Bios Companion : The Book That Doesn't Come with Your Motherboard but Should

by Croucher, Phil

• ISBN13: 9781889671208
• ISBN10: 1889671207
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: ADVICE PRESS

Summary

The heart of every IBM and compatible PC is the BIOS, a low-level operating environment that handles the initial boot, start up, and loading of the operating system and hardware level functions. System and service technicians, troubleshooters, and home hobbyists will benefit from this technical guide. The CD-ROM contains the complete book information in HTML format as well as the complete hard disk reference found in the "Hard Disk Companion".

Table of Contents

Table of Contents	v
The BIOS	1	(14)
How old is my BIOS?	2	(1)
Acer ID Strings	2	(1)
AMI ID Strings	3	(2)
ID String Line 1	3	(1)
ID String Line 2	4	(1)
ID String Line 3	4	(1)
AMI with Intel Motherboards	5	(1)
Award ID Strings	5	(1)
Phoenix ID Strings	6	(1)
Where Can I Get A New One?	6	(2)
Flash BIOS Upgrades	7	(1)
DMI	8	(1)
Facilities Provided	8	(1)
The Power On Self Test	8	(1)
The Bootstrap Loader	8	(1)
CMOS settings	9	(1)
Utilities	9	(1)
Hardware Performance	9	(1)
System Timing	10	(1)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) Problem	10	(5)
Testing The Hardware	13	(2)
The Motherboard	15	(12)
Bits and Bytes	16	(1)
The Central Processor	16	(8)
The 80286	17	(1)
The 80386	17	(2)
The 80386SX	19	(1)
The 80486	19	(1)
The 80486SX	20	(1)
Clock Doubling	20	(1)
The Pentium	20	(1)
Pentium Pro	21	(1)
Cyrix Instead	22	(1)
AMD	22	(1)
Integrated Device Technology (IDT)	22	(1)
MMX	23	(1)
AGP	23	(1)
Summing up	23	(1)
Chip Reference Chart	24	(3)
Memory	27	(14)
Static RAM	27	(1)
Dynamic RAM	27	(3)
Wait states	30	(3)
Shadow RAM	33	(1)
Random Access Memory	34	(6)
Base (or conventional) memory	34	(1)
Upper Memory	35	(1)
Extended Memory	36	(1)
High memory	37	(1)
Expanded Memory	38	(2)
Virtual Memory	40	(1)
Shared Memory	40	(1)
Bus Types	41	(6)
ISA	41	(1)
EISA	42	(1)
Micro Channel Architecture	42	(1)
Local Bus	42	(1)
PCMCIA	43	(2)
USB	45	(1)
FireWire	46	(1)
Expansion Cards	47	(8)
Direct Memory Access (DMA)	47	(2)
Base Memory Address	49	(1)
Base I/O Address	50	(2)
Interrupt Setting	52	(3)
Setting Up For Performance	55	(2)
Open Sesame	57	(2)
Standard CMOS Setup	59	(6)
Advanced CMOS Setup	65	(10)
Advanced Chipset Setup	75	(46)
Refresh	76	(4)
Data Bus	80	(10)
Cacheing	90	(9)
Memory	99	(14)
Miscellaneous	113	(8)
Power Management	121	(8)
Smart Battery System	122	(7)
Plug And Play/PCI	129	(30)
PCI Slot Configuration	130	(24)
Peripheral Setup	154	(3)
System Monitor Setup	157	(2)
Nasty Noises	159	(12)
ALR	159	(1)
Ambra	159	(1)
AMI	159	(1)
AST	160	(4)
Award	164	(1)
Compaq	164	(3)
Dell (Phoenix)	167	(1)
IBM	168	(1)
MR BIOS	169	(1)
Mylex/Eurosoft	169	(1)
Packard Bell	169	(1)
Phoenix	170	(1)
Quadtel	170	(1)
Tandon	170	(1)
Error Messages/Codes	171	(56)
AMI	171	(2)
Apricot	173	(1)
AST	174	(1)
Award	174	(3)
Compaq	177	(18)
General	195	(1)
HP Vectra	195	(2)
IBM AT	197	(27)
Olivetti M24 Memory Errors	224	(1)
Phoenix	224	(1)
Sirius	225	(2)
Known BIOS Problems	227	(6)
General	227	(3)
ALR	227	(1)
AMI	227	(1)
AST	228	(1)
Award	228	(1)
Compaq	228	(1)
DTK	228	(1)
IBM	229	(1)
MicroFirmware	229	(1)
Peak/DM	229	(1)
Phoenix	229	(1)
Quadtel	229	(1)
Tandon	229	(1)
Toshiba	229	(1)
Wyse	229	(1)
Zenith	229	(1)
Windows 95	230	(3)
Award	230	(3)
POST Codes	233	(122)
Shutdown or Reset Commands	233	(1)
Manufacturing Loop Jumper	234	(1)
What is a POST Diagnostic Card?	234	(1)
Who would use a POST card?	234	(1)
Installation	235	(3)
Obtaining Information About Your Computer	235	(1)
Opening The Computer Case	236	(1)
Card Configuration	236	(1)
Installing The Card	236	(1)
Testing The POST Card	237	(1)
Operation and Technical Information	238	(1)
The POST Display	238	(1)
Power Supply Status LEDs and Voltage Measurement Points	239	(1)
Troubleshooting/Diagnostic Strategy	239	(116)
ACER	241	(1)
ALR	242	(1)
Ambra	242	(1)
AMI	242	(16)
Arche Technologies	258	(2)
AST	260	(1)
AT&T	261	(1)
Award	262	(16)
Chips and Technologies	278	(3)
Compaq	281	(9)
Dell	290	(2)
DTK	292	(1)
Faraday A-Tease	293	(2)
Headstart	295	(1)
HP	295	(7)
Landmark	302	(3)
Magnavox	305	(1)
MR BIOS	305	(6)
Mylex/Eurosoft	311	(3)
NCR	314	(4)
Olivetti	318	(6)
Packard Bell	324	(1)
Philips/Magnavox/Headstart	324	(1)
Phoenix	325	(18)
Tandon	343	(4)
Tandy	347	(1)
Wyse	347	(1)
Zenith	347	(8)
Chipsets	355	(10)
BIOS Part Numbers and Chipsets	355	(1)
Award	355	(1)
Chipset Manufacturers	356	(9)
ACC Microelectronics	356	(1)
ACER Laboratories Inc (ALI)	357	(1)
Austek	357	(1)
Chips & Technologies	357	(1)
Contaq	358	(1)
Elite	358	(1)
Faraday (WD)	359	(1)
G-2 Inc/Headland	359	(1)
Headland	359	(1)
Intel	359	(2)
Opti	361	(1)
Samsung	361	(1)
SIS (Silicon Integrated Systems)	362	(1)
Suntac	362	(1)
Symphony Labs	362	(1)
Texas Instruments	363	(1)
UMC (United Microelectronics)	363	(1)
VIA	363	(1)
VLSI	363	(2)
Fixed Disk Parameter Tables	365	(24)
Acer v1.00	365	(1)
ALR FlexCache ``Z'' 33 MHz	365	(1)
ALR FlexCache 25386/dt	366	(1)
AMI	366	(1)
Amstrad 2286 v1.10/1.11*	367	(1)
AST	367	(1)
Award 1.10/3.0B	368	(1)
Award 3.0*/3.03/3.04 (3.0 only to 4.1)	368	(1)
Award 3.05---4.00	369	(1)
Award 4.5	369	(1)
Commodore	370	(1)
Compaq DeskPro 386/25/33(27)/20e(37)	370	(1)
Compaq 386/20	371	(1)
Compaq Portable III	371	(1)
Compaq SLT/286	372	(1)
DTK	373	(1)
Epson	374	(1)
Ferranti	374	(1)
Goldstar	374	(1)
Goupil	375	(1)
IBM	375	(1)
PS/2	376	(1)
MR BIOS	376	(1)
Nimbus PC386 4.21a	376	(1)
Nimbus VX386 v155a	377	(1)
Olivetti v3.27	377	(1)
Olivetti M380c	378	(1)
Philips 2.24	378	(1)
Phoenix 1.1 16.HO	378	(1)
Phoenix 1.64	379	(1)
Phoenix 3.00	379	(1)
Phoenix 3.10 01	379	(1)
Phoenix 3.10 08A	380	(1)
Phoenix 3.4	381	(1)
Phoenix 3.40	381	(1)
Phoenix 3.63T	381	(2)
Phoenix 3.06/3.07	383	(1)
Phoenix 3.10	383	(1)
Phoenix 1.00 ABIOS	384	(1)
Samsung	384	(1)
Sperry PC/IT	384	(1)
Tandon 001-2.24 000-10	385	(1)
Tandon 3.61	385	(1)
Toshiba 1.0	386	(1)
Victor AT 3.01	386	(1)
Wang	386	(1)
Zenith	387	(2)
Memory Chips	389	(16)
SIMMs	389	(2)
30 pin	390	(1)
72 pin	390	(1)
DIMMs	391	(1)
Video	391	(1)
Manufacturers	391	(9)
AEP	391	(1)
Array Technology	392	(1)
Cypress Multichip	392	(1)
Dense-Pac	392	(1)
EDI	392	(1)
Fujitsu	393	(1)
GoldStar	393	(1)
Harris	393	(1)
Hitach	393	(1)
Hyundai	394	(1)
IBM	394	(1)
Inova	394	(1)
Logic Devices	394	(1)
Micron	394	(1)
Mitsubishi	395	(1)
Mosaic	396	(1)
Mosel	396	(1)
Mostek	396	(1)
Motorola	396	(1)
National	396	(1)
NEC	396	(1)
OKI	396	(1)
Samsung	397	(1)
Sharp	397	(1)
Siemens	397	(1)
Texas Instruments	397	(1)
Toshiba	397	(3)
Valtronic	400	(1)
Vitarel	400	(1)
White Technology	400	(1)
Zyrel	400	(1)
SRAM	400	(5)
Alliance	400	(1)
AT&T	400	(1)
Cypres	400	(1)
EDI	401	(1)
Fujitsu	401	(1)
Hitachi	401	(1)
IC Works	401	(1)
Inmos	401	(1)
Logic	401	(1)
Micron Syncburst Pipelined SRAMs	402	(1)
Mitsubishi	403	(1)
Motorola	403	(1)
NEC	403	(1)
Paradigm	403	(1)
Performance	403	(1)
Quality	404	(1)
Samsung	404	(1)
SGS	404	(1)
Sharp	404	(1)
Sony	404	(1)
Texas Instruments	404	(1)
Toshiba	404	(1)
Useful Numbers	405	(2)
Index	407