Program to record BIOS settings?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris
  • Start date Start date
C

Chris

Is there a program to record BIOS settings?
Up to now I have recorded them on paper, using a pen.
Or photographed the monitor with a digital camera.
There must be a better way!
 
There must be a better way!
Not really, i dont think there are any programs which can universally read
bios settings (other than obvious things like time/date, serial# etc)
But for dumping the actual BIOS images i use biosdump.exe:
http://www.diamondcs.com.au/downloads/consoletools.zip
Not sure if thats what youre after though as it just dumps the whole memory
image(s)
 
Is there a program to record BIOS settings?
Up to now I have recorded them on paper, using a pen.
Or photographed the monitor with a digital camera.
There must be a better way!
Click to expand...

Yes, here it is:
http://www.simtel.net/pub/pd/50211.html

I think this is the latest freeware version, the shareware version
will cost you $10.00 USD, here:
http://mindprod.com/products1.html#CMOSSV (Non-miltary use only:
http://mindprod.com/contact/roedy.html#NONMIL ).

Here's some info on the author:
http://mindprod.com/contact/roedy.html

The shareware version won't stop working, but I've never had any
problem with the freeware version. It just works as it should: without
a flaw and always.

It is DOS thoug:
Insert a formatted diskette.
then try:
CMOSSave A:\CMOS.Sav
or if want to save on hard disk try:
CMOSSave C:\SAFE\CMOS.Sav
Read CMOS.TXT to find how to use it properly.
Click to expand...

Or to restore a BIOS:
Insert the diskette you used for CMOSSave.
then try:
CMOSRest A:\CMOS.Sav
or if the file is on hard disk try:
CMOSRest C:\SAFE\CMOS.Sav
Read CMOS.TXT to find how to use it properly.
Click to expand...

And to check for differences between a saved BIOS and the current
BIOS:
Insert the diskette you used for CMOSSave.
then try:
CMOSChk A:\CMOS.Sav
or if you have the file on hard disk try:
CMOSChk C:\SAFE\CMOS.Sav
Read CMOS.TXT to find how to use it properly.
Click to expand...

If you use a DOS-less system, like Win XP, you could start it from a
bootable DOS or Win95/98/ME disk.

If you have no bootdisk, here they are:
http://www.bootdisk.com/

Hope this is what you need :-)

P.S. The 3 programs are together only 2.29 KB (yes, really, only 2346
Bytes), and a saved BIOS is just 128 Bytes, so it will fit on a
floppy. Very useful software.

I even gave it a niece rating/review in september 2003
http://www.simtel.net/product.reviews.php[id]50211[SiteID]simtel.net
 
Chris said:
Is there a program to record BIOS settings?
Up to now I have recorded them on paper, using a pen.
Or photographed the monitor with a digital camera.
There must be a better way!
Click to expand...

This isn't meant to record them in readable form but it will save them
to a file which it can restore.
_______________

Bios 1.35.1
Free
http://mbockelkamp.dyndns.org/mbockelkamp/
(look in "Software (DOS)"

Saves BIOS settings.
- Saving and restoring the BIOS settings
- Validating actual settings to saved setttings
- Deleting the BIOS settings (there are soome strange cases...)
- Displaying information about the BIOS, BBIOS Extensions and BIOS
beepcodes
- Finding BIOS passwords for Award, Ami, PPhoenix and AST BIOS
- Finding BIOS universal passwords for Awaard BIOS
- Dumping the whole BIOS segment to disk
- Switching the 1st and 2nd level caches on/off
- Turning the PC into Suspend or Stand-By mode (requires APM 1.1+)
- Turning off the PC (requires APM 1.2+)
- Rebooting the PC (cold/warm/int19)


--

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
 
<snip>

Thanks very much. I haven't checked it all out yet - but I wanted to
quickly acknowledge your helpful and speedy reply. Much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Your welcome! It should not be to much of a problem if you read the
messages the program generates. And there's textt files to in the zip,
with instructions.

If anything fails (but try first yourself) I can make you a file to
make a bootable floppy which automates everything.
 
dadiOH said:
This isn't meant to record them in readable form but it will save them
to a file which it can restore.
Click to expand...

Anyone know if there any programs that record them in readable form?
 
If anybody is wondering, if you hit the Print Screen Key in when your
in the BIOS the printer will immediately print what you are viewing.
 
If anybody is wondering, if you hit the Print Screen Key in when your
in the BIOS the printer will immediately print what you are viewing.
Click to expand...
Cool tip, thanks. But for those lacking printers, is there a freeware
alternative?
 
Anyone know if there any programs that record them in readable form?
Click to expand...

There used to be a couple that were used with DrDOS, but I don't even
remember the names any more.
 
Anyone know if there any programs that record them in readable form?
Click to expand...

I don't know. But saving the user BIOS settings to a file isn't
sufficient? You can always restore it very easaly, and, if you wanr to
make many chenges to BIOS, you save your changed settings to as many
differnt files (with recognizable names of course).
 
If anybody is wondering, if you hit the Print Screen Key in when your
in the BIOS the printer will immediately print what you are viewing.
Click to expand...

Only if you have a printer that prints in DOS:-)
 
No, I think the limitation is that the printer is a parallel port one,
not USB. Is that what you meant? I did some research and found a
quote that the printscreen function is a BIOS function before Windows
loads, it has nothing to do with DOS. When Windows loads I guess it
takes over the key depress signal to copy things to the clipboard.
 
jacaranda said:
Cool tip, thanks. But for those lacking printers, is there a freeware
alternative?
Click to expand...

This is really getting into the esoteric, and requires some electronic
work, but there is freeware and $20 worth of parts apparently (and some
soldering?) that will get you a parallel print port capture device
which you hook into another PC.

The plans and software are here (the software link is still live even
though this is an Internet Archive link)
http://web.archive.org/web/20001215151500/http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/kheidens/lptcap/lptcap.htm.

The reason I have an interest is to make BIOS illustrations for
computer tutorials without a digital camera. But of course printing
out the screenshots with the printscreen key and then scanning these
screenshots is arguably just as good, without the trouble...
 
Note the printscreen key works only with parallel printers, and you
must hit the form feed button on the printer, hit the printscreen key
twice, pint out more than one page of BIOS, or wait until Windows boots
and print something out in WIndows beofre the screenshot will print out.
 
No, I think the limitation is that the printer is a parallel port one,
not USB. Is that what you meant? I did some research and found a
quote that the printscreen function is a BIOS function before Windows
loads, it has nothing to do with DOS. When Windows loads I guess it
takes over the key depress signal to copy things to the clipboard.
Click to expand...

I have two parallel printers installed, only one will print the BIOS,
a very old Epson LX300.

Most printers nowadays do not accept DOS Printer Codes, including new
parallel printers.
 
Your welcome! It should not be to much of a problem if you read the
messages the program generates. And there's textt files to in the zip,
with instructions.
If anything fails (but try first yourself) I can make you a file to
make a bootable floppy which automates everything.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have done it. Very easy. I downloaded a Windows ME boot
floppy and extracted the cmos14 files to that. Then booted to it and
typed:
cmossave.com a:myfile.sav

It worked beautifully. Thanks.
 
Thanks. I have done it. Very easy. I downloaded a Windows ME boot
floppy and extracted the cmos14 files to that. Then booted to it and
typed:
cmossave.com a:myfile.sav

It worked beautifully. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Your welcome! And good to hear that it worked fine for you!

One tip (if you not allready didn't yourself about it)

Save the file also to disk, and maybe burn with a backup on cd also,
cause floppies get bad after some years, they really do.
 
Back
Top