Bios Quick Reference; Bios And Pre-Boot Features; Power-On Self-Test (Post) - Intel 440BX Manual

BIOS Quick Reference

The evaluation board is licensed with a single copy of Embedded BIOS and Embedded DOS
software from General Software, Inc.
and must be licensed directly from General Software, Inc. for integration with new designs.
General Software may be reached at (800) 850-5755, on the web at http://www.gensw.com, or via
email at sales@gensw.com.
BIOS updates may periodically be posted to the Intel Developers' web site at http://
developer.intel.com/.
5.1

BIOS and Pre-Boot Features

The system's pre-boot environment is managed with an adaptation of Embedded BIOS from
General Software. The pre-boot environment includes POST, Setup Screen System, Manufacturing
Mode, Console Redirection, Windows CE Loader (CE Ready), and Integrated BIOS Debugger. A
REFLASH tool is also available to update the BIOS image with new builds of Embedded BIOS
that may be obtained from General Software.
Before using the system, please read the following to properly configure CMOS settings, and learn
how to use the embedded features of the pre-boot firmware, Embedded BIOS.
The last two sections of this chapter provide the BIOS POST Codes and Beep codes.
5.2

Power-On Self-Test (POST)

When the system is powered on, Embedded BIOS tests and initializes the hardware and programs
the chipset and other peripheral components. During this time, POST progress codes are written by
the system BIOS to I/O port 80H, allowing the user to monitor the progress with a special monitor.
"Embedded BIOS POST Codes" on page 52 lists the POST codes and their meanings.
During early POST, no video is available to display error messages should a critical error be
encountered; therefore, POST uses beeps on the speaker to indicate the failure of a critical system
component during this time. Consult "Embedded BIOS Beep Codes" on page 55 for a list of Beep
codes used by the system's BIOS.
POST displays its progress on the system video device, which may be the video screen if a VGA
card is used, or on a terminal emulation program's screen if output is redirected over a serial port.
1. General Software™, the GS Logo, Embedded BIOS™, BIOStart™, CE-Ready™, and Embedded DOS™ are trademarks or registered
trademarks of General Software, Inc.
®
Intel 440Bx Scalable Performance Board Development Kit Manual
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This software is provided for demonstration purposes only
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