Codeman got a first hand look at a unit with mods.
He said it had 4 IDE pins cut and the goo on the bottom of the board just like the pictures other people have posted.
No goo on the BIOS. Figure that there are two different mods going on, take your pick - pins or BIOS.
The BIOS CRC has changed, that's confirmed.
It's still upgradeable!
For further info, ideas and upgrade information, check out the "Technical" areas.
I personally cut some pins on a test connector and tried several ways to fix them. See the thread "Goo and cut pins HERE'S THE SOLUTIONS!" in the Technical area.