What are "Bootable add-in cards"?

[Stan Hilliard]

What are "Bootable add-in cards"? The item appears in my BIOS under
[Advanced BIOS Features]
[Hard disk boot priority]

"Bootable add-in cards" is an item on the HDD boot priority list. The
complete list is (booting off number 1):
1 SCSI-2: 7Li_RAID
2 SCSI-1: ST3250823AS
3 SCSI-0: ST3250823AS
4 Bootable add-in cards

The computer has only two add-in cards, a graphics card and
a 2 Port SATA interface card. (PPA 1301) This card has the two
(non-RAID) hard drives connected to it. But both drives already show
up in the HDD priority order list as SCSI-0 and SCSI-1. Also, those
two drives are not bootable -- they contain only extended partitions.
I don't understand why they show up on the boot priority list at all.

Another BIOS item that is probably related to this:
[Advanced BIOS Features]
[Boot other device]
(enabled/disabled)

I post this question because I think it might be related to the fact
that computer sometimes fails to boot up. Then I find in the BIOS that
the Hard Drive Boot Priority has changed. Then move the "SCSI-2:
7Li_RAID" back to the top of the list.

What are Bootable add-in cards?
Does this BIOS configuration seem right?

Advice will be appreciated,
Stan Hilliard

 

[Dave]

I can tell you what my PC does when I move that up to first in boot order,
enable my scsi card's bios to boot from cdrom, and insert a bootable cd in
that cdrom. It boots from it, ignores all else cuz it never gets to any
other media for booting.

Similar for a Promise Ultra133 TX2 card with a DVD burner attached. Except
its recognized automatically by the card's bios if bootable media is
inserted.

No, neither is listed as boot media in the boot order. Ever.

 

[DL]

I have a sata card which is bootable, it has its own bios, and my sys boots
from this.