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Award BIOS setup for ISA cards (3c509)

Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 4:53 pm
by motapo
I have (probably) a BIOS configuration problem when trying to make the old ISA 3c509 NIC work with a (not younger) PC with Award Modular BIOS 4,51PG.

In particular - running the 3c509's "preinstl" is giving back the number of available IRQs (5, 9, 12) and in the next step: "PnP BIOS has not been detected in your computer, follow to disable the pnp by 3c509..."

Seems like both Award 4.51PG and 3c509 ARE pnp...

I have been trying all I could find over the net - i.e. various combinations of PnP/ISA vs. Legacy ISA settings for the IRQs listed in the BIOS, changing the settings which - as I read - have sth to do with it - but no success. It plays a role for me since i have a few of such cards - and I am planning to build up a home network of them - if I manage to make them alive...

Seems like I need to ask if anybody has the idea what it is.
Maybe anybody could tell me where I can find the more detaily manual for the BIOS/Motherboard.

Details:

Motherboard: Lucky-Star 5I-VX1/1B/2/2C,

BIOS: Award Modular 05/30/96, P54CE REV.F RELEASE 5/31/1996, BIOS REV.F03 UM8669

OS: W95, W98

thanks
motapo

Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 2:51 am
by ajzchips
You have BIOS F03, while F11 is available from:
http://mobokive.dyndns.org/Archive/Luckystar/

02/14/97-i430VX,UMC8669-2A59GL1CC-00
P54CE/55C VER:F RELEASE DATE 04/24/1997 REV:F10 UM8669

The BIOS string reads F10 though.

Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 7:00 pm
by Rainbow
The 3c509 cards with yellow printing on the PCB (the 3Com logo, etc.) support Plug&Play mode (the older ones with white printing don't have PnP).
You use the 3c5x9cfg utility (in DOS) and enable PnP on the card, then power down and back up (or hard reset). Then the card should be detected automatically in Windows (and if you set "PnP OS installed" to "No" in SETUP, you should see the card detected by BIOS too).