AMIBIOS 6: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:08, 14 July 2024

AMIBIOS 6 is a family of various revisions of AMIBIOS developed by American Megatrends between 1995 and 2001. These revisions are mostly known with the date 071595 (July 15, 1995) in the ROM identification string (at the bottom of the screen), however some newer revisions also use other dates such as 071599 (July 15, 1999).

It was mainstream for a very long time. It was the flagship AMIBIOS version from July 1995 until 1999 when the earliest known revisions of AMIBIOS 07.00.xx were released, and even after then was still widely used by most manufacturers until 2001 when AMIBIOS 07.00.10 was released.

Early revisions of AMIBIOS 6 still could only utilize storage devices in up to 32 GB capacity, however in the late-90s this limit was increased to 64 GB. It is also the first version of AMIBIOS to natively support PnP (Plug and Play), a hardware detection technology standardized with Microsoft Windows 95. Although some later revisions of AMIBIOS 5 were also bundled with add-on ROMs for PnP support.

POST screen

As AMIBIOS 6 was in use for a very long time, various changes to the POST screen were made over time. The EPA (Energy Star certification logo) can also change depending on OEM customizations and the revision.

POST screen with small EPA from AMI WinBIOS. Usually used on instances with WinBIOS Setup Utility.
POST screen with large EPA near the top right corner, although not fully
POST screen with large EPA fully on top right corner
POST screen with large EPA in VGA resolution (640x480), usually seen on ROMs with East Asian language support (Chinese, Japanese, etc.)
POST screen in VGA resolution and with custom EPA, used on some Gigabyte motherboards

Setup Utility

Unlike earlier versions of AMIBIOS, AMIBIOS 6 supported a variety of pre-built setup utilities for use by OEMs. Early revisions only offered the WinBIOS (resembling the AMI WinBIOS and AMIBIOS 5 setup) or the Hi-Flex (resembling the AMI Hi-Flex BIOS setup) setup utilities, while Easy Setup (resembling the Intel AMI Hi-Flex fork setup) and Simple Setup (resembling the Award EliteBIOS setup) were also introduced later (the former in 1997 and the latter in 1998).

In addition to the pre-built setup utilities from AMI, AMIBIOS 6 also supported custom utilities that could be created by the OEM. Technical details (IDE, programming language, API, etc.) regarding these custom utilities are currently unknown, but a few OEMs such as Intel and Gateway 2000/ALR used AMIBIOS 6 with a custom setup utility.

Early Hi-Flex Setup Utility (1995), does not mention Hi-Flex
Later Hi-Flex Setup Utility (1996-2001), mentioning Hi-Flex
Hi-Flex Setup Utility in VGA resolution, often was used on versions with Chinese or Japanese language support.
WinBIOS Setup Utility
Easy Setup Utility
Early Simple Setup Utility
Late Simple Setup Utility
Setup Utility used by some Gateway 2000/Advanced Logic Research (ALR) motherboards, believed to be made by Intel for an internal development version of their AMIBIOS 6 fork

Bugs and quirks

NOTE: The following issues may not represent every instance of AMIBIOS 6 and may vary depending on the OEM's implementation and the revision.

People have reported Plug and Play related problems on early AMIBIOS versions with Plug and Play support (presumably AMIBIOS 6). However the problems were later said to have been fixed around 1997.^[1]

Early versions of AMIBIOS 6 also have a bug in their El Torito (CD boot) implementation where Windows NT 5.x (Windows 2000, XP etc.) disks may not be bootable. Attempting to boot such a disk on these versions will likely result in an NTLDR is missing error, regardless of the used disk.

Thomas Pabst of Tom's Hardware has also reported IRQ routing problems with AMIBIOS 6 (erroneously called "AMI WinBIOS" due to confusion caused by the setup utility's name) on various Intel 440BX chipset motherboards with it, calling it "a big disappointment".^[2]

Intel fork

Main page: List of BIOS and UEFI firmware used by Intel motherboards

Intel forked the AMIBIOS 6 source code (ROM identification date 071595) around 1998 and started using it on their motherboards. This fork was sometimes seen with the unusual revision number 063200 (the last for standard AMIBIOS 6 was 063100). This fork was later replaced by an AMIBIOS 8 fork around 2003.

[1] ttps://forums.anandtech.com/threads/ami-or-award-any-preferences.345180/post-95507

[2] ttps://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/review-slot-1-motherboards-intel-440bx-chipset,67.html

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:AMIBIOS 6 POST screen.png|thumb|The POST screen used by early AMIBIOS 6, although some slight changes have occurred over years]]
-'''AMIBIOS 6''' is a family of various versions of [[AMIBIOS]] developed by [[American Megatrends]] between 1995 and 2001. These versions are mostly known with the core date <code>071595</code> (July 15, 1995) in the identification string, however some newer cores may also use other dates such as <code>071599</code> (July 15, 1999).
+'''AMIBIOS 6''' is a family of various revisions of [[AMIBIOS]] developed by [[American Megatrends]] between 1995 and 2001. These revisions are mostly known with the date <code>071595</code> (July 15, 1995) in the ROM identification string (at the bottom of the screen), however some newer revisions also use other dates such as <code>071599</code> (July 15, 1999).
-It was mainstream for a very long time. It was the newest AMIBIOS core version from July 1995 up until 1999 when the earliest known instances of [[AMIBIOS 07.00.xx]] were released, although it was still widely used by most manufacturers until April 2001 when it was finally replaced by [[AMIBIOS 07.00.10]].
+It was mainstream for a very long time. It was the flagship AMIBIOS version from July 1995 until 1999 when the earliest known revisions of [[AMIBIOS 07.00.xx]] were released, and even after then was still widely used by most manufacturers until 2001 when [[AMIBIOS 07.00.10]] was released.
-Early versions of AMIBIOS 6 still could only detect up to 32 GB hard drives, however in around 1999 this limit was increased to 64 GB. AMIBIOS 6 was also the first version of AMIBIOS to natively include built-in PnP (Plug and Play) support, a hardware detection technology standardized with [[Microsoft Windows 95]]. Although some later instances of [[AMIBIOS 5]] also had add-on ROMs for PnP support.
+Early revisions of AMIBIOS 6 still could only utilize storage devices in up to 32 GB capacity, however in the late-90s this limit was increased to 64 GB. It is also the first version of AMIBIOS to natively support PnP (Plug and Play), a hardware detection technology standardized with [[Microsoft Windows 95]]. Although some later revisions of [[AMIBIOS 5]] were also bundled with add-on ROMs for PnP support.
 == POST screen ==
-As AMIBIOS 6 was in use for a very long time, changes to the POST screen (along with other parts of the BIOS) were made over time. The EPA (Energy Star certification logo) can also change depending on the preference of OEMs and the core version.
+As AMIBIOS 6 was in use for a very long time, various changes to the POST screen were made over time. The EPA (Energy Star certification logo) can also change depending on [[wikipedia:Original_equipment_manufacturer|OEM]] customizations and the revision.
 <gallery mode="packed" widths="180px" heights="100px">
-File:AMIBIOS_6_POST_small_EPA.png|POST screen with small EPA, same EPA also used by AMI WinBIOS, often used by ones that have WinBIOS Setup Utility
+File:AMIBIOS_6_POST_small_EPA.png|POST screen with small EPA from [[AMI WinBIOS]]. Usually used on instances with WinBIOS Setup Utility.
-File:AMIBIOS 6 POST EPA on right.png|POST screen with EPA on right corner
+File:AMIBIOS 6 POST EPA on right.png|POST screen with large EPA near the top right corner, although not fully
-File:AMIBIOS 6 POST EPA on top right corner.png|POST screen with EPA on top right corner
+File:AMIBIOS 6 POST EPA on top right corner.png|POST screen with large EPA fully on top right corner
-File:AMIBIOS 6 POST VGA resolution.png|POST screen in VGA resolution (640x480), also often used on Chinese and Japanese BIOSes
+File:AMIBIOS 6 POST VGA resolution.png|POST screen with large EPA in VGA resolution (640x480), usually seen on ROMs with East Asian language support (Chinese, Japanese, etc.)
-File:AMIBIOS 6 POST Gigabyte.png|POST screen in VGA resolution and with different EPA, used by some Gigabyte motherboards
+File:AMIBIOS 6 POST Gigabyte.png|POST screen in VGA resolution and with custom EPA, used on some Gigabyte motherboards
 </gallery>
 == Setup Utility ==
-Unlike [[AMI WinBIOS]] and [[AMIBIOS 5]], AMIBIOS 6 included a variety of setup utilities for use by OEMs. Early versions only offered the WinBIOS (resembling the AMIBIOS 4 and 5 setup) and Hi-Flex (resembling the AMI Hi-Flex BIOS setup) setup utilities, while Easy Setup (resembling the [[AMI Hi-Flex BIOS#Intel fork|Intel AMI Hi-Flex fork setup]]) and Simple Setup (resembling the [[Award EliteBIOS]] setup) were also introduced later, former in 1997 and latter in 1998.
+Unlike earlier versions of AMIBIOS, AMIBIOS 6 supported a variety of pre-built setup utilities for use by OEMs. Early revisions only offered the WinBIOS (resembling the [[AMI WinBIOS]] and [[AMIBIOS 5]] setup) or the Hi-Flex (resembling the [[AMI Hi-Flex BIOS]] setup) setup utilities, while Easy Setup (resembling the [[AMI Hi-Flex BIOS#Intel fork|Intel AMI Hi-Flex fork]] setup) and Simple Setup (resembling the [[Award EliteBIOS]] setup) were also introduced later (the former in 1997 and the latter in 1998).
+In addition to the pre-built setup utilities from AMI, AMIBIOS 6 also supported custom utilities that could be created by the OEM. Technical details ([[wikipedia:Integrated_development_environment|IDE]], programming language, [[wikipedia:API|API]], etc.) regarding these custom utilities are currently unknown, but a few OEMs such as Intel and Gateway 2000/ALR used AMIBIOS 6 with a custom setup utility.
 <gallery mode="packed" widths="180" heights="100">
 File:AMIBIOS 6 Hi-Flex Setup Utility (Early).png|Early Hi-Flex Setup Utility (1995), does not mention Hi-Flex
@@ Line 30: / Line 32: @@
 == Bugs and quirks ==
-'''''NOTE:''' The following issues may not represent every instance of AMIBIOS 6 and may vary depending on the OEM's implementation and the core version.''
+'''''NOTE:''' The following issues may not represent every instance of AMIBIOS 6 and may vary depending on the OEM's implementation and the revision.''
-People have reported Plug and Play related issues on early AMIBIOS versions with Plug and Play support (assumed to be AMIBIOS 6). However the issues were later said to be fixed in around 1997.<ref>https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/ami-or-award-any-preferences.345180/post-95507</ref>
+People have reported Plug and Play related problems on early AMIBIOS versions with Plug and Play support (presumably AMIBIOS 6). However the problems were later said to have been fixed around 1997.<ref>https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/ami-or-award-any-preferences.345180/post-95507</ref>
-Early versions of AMIBIOS 6 also have a bug with their El Torito (CD boot) implementation where Windows NT 5.x (Windows 2000, XP etc.) disks may not be bootable. Attempting to boot such a disk on these versions will likely result in an NTLDR is missing error, regardless of used disc.
+Early versions of AMIBIOS 6 also have a bug in their El Torito (CD boot) implementation where Windows NT 5.x (Windows 2000, XP etc.) disks may not be bootable. Attempting to boot such a disk on these versions will likely result in an NTLDR is missing error, regardless of the used disk.
-Thomas Pabst of Tom's Hardware has also reported issues regarding IRQ routing with AMIBIOS 6 (mistakenly referred to as "AMI WinBIOS" due to used setup utility) on various Intel 440BX chipset motherboards with it, calling it "a big disappointment".<ref>https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/review-slot-1-motherboards-intel-440bx-chipset,67.html</ref>
+Thomas Pabst of Tom's Hardware has also reported IRQ routing problems with AMIBIOS 6 (erroneously called "AMI WinBIOS" due to confusion caused by the setup utility's name) on various Intel 440BX chipset motherboards with it, calling it "a big disappointment".<ref>https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/review-slot-1-motherboards-intel-440bx-chipset,67.html</ref>
 == Intel fork ==
 [[File:AMIBIOS 6 Intel fork POST.png|thumb|The POST screen used by Intel's AMIBIOS 6 fork, in 640x480 with 8x19 font]]
-''Main page: [[List of BIOS and UEFI firmwares used by Intel motherboards]]''
+''Main page: [[List of BIOS and UEFI firmware used by Intel motherboards]]''
-Intel forked AMIBIOS 6 subcore date <code>071595</code> in around 1998 and began using it on their motherboards. This fork sometimes also used an unusual <code>063200</code> core number (last for regular AMIBIOS 6 was <code>063100</code>). It was later replaced with [[AMIBIOS 8#Intel fork|the AMIBIOS 8 fork]] in around 2003.
+Intel forked the AMIBIOS 6 source code (ROM identification date 071595) around 1998 and started using it on their motherboards. This fork was sometimes seen with the unusual revision number 063200 (the last for standard AMIBIOS 6 was 063100). This fork was later replaced by an [[AMIBIOS 8#Intel fork|AMIBIOS 8]] fork around 2003.