MR BIOS (short for Microid Research BIOS), unofficially and commonly nicknamed Mr. BIOS, is a personal computer BIOS developed by Microid Research Inc. (MRI) from 1989 to 1999. It was mostly offered as a third-party BIOS upgrade for existing motherboards of various brands. However, it was occasionally also used as the default BIOS on some motherboards.
Microid Research Inc. (MRI)
Microid Research Inc., abbreviated MRI, was a software development company founded in 1989 and incorporated in 1992 in Santa Clara, California. It was acquired by Unicore Software in the mid-1990s (most likely in 1995 or 1996) and relocated to North Andover, Massachusetts (where Unicore was located). Unicore was then acquired by Award Software in 1997, which then merged with Phoenix Technologies the following year.
Versions
The below is a list of known and possible versions of MR BIOS. Known versions with available ROMs are marked as "Available", while ones without are marked "Confirmed". Assumed possible versions are marked "Assumed".
| Version | Earliest release date | Status | First seen on | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V1.0A | November 18, 1990 | Available | Two OPTi 82C283 chipset motherboards (QDI P386SX/25 PW and Shuttle HOT-306). | Both motherboards use the exact same ROM (V007B314) |
| V1.0B | late-1990(?) | Assumed | May possibly exist assuming by the naming scheme, currently no ROMs are known. | |
| V1.0C | late-1990 | Confirmed | Unknown OPTi 82C481 chipset motherboard, labelled "KMC486-25" | Only known instance of V1.0C so far. Currently no ROM dumps are available. |
| V1.0D | late-1990 or early-1991(?) | Assumed | May possibly exist assuming by the naming scheme, currently no ROMs are known. | |
| V1.0E | April 2, 1991 | Available | Cache Computers CACHE BAT 486 (Model 319) motherboard | Last known version using the V1.0x naming scheme. The ROM has no visible Microid Research or MR BIOS branding, so it was most likely licensed to the Cache Computers for use. |
| V1.26 | October 27, 1991 | Available | TAM33-P1/TAM40-P1 motherboard | Earliest known version with the new naming scheme. |