>On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 20:40:11 -0600, Chuck Cole <cncole at earthlink.net> >wrote: >> The "bios" is in ROM on the motherboard. There are flash updates for Johnny Fulcrum wrote: >some Compaqs kept the BIOS on a disk partition not a ROM. You must go to >the Compaq site, download a ROM paq or some such beast, set up the >computer diagnostics, and install the BIOS - it probably got wiped when >someone wiped the HD. You are both right. Some computers do indeed contain (usually a major) part of the BIOS in a "hidden" (usually in reference to MS Windows) disk partition. However, these computers must have enough BIOS code in a ROM to ensure there is enough (any) RAM to load the rest of the BIOS into and then actually load it there. All (almost?) x86 motherboards have a routine in the BIOS that causes a loud beeping sound for a few seconds (and/or LED display code) when no RAM has been installed; this routine must be in the ROM part of a combination ROM/hard drive partition BIOS. The ROM part of this type of BIOS will also include a routine that updates or restores the hard drive portion of the BIOS from an installation floppy. One advantage of this ROM/hard drive partition BIOS is the ROM is immutable (can't be over-written) and upgrades are always done to the hard drive portion of the BIOS only. Power failure or other problems while upgrading the BIOS are immediately recoverable as soon as the problem with the upgrade has been diagnosed and fixed. An identical problem with a Flash-able ROM BIOS (BIOS _not_ partially on a hidden hard drive partition), results in a corrupt BIOS. Unless the motherboard has a backup BIOS, the Flash ROM must be removed from the motherboard and programmed in an Flash ROM "burner" or be replaced by an identical Flash ROM with a good copy of the BIOS. An end user is not likely to have either a Flash ROM "burner" or a spare flash ROM BIOS chip. Sincerely, Ken Fuchs <kfuchs at winternet.com> _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list