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Compaq Setup and Diagnostic Software
Writer: Erica T Blakeney Project: Compaq Professional Workstation 5100 Reference Guide Comments: 299348-003
File Name: C-CH02.DOC Last Saved On: 3/12/98 11:36 AM
COMPAQ CONFIDENTIAL - NEED TO KNOW REQUIRED
ROM BIOS
Your workstation contains a set of software called Basic Input/Output System
(BIOS) stored in Read Only Memory (ROM) on the system board. The BIOS
contains a set of routines for Power-On Self-Test (POST) and accessing
hardware specific information. The ROM is composed of a flash upgrade
component and a static boot block.
Power-On Self-Test
When you turn on your workstation, the BIOS runs a number of tests, called
Power-On Self-Tests (POSTs). These tests check and initialize many hardware
components. The basic sequence for POST is:
1. Check and initialize low level hardware.
2. Count
memory.
The memory count is displayed in the upper left corner of the monitor
screen in increments of kilobytes (KB).
3. Detect and spin up hard drives and other SCSI devices. A message will
be displayed:
SCSI Device Detected - System Board, SCSI Idx: <disk ID> where x is from 0
to 7 and disk ID is the drive type.
4. Boot from, in sequence, either a CD, a diskette, or the hard drive.
Runtime Services
After your workstation boots to the operating system, the BIOS still provides
some runtime services to the operating system. For instance, the BIOS provides
information to the operating system on how many processors are installed, how
the system interrupts are configured, and information on the disk drives. BIOS
also provides information about your workstation’s configuration and
maintenance.