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Chapter 4: BIOS
4-1
BIOS
Chapter 4
BIOS
4-1 Introduction
This chapter describes the AMIBIOS for Intel 840 Pentium II/III 350-733 MHz
processors. The AMI ROM BIOS is stored in a Flash EEPROM and can be
easily upgraded using a floppy disk-based program.
System BIOS
The BIOS is the Basic Input Output System used in all IBM
®
PC, XT™, AT
®
,
and PS/2
®
compatible computers.
Configuration Data
AT-compatible systems, also called ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
must have a place to store system information when the computer is turned
off. The original IBM AT had 64 kbytes of non-volatile memory storage in
CMOS RAM. All AT-compatible systems have at least 64 kbytes of CMOS
RAM, which is usually part of the Real Time Clock. Many systems have 128
kbytes of CMOS RAM.
How Data Is Configured
AMIBIOS provides a Setup utility in ROM that is accessed by pressing <Del>
at the appropriate time during system boot. Setup configures data in CMOS
RAM.
POST Memory Test
Normally, the only visible POST routine is the memory test. The screen that
appears when the system is powered on is shown on the next page.
An AMIBIOS identification string is displayed at the left bottom corner of the
screen, below the copyright message.