BIOS - Upgrading and Repairing PCs - page 320

Tip
A good trick to help you view the BIOS ID string is to shut down and either unplug your
keyboard or hold down a key as you power it back on. This causes a keyboard error, and the
string remains displayed.
You also can download the AMI Motherboard ID Utility program (AMIMBID) from AMI's
website ( www.ami.com/support/mbid.cfm ) and run it to determine the contents of ID String
1.
The primary BIOS identification string (ID String 1) is displayed by any AMI BIOS dur-
ing the POST in the bottom-left corner of the screen, below the copyright message. Two
additional BIOS ID strings (ID Strings 2 and 3) can be displayed by the AMI Hi-Flex
BIOS by pressing the Insert key during the POST. These additional ID strings display the
options installed in the BIOS.
The AMI BIOS has many features, including a built-in setup program normally activated
by pressing the Delete or Esc key within the first few seconds of powering on the system.
In most cases the BIOS prompts you briefly on the screen as to which key to press and
when to press it.
A unique feature of some of the AMI BIOS versions was that in addition to the setup,
they had a built-in, menu-driven diagnostics package—essentially a limited version of the
standalone AMIDIAG product. The internal diagnostics are not a replacement for more
comprehensive disk-based programs, but they can help in a pinch. The menu-driven dia-
gnostics do not do extensive memory testing, for example, and the hard disk low-level
formatter works only at the BIOS level rather than at the controller register level. These
limitations often have prevented it from being capable of formatting severely damaged
disks. Most newer AMI BIOS versions no longer include the full diagnostics.
AMI produces BIOS upgrades only for its own motherboards. If you have a non-AMI
motherboard with a customized AMI BIOS, you must contact the motherboard or system
manufacturer for an upgrade.
Phoenix Award BIOS
Phoenix now refers to the family of products built on its Award BIOS as Phoenix Award
BIOS . For several years it was also called the Phoenix FirstBIOS. The Award BIOS has
all the features you expect, including a built-in setup program activated by pressing a par-
ticular key on startup (usually prompted on the screen). The POST is good, although the
fewbeepcodessupportedmeansthataPOSTcardmaybehelpfulifyouwanttodiagnose
power-onfatalerrorproblems.PhoenixprovidestechnicalsupportfortheAwardBIOSon
its website at www.phoenix.com .