Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Phoenix
The Phoenix BIOS is currently licensed by Phoenix under the SecureCore brand. For
many years it has been a standard of compatibility by which others are judged. Phoenix
wasoneofthefirstthird-partycompaniestolegallyreverse-engineertheIBMBIOSusing
a clean-room approach. In this approach, a group of engineers studied the IBM BIOS and
wrote a specification for how that BIOS should work and what features should be incor-
porated. This information then was passed to a second group of engineers who had nev-
er seen the IBM BIOS. They could then legally write a new BIOS to the specifications
set forth by the first group. This work was then unique and not a copy of IBM's BIOS;
however, it functioned the same way.
The Phoenix BIOS has a built-in setup program that is normally activated by pressing F1
or F2 during the POST. The Phoenix BIOS includes a built-in setup program normally
activated by pressing the F1 or F2 key within the first few seconds of powering on the
system.InmostcasestheBIOSpromptsyoubrieflyonthescreenastowhichkeytopress
and when to press it.
Phoenix has extensive technical support and documentation on its website at
www.phoenix.com .
BIOS Hardware/Software
Some important drivers must be active during boot time. For example, how can you boot
from a hard disk if the drivers necessary to make the disk interface work must be loaded
fromthatdisk?Obviously,atleastaminimumlevelofharddiskdriversmustbepreloaded
into ROM either on the motherboard or on an adapter card for the system to be able to
boot.
As another example, how can you see anything onscreen if your video card doesn't have
a set of drivers in a ROM? The solution to this could be to provide a motherboard ROM
withtheappropriatevideodriversbuiltin;however,thisisimpracticalbecauseofthevari-
ety of video cards, each needing its own drivers. Instead, when IBM designed the original
PC, it designed the PC's motherboard ROM to scan the slots, looking for adapter cards
with ROMs on them. If a card was found with a ROM on it, the ROM was executed dur-
ingthe initial system startup phase, before the system began loading the OSfromthe hard
disk.
A few cards (adapter boards) almost always have a ROM onboard, including the follow-
ing:
Video cards —All have an onboard BIOS.
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