Whizpro BIOS: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 08:41, 5 June 2025

Whizpro BIOS, also known as WhizBIOS, is a personal computer BIOS developed by Whizpro Technology from the late-90s to the mid-2000s. It is mostly used on industrial or embedded systems, especially the ones made by BCM Advanced Research and Iwill. Its earliest known instance is from 1999, while the last known is from circa 2004-2005.

The last known trace of Whizpro Technology is from a February 2005 version of WFLASH, a BIOS flashing tool for Whizpro BIOS ROMs.^[1].

Known versions

COMDEX Fall '99 Demo release

According to the "News" section of the defunct whizpro.com website, a "demo BIOS product" was showcased by Whizpro Technologies at COMDEX Fall '99 in Las Vegas in November 1999.^[2] Although this "BIOS product" was likely Whizpro BIOS, it's unknown whether a pre-release or finalized version of it was demoed.

2000 release

Based on information from the same website, Whizpro BIOS was already available for personal and embedded computers in 2000.

The following platforms were supported (or planned to be supported) by the desktop version:

Intel 810, 810E and 815E chipsets
VIA Apollo Pro Plus, Pro 133 and Pro 133A chipsets (with VT82C596B southbridge only)
VIA KX133 and KT133 chipsets
Future support for VIA's DDR memory chipsets and Intel's Timna processor was also announced, neither of which were released at the time. Although the Timna processor was later cancelled by Intel before being released, meaning it likely never became supported.

Meanwhile, the embedded version supported the following platforms:

Intel 430TX, 440BX and 440ZX chipsets
National Semiconductor Geode GXLC, SC1400 and 5530 series of processors
STMicroelectronics STPC chipsets (exact models not listed, although likely all models released by that point)

A mobile version (likely for laptops and other portable devices) was also mentioned on the website, although its supported platforms were never listed.

January 2002 release

According to the newer whizpro.com.tw website, the desktop version also supported the following platforms by January 2002:^[3]

Intel 845 (original) northbridge
National Semiconductor Geode GX1 and GXM processors
Transmeta Crusoe TM3xxx and TM5xxx processors
VIA KT133A and KM133 northbridges
VIA P4X266 and P4M266 northbridges
VIA PM133 northbridge
VIA "PRO266" (likely a typo of KM266 Pro) and KT266 northbridges
VIA "VT82C593A" (likely a typo of VT82C596A), VT82C686A and VT82C686B southbridges

May 2002 release

According to the same website, Whizpro BIOS also supported various ALi, AMD and SiS chipsets by May 2002, although exact models of these supported chipsets are unknown.

The website also claimed support for any x86 architecture based processor.

June 2003 release

The following platforms were already supported by June 2003:

Intel 845D, 845G, 845GL, 845E, 845GE, 845PE, 845GV and 875P northbridges
VIA CLE266 northbridge
VIA KT266A, KM266, KT333, KT400 and KM400 northbridges
VIA P4X266A, P4X333 and P4M333 northbridges
VIA PLE133, PLE133A, PLE133T and PM133 northbridges

November 2003 release

VIA's K8T800 and K8M800 northbridges were already supported by November 2003. This was also the last time the website was updated.

Later releases

Despite no more updates being made on the website, Whizpro BIOS' development apparently continued for a while. Sometime around 2004-2005, support for Intel's 915G chipset (and likely also other 915x series of chipsets) was implemented, as seen on the BCM IN915GV and IN915GVR motherboards. Although no ROMs are available for either of these motherboards, their specifications mentioned Whizpro BIOS before they were removed from the BCM website. These motherboards run not only the last known instances of Whizpro BIOS, but also the only known instances for a PCIe based platform.

[1] ttps://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/bios-tools.529/page-13

[2] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20010401185040/http://www.whizpro.com/

[3] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20020126000257/http://www.whizpro.com.tw/

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Whizpro BIOS was a computer BIOS developed by Whizpro Technology Co. Ltd. in late-90s and early/mid-2000s. It was mostly used with embedded and/or industrial computer motherboards. Earliest known release of it is from 1999, while the last known trace of the company copyright is for [https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/bios-tools.529/page-13 a BIOS flashing tool dated 2005].
+[[File:Whizpro BIOS.png|thumb|POST screen on the BCM BC845DL motherboard]]
+'''Whizpro BIOS''', also known as '''WhizBIOS''', is a [[BIOS|personal computer BIOS]] developed by Whizpro Technology from the late-90s to the mid-2000s. It is mostly used on industrial or embedded systems, especially the ones made by BCM Advanced Research and Iwill. Its earliest known instance is from 1999, while the last known is from circa 2004-2005.
-== List of known versions ==
+The last known trace of Whizpro Technology is from a February 2005 version of WFLASH, a BIOS flashing tool for Whizpro BIOS ROMs.<ref>https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/bios-tools.529/page-13</ref>.
-=== COMDEX Fall '99 Demo Release ===
-This release is mentioned [https://web.archive.org/web/20010401185040/http://www.whizpro.com/ in one of the Whizpro websites] and is the earliest known release of Whizpro BIOS. A demo of it was apparently showcased at COMDEX Fall '99 in Las Vegas in November 1999. Nothing else is known about this demo release.
-=== 2000 Release ===
+== Known versions ==
-According to the same website, Whizpro BIOS was already finished and released in 2000. The 2000 release seems to have supported the following chipsets for desktop computers:
+=== COMDEX Fall '99 Demo release ===
+According to the "News" section of the defunct whizpro.com website, a "demo BIOS product" was showcased by Whizpro Technologies at COMDEX Fall '99 in Las Vegas in November 1999.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20010401185040/http://www.whizpro.com/</ref> Although this "BIOS product" was likely Whizpro BIOS, it's unknown whether a pre-release or finalized version of it was demoed.
-*VIA 693 Family (Apollo Pro Plus and Apollo Pro 133, VT82C596B southbridge only)
+=== 2000 release ===
-*VIA 694 Family (Apollo Pro 133A, VT82C596B southbridge only)
+Based on information from the same website, Whizpro BIOS was already available for personal and embedded computers in 2000.
-*VIA KX133 and KT133
-*Intel 810 and 810E
-*Intel 815E
-Support for VIA's DDR RAM supported chipsets and Intel's Timna codenamed processors were also announced (neither was released at the time), although the latter processors got cancelled by Intel in September 2000 before they got released.
+The following platforms were supported (or planned to be supported) by the desktop version:
-Meanwhile, the following chipsets were supported with the Embedded version of the BIOS:
+*Intel 810, 810E and 815E chipsets
+*VIA Apollo Pro Plus, Pro 133 and Pro 133A chipsets (with VT82C596B southbridge only)
+*VIA KX133 and KT133 chipsets
+*Future support for VIA's DDR memory chipsets and Intel's [[wikipedia:Intel_Timna|Timna processor]] was also announced, neither of which were released at the time. Although the Timna processor was later cancelled by Intel before being released, meaning it likely never became supported.
-*Intel 430TX
+Meanwhile, the embedded version supported the following platforms:
-*Intel 440BX and 440ZX
+*Intel 430TX, 440BX and 440ZX chipsets
 *National Semiconductor Geode GXLC, SC1400 and 5530 series of processors
-*STMicroelectronics STPC chipsets
+*STMicroelectronics STPC chipsets (exact models not listed, although likely all models released by that point)
+A mobile version (likely for laptops and other portable devices) was also mentioned on the website, although its supported platforms were never listed.
-=== January 2002 Release ===
+=== January 2002 release ===
-Same chipsets supported by the 2000 release were still supported, and according to [https://web.archive.org/web/20020126000257/http://www.whizpro.com.tw/ the newer Whizpro website], support for the following chipsets/southbridges were already added at some point with the desktop version:
+According to the newer whizpro.com.tw website, the desktop version also supported the following platforms by January 2002:<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20020126000257/http://www.whizpro.com.tw/</ref>
-*Intel 845
+*Intel 845 (original) northbridge
-*VIA P4X266 and P4M266
+*National Semiconductor Geode GX1 and GXM processors
-*VIA KT133A and KM133
-*VIA PM133
-*VIA PRO266 and KT266
-*VIA "VT82C593A" (assumed to be a misspell of VT82C596A), VT82C686A and VT82C686B southbridges
 *Transmeta Crusoe TM3xxx and TM5xxx processors
-*National Semiconductor Geode GX1 and GXM
+*VIA KT133A and KM133 northbridges
+*VIA P4X266 and P4M266 northbridges
+*VIA PM133 northbridge
+*VIA "PRO266" (likely a typo of KM266 Pro) and KT266 northbridges
+*VIA "VT82C593A" (likely a typo of VT82C596A), VT82C686A and VT82C686B southbridges
+=== May 2002 release ===
+According to the same website, Whizpro BIOS also supported various ALi, AMD and SiS chipsets by May 2002, although exact models of these supported chipsets are unknown.
+The website also claimed support for any x86 architecture based processor.
+=== June 2003 release ===
+The following platforms were already supported by June 2003:
+*Intel 845D, 845G, 845GL, 845E, 845GE, 845PE, 845GV and 875P northbridges
+*VIA CLE266 northbridge
+*VIA KT266A, KM266, KT333, KT400 and KM400 northbridges
+*VIA P4X266A, P4X333 and P4M333 northbridges
+*VIA PLE133, PLE133A, PLE133T and PM133 northbridges
+=== November 2003 release ===
+VIA's K8T800 and K8M800 northbridges were already supported by November 2003. This was also the last time the website was updated.
+=== Later releases ===
+Despite no more updates being made on the website, Whizpro BIOS' development apparently continued for a while. Sometime around 2004-2005, support for Intel's 915G chipset (and likely also other 915x series of chipsets) was implemented, as seen on the BCM IN915GV and IN915GVR motherboards. Although no ROMs are available for either of these motherboards, their specifications mentioned Whizpro BIOS before they were removed from the BCM website. These motherboards run not only the last known instances of Whizpro BIOS, but also the only known instances for a PCIe based platform.