I’m trying to embed an option ROM (See: CH375_2.5K_v15_Ctrl.zip) into the BIOS (See: P386-AM3.zip) of a 386SX-based (actually an Ali M6117 SoC) laptop using AMIBCP Ver.7.00.B12 (Find it on the Vogons forums). However it is not loading no matter what module ID I use (and that’s if the BIOS still boots when the module is inserted - sometimes the first 50-100-ish bytes become a block of 0xFF instead of anything bootable).
I’ve tried having the module be un/compressed, various ‘user-defined’ module IDs, various other module IDs like ‘Virus’ (boot sector virus detection?), ‘Setup Client’, ‘ROM-ID’, etc. Also, I tried ‘PCI AddOn ROM’ which I’ve tried with random VID:DID combos that didn’t load the module, and with a VID:DID of 0:0 which caused the BIOS to not boot at all.
One thing I haven’t tried yet is patching out the card-present requirement for PCI option ROMs to load and simply using the ‘PCI AddOn ROM’ module ID. I haven’t tried it yet because I don’t know how to do it. If someone can point me to a guide on how to do it, that would be great (or if someone wants to do it for me, all the BIOS modules are extracted into p386-bios.zip and the whole BIOS is in P386-AM3.zip).
P386-AM3.zip (58.1 KB)
CH375_2.5K_v15_Ctrl.zip (1.7 KB)
p386-bios.zip (52.5 KB)
Edit by Fernando: Thread title shortened and customized
@wishindo
Are you sure, that your attached 64KB sized file named P386-AM3.rom contains the complete BIOS information? I have never seen such small sized BIOS file and don’t know how to get any Option ROM module inserted. Which tool (except any hex editor) did you use?
I have tried to open it by using the old non-UEFI AMI MMTool 3.26, but got a failure.
Maybe someone among our BIOS modding Gurus can help you - good luck!
P.S.:
I have shortened your chosen thread title and labeled it as a “Problem” report to clarify, that you neither offer a Guide nor expect to get an already modded BIOS.
If you do not agree with the new title, you can change it at any time by simply re-editing the start post.
“Are you sure, that your attached 64KB sized file named P386-AM3.rom contains the complete BIOS information? I have never seen such small sized BIOS file…”
The BIOS EEPROM is a 64KB part, although most of the modules I extracted were stored compressed in the BIOS.
“…and don’t know how to get any Option ROM module inserted. Which tool (except any hex editor) did you use?
I have tried to open it by using the old non-UEFI AMI MMTool 3.26, but got a failure.”
As I said, AMIBCP Ver.7.00.B12 procured from a Vogons forum thread. It has a sub-menu for module management and is what I used to extract the modules in p386-bios.zip. Is it okay to post a link to the thread?
@wishindo
Since you haven’t attached the original BIOS of your in-use Ali M6117 SoC laptop, I cannot help you.
If you are searching for a Guide about how to insert a natively not present Option ROM module into a non-UEFI AMI BIOS, you can find it >here<.
Good luck!
Attached to this post is the stock BIOS of the machine, prior to any customization with AMI BCP.
Attached to the OP, P386-AM3.zip is the BIOS after my custom config.
Also attached to OP, P386-BIOS.zip contains all the modules extracted from the BIOS in p386-am3. I’ll admit I could’ve been better with naming.
I’d post a link to the AMI BCP I used, but I’m not sure if its legal status, and whether a link here would get this forum into hot water…
Pocket386 Stock BIOS.BIN.zip (58.1 KB)