BIOS Firmware Support
In questa pagina trovate una selezione di documenti di carattere
tecnico relativi al firmware del PC in genere (ROM BIOS).
Sono stati prelevati dal sito della
Micro Firmware,
un'azienda specializzata in upgrade per ROM BIOS Phoenix.
La
pagina originale contiene altri documenti relativi al BIOS di
specifiche schede madri.
Pagina aggiornata il 2 Mar 2000
General BIOS-related & Miscellaneous
- Clearing Remapped Keys & Macros on Gateway 2000 Anykey Keyboard
Instructions for clearing macros and remapped keys on Gateway 2000 Anykey keyboards.
- Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS / PhoenixBIOS 1.xx POST/BEEP Codes
Listing of error codes (port 80h hex values and 3-part beep codes) used by older Phoenix BIOSes.
- PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Error Beep Codes
Listing of error codes (port 80h hex values and 4-part beep codes) used by Phoenix 4.x BIOSes.
- BIOS.VXD Error Message From WIN95 After Installing M4HS45/G/GP
How to extract BIOS.VXD from WIN95 CAB file to solve error message after installing PnP BIOS.
- Clearing CMOS RAM on AT Compatible PC Systems
Describes clearing CMOS RAM by using a DEBUG script or by shorting pins on the clock chip.
- Some General Info on COM Ports on the PC
Notes on configuring COM ports - IO addresses, IRQs, etc.
- Some General Information on Flash BIOS Chips
Some general information on flash chips as used in PC systems to store the ROM BIOS.
- INSTALL.EXE Error Codes
Listing of error codes that can be generated by the INSTALL program used to install Micro Firmware flash BIOS upgrades.
- MEM Command Reports Less Than 640K Total Conventional Memory
Explanation of why DOS MEM command may report less than 640K total conventional memory - normally due to EBDA for PS/2 mouse or due to virus present in memory.
- Notes on Metric System Measurement Terms Used in PCs
Defines and explains computer-related measurement terms and unit symbols, such as megabyte, kbps, MHz.
- Micro Firmware Phoenix 4.xx BIOS Upgrades
Cross-reference for Micro Firmware BIOS upgrades, including motherboard names, part numbers, original BIOS versions.
- Notes on Installing Hard Drives Larger Than 2 Gigabytes
Many BIOSes, including older versions of Micro Firmware upgrades based on Phoenix 4.03 code, do not support large drives over 2GB. This file indicates which versions of our upgrades do and don't support drives over 2GB.
- 3.2GB Limitation in Phoenix 4.03 and 4.04 BIOSes
Some explanation of the 3.2GB hard drive size limitation in some Phoenix 4.03 and 4.04 BIOSes.
- Issues With Hard Drives Over 4GB
Discusses problems with setting up hard drives over 4.2GB under MS-DOS and how this problem relates to the system ROM BIOS. Also discusses ECHS and Assisted LBA translation.
- Issues With Hard Drives Over 8.4 GB
Discusses issues with setting up hard drives over 8GB and tells what revision level of each of our BIOS upgrades is needed to support drives over 8.4 GB.
- Mouse Freezes in WIN95 After Upgrading to M4HS45/G/GP
Explanation and solution for problem of frozen mouse in WIN95 after upgrading to PnP BIOS M4HS45/M4HS45G/M4HS45GP.
- Removing QEMM from AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS
Instructions on removing QEMM from AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS, which may be required before reinstalling QEMM after a BIOS upgrade.
- Some Notes on ROM Extensions
Information on ROM BIOS extensions, including how to identify and how to locate them.
- Obtaining Setup Programs for Various Computer Systems
Where to obtain CMOS Setup programs for AT&T, Epson, GRiD, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Unisys, and Wyse computers.
- What is BIOS Shadowing?
Explanation of BIOS ROM shadowing.
- Using DEBUG to Create Program to Swap LPT Ports
DEBUG session to create a program to reverse LPT1 and LPT2 assignments.
- General Information on PC Virus Detection and Removal
Information on how to detect and remove viruses including recommended programs and sources for more information.
- 32 Bit Disk Access in Windows 3.1x
Discusses need for third-party driver to use 32-Bit-Disk-Access in Windows 3.1x with large drives.
- The Y2K Date Rollover Problem on PC Systems
Detailed information on the Y2K date rollover problem on PCs and how it relates to the PC's system ROM BIOS and RTC.
Hard Drive-Related Info
- Explanation of Cable Select Jumper on IDE Hard Drives
Description of Cable Select jumpering scheme including issues with cables and host interfaces.
- Setting up a Driver to Access a CD-ROM Drive
General info on setting up CD-ROM drivers in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.
- Notes on Cluster Size or Allocation Unit Size
Discussion of cluster (allocation unit) size and wasted space on hard drives. Includes table of partition sizes and cluster sizes.
- Notes on Disk Manager and EZ-Drive
Description of Disk Manager and EZ Drive hard drive translation utilities and removal procedures.
- Pointer to EIDE FAQ
Info on accessing EIDE Internet FAQ.
- FAT32 and Fixed Disk Boot Sector Write-Protect Option
Fixed Disk Boot Sector Write-Protect option in Phoenix 4.x BIOSes can not be used with FAT32 partitions.
- Notes on DOS FDISK Command
Some information on DOS FDISK program including differences in different versions of MS-DOS and Windows 95/98.
- DEBUG Script to Clear Partition Sector of Hard Drive
This DEBUG script is used to erase a hard drive when other methods are not sufficient.
- Notes on Math Used in Hard Drive Translation
Some notes on exact sizes of BIOS limitations on hard drive sizes.
- Some Technical Info on Hard Drives
Discusses some technical aspects of hard drives such as CHS addressing scheme, boot sectors, partition tables, FAT, etc.
- Pointer to Hale Landis' Technical Documents
Information on obtaining technical documents by Hale Landis.
- Some Notes on LBA
An explanation of LBA (Logical Block Addressing).
- What is a Megabyte?
Discussion on difference between two different definitions of megabyte.
- Notes on Installing Hard Drives Larger Than 2 Gigabytes
Many BIOSes, including older versions of Micro Firmware upgrades based on Phoenix 4.03 code, do not support large drives over 2GB. This file indicates which versions of our upgrades do and don't support drives over 2GB.
- 3.2GB Limitation in Phoenix 4.03 and 4.04 BIOSes
Some explanation of the 3.2GB hard drive size limitation in some Phoenix 4.03 and 4.04 BIOSes.
- Issues With Hard Drives Over 4GB
Discusses problems with setting up hard drives over 4.2GB under MS-DOS and how this problem relates to the system ROM BIOS. Also discusses ECHS and Assisted LBA translation.
- Issues With Hard Drives Over 8.4 GB
Discusses issues with setting up hard drives over 8GB and tells what revision level of each of our BIOS upgrades is needed to support drives over 8.4 GB.
- Info on 80-Conductor ATA Cable for UDMA Hard Drives
General information on 80-conductor ATA cables developed for use with UDMA-33 and UDMA-66 hard drives.
- DOS Compatibility Mode on 3rd or 4th IDE Drives Over 4.2GB Using ECHS Translation Under Windows 95
Describes a bug in Windows 95 that causes drives over 4.2GB on the secondary IDE channel to run in compatibility mode if using ECHS translation.
- Problems with New Partition Types Used by WIN95 FDISK
WIN95 FDISK may use new partition types which makes drive unaccessible by DOS 6.x and may also cause "phantom" drives and data loss.
- How to Copy Windows 95 from One Hard Drive to Another
Detailed instructions for copying Windows 95 and all programs and data from one hard drive to another.
- Western Digital 340MB Drive Using LBA Translation
Explains how LBA translation is used in some BIOSes even when a drive does not need translation.
- 32 Bit Disk Access in Windows 3.1x
Discusses need for third-party driver to use 32-Bit-Disk-Access in Windows 3.1x with large drives.
CPU-related Info
- DEBUG Script to Disable/Enable Internal Cache on 486 CPUs
DEBUG script to create program to turn off internal CPU cache on 486 CPUs. Modern BIOSes normally enable the CPU cache automatically.
- Forcing Phoenix 4.x BIOS to Enable Cache on Intel 486DX4ODP CPU
Fix for some Phoenix BIOSes not correctly identifying early versions of Intel 486DX4-100 ODP CPUs.
- Write-Back/Write-Through Cache on Intel P24T Overdrive CPU's
Explains the issue of write-back versus write-through cache on the Pentium Overdrive CPUs.
- Notes on Pentium and Compatible CPUs
Selected information on Pentium CPUs including speed, voltage, multipliers, sockets, part numbers, etc.