Awesome VLB card. I am really jealous. Hopefully it is just the BIOS...

Bios is availible here: http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cards/ite … 54-s3-vision964
This is the link to the bios: http://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cards/ite … af9541b8633dd09
Maybe it is from a different brand, but who cares as long as you just wanna check that it is still working.
If it works then you can also make a request there to get the "correct" bios for your card.

I also downloaded generic bios for different cards (S3). And it worked well.

As i always said, make proper copys of your bios files.. These cards are that old. that eprom loosing there memory, so bios program getting corrupt.. and graphics card will fail..
I really recommend to replace all of these roms on your older devices, sooner or later they all will fail.

Robin4 wrote:

I really recommend to replace all of these roms on your older devices, sooner or later they all will fail.

Just erasing and re-burning should be sufficient right?

I dont know for sure if a chip would degree after some time.. But the basic thing is indeed to reprogram them.. Also keep a backup rom file in possession if something goes wrong, so you have a fall back..
But i would recommending to replace the eprom it self as well, definitively with it looks worn out or the pins are to much corridated.

At least it would work for about 20+ years again..

These UV eraseable EEPROM do not work for me. I tried a lot to delete the ROM content.
But it did not work. Neither with a UV lamp (365 nm exitation) nor with a broad band UV lamp (200-400 nm).

I prefer the Winbond 27C256 and 27C512 EEPROM. Works great!

Thanks for all the contributions so far.

Robin4, this is very good advice... something i've planned to do for a while now (a project in itself) but had not got round to it until recently. I would recommend to anyone the same thing... backup ROM's keeping both a spare soft / hard copy. Motherboards, graphics cards... the lot!

jwt27, I will not use the same ROM... I will probably play it safe and just use a new ROM / flash file. This way if the card boots... it can be used for 20 years+, to reflect and confirm what Robin said.

Moturimi, the kit i'll be using required the ROM to be under the lamp for upto 24 hours. How long do you leave it under for? But yes most of the devices I have that use a ROM works with the 27C256's. If i get some blanks instead of erasing older Bios's (for the meantime) I will be sure to look for and get the Winbond variants.

Thanks again for all the advice so far.

Thanks for this bios! Also, is there any Number Nine 928 bios available? (the GXE one without 64, be it ISA or VLB).

SA1988 wrote on 2020-11-02, 20:35:

Thanks for this bios! Also, is there any Number Nine 928 bios available? (the GXE one without 64, be it ISA or VLB).

I can dump one. But i dont know if its still working.

Please do robin4.

I have to see where my VLB cards are stored. At this moment i dont know.. But would trying to look for it.