Gigabyte GA-K8NS ULTRA-939 Computer Hardware User Manual


 
Technical Reference- 59 -
English
DualBIOS
Technology FAQ
GIGABYTE Technology is pleased to introduce DualBIOS technology, a hot spare for
your system BIOS. This newest "Value-added" feature, in a long series of innovations from
GIGABYTE, is available on this motherboard. Future GIGABYTE motherboards will also incorpo-
rate this innovation.
What's DualBIOS
?
On GIGABYTE motherboards with DualBIOS there are physically two BIOS chips. For simplicity
we'll call one your "Main BIOS" and the other we'll call your "Backup BIOS" (your "hot spare"). If your Main
BIOS fails, the Backup BIOS almost automatically takes over on your next system boot.
Almost automatically and with virtually zero down time! Whether the problem is a failure in flashing your
BIOS or a virus or a catastrophic failure of the Main BIOS chip, the result is the same - the Backup BIOS
backs you up, almost automatically.
I. Q: What is DualBIOS
technology?
Answer:
DualBIOS technology is a patented technology from Giga-Byte Technology. The concept of this
technology is based on the redundancy and fault tolerance theory. DualBIOS
technology simply means
there are two system BIOSes (ROM) integrated onto the motherboard. One is a main BIOS, and the other is
a backup BIOS. The mainboard will operate normally with the main BIOS, however, if the main BIOS is
corrupt or damaged for various reasons, the backup BIOS will be automatically used when the system pow-
ered-On. Your PC will operate as before the main BIOS was damaged, and is completely transparent to the
user.
II. Q: Why does anyone need a motherboard with DualBIOS
technology?
Answer:
In today's systems there are more and more BIOS failures. The most common reasons are virus attacks,
BIOS upgrade failures, and/or deterioration of the BIOS (ROM) chip itself.
1. New computer viruses are being found that attack and destroy the system BIOS. They may corrupt
your BIOS code, causing your PC to be unstable or even not boot normally.
2. BIOS data will be corrupted if a power loss/surge occurs, or if a user resets the system, or if the power
button is pressed during the process of performing a system BIOS upgrade.
3. If a user mistakenly updates their mainboard with the incorrect BIOS file, then the system may not be
able to boot correctly. This may cause the PC system hang in operation or during boot.
4. A flash ROM's life cycle is limited according to electronic characteristics. The modern PC utilizes the
Plug and Play BIOS, and is updated regularly. If a user changes peripherals often, there is a slight
chance of damage to the flash ROM.
With Giga-Byte Technology's patented DualBIOS
technology you can reduce the possibility of hangs during
system boot up, and/or loss BIOS data due to above reasons.
This new technology will eliminate valuable system down time and costly repair bills cause by BIOS failures.