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Nonvolatile BIOS memory - CMOS

CMOS Battery in a Pico ITX motherboard Non-volatile BIOS memory refers to the memory on a personal computer motherboard containing BIOS settings and sometimes the code used to initialize the computer and load the operating system. The non-volatile memory was historically called CMOS RAM or just CMOS because it traditionally used a low-power CMOS memory chip (the Motorola MC146818, or one of its higher-capacity clones), which was powered by a small battery when the system power was off. The term remains in wide use in this context, but has also grown into a misnomer. The non-volatile BIOS storage in contemporary computers might be in an EEPROM or flash memory chip and not in a volatile CMOS RAM. In these cases, the battery back-up is meant to keep the RTC chip synchronized. The NVRAM normally has a storage capacity of 512 Bytes, which is enough for all BIOS-settings.

CMOS mismatch
CMOS mismatch errors typically occur if the computer's power-on self-test program: 1. 2. 3. 4. Finds a device that is not recorded in the CMOS. Does not find a device that is recorded in the CMOS. Finds a device that has different settings than those recorded for it in CMOS. Detects a CMOS checksum error. [1] [2]

CMOS battery

Type CR2032 button cell, most common CMOS battery. The memory and real-time clock are generally powered by a CR2032 lithium coin cell. These cells last two to ten years, depending on the type of motherboard, ambient temperature and the time that the system is powered off, while other common cell types can last significantly longer or shorter periods, such as the CR2016 which will generally last about 40% as long. 1

INT-100 Higher temperatures and longer power-off time will shorten cell life. When replacing the cell, the system time and CMOS BIOS settings may revert to default values. This may be avoided by replacing the cell with the power supply master switch on. On ATX motherboards, this will supply 5V standby power to the motherboard even if it is apparently "switched off", and keep the CMOS memory energized.

Resetting the CMOS settings

To access the BIOS setup when the machine fails to operate, occasionally a drastic move is required. In older computers with battery-backed RAM, removal of the battery and short circuiting the battery input terminals for a while did the job; in some more modern machines this move only resets the RTC. Some motherboards offer a CMOS-reset jumper or a reset button. In yet other cases, the EEPROM chip has to be desoldered and the data in it manually edited using a programmer. Sometimes it is enough to ground the CLK or DTA line of the IC bus of the EEPROM at the right moment during boot, this requires some precise soldering on SMD parts. If the machine lets you boot but does not want to let you into the BIOS setup, one possible recovery is to deliberately "damage" the CMOS checksum by doing direct port writes using debug.exe, corrupting some bytes of the checksum-protected area of the CMOS RAM; at the next boot, the computer typically resets its setting to factory defaults.

AwardBIOS Error Messages

When a personal computer is first turned on, the BIOS tests and configures various components to ensure that they are operating correctly. This operation is called POST (power-on self test). If the BIOS detects any problems during this testing phase, it will attempt to continue to start the computer. However, if the problems are severe, the BIOS may be forced to halt the system. When an error is detected, the BIOS program will:

Display the error to the screen, if possible. Generate a POST beep code using the computer's internal speaker if it cannot access the display adaptor. Provide a POST code output that can be read using a special hardware tool.

Beep Codes

The only AwardBIOS beep code indicates that a video error has occurred and the BIOS cannot initialize the video screen to display any additional information. This beep code consists of a single long beep followed by two short beeps. Any other beeps are probably a RAM (Random Access Memory) problems.

Screen Error Messages

The following messages are examples of messages including errors detected by the BIOS during POST and a description of what they mean and/or what you may do to correct the error.

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BIOS ROM checksum error - System halted CMOS battery failed CMOS checksum error - Defaults loaded

The checksum of the BIOS code in the BIOS chip is incorrect, indicating the BIOS code may have become corrupt. Contact your system dealer to replace the BIOS. The CMOS battery is no longer functional. Contact your system dealer for a replacement battery. Checksum of CMOS is incorrect, so the system loads the default equipment configuration. A checksum error may indicate that CMOS has become corrupt. This error may have been caused by a weak battery. Check the battery and replace if necessary. Displays the running speed of the CPU. The display switch on the motherboard can be set to either monochrome or color. This message indicates the switch is set to a different setting than indicated in Setup. Determine which setting is correct, and then either turn off the system and change the jumper, or enter Setup and change the VIDEO selection. The user may press Esc to skip the full memory test. Cannot find or initialize the floppy drive controller or the drive. Make sure the controller is installed correctly. If no floppy drives are installed, be sure the Diskette Drive selection in Setup is set to NONE or AUTO. Some hard drives require extra time to initialize. Cannot find or initialize the hard drive controller or the drive. Make sure the controller is installed correctly. If no hard drives are installed, be sure the Hard Drive selection in Setup is set to NONE. The system may run specific disk diagnostic routines. This message appears if one or more hard disks return an error when the diagnostics run. Cannot initialize the keyboard. Make sure the keyboard is attached correctly and no keys are pressed during POST. To purposely configure the system without a keyboard, set the error halt condition in Setup to HALT ON ALL, BUT KEYBOARD. The BIOS then ignores the missing

CPU at nnnn Display switch is set incorrectly

Press ESC to skip memory test Floppy disk(s) fail

HARD DISK initializing Please wait a moment HARD DISK INSTALL FAILURE

Hard disk(s) diagnosis fail Keyboard error or no keyboard present

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keyboard during POST. Keyboard is locked out - Unlock the key Memory Test: Memory test fail This message usually indicates that one or more keys have been pressed during the keyboard tests. Be sure no objects are resting on the keyboard. This message displays during a full memory test, counting down the memory areas being tested. If POST detects an error during memory testing, additional information appears giving specifics about the type and location of the memory error. If the system cannot boot using the current CMOS configuration, the BIOS can override the current configuration with a set of BIOS defaults designed for the most stable, minimal-performance system operations. System OEMs may replace the Phoenix Technologies' AwardBIOS POST display with their own proprietary display. Including this message in the OEM display permits the operator to switch between the OEM display and the default POST display. POST detects an error in the primary master IDE hard drive. POST detects an error in the secondary master IDE hard drive. Phoenix Technologies offers a save-to-disk feature for notebook computers. This message may appear when the operator re-starts the system after a save-to-disk shutdown. See the Press Tab & message above for a description of this feature. POST detects an error in the primary slave IDE hard drive. POST detects an error in the secondary slave IDE hard drive.

Override enabled Defaults loaded

Press TAB to show POST screen

Primary master hard disk fail Primary slave hard disk fail Resuming from disk, Press TAB to show POST screen

Secondary master hard disk fail Secondary slave hard disk fail

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Index of Setup Fields for AwardBIOS

This page lists Setup fields found in the following Setup screens:

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Numeric

Standard CMOS BIOS Features Chipset Features Power Management PNP/PCI Configuration Integrated Peripherals

16 Bit I/O Recovery Time 16 Bit ISA I/O Command WS

See 8/16 Bit I/O Recovery Time, below. Your system quite possibly has much higher performance than some of your input/output (I/O) devices. This means that unless the system is instructed to allow more time, more wait states, for devices to respond, it might think the device has malfunctioned and stop its request for I/O. If all your I/O devices are capable, then disabling this setting could result in greater throughput. Otherwise, data could be lost. When memory is accessed on the ISA bus, the system must allow for the relatively slow speed of the ISA bus. This setting allows you to match the speed of device memory located on the ISA bus with the system ability to read/write to that memory. Select up to two DMA channels for Type F DMA, if supported by the I/O peripheral using the DMA channel. If an installed PCI device requires interrupt service, you may manually select an unused interrupt line for PCI IRQs. NA indicates the interrupt is assigned to an ISA bus device and is not available to any PCI slot. For PBSRAMs, 3-1-1-1 timing is available for both read and write transactions at 66 or 75 MHz. VP2 If you install an add-in IDE interface as the second IDE channel, select Disabled to avoid a conflict with the on-chip second IDE channel. The I/O recovery mechanism adds bus clock cycles between PCIoriginated I/O cycles to the ISA bus. This delay takes place because the PCI bus is much faster than the ISA bus. These two fields let you add recovery time (in bus clock cycles) for 16-bit and 8-bit I/O.

16 Bit ISA Mem Command WS

1st/2nd Fast DMA Channel 1st/2nd/3rd/4th Available IRQ

2 Bank PBSRAM

2nd Channel IDE

8/16 Bit I/O Recovery Time

A ACPI I/O Device Node AGP Aperture Size (MB)

ALE During Bus Conversion APM BIOS Asysc. SRAM Read WS Asysc. SRAM Write WS

Selecting Enabled enables ACPI device node reporting from the BIOS to the operating system. VP2 Select the size of the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) aperture. The aperture is a portion of the PCI memory address range dedicated for graphics memory address space. Host cycles that hit the aperture range are forwarded to the AGP without any translation. Depending on system speed, you can select a Single or a Multiple ALE signal during a bus conversion cycle. Select Enabled to turn on the BIOS power-management features. Select the correct cycle timing combination for the system board design and SRAM specifications. Select the correct cycle timing combination for the system board design 6

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