VOGONS

Search

Common searches

Wanted: full BIOS dumps from Intel 430TX/440*X motherboards

Topic actions

First post, by RichardG867

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I help develop the 86Box emulator. As we move into the 430TX/440BX era, a lot of people have been requesting that we emulate Intel's motherboards from that time period, when they switched from AMI BIOS to Phoenix BIOS. However, unlike the previous AMI BIOS, Intel's Phoenix BIOS updates do not include the boot block area (.BBO), which is required for emulation and also for fully reflashing real boards with a programmer.

I am looking for full BIOS dumps, performed using UniFlash or a programmer, from any of the following motherboards:

  • AL440LX
  • AN430TX
  • CN430TX
  • JN440BX
  • KU440EX
  • LM440LX
  • LT430TX
  • MU440EX
  • NX440LX
  • RC440BX
  • SE440BX
  • SE440BX-2
  • SE440BX-3

Thanks in advance.

Reply 2 of 14, by Horun

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t++
Rank
l33t++

I have a MU440EX and SE440BX somewhere in the storage, will try to pull them out and get the BIOS using Uniflash or other method. Being Phoenuts bios they may not save well (Bootblocks were a protected area on many Intel boards so they could not be overwritten with a boot virus) and part may not be fully readable with a dos/windows based util but will give it a try...

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 4 of 14, by RichardG867

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
gex85 wrote on 2020-11-07, 08:17:

Would a dump from the SR440BX help? I have one rigged up right now.

Unfortunately not, as the SR440BX uses AMI BIOS and already has an update available with a boot block. I appreciate the offer though.

Reply 5 of 14, by kepstin

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie

I've got an AN430TX and I used UniFlash to make a backup of the BIOS it shipped with (P3) before upgrading it to the latest (P10). Here's the link: AN430TXP3.zip - let me know if you also want the P10 version.

Reply 7 of 14, by Roman555

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
RichardG867 wrote on 2020-11-05, 15:45:
... I am looking for full BIOS dumps, performed using UniFlash or a programmer, from any of the following motherboards: […]
Show full quote

...
I am looking for full BIOS dumps, performed using UniFlash or a programmer, from any of the following motherboards:

  • RC440BX
  • SE440BX-2

RC440BX
I've just built an image from the bios update "rcbios14.exe". Maybe you don't mind to try it in your project . The image might be working one.
BIOS ID string : 4R4CB0XA.86A.0020.P14.0005012325

UPD.
SE440BX-2
BIOS ID string : 4S4EB2X0.86A.0024.P17.0008171050

Attachments

[ MS6168/PII-350/YMF754/98SE ]
[ 775i65G/E5500/9800Pro/Vortex2/ME ]

Reply 9 of 14, by Baoran

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t

How do you make the bios dump anyway? I have the programmer to put bios chip in, but I need to set the type of chip in the program but the chip markings are covered by the bios sticker which I would prefer not to remove.

Reply 10 of 14, by datPCRetr0ist

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Newbie
Rank
Newbie
Baoran wrote on 2020-11-24, 17:37:

How do you make the bios dump anyway? I have the programmer to put bios chip in, but I need to set the type of chip in the program but the chip markings are covered by the bios sticker which I would prefer not to remove.

What motherboard are you dumping? I can find its technical specs for the flash chip.

I like old computers! 😊
But i am also a tutorialist! 😎
And an enemy! 😈

Reply 11 of 14, by Baoran

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank l33t
Rank
l33t
datPCRetr0ist wrote on 2020-11-25, 12:59:
Baoran wrote on 2020-11-24, 17:37:

How do you make the bios dump anyway? I have the programmer to put bios chip in, but I need to set the type of chip in the program but the chip markings are covered by the bios sticker which I would prefer not to remove.

What motherboard are you dumping? I can find its technical specs for the flash chip.

Motherboard is Gigabyte GA-6BXD

Reply 12 of 14, by Roman555

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Baoran wrote on 2020-11-25, 13:30:
datPCRetr0ist wrote on 2020-11-25, 12:59:
Baoran wrote on 2020-11-24, 17:37:

How do you make the bios dump anyway? I have the programmer to put bios chip in, but I need to set the type of chip in the program but the chip markings are covered by the bios sticker which I would prefer not to remove.

What motherboard are you dumping? I can find its technical specs for the flash chip.

Motherboard is Gigabyte GA-6BXD

You don't have to dump the BIOS because you can download the official AWARD BIOS from the Gigabyte site.
But if you really want to try - use awdflash utility (old enough) in pure DOS.

[ MS6168/PII-350/YMF754/98SE ]
[ 775i65G/E5500/9800Pro/Vortex2/ME ]

Reply 13 of 14, by Roman555

Posted on 
User metadata
Rank Oldbie
Rank
Oldbie
Battler wrote on 2020-11-24, 17:04:

The structure of your images is strange - 512 kB with a lot of blank space in between.

Yes. I checked the both images using utilities amideco.0.31d for AMI and phnxdeco.0.31 for Phoenix. Both ones showed real bios structure.
For example

phnxdeco.exe se2bx17.rom -l

Filelength : 80000 (524288 bytes)
Filename : se2bx17.rom
PhoenixBIOS hook found at : 776C8
System Information at : 778F7
BootBlock : 10000 bytes
BankSize : 512 KB
Version : INTEL
Start : 6FBB5
Offset : 70000
BCP Modules : 29
BCPFCP : 7FF00
FCP 1st module : 8B53 (78B53)
Released : 17 August 2000 at 10:40:27
/* Copyrighted Information */
PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6.0
/* ----------------------- */
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

| Class.Instance (Name) Packed ---> Expanded Compression Offset |

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

B.03 ( BIOSCODE) 054E1 (21729) => 079F0 ( 31216) LZINT ( 69%) D9E1h
B.02 ( BIOSCODE) 06BC0 (27584) => 097D0 ( 38864) LZINT ( 70%) 12EDDh
B.01 ( BIOSCODE) 0669F (26271) => 09370 ( 37744) LZINT ( 69%) 19AB8h
S.00 ( STRINGS) 0CDC9 (52681) => 1D7BD (120765) LZINT ( 43%) 254E7h
T.00 ( TEMPLATE) 02849 (10313) => 05990 ( 22928) LZINT ( 44%) 322CBh
E.00 ( SETUP) 0384B (14411) => 08C06 ( 35846) LZINT ( 40%) 34B2Fh
C.00 ( UPDATE) 08820 (34848) => 08820 ( 34848) NONE (100%) 38395h
X.00 ( ROMEXEC) 0740E (29710) => 0740E ( 29710) NONE (100%) 70BD0h
L.00 ( LOGO) 00FEF (04079) => 00FEF ( 4079) NONE (100%) 7804Bh
M.00 ( MISER) 02F9A (12186) => 044D0 ( 17616) LZINT ( 69%) 79055h
X.01 ( ROMEXEC) 01290 (04752) => 01290 ( 4752) NONE (100%) 7C00Ah
B.00 ( BIOSCODE) 003A3 (00931) => 088EC ( 35052) LZINT ( 2%) 7D2B5h
U.00 ( USER) 00DC6 (03526) => 01670 ( 5744) LZINT ( 61%) 7D673h
A.01 ( ACPI) 0005A (00090) => 00074 ( 116) LZINT ( 77%) 7E454h
A.00 ( ACPI) 009AE (02478) => 01DFB ( 7675) LZINT ( 32%) 7E4C9h
D.00 ( DISPLAY) 00D0D (03341) => 01270 ( 4720) LZINT ( 70%) 7EE92h
G.00 ( DECOMPCODE) 00430 (01072) => 00430 ( 1072) NONE (100%) 7FBBAh
Total Sections: 17

[ MS6168/PII-350/YMF754/98SE ]
[ 775i65G/E5500/9800Pro/Vortex2/ME ]

Go to top of page Go to top of page
Back to General Old Hardware
Close window
Close window