[LinuxBIOS] Bios "Bible"?

[Justin Walsh]

Or what is the definitive Blue Book on:
1. Bios in General?
3. Bios in particular?
3. How does one switch a 686 or 786 from native into real mode? i.e. 286
emulation?
Thanks
JW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS
Google Search on Bios:
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=Bios&btnG=Google+Search&...

[Peter Stuge]

On Tue, Mar 29, 2005 at 09:29:06PM -0800, Justin Walsh wrote:
> Or what is the definitive Blue Book on:
> Bios in General?
> Bios in particular?

I'm not sure there is one. Traditionally BIOS code seem to have been
a secret well-kept by mainboard/BIOS companies.
> How does one switch a 686 or 786 from native into real mode?
>
> i.e. 286 emulation?

x86 CPUs start up in a backwards-compatible 8086 real mode. Protected
mode is entered by setting bit 0 in the cr0 register, but first some
descriptor tables need to be set up. Switching back and forth
basically is a matter of flipping the PE bit.

//Peter

Your best bet it "The Undocumented PC" by Frank van Gilluwre.

Jordan

At 09:29 PM 3/29/2005, Justin Walsh wrote:
> Or what is the definitive Blue Book on:
> Bios in General?
> Bios in particular?
> How does one switch a 686 or 786 from native into real mode? i.e. 286
>
> emulation?
> Thanks
> JW
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS
> Google Search on Bios:
> http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=Bios&btnG=Google+Search&...
>
> LinuxBIOS mailing list
> [e-mail]
> http://www.openbios.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxbios