Maybe a Microsoft employee could give some hints?

Anyway, Id start with the Microsoft CEO. Id even email Bill Gates - he would have to"have some sway" if you could get his support - maybe internally ...?

May be the old authors of the software could request it be released. Is it know who the authors of the ROM was? OR Even other hardware designers / workers who worked on original system - would bring interest to Microsoft and have to have some kind of positive momentum to such a request.

Is it possible to work out the reasons how other old Microsoft software was released ? I imagine there would be reluctance to release anything that they thought had commercial value?

As several products have been released over the years - there must be some offical or unoffical process

Legal would have to have input

I imagine there would be some close examination of software to verify , no negatives against Microsoft would / could he harboured in code OR found.

So it would take some resources - maybe several days as a guess - but I really have no idea ... For example probably would want to verify it can be rebuilt - maybe?? would need to setup old toolchains , old hardware etc

Also Some of these software may have been lost - could be embarrassing for Microsoft to admit this.

{Aside - I used to work as a software configuration manager for a larger company - whose job it was to ensure all project code was collect, ensure we capture all the artifacts ( source and deliverables etc ) so it could be reliably independently rebuilt. This included all needed tools etc etc]

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried my very best a few years ago, and the release of 6502 BASIC has lifted my spirits a bit, so I'll try again and see where it gets me :)

Unfortunately, the outlook for most Philips P2000T software is rather bleak, at least from a legal standpoint. The machine enjoyed only limited popularity, and commercial developers showed little interest in supporting it. As a result, much of the available software, particularly games, was written by hobbyists, and sharing through copied tapes was common practice.

In the Netherlands, where the P2000T had its strongest following, copying software was legally permitted until 1990. After that, it became prohibited. Complicating matters further, many original developers released their programs under pseudonyms and provided no contact details. One can obtain quite a lot of this software by buying second-hand machines and tapes. However, redistribution is not legally allowed. As the magnetic tapes gradually degrade, many titles risk being lost forever.