and software, including a Kickstart disk for Amiga 3000 owners.

Major enhancements:

  • Added: Outline/scalable fonts (as of diskfont.library 37.58) handled by the new "Fountain" (Intellifont) utility.
  • Improved: Bootmenu.
  • Improved: Overall OS reliability.

Example diskette(s):

Screenshot:

Additional images:

KickstartBoot Menu 1Boot Menu 2
Release 2/A3000 Compatible Logos
Hidden messages:

Starting with the original clue of: "Control the alternate menus to shift into an enlightened state", with one program being launched from the Workbench, select the following menu items while Ctrl, both Alt, and both Shift keys are pressed, then release the right mouse button first and afterwards the other keys. The corresponding messages appear in the titlebar of the Workbench, if "Last Message" from the "Workbench" menu is selected:

  • "Quit" We made it...
  • "Backdrop" Better than ever!
  • "Execute" OS Group: Bryce, Michael, Peter, Darren, Randell
  • "Update" GFX: Allan, Bart, Spencer, Steve, Chris, Ray
  • "Redraw" SP: Eric, Martin H, Bill, Martin T, Brian, Kevin
  • "Last Message" Others: Andy, Dale, Jimm, Kodiak, Ned, Porter, Carolyn, David, CATS, QA
  • "About" Thanks to: Bill Hawes, Software Distillery

Regarding an additional message, Ignacio Gully notes that: "Tools/Lacer contains the string "Bryce Nesbitt" which, of course, makes reference to its developer."


  1. The large icon below (unselected and selected image, respectively) is located on the Install disk [2.0Install:Tools/Test/Who.info] with all the programmer's signatures on it. It also exists in a hidden directory on the A3000 Series Install Disk:

Media information:
Descriptions and Part Numbers
Four/Five (OFS) DS/DD diskettes
Amiga Workbench
Version 2.04
PN: 367813-01
Install Disk
Version 2.04
PN: 367826-02
A3000 Kickstart
Version 2.04
PN: 367245-02
PN: 367245-06
Amiga Extras
Version 2.04
PN: 367824-01
Amiga Fonts
Version 2.04
PN: 367825-01
A3000 Series Install Disk
V2.04
PN: 367826-01
Notes/comments:
  1. Without question, this remains the most extensive AmigaOS upgrade to date. Peter Cherna (OS group) notes: "...2.04 was another big effort and was very stable and compatible with a huge number of applications that, for various reasons (good and otherwise), did things that were not strictly by the book."
  2. Michael Sinz notes: "There was a 2.04 that we did that looked like 1.3 (for an inside joke/raid on a person who did not upgrade to 2.x and yet he was a 2.x engineer/tester)."
  3. Joan Dow notes that: "Any AmigaOS version prior to 2.04 had a bug where windows could be turned inside out as long as you hit the right key combination that overrode minimum window size specs. People trying this would rather quickly discover that this was "Not A Good Thing." The poor confused Amiga then took a quick visit to the Guru."
  4. Chris Young notes that: "The 2.04 Install disk was only shipped with Amigas containing hard drives."
  5. Severino Calleja notes that he had the following 2.04 ROMs in his A3000T with part numbers: 390629-02, 390630-02.
  6. The 2.04 Kickstart pre-release version number was 36.303.
  7. 2.04 ROM Part Numbers for:
    • A3000: 390630-01 (32-bit High Word), 390629-01 (32-bit Low Word)
    • A3000: 390630-03 (32-bit High Word), 390629-03 (32-bit Low Word)
    • A3000T: 390630-02 (32-bit High Word), 390629-02 (32-bit Low Word),
    • A500/A2000: 390979-01
    • A500/A2000: 363968-01*

* Rodney Hester notes that: "This is an alternative 37.175 chip for the Amiga 2000 that included a jumper wire. This is the same jumper wire that some A500 motherboards required as well. It was contents-identical to part number 390979-01 (which did not include the jumper wire)." Robert Miranda adds that: "The wire on the ROM was for Z500 Rev 3/5 and A2000 Rev 4.x. The ROM sockets were wired for a different part, but they went out of production and the 27C400 (and some one-shot ROMs then) needed that wire to make the 512K ROM work. The 6.x motherboard was wired for the newer ROM part."