Supero SUPER P6DBE, User Manual

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Chapter 4: AMI BIOS
4-1
Chapter 4
AMI BIOS
4-1 Introduction
This chapter describes the AMIBIOS for the Intel 440BX Pentium II 400/350/
333/300/266/233 MHz processors. The AMI ROM BIOS is stored in the
Flash EEPROM and is 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. The WinBIOS is a high-quality example of
a system BIOS.
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 bytes of non-volatile memory storage in
CMOS RAM. All AT-compatible systems have at least 64 bytes of CMOS
RAM, which is usually part of the Real Time Clock. Many systems have 128
bytes 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.