How to know what BIOS version to learn? [closed]

StackOverflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/20868943

  •  23-09-2022
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Question

I've read that every manufacturer can produce his own BIOS , where to find a specific BIOS interrupts list , and how to know my PC's BIOS version? there's a lot ( IBM , AT&T , ..) And it's really strange that the only reference is RBIL ! where to read "ALL" interrupts of specific version ?

Was it helpful?

Solution

Most BIOS vendors are compatible with the original IBM PC BIOS source, but that is a convention, not a rule. Many BIOS vendors will offer their own extended/undocumented BIOS calls.

If you are simply trying to boot, read disk sectors, print characters on the screen, etc, you should be able to manage that without having to know which specific BIOS you are running on. After all, they must be similar enough for DOS to boot!

If you really want to know what specific BIOS you have, you can look in the BIOS POST or setup screens. Look for a version or ID string. Otherwise, you can boot Windows and run the System Information tool, which can tell you. Otherwise, you can dump the F000 segment to a file and run the "strings" utility on it. Again, you probably do not need to know this, because it is irrelevant for 99% of the basic PC operations.

My favorite reference for BIOS and DOS interrupts is the Programmer's PC Sourcebook (Second Edition). It's long out of print, but I think you can still find used copies on Amazon. There are other books out there, but this is the one on my bookshelf that I have used for the last 10+ years.

If you are adverse to spending money, the Ralf Brown Interrupt List (RBIL), seems pretty comprehensive, but I have never used it personally.

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