Babasha wrote on 2026-06-30, 06:17:

megatog615 wrote on 2026-05-31, 03:07:

Anyone know if there's a MR BIOS rom building program like cbrom or amibcp to create a rom file with option roms? Or does MR BIOS not care and just let you concatenate files into one big binary rom?

You can concate it but in right order and size of BIOS extensions

Right, yeah. I have done this but for some reason the VGA BIOS never initializes. There are POST codes but it stops at a point. I maintained the exact layout of the original Award ROM file, putting the VGA BIOS at the beginning, then another custom ROM added by the board manufacturer, inserted a correct length of empty space(all FFs) and put the MR BIOS ROM at the end.

megatog615 wrote on 2026-06-30, 09:19:

Babasha wrote on 2026-06-30, 06:17:

megatog615 wrote on 2026-05-31, 03:07:

Anyone know if there's a MR BIOS rom building program like cbrom or amibcp to create a rom file with option roms? Or does MR BIOS not care and just let you concatenate files into one big binary rom?

You can concate it but in right order and size of BIOS extensions

Right, yeah. I have done this but for some reason the VGA BIOS never initializes. There are POST codes but it stops at a point. I maintained the exact layout of the original Award ROM file, putting the VGA BIOS at the beginning, then another custom ROM added by the board manufacturer, inserted a correct length of empty space(all FFs) and put the MR BIOS ROM at the end.

What is your motherboard? What MR.BIOS and BIOS extensions you use?
Upload it here I will look)))

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/mis-yamashita-as-3210

Note that the BIOS ROM is for a 27C020 but most of the extra space afforded by one is wasted. The EEPROMs I'm experimenting with are 27C010 compatibles and I'm adjusting the empty space accordingly. I also erased and reflashed the original '020 with the correct spacing and had absolutely no difference so I don't think the positioning of the ROM images matters for this one.

I am using the VIA Pluto MR BIOS dump (located in VIA/VIAtest/).

megatog615 wrote on 2026-06-30, 18:21:

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/mis-yamashita-as-3210

Note that the BIOS ROM is for a 27C020 but most of the extra space afforded by one is wasted. The EEPROMs I'm experimenting with are 27C010 compatibles and I'm adjusting the empty space accordingly. I also erased and reflashed the original '020 with the correct spacing and had absolutely no difference so I don't think the positioning of the ROM images matters for this one.

I am using the VIA Pluto MR BIOS dump (located in VIA/VIAtest/).

located in VIA/VIAtest/ - sorry where is it located? What archive or place with MR. BIOSes?

Babasha wrote on 2026-06-30, 20:32:

megatog615 wrote on 2026-06-30, 18:21:

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/mis-yamashita-as-3210

Note that the BIOS ROM is for a 27C020 but most of the extra space afforded by one is wasted. The EEPROMs I'm experimenting with are 27C010 compatibles and I'm adjusting the empty space accordingly. I also erased and reflashed the original '020 with the correct spacing and had absolutely no difference so I don't think the positioning of the ROM images matters for this one.

I am using the VIA Pluto MR BIOS dump (located in VIA/VIAtest/).

located in VIA/VIAtest/ - sorry where is it located? What archive or place with MR. BIOSes?

From the archive downloadable from here.

megatog615 wrote on 2026-06-30, 20:46:

Babasha wrote on 2026-06-30, 20:32:

megatog615 wrote on 2026-06-30, 18:21:

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/mis-yamashita-as-3210

Note that the BIOS ROM is for a 27C020 but most of the extra space afforded by one is wasted. The EEPROMs I'm experimenting with are 27C010 compatibles and I'm adjusting the empty space accordingly. I also erased and reflashed the original '020 with the correct spacing and had absolutely no difference so I don't think the positioning of the ROM images matters for this one.

I am using the VIA Pluto MR BIOS dump (located in VIA/VIAtest/).

located in VIA/VIAtest/ - sorry where is it located? What archive or place with MR. BIOSes?

From the archive downloadable from here.

I check this BIOS with real VIA 496 mother board (FIC VIP-IO-2) and with virtual FIC and Gigabyte boards in 86BOX - it always gives only 10 44 error on postcard and nothing more

Babasha wrote on 2026-07-01, 10:33:

megatog615 wrote on 2026-06-30, 20:46:

Babasha wrote on 2026-06-30, 20:32:

located in VIA/VIAtest/ - sorry where is it located? What archive or place with MR. BIOSes?

From the archive downloadable from here.

I check this BIOS with real VIA 496 mother board (FIC VIP-IO-2) and with virtual FIC and Gigabyte boards in 86BOX - it always gives only 10 44 error on postcard and nothing more

Yes this is the same result for me.

Now I'm wondering why the build for VIA Pluto doesn't work. It's supposed to be for an OrangePC x86 card for Mac. Maybe it's getting stuck waiting for some signal from the software that runs on the Mac? I imagine the thing doesn't start fully until the software tells it to continue. If this is the case maybe it just needs an adjustment in the rom to ignore the wait and continue?

Has there ever been any signs of Mr Bios for SiS 85C496/497? I have Zida 4DPS motherboard and thought it would be awesome to have Mr Bios installed.

MrCrocodile wrote on 2026-08-19, 00:06:

Has there ever been any signs of Mr Bios for SiS 85C496/497? I have Zida 4DPS motherboard and thought it would be awesome to have Mr Bios installed.

Haven't seen any mentions ever, unfortunately

This is the supported chipset list as of 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010204041000/ht … com/chipset.htm

There may be more but later websites require You to enter an online request form and obviously that is not going to do anything now.

Imperious wrote on 2026-09-14, 12:54:

This is the supported chipset list as of 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010204041000/ht … com/chipset.htm

There may be more but later websites require You to enter an online request form and obviously that is not going to do anything now.

There's lots of hints on the internet about "what once was" for MrBios. Things are tantalizingly close, but still unobtainable.

Check out this archived page:

https://web.archive.org/web/19991008055645/ht … m/ftp/_vti_cnf/

Wouldn't it be great to have all those files?

edit, my bad, I guess we got all those: https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/files.mpoli … are/ROM/MRBIOS/
and they are added here: https://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1971
It's the ones before that which are harder to find

douglar wrote on 2026-09-14, 13:43:

edit, my bad, I guess we got all those: https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/files.mpoli … are/ROM/MRBIOS/
and they are added here: https://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1971
It's the ones before that which are harder to find

Yeah, the shareware ones are no problem, Intel ones in general are all found too. It's the stuff that predates Internet/shareware distribution of MR BIOS that are still not all there.

Like man would I love to get a 3.x image for one of these:

Opti 82C546
Opti 82C596

jheronimus wrote on 2026-09-14, 14:06:

Yeah, the shareware ones are no problem, Intel ones in general are all found too. It's the stuff that predates Internet/sharewar […]
Show full quote

douglar wrote on 2026-09-14, 13:43:

edit, my bad, I guess we got all those: https://ftp.zx.net.nz/pub/archive/files.mpoli … are/ROM/MRBIOS/
and they are added here: https://www.vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid=1971
It's the ones before that which are harder to find

Yeah, the shareware ones are no problem, Intel ones in general are all found too. It's the stuff that predates Internet/shareware distribution of MR BIOS that are still not all there.

Like man would I love to get a 3.x image for one of these:

Opti 82C546
Opti 82C596

And I'm always on the lookout for the Ali M1209 & Ali M1217

and it turns out that the M1217 BIOS was right here-- https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/auva-c … r-npm16-a0#bios

douglar wrote on 2026-09-17, 00:52:

and it turns out that the M1217 BIOS was right here-- https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/auva-c … r-npm16-a0#bios

Oh wow, nice find... now if we could only find that M1219... i need it for my seritech SERIII 386 dx motherboard

Isn't M1219 designed for 386SX type boards? I take it that you meant the M1429.

Anonymous Coward wrote on 2026-09-26, 11:49:

Isn't M1219 designed for 386SX type boards? I take it that you meant the M1429.

You are absolutely correct!! My mistake. It's the 1429.