Edit BIOS itself to change default mobo settings every time you reset CMOS

[c627627]

Is there a program that can edit mobo BIOS like video card BIOS can be edited using these
http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186090
in order to change default BIOS settings when CMOS is reset?

[RoadWarrior]

Yes there is although it depends what brand of BIOS you have, there's one for AMIBIOS and one for Pheonix/Award. I think though they may not work on newer BIOSes neither has been updated in a while...

This is the one for AMI BIOS
http://www.stormpages.com/crazyape/amibcp.html
Here's a page with tools for Award bioses.
http://www.ryston.cz/petr/bios/award.html

And here's another good page to read...
http://www.froggy.com.au/frogge/pepper/bmreport1.html

I have only used the AMIBCP tool, and that is very convenient for altering defaults, I am not sure how easy it is for award bioses.

regards,

Road Warrior

[c627627]

Thanks RoadWarrior, I looked at them and couldn't figure out what I wanted which is basically to just change a couple of default values like onboard sound being disabled by default but after some thought it may be better just not to mess with it...

After reading this, I even went back to an older BIOS version:
http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=227294

...probably not going to update BIOS ever, unless I specifically need to.

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[Gnufsh]

I've used them both, it took me a little while to figure out what was up, but then it was no problem.

[c627627]

Do you have award BIOS?
So, you can just change the default values of a BIOS .bin file?

How??

Do go on, post brief instructions Gnufish.

[Gnufsh]

Well, it's been six months or so since I did it, and I don't even have any of the tools around anymore. I believe I did both an award and an AMI BIOS, for different boards. Mostly I unhid hidden settings, most of which were useless. I don't remember enough to walk you through right now, but I'll try and remember/figure it out again. What BIOS are you trying to mod?

edit: I messed with the BIOS for my MSI KT3 Ultra2 and ABIT KD7 last spring.

[Gnufsh]

Check out the forums here: http://www.biosmods.com/

[c627627]

Award 05/07/2003 nForce2 Epox 8RDA+, and I'm not trying to unhide hidden settings or anything like that.

Just simply change the default values from one setting to another so that when I flash another board with it, the default is already like I want it.

[Gnufsh]

What OS do you have? Modbin doesn't seem to work well with XP.

[c627627]

Windows XP/ Windows Me dual boot.

Windows 2000 on another machine.

Windows 98 notebook.

[Gnufsh]

First off, you need the BIOS file you want to mod (8RDA3507.BIN, in your case, although you may want to switch to the latest BIOS). THen you need the version of Modbin6 available at http://www.freewebs.com/tmod/utilities.htm

Stick the extracted Modbin6 file (Modbin61.00.38.exe) in the same folder as the BIOS file you want to edit. Then, run Modbin. The first thing you will see is a menu that lets you select which file to edit. After you make a selection, you will be in the main editing screen. Select "Edit Setup Screen", use the arrow keys to move around, hit enter to modify you selection. You can toggle the visibility of options here. You can also set the default values through the BIOS Default and SETUP Default fields. Select the field, don't hit enter, and press +/- to modify the default value (and I'm not sure what the difference between setup and bios defaults is). Then, hit esc a couple times to go back to the main menu-type screen select filr, hit enter, and save and exit. Then, just flash the modded bios.

Remeber this is very risky, flash a corrupt bios, or one with a messed up default, or just have a bad flash and your mobo is toast. I only do this when I have another motherboard with the same type of EEPROM chip so that I can hotflash if something goes wrong.

[c627627]

How can you tell the same EEPROM chips and what is a concept of hotflashing?

Originally posted by Gnufsh

"I only do this when I have another motherboard with the same type of EEPROM chip so that I can hotflash if something goes wrong."

[RoadWarrior]

Same type of EEPROM; usually you just have to have the same programming voltage and size available. Sometimes it's easier if the other mobo at least has the same manufacturers chipset on.

Hotflashing is the procedure of pulling a BIOS chip from a running motherboard, and plugging another in, so that the new chip may be programmed. Thus corrupt chips that will not boot a computer can be programmed. I think this is explained well at www.wimsbios.com

regards,

Road Warrior

[Gnufsh]

I read the model numbers, they were the exact same chip. THere are currently in-use, I believe, tow main types of chips used for BIOSes and CMOS data, there is the rectangular DIP-style (I don't remember the number of pins) and there is the smaller, square PLCC style. If you have a PLCC chip, you need a PLCC-IC extractor to get it out of the socket, with the DIP kind you can do it with your fingers, but you have to be careful not to bend the pins (I actually bent more pins using an extractor than with my fingers). I believe that with any current motherboard, chips will be alright as long as the chip fits. Some older chips had different ammounts of memory and even ran a different voltagers, so watch out for that sort of thing (I would look up datasheets for the chips in question).

Hot flashing is not as exciting as it sounds. Here is an example, I have two different motherboards that use the same chip to store the BIOS. One of the computers BIOS has been corrupted or I had a bad flash and it will no longer boot properly. I make a boot disk with a good BIOS and a flash program that will allow me to force the flash (you may have to find a third-party flash program, which do exist). I boot the second computer from the floppy to a nice dos environment (I have previously set system bios to cacheable).I then take the chip out of the second compputer and replace it with the one from the first computer. I flash the BIOS for the first computer to the chip, turn the computer off, and put the chips back in their respective computers. It's far cheaper than buying an EEPROM burner.