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General BIOS Information

The BIOS (Basic Input Output System)

Background

The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) routines are stored in an on-board flash chip. The BIOS includes the code to start up the system when power is first applied, and the code to handle various interrupt and I/O tasks for the operating system once the system is up and running.

VersaLogic uses a General Software BIOS that has been enhanced for OEM applications. There are actually two copies of the system BIOS on the board. The user can jumper select either the primary or secondary copy for use by the system at power-up.

The primary copy of the BIOS is permanent and may not be changed by the user. It is always available for booting of the board. The secondary copy of the BIOS is programmable. It can be overwritten by the user with newer BIOS versions if desired.

Binary images of new BIOS versions are available for download from this page. The VersaLogic Flash BIOS update utility program is also available for download on this page. Both the Flash BIOS update utility and a binary BIOS image file are required in order to do a BIOS update. The update program must be run on the target system (the system that is getting the updated BIOS). After the update is completed, remove the jumper required (if it has not already been removed) to select the secondary BIOS copy for use. The jumper location is identified in the product manual.


BIOS Upgrade Instructions

  • Run the Flash BIOS Update utility under DOS (boot from Floppy Disk or Hard Drive only).
    Note: The update utility is incompatible with high memory managers such as HIMEM.SYS. Bypass all CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT statements by pressing F5 when the operating system starts to load.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions.

Update Utility

Flash BIOS Update Utility rev 2.12 (112K)
This utility is used to write a new BIOS version into the on-board Flash chip.


Splash Screen Utility

Convert Bitmap Utility (22KB)
This DOS-based utility is used to convert a 16-color BMP image to a .BIN file for use as a splash screen. See the VersaLogic Knowledgebase article VT1400 for instructions on how to create a custom splash screen.