BIOS Updates forum

Hey guys, really need help here, I have read some sites that said 1131 ment ECS, other that said Pcchips or somthing, on top of this I can't find what model it is! This is a really old 386 put together by some company called ABM . Help is really apreiciated

Check top surface for any markings at all.

I looked all over and the only thing I found was a sticker on the side of one of the card slots ( not PCI or AGP , I forget what type they are (black)) saying something about a warrenty with 'Deltacom'. The color of the mobo is dark murky green and orange. I am sure i looked all over but if there is a specific spot you want me to look i'll look again.

running_wild wrote:Hey guys, really need help here, I have read some sites that said 1131 ment ECS, other that said Pcchips or somthing, on top of this I can't find what model it is! This is a really old 386 put together by some company called ABM . Help is really apreiciated

30-0100-DO1131-0101111-070791-HT18C-F
Uses the Headland Technologies HT18C chipset ?
Both ECS and PC-Chips are Hsin Tech distributors, but you won't find much about 386es on their websites. What do you need to know ?

I need the model number so I can look around for the latest bios ( I want it to auto detect the HD coz the Bios battery died and I can't find a replacement )

The BIOS is not flashable.

running_wild wrote:I need the model number so I can look around for the latest bios ( I want it to auto detect the HD coz the Bios battery died and I can't find a replacement )

To be honest, I think you'll have more luck replacing the battery. In those days they often had a connector for an external battery as well. Can you post a picture of the mobo/battery ?

Not to mention, the latest bios does not have autodetection either. What brand/model harddisk are you trying to fit in? If we can find the head/cylinder/sectors per track info you can set it up manually.

...as long as he can fix his battery...

Hmm.. I have no problems configuring it manually, and I see the slot that the current battery ( dead i think ) is in. I am pretty sure it is dead,
every time i turn off and turn on the computer it wants me to re-enter all the information again.....

What is the battery like ? Sometimes it was a 3-cell NiCd (3.6V) soldered to the board. Typically there was a connector with 3 pins and 1 gap for connecting an external battery, and a jumper to select internal/external.
Any chance of a picture ?

Wish I could dude, but i don't have a digital camera and the scanner desided it would break a few months ago... I beleive its the 3 connecter board.. BTW i sent off the these esupport guys and they beleive they have an upgrade?? Only problem is they want $50 for it.. I thought this bios was not flashable??

They will probably send you a new chip to install, or one on a daughterboard that will be flashable in the future.

Look for a pair of pins near the battery marked EXT BAT or something to that effect. Usually a pair of 4 pins in a row. That might be an external battery connector.
If not, then rip off the old battery using some cutters and get one of these:




Older computer shops still have them. Just solder it directly onto the old leads where the motherboard had the old battery. Should work just as good.

For the BIOS detecting drives, buying a new BIOS is a dumb idea. Look into getting a DRIVEMAX controller or EIDEMAX controller. Both developped by Promise. I have each and they come in 8bit and 16bit ISA form, so one of them should work for your needs. They will support up to 128GB drives and load after the old OS.
They should allow you to boot an OS. If you are using DOS or something like that, I recommend smaller hard drives then 2GB. There was a size limit back then.

You can make more than one 2GB partition on one harddisk. However you can have only 4 primary partitions, everything after that has to be extended partitions, you have 26 possible drive letters so the theoretical drive size limit in DOS is 52GB