amibios is an update available

Recommended by Wim's BIOS...

My Amibios number is 51 0620 001169-00111111-071595-82430VXX-H the Bios Chip is a WINBOND W29EEO11- A 5V FLASH ROM which has an Amibios Sticker on of AMIBIOS 586 AMERICAN MEGATRENDS JO 46396
The Motherboard is a Micro Star MS 5149 ver 2.5 is there a BIOS Update Flash for this?

[NickS]

On the same screen as the AMI BIOS string is there a message which says something along the lines of "AI75 08/14/1996 10:00:0" ? Yours looks like a quite early BIOS if the code is 0620: AI75 is 0622 and AI78 is 0623.
BIOSes for your board are here. The latest 128Kbyte BIOS apperas to be AMI BIOS AI78. Ignore the alleged 128 KB AMI BIOS AI7A (wi7a.exe) as this is actually a 1996 Award BIOS.

[Denniss]

AI7A is the latest Bios and not AI78 !!
AI7A 020298
AI7A should be 627

[NickS]

Denniss wrote:

AI7A is the latest Bios and not AI78 !!
AI7A 020298

There are two BIOSes described as AI7A on the site. One has a file size of 370K and the other is wrongly labelled - the download file is an Award BIOS. I assumed the 370K download was for 256Kbyte BIOS, but I was wrong - it just includes half a megabyte of AMI flasher. So use the 370K AI7A download.

AI78 should be 627

@Denniss: I think you mean AI7A.

2nd Attempt - 1st Attempt got lost somewhere in the system.
As a newcomer, reading the answers to what I thought was a reasonably simple question is a nightmare. Total confusion from the contributors adding to what appears to be anomalies from my own system information. When something is edited, how does one know what is edited and what is original? – Nick seems to be correcting something that Dennis did not actually say
I tried to keep it simple, perhaps I had better tell the whole story and get you guys to pick the bones out for me.
I originally read that when you wished to know about a Bios that you contacted the Motherboard manufacturer and not the BIOS chip maker, in my case MicroStar not Amibios. This I did and downloaded a manual for the MS 5149 v2.41 Motherboard. This contained all the diagrams and information which appeared to be identical to my board. There was also a chapter entitled Amibios User’s Guide and Award User’s Guide – so far so good, now for the anomalies. Board version v2.41 and what they showed as an opening screen heading in the Users Guide was “AMIBIOS © 1997 AMERICAN MEGATRENDS” and this was repeated on each subsequent set-up box heading. An example of an AMIBIOS Number was also given with the version info indicted by XXXX.
My Board is v2.50, obviously later, - but my opening heading is “AMIBIOS © 1996” and then subsequently “AMIBIOS HIFLEX SETUP UTILITY Version 1.07 and AMIBIOS © 1996”. Needless to say there are considerable differences between what I have in my Bios and what the Manual says. To date I have not managed to locate an update.
Looking at the actual chip I found yet another set of numbers on the label – as indicated in my original message.
Then I read about removing the label, - only to find that the MicroStar/Amibios chip is actually a WINBOND W29EE011 5v Flash ROM. This was getting every minute more like the Russian doll within a doll, within a doll, senario.
In reply to Nick’s query - Yes you are right – there is yet another set of reference numbers that came on the screen they are A17DF 06/24/97 – I repeat A17DF, which even fuels the fires of confusion even more? 97 when all the heading are 1996.
So there you are guys, the whole-confused mess – it’s a wonder to me that it all works at all. I’ll be very interested to hear what you all have to say
Regards thogebu

[NickS]

thogebu wrote:

Nick seems to be correcting something that Dennis did not actually say

Ah, well, the clue is the line in his post that says "edited by ..." which means he went back and fixed it. Now I can go back and remove my note to him

.. my opening heading is “AMIBIOS © 1996” and then subsequently “AMIBIOS HIFLEX SETUP UTILITY Version 1.07 and AMIBIOS © 1996”...... there is yet another set of reference numbers that came on the screen they are A17DF 06/24/97 – I repeat A17DF, which even fuels the fires of confusion even more? 97 when all the heading are 1996.

The main modules of the BIOS were written and hence copyrighted in 1996 (often it says 1995). The modules needed for this board were assembled and configured into a BIOS for that board in 1997. I would

NickS wrote:

use the 370K AI7A download.

BUT don't forget to save the old BIOS first....