The BIOS

How old is my BIOS?

AMI ID Strings
Award ID Strings

Where Can I Get A New One?

Facilities Provided

The Power On Self Test
The Bootstrap Loader

Utilities

The Motherboard
The Central Processor

Static RAM
Dynamic RAM
Wait states
Shadow RAM
Random Access Memory

ISA
EISA
Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)
Local Bus
PCMCIA
USB
FireWire

Direct Memory Access (DMA)
Base Memory Address
Base I/O Address
Interrupt Setting

Date and Time
Daylight Saving
Hard Disk (C and D).
Primary Master/Primary Slave, etc.
Floppy Disks
Keyboard Installed
Video Display
Halt on...
Floppy 3 Mode Support

Typematic Rate Programming
Above 1 Mb Memory test
Memory Priming
Memory Test Tick Sound
Memory Parity Error Check
Hit Message Display
Hard Disk Type 47 Data Area
HDD Sequence SCSI/IDE First
Scratch RAM Option
Wait For If Any Error
System Boot Up
Boot Up NumLock Status
Numeric co-processor
Weitek Processor
Floppy Drive Seek At Boot
Boot Up Floppy Seek
System Boot Up Sequence
Boot Up Sequence
Boot Sequence
Permit Boot from...
Drive C: Assignment
Floppy Disk Access Control
Quick Power On Self Test
Swap Floppy Drive
System Boot Up CPU Speed
Cold Boot Delay
System Warmup Delay
External Cache Memory
Internal Cache Memory
Fast Gate A20 Option
Turbo Switch Function
Gate A20 Emulation
Fast Reset Emulation
Fast Reset Latency
Keyboard Emulation
Video ROM Shadow C000, 32K
Video BIOS Shadow
Adapter ROM Shadow C800, 16K
System ROM Shadow
C8000-CFFFF Shadow/D0000-DFFFF Shadow
C8000-CFFFF Shadow/E0000-EFFFF Shadow
Boot E000 Adapters
Password Checking Option
Security Option
Supervisor/User Password
Network Password Checking
Boot Sector Virus Protection
Virus Warning

See Detailed Contents Page

PCI Slot Configuration
Resources Controlled By...
Force Updating ESCD
Latency Timer (PCI Clocks)
Reset Configuration Data
Using IRQ
Slot PIRQ
PCI Slot x INTx
Edge/Level Select
PCI Device, Slot 1/2/3
Enable Device
Use Default Latency Timer Value
Latency Timer Value
Slot X Using INT#
Xth Available IRQ
PCI IRQ Activated by
IRQ Assigned To
DMA Assigned To
Configuration Mode
PCI IDE Prefetch Buffers
PCI IDE 2nd Channel
PCI Slot IDE 2nd Channel
PCI IDE IRQ Map to
PCI-Auto
PCI-Slot X
Primary IDE INT#, Secondary IDE INT#
PCI Bus Parking
IDE Buffer for DOS & Win
IDE Master (Slave) PIO Mode
Host Clock/PCI Clock
HCLK PCICLK
PCI-ISA BCLK Divider
CPU to PCI Byte Merge
PCI Write-byte-Merge
CPU-to-PCI Read Buffer
PCI-to-CPU Write Buffer
CPU-to-PCI Read-Line
CPU-to-PCI Read-Burst
PCI to DRAM Buffer
Latency for CPU to PCI write
PCI Cycle Cache Hit WS
Latency from ADS# status
PCI Master Latency
Max burstable range
CPU to PCI burst memory write
CPU to PCI post memory write
CPU to PCI Write Buffer
PCI to ISA Write Buffer
DMA Line Buffer
ISA Master Line Buffer
SIO Master Line Buffer
CPU/PCI Post Write Delay
SIO PCI Post Write Buffer
Post Write CAS Active
PCI master accesses shadow RAM
Enable Master
AT bus clock frequency
PCI clock frequency
Base I/O Address
Base Memory Address
Parity
ISA Linear Frame Buffer
ISA VGA Frame Buffer Size
Residence of VGA Card
ISA LFB Size
Memory Map Hole; Memory Map Hole Start/End Address
Memory Hole Size
Memory Hole Start Address
Memory Hole at 15M-16M
Local Memory 15-16M
15-16M Memory Location
Byte Merging
Byte Merge Support
Multimedia Mode
Video Palette Snoop
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop
PCI VGA Buffering
Snoop Filter
E8000 32K Accessible
P5 Piped Address
PCI Arbiter Mode
Stop CPU When Flush Assert
Stop CPU when PC Flush
Stop CPU at PCI Master
Preempt PCI Master Option
I/O Cycle Recovery
I/O Recovery Period
Action When W_Buffer Full
Fast Back-to-Back
CPU Pipelined Function
Primary Frame Buffer
M1445RDYJ to CPURDYJ
VESA Master Cycle ADSJ
LDEVJ Check Point Delay
CPU Dynamic-Fast-Cycle
CPU Memory sample point
LDEV# Check point
Local memory check point
Local Memory Detect Point
FRAMEJ generation
PCI to CPU Write Pending
Delay for SCSI/HDD (Secs)
Master IOCHRDY
Busmaster IDE on PCI
VGA Type
PCI Mstr Timing Mode
PCI Arbit. Rotate Priority
I/O Cycle Post-Write
PCI Post-Write Fast
CPU Mstr Post-WR Buffer
CPU Mstr Post-WR Burst Mode
PCI Mstr Post-WR Buffer
CAS Delay in Posted-WR
PCI Mstr Burst Mode
PCI Mstr Fast Interface
CPU Mstr Fast Interface
CPU Mstr DEVSEL# Time-out
PCI Mstr DEVSEL# Time-out
IRQ Line
Fast Back-to-Back Cycle
State Machines
On Board PCI/SCSI BIOS
PCI I/O Start Address
PCI Memory Start Address
VGA 128k Range Attribute
CPU-To-PCI Write Posting
OPB P6 to PCI Write Posting
OPB PCI to P6 Write Posting
CPU-To-PCI IDE Posting
CPU-PCI Burst Memory Write
CPU-PCI Post Memory Write
CPU Read Multiple Prefetch
CPU Line Read Multiple
CPU Line Read Prefetch
CPU Line Read
CPU Burst Write Assembly
VGA Performance Mode
Snoop Ahead
DMA Line Buffer Mode
Master Arbitration Protocol
Host - to - PCI Wait State
PCI Parity Check
PCI Memory Burst Write
ISA Bus Clock Frequency
8 Bit I/O Recovery Time
16 Bit I/O Recovery Time
I/O Recovery Time
IO Recovery (BCLK)
PCI Concurrency
Peer Concurrency
PCI Streaming
PCI Bursting
PCI (IDE) Bursting
PCI Burst Write Combine
OPB Burst Write Assembly
PCI-To-DRAM Pipeline
Burst Copy-Back Option
PCI Preempt Timer
IBC DEVSEL# Decoding
Arbiter timer timeout (PC CLK) 2 x 32
Keyboard Controller Clock
CPU Pipeline Function
PCI Dynamic Decoding
Master Retry Timer
PCI Pre-Snoop
CPU/PCI Write Phase
CPU to PCI POST/BURST
PCI CLK
IRQ 15 Routing Selection
Secondary CTRL Drives Present
CPU cycle cache hit sam point
PCI cycle cache hit sam point
Boot to PnP Operating System
Plug and Play OS
OPB P6 Line Read
OPB Line Read Prefetch
OMC Read Around Write
Passive Release
Delayed Transaction

ALR AMI BIOS AST
Advantage/Bravo/Manhattan/Ascentia/Premium/Premmia
Advantage/Bravo
Manhattan
Ascentia J
Ascentia 810/800/Explorer/Bravo
BIOS Update Beep Codes
AST Enhanced
Early Premium 286
AST Phoenix
Award
v4.5
8086/88 v3.0
286/386 v3.03
EGA BIOS v1.6

Compaq
Dell (Phoenix)
IBM AT
MR BIOS
Mylex/Eurosoft
Packard Bell
Phoenix
ISA/EISA/MCA BIOS POST/Beep Codes (fatal) ISA/EISA/MCA BIOS POST/Beep Codes (non-fatal)
Quadtel
Tandon

AMI BIOS
Apricot
Award
Compaq
General
HP Vectra
IBM AT
Olivetti M24 Memory Errors
Phoenix
Sirius

Acer v1.00
ALR FlexCache "Z" 33 MHz
AMI
Amstrad 2286 v1.10/1.11*
Award
Commodore
Compaq
DTK
Epson
Ferranti
Goldstar
Goupil
IBM
MR BIOS
Nimbus
Olivetti
Philips 2.24
Phoenix
Samsung
Sperry PC/IT
Tandon
Toshiba
Victor AT 3.01
Wang
Zenith

SIMMs
DIMMS
Video
Manufacturers
SRAM

AMI (UK) Ltd
Award
Chips & Technologies
Chips & Technologies (UK)
DTK
Epson UK
Epson
Komputerwerk
Micro Firmware
Microid Research
Opti
Phoenix
Quadtel
Silicon Pacific
Unicore
Upgrades Etc
Washburn & Co