26 Nov
2002
26 Nov
'02
2:08 p.m.
I don't think this is as easy as it used to be, with
all the chipsets, etc.
On an old PC, you could put a magic header and a
checksum on a 2716, and basically load an .EXE file
into the EPROM. After initialization, the PC BIOS
would look for "extra" chips just "under" the BIOS and
above the EGA area for additional code. To this day, I
beleive that this is the way network cards with BOOTP
capability work. on a "real" PC, you can remove the
BASIC chips and do this.
--- Doc Shipley <doc(a)mdrconsult.com> wrote:
On Tue, 26 Nov 2002, Ethan Dicks wrote:
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Has anyone on the list ever worked with complete
BIOS replacement
on a commodity Intel motherboard? ISTR Tony
Duell
or someone here
was contemplating doing some task by removing the
ROMs from a 5150
board and replacing them in their entirety. With
a decent terminal
emulator package, that would be one way to
implement a DIY dumb
terminal.
http://www.acl.lanl.gov/linuxbios/
I don't think these guys are doing exactly what
you want, but it's
pretty close -- they're starting a compressed Linux
kernel from BIOS.
Since the Linux kernel largely ignores the BIOS's
hardware discovery
after it loads, that's a natch.
I bet they'll have some ideas or pointers along
the lines of what
you're doing.
Considering you can get a 486 or PI laptop with a
10" or better screen
for $50, I think you're onto a really good idea.
Doc