- The x86 BIOS: Its Limits and Capabilities
- 16- and 32-Bit Code
- The BIOS as Driver for DOS
- Modern Uses of the BIOS
- What BIOS Do You Have?
- Add-On Card BIOSs
- Video BIOSs
- Boot BIOSs for SCSI and Networking
- Additional BIOSs
- BIOS Updates
- EIDE and SCSI Hard Disk Handling
- Understanding CHS Geometry Limits
- Getting Around the 1024-Cylinder Limit
- Common BIOS Disk Utilities
- The Handoff to the OS
- Summary
Add-On Card BIOSs
Up until now, I've described the BIOS on the computer's motherboard. Certain types of cards you add to your computer have their own BIOSs, however. These BIOSs interact with the motherboard BIOS, sometimes extending the motherboard BIOS's capabilities. In some cases, add-on cards have their own configuration screens that you as a user can access. Other times, the card BIOSs have no options you can set; they simply do their job and stay out of your way. Nonetheless, you should know something about these BIOSs because they are sometimes important in a multi-OS configuration.
NOTE
In general, the BIOSs I describe in this section reside on the add-on cards themselves. Occasionally, however, they can be integrated into the motherboard's BIOS. Such integration is particularly common when the hardware itself is integrated into the motherboard. For example, some motherboards include SCSI host adapters or video circuitry, in which case the respective components' BIOSs also reside on the motherboard. You can still access the BIOSs separately, however, when they have their own setup utilities. n