Last changed: 12/25/98 11:42:09
http://www.ping.be/bios/
BIOS FAQ |
¤@¤ë 18, 2003 |
This page has been accessed times since Nov 15, 1996
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Last changed: 12/25/98 11:42:09
1. What is a (Flash) BIOS ? |
Pronounced "bye-ose," an acronym for basic input/output
system. The BIOS is built-in software that determines what a computer can do without
accessing programs from a disk. On PCs, the BIOS contains all the code required to control
the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial communications, and a number of
miscellaneous functions.
The BIOS is typically placed on a ROM chip that comes with the computer (it is often
called a ROM BIOS). This ensures that the BIOS will always be available and will not be
damaged by disk failures. It also makes it possible for a computer to boot itself. Because
RAM is faster than ROM, though, many computer manufacturers design systems so that the
BIOS is copied from ROM to RAM each time the computer is booted. This is known as
shadowing.
Most modern PCs have a flash BIOS, which means that the BIOS has been recorded on a flash
memory chip, which can be updated if necessary.
The PC BIOS is standardized, so all PCs are alike at this level (although there are
different BIOS versions). Additional DOS functions are usually added through software
modules. This means you can upgrade to a newer version of DOS without changing the BIOS.
PC BIOSes that can handle Plug-and-Play (PnP) devices are known as PnP BIOSes, or
PnP-aware BIOSes. These BIOSes are always implemented with flash memory rather than ROM.
2. How do you determine if your system has a Flash Bios chip ? |
Take the cover of the computer and look inside.
Peel the sticker of the BIOS chip (28 or 32-pin DIP IC with the BIOS brand sticker on it).
(source: c't 2/97/110)
 | Am29F010: AMD 5 volt flash ROM |
| Am28F010, Am28F010A: AMD 12 volt flash ROM |
| AT28C010, AT28MC010, AT29C010, AT29LC010, AT29MC010: Atmel 5 volt flash ROM |
| CAT28F010V5, CAT28F010V5I: Catalyst 5 volt flash ROM |
| CAT28F010, CAT28F010I: Catalyst 12 volt flash ROM |
| 28F010: Fujitsu 12 volt flash ROM or ISSI 12 volt flash ROM |
| HN58C1000: Hitachi 5 volt flash ROM |
| HN28F101, HN29C010, HN29C010B, HN58C1001, HN58V1001: Hitachi 12 volt flash ROM |
| A28F010, 28F001BX-B, 28F001BX-T, 28F010: Intel 12 volt flash ROM |
| M5M28F101FP, M5M28F101P, M5M28F101RV, M5M28F101VP: Mitsubishi 12 volt flash ROM |
| MX28F1000: MXIC 12 volt flash ROM |
| MSM28F101: OKI 12 volt flash ROM |
| KM29C010: Samsung 5 volt flash ROM |
| DQ28C010, DYM28C010, DQM28C010A: SEEQ 5 volt flash ROM |
| DQ47F010, DQ48F010: SEEQ 12 volt flash ROM |
| M28F010, M28F1001: SGS-Thomson 12 volt flash ROM |
| 28EE011, 29EE010: SST 5 volt flash ROM |
| PH29EE010: SST ROM Chip - Flashable |
| TMS29F010: Texas-Instr. 5 volt flash ROM |
| TMS28F010: Texas-Instr. 12 volt flash ROM |
| W29EE011: Winbond 5 volt flash ROM |
| W27F010: Winbond 12 volt flash ROM |
| X28C010, X28C010I, XM28C010, XM28C010I: XICOR 5 volt flash ROM |
| 29LVxxx - 3V Flash memory (rare) |
| 28Cxxx - EEPROM, similar to Flash memory |
| 27Cxxx - With window. EPROM: read-only, requires programmer to write and UV to erase. |
Anything without a Window that doesn't have a 28 or 29 as the preceding numbers of the
part #, is most likely a standard ROM.
3. Do you really need a (Flash) BIOS upgrade ? |
There are important and less important reasons to update your BIOS. The most important reason is Windows 95. It's possible that Windows 95 isn't configured 100% good on a computer with an outdated BIOS.
All harddisks that are sold today are more then 528 megabyte. To support these harddisks the BIOS must have LBA (Logical Block Addressing) support. When your BIOS doesn't support LBA and you want to use your new harddisk at full capacity you have to use software drivers that trick the BIOS. With some of these software drivers Windows 95 will load your HD in compatibility mode which means a performance loss.
To let Windows 95 fully support Plug 'n Play you also need a PnP-BIOS. This is a very important reason to update your BIOS.
A third important reason to upgrade your BIOS is to solve bugs. Other reasons are e.g. new settings in your BIOS: Booting from CD-ROM, Boot from SCSI before IDE harddisks,...
4. Where can I download Flash BIOSs ? |
Well, start looking at my page. If your motherboard manufacturer isn't listed on the Flash BIOS Page then there is big change that your m/b manufacturer doesn't have a web site. Contact me and I'll add your description to the Wanted BIOS page. If you know of any Flash BIOSs not listed on my Flash BIOS page, please let me know.
If you have found your Flash BIOS on my page, you should first check the Flash BIOS page
from the motherboard manufacturer to see if there are any updates. (I can't check all the
sites of motherboard manufacturers daily to see if there are any updates.)
5. What if you don't know the name of your motherboard ? |
Check my BIOS Numbers page and search for your BIOS number.
If you have an Award BIOS, you can also email AWARD at award888@ms1.hinet.net or support@unicore.com and give them 1) Version 2) Part
number 3) Release date the BIOS. (= BIOS Number) The part number of each Award BIOS
contains information identifying the chipset it supports. This information appears at the
bottom of your screen after power on, during memory count up. The PAUSE key should work at
that point, allowing you to read the part number, the BIOS date, and the version.
Unfortunately, in some cases, the manufacturer removes that information. Then your only
recourse is to contact the board manufacturer.
6. How do you flash your BIOS ? |
To flash your BIOS you'll need 1) a flasher and 2) a data-file. The
flasher 'flashes' the data-file into the BIOS chip.
You'll have to type (after a clean boot):
awdflash xxx.bin (for Award BIOSs)
amiflash xxx.bin (for AMI BIOSs)
mrflash xxx.bin (for MRBIOSs)
Notes:
| Most flashers will ask you to save the current BIOS. Choose Yes, so that you can always flash back to the original version if you're having problems with the new one. |
| Some manufacturers may use their own utilities to upgrade the BIOS (mostly non-clones) |
| Disable the System BIOS Cacheable option in the BIOS before flashing. |
7. What to do when the Award flasher says: Insufficient memory |
1. In CMOS Chipset Features Setup, Disable Video Bios
Cacheable.
2. Hit Esc,F10,Save and exit.
3. Reboot and hit Ctrl+F5,when you see "Windows Starting" (This
temporarily prevents Drvspace.bin from loading-making 108K more Memory available.)
4. Flash the BIOS and reboot
5. Enter CMOS Chipset Features Setup,and Enable Video Bios Cacheable,hit
Esc,F10,Save and reboot.
8. Can something go wrong ? |
Yes, if you use the wrong Flash BIOS, there is chance that your computer won't boot anymore.
9. How can you recover a corrupt BIOS ? |
Solution 1: Boot-block BIOS
Modern motherboards based on Award BIOS have a boot-block BIOS. This is small area of the BIOS that doesn't get overwritten when you flash a BIOS. The boot-block BIOS only has support for the floppy drive. If you have a PCI video card you won't see anything on the screen because the boot-block BIOS only supports an ISA videocard.
The boot-block BIOS will execute an AUTOEXEC.BAT file on a bootable diskette. Copy an Award flasher & the correct BIOS *.bin file on the floppy and execute it automaticly by putting awdflash *.bin in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Solution 2: Get a new BIOS chip.
Solution 3: Hot-swapping:
Note: I'm not responsible for any damage this method may do to you or your computer !
Note: Use a flasher from MRBIOS. They are known to work best. You can find them at ftp://ftp.mrbios.com
Solution 3: (for Intel motherboards)
10. What do if my BIOS is buggy and their is no update available ? |
Apply a bios that is not specifically written for your mother board:
I recently found this posting in a newsgroup:
I have just done some testing of various manufacturer's BIOS on my Triton chipset
motherboard. This was an experiment to see if a motherboard can use the BIOS from a
different manufacturer.
The answer: Most Yes, but somewhat No. For the most part, it works, but your mileage will
vary. This WILL, however, allow you to upgrade to a newer BIOS that may even fix some (or
many) bugs.
NOTICE: My motherboard never became totally dysfunctional with any other company's BIOS,
but be aware that I may have just been lucky!
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE A DIFFERENT COMPANY'S BIOS UNLESS: 1) You have an EPROM programmer
handy. 2) You have another flash capable motherboard handy and know how to do the
"hot-flash" method. 3) You like living on the edge and are willing to risk
killing your motherboard.
The experiment: I wanted to upgrade the BIOS on my Amptron PM7700B motherboard from a
v4.50PG BIOS to a v4.51PG BIOS in the hopes of fixing a Power Management bug (monitor
blanking out randomly, and HD falling asleep even while I'm typing). My config: Maxtor
1.6GB HD Pri/Master, Aztech 4x CD-ROM Sec/Slave, SB16, AMD 5k86-75 oc'd to 90MHz (older
SSA-5 version).
I tried the following BIOS's: Award v4.51PG from ASUS for their 430FX motherboards, Award
v4.50PG from FIC for their PT-2003 430FX board, Award v4.51PG from ECS for their TR5510
board, and Award v4.51PG for Shuttle's HOT-541 board.
NOTE: You often CANNOT flash another manufacturer's BIOS if they use a different flash
program (ASUS is one such company that uses a different flash program than others).
AWDFLASH v5.2 works fine to flash all BIOS except ASUS's. I discovered that MR-BIOS's
29C010.EXE (use the program suitable for your chip) will flash ANYTHING into the chip. You
can find 29C010.EXE and 28F010.EXE on ftp://ftp.mrbios.com. Their shareware is gone, but
those programs can be found inside a few of the .zip files found there that are >60k in
length.
Results:
* ASUS BIOS worked fine, but only detected (and counted) 8MB when I really have 16MB.
Win95 auto-detected many new devices, but promptly got rid of this one due to the memory
detection.
*FIC 430FX BIOS, couldn't access floppy (system would freeze if I tried), but HD booted
and worked just fine. Promptly got rid of this one.
*ECS TR5510 BIOS, this one works great, and is what I'm using now. It fixed the APM bug,
and also fixed a bug where before, SHIFT-F5 would throw me into Safe Mode while booting
Win95 while it's SUPPOSED to boot directly into DOS. ECS BIOS fixed it to where it works
correctly, I am assuming this was caused by a slight incompatibility between Amptron's
BIOS and the AMD 5k86 CPU (which Amptron tech support had already told me wasn't quite
stable on their board). Also, the ECS BIOS benched considerably faster with the AMD 5k86
under WinTune96 (RAM access and HD access also increased a few MB/s).
*Shuttle HOT-541 BIOS, this fixed the same bugs the ECS BIOS did, and also ID'ed my AMD
5k86-75 (SSA/5) as an AMD K5-PR90. Although this was the newest BIOS (8/96), it didn't
allow Win95 to detect my CD-ROM drive so I reverted back to the ECS BIOS.
In Conclusion, none of the 4 non-Amptron BIOS that I tried had any permanent and
unrecoverable negative effect, and most worked about 90-100% (the ECS even fixed bugs that
were in the original Amptron BIOS). Some IMPORTANT things to remember if you wish to try
something like this: Use *ONLY* BIOS's from motherboards with the SAME chipset!!! Also,
make sure the I/O chip from that motherboard is the same as yours, in my case, I only
flashed BIOS from motherboards that used the UM8669 I/O chip. I don't know what might
happen if you flash a BIOS designed to support a different type of I/O chip, your serial
ports might not work... or worse! Lastly, you must make a copy of a KNOWN perfectly
working BIOS and flash program on your hard drive, this is in case your floppy drive won't
boot, but your hard drive still can.
Anyhow, these were my findings, and I am very pleased to have found that the ECS BIOS
fixed every single bug my motherboard had. I also don't recommend doing this without some
kind of backup plan. I own an FEPROM programmer so if a BIOS killed my motherboard, it
wouldn't have been a problem to fix it. I never had to use it, but you may not get so
lucky. Sorry for the lengthy message, but I thought someone might find this educational.
--
Shawn Lin - slin01@mail.orion.org
11. Why are there no Flash BIOS on the Award or AMI site ? |
Award and AMI give m/b-manufacturers a BIOS customized for each specific board and the chipset(s) controlling that board. Then the manufacturer, using tools from Award/AMI, makes final modifications to the BIOS before shipping the system or board. In other words, the manufacturer knows more about that system than they do and is better able to provide a Flash BIOS upgrade.
Note: http://www.award.com.tw/download contains hundreds of Flash BIOS images, specific to each motherboard manufacturer. You should only use these if you can't find an updated BIOS anywhere else.
12. Where do you have to look for technical support (for your BIOS) ? |
At the www-site of your motherboard manufacturer (if they have one). If you still have questions, you should email them.
13. What does PROM, EPROM, EPROM Burner stand for ? |
PROM (an acronym for programmable read-only memory) is a memory chip on which data can be written only once. Once a program has been written onto a PROM, it remains there forever. Unlike main memory, PROMs retain their contents when the computer is turned off.
The difference between a PROM and a ROM (read-only memory) is that a PROM is manufactured as blank memory, whereas a ROM is programmed during the manufacturing process. To write data onto a PROM chip, you need a special device called a PROM programmer or PROM burner. The process of programming a PROM is sometimes called burning the PROM.
An EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) is a special type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to ultraviolet light. Once it is erased, it can be reprogrammed. An EEPROM is similar to a PROM, but requires only electricity to be erased.
EEPROM (Acronym for electrically erasable programmable read-only memory). Pronounced double-ee-prom, an EEPROM is a special type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to an electrical charge. Like other types of PROM, EEPROM retains its contents even when the power is turned off. Also like other types of ROM, EEPROM is not as fast as RAM.
A special type of EEPROM, referred to as flash memory or flash EEPROM, can be rewritten while it is in the computer rather than requiring a special device called a PROM reader.
This information comes from PCWebopedia.
14. What's new with Award Flasher 5.33 ? |
The file name of Award BIOS binary files is usually derived from the BIOS serial number. Because one file name resemble another, a customer may inadvertently use the wrong binary file when updating the system BIOS with the Award flash utility.
To help avoiding this problem, we (=Award) have added a new feature to AWDFLASH.EXE, version 5.33 and above - a warning message that appears if the program detects a mismatch between the BIOS binary file and the system board.
If a mismatch is detected, the following message appears when the user responds YES to the program prompt to flash the BIOS:
The program file's part number does not match with your system
This warning message appears only if the binary file name you specified in the program differs from the existing file in your system.
If you receive this message, check carefully to ensure that you have the correct binary file for your system.
You can bypass checking the serial number by typing the following at the DOS command line:
Awdflash 2Axxxxxx.BIN /Py
The /Py switch immediately flashes the new binary file to the BIOS EPROM.
15. Why did I remove the MRBIOS files ? |
I removed them because they are no longer shareware. :(
Current release of MRBIOS is 3.42
16. How can you clear all of the BIOS settings back to their defaults with the DOS DEBUG command ? |
Solution 1: for AMI and Award BIOSs:
C:\DEBUG (at a clear C: prompt, don't do this in DOS-box in Windows)
-O 70 17
-O 71 17
Q
Solution 2: for Phoenix BIOSs:
C:\DEBUG (at a clear C: prompt, don't do this in DOS-box in Windows)
-O 70 FF
-O 71 17
Q
17. How to hack the password protection ? |
Solution 1: for Award BIOSs:
Try these : AWARD_SW, j262 , HLT, SER, SKY_FOX, BIOSTAR, ALFAROME, lkwpeter, j256,
AWARD?SW, LKWPETER, Syxz, aLLy, 589589, 589721, awkward
Dowload some BIOS password
cracks
Solution 2: for AMI BIOSs:
Try these: AMI, BIOS, PASSWORD, HEWITT RAND, AMI?SW, AMI_SW, LKWPETER, A.M.I.
Dowload some BIOS password
cracks
18. What do the AMI BIOS Beep codes mean ? |
Except for beep code #8, these codes are always fatal.
1 beep Refresh failure
2 beeps Parity error
3 beeps Base 64K memory failure
4 beeps Timer not operational
5 beeps Processor error
6 beeps 8042 - gate A20 failure
7 beeps Processor exception interrupt error
8 beeps Display memory read/write failure
9 beeps ROM checksum error
10 beeps CMOS shutdown register read/write error
11 beeps Cache memory bad
19. How to solve the AMI BIOS Beep codes ? |
For 1 beep, 2 beeps, or 3 beeps try reseating the memory first. If
the error still occurs, replace the memory with known good chips.
For 4 beeps, 5 beeps, 7 beeps, or 10 beeps the system board must be sent in for repair.
For 6 beeps try reseating the keyboard controller chip. If the error still occurs, replace
the keyboard chip. If the error persists, check parts of the system relating to the
keyboard, e.g. try another keyboard, check to see if the system has a keyboard fuse.
8 beeps indicates a memory error on the video adapter. Replace the video card or the
memory on the video card.
9 beeps indicates faulty BIOS chip(s). It is not likely that this error can be corrected
by reseating the chips. Consult the motherboard supplier or an AMI product distributor for
replacement part(s).
If no beeps are heard and no display is on the screen, The first thing to check is the
power supply. Connect a LED to the POWER LED connection on the motherboard. If this LED
lights and the drive(s) spin up then the power supply will usually be good.
Next, inspect the motherboard for loose components. A loose or missing CPU, BIOS chip,
Crystal Oscillator, or Chipset chip will cause the motherboard not to function.
Next, eliminate the possibility of interference by a bad or improperly set up I/O card by
removing all card except the video adapter. The system should at least power up and wait
for a drive time-out. Insert the cards back into the system one at a time until the
problem happens again. When the system does nothing, the problem will be with the last
expansion card that was put in.
If the above suggestions fail to cause any change in the dysfunction of the system, the
motherboard must be returned for repair.
20. How to insert NCR SCSI BIOS v3.07 or 4.03 into your MRBIOS ? |
It's actually simple but varies for each version of mr bios. You need to download a program from Windows95.com called 'Hex Workshop' which allows you to edit files in Hexadecimal. The process involves cutting out the blank space at the beginning of the mr bios flash image and appending either the NCR flash image v3.07 or 4.03 and saving the file.
Notice the mr bios site describes the initial flash image as being 92k but when you download it its actually larger due to this extra blank space.
Cut out the appropriate blank space so the image is 92k, save. Then append the NCR v3.07 flash image by cutting and pasting and save. The file length should now be 108k (92k + 16k NCR v3.07 image). It is OK to append the larger 32k NCR v4.03 image if you like. The total file length will be 124k. This change of offset of the core bios will not hurt anything. As I am sure you know be VERY CAREFUL!
Thanks go out to William H. Lagarde for giving me this info !
21. What about the YEAR 2000 ? |
Check out the following sites:
http://www.firmware.com/support/bios/year2000.htm
http://www.y2klinks.com/ring.htm
Y2K Tool: Over 18,000 Links to Year 2000 Y2K Resources
¡@
22. Where can I download the Award and AMI Flashers ? |
You can find them on my Bios Utilities page.
23. How to flash an Intel AMI BIOS on an Intel OEM board ? (e.g. when you have BIOS 1.00.xx.CB0H and want to update to a 1.00.xx.CB0 BIOS) |
I haven't tested this procedure, so use this information at your own risk!
The following illustrates how to go from a "1.00.xx.CB0H"-type BIOS to a regular "1.00.xx.CB0"-BIOS. The extra letter means that it's an Intel motherboard sold to an OEM (in this case Vobis = "H").
Everything said here *should* also be applicable for other Intel motherboards (that use AMI BIOS) and other OEMs too. (e.g. going from 1.00.xx.BC0R to 1.00.xx.BC0)
Background:
The "1.00.xx.CB0"-BIOS was a BIOS developed by AMI for
Intel's "endeavour"- motherboard (also known as "Advanced-E/V"-MB).
I guess that VOBIS did slightly modify this BIOS and called the modified version
"1.00.xx.CB0H". It's likely that the letter "H" stands for
"HIGHSCREEN" which is labeled on all of their PC's.
This brought me to the conclusion, that I could use the regular
AMI-version since my motherboard WAS an "endeavour"-board.
You can download the "1.00.xx.CB0"-BIOS-versions from "ftp://download.intel.nl/design/motherbd/ev/".
There are the versions 02, 03, 04, 05 and 06 available.
If you try to use any of these versions, you get an error saying that "the data are
corrupt or you are using a wrong BIOS". The problem is, that the BIOS-ID string of
the Intel-Files is only 1.00.02.CB0 but your actual BIOS is 1.00.02.CB0H, so the
upgrade-program denies the execution of the upgrade.
I did the following:
1. I downloaded the version 1.00.02.CB0 (equivalent to my actual version) and
version 1.00.06.CB0 (the latest version) from the Intel-page.
2. Following the instructions on the page "http://developer.intel.com/design/motherbd/genbios.htm"
I created 2 boot-disks, one for each version.
3. On the 1.00.02.CB0-Disk there are (among others) the files
"1002cb0_.bio" and "1002cb0_.bi1".
I opened both in a text editor (WordPad, comes with Windows95) and replaced the string
"CB0 " (the SPACE behind CB0 is important) with "CB0H".
Each file should have 1 occurrence of this string .
4. Booting my computer with this modified disk, the "upgrade" from 02 to
02 was accepted. Surprising: the BIOS-ID was now 1.00.02.CB0 and not 1.00.02.CB0H
5. I booted again with the (unmodified) 1.00.06.CB0-disk. This upgrade was accepted
too, and now my BIOS-Version was 1.00.06.CB0.
Up to now (3 weeks) everything works fine and my new
4.3GB-harddisk is recognized too(which was the reason for this trouble...).
Please note:
1. The Intel-upgrade-program allows saving your current BIOS to disk. YOU SHOULD DO
THAT. Create a boot disk with your BIOS, then you have the opportunity to fall back to
your "old" version, if something goes wrong. Even if the PC didn't boot: the
endeavour-boards have a BIOS-recovery jumper. (See Intel's WWW-Page).
2. It's likely that you can upgrade to Version 06 DIRECTLY by modifying the
version-06-disk, but I haven't tried that.
3. There's a risk that VOBIS did not only put their company-name in the BIOS but
did also other (functional) changes.
(Thanks to Veikko Summa for sending me this info)
24. How can you change the EPA logo that is displayed at boot-up on Award BIOS based motherboards ? |
First of all you need a BIOS *.BIN file that you'll first edit and flash afterwards. Please make sure that BIOS file you're going to edit is the correct one for your motherboard.
Download BMPtoEPA from http://members.aol.com/mrosenb257/. BMPtoEPA is a freeware program (for non-commercial use) that runs under Windows9x. It will convert a BMP to an EPA file.
Once you have the EPA file you'll need to find CBROM to insert the EPA file into the *.BIN file. The syntax is : cbrom *.BIN /EPA savedEPA.epa (where *.BIN is the filename of the BIOS file, savedEPA.epa the filename of the EPA file.).
Now all you have to do is flash your bios with the edited BIOS file.
Note: Not all Award BIOSs support this (especially older BIOSs (486,old 586)
?1996, 1997, 1998 Wim Bervoets, Bios@ping.be
DISCLAIMER: Use flash BIOSs at your OWN risk!! I can not be held responsible for any damage to your computer !