Determining the Motherboard Manufacturer for BIOS Upgrades
Although knowing the BIOS brand and version is sufficient for troubleshooting a system that won't start, solving problems with issues such as large hard disk support and power management requires knowing exactly which motherboard you have and who produced it. Because motherboard manufacturers tailor BIOS code to the needs of each motherboard model, the motherboard or system vendorâ€â€not the BIOS vendorâ€â€is the source to turn to for BIOS upgrades and other BIOS configuration issues.
A much easier way to get the Award/AMI BIOS number & possible manufacturer is by using CTBIOS v 1.5. Run it and it'll give you the BIOS number, possible manufacturer and more. If you want to know the name of your chipset you can also download ctpci330.zip.
If you have an AMI BIOS you can also try the AMIBIOS Motherboard ID Utility (written by AMI)
Motherboards using AMI BIOS versions built from 1991 to the present (AMI's High-Flex BIOS or WinBIOS) display a long string of numbers at the bottom of the first screen that is displayed when the system is powered on or restarted:
51-0411-001771-00111111-071595-82439HX-F
Interpret a number such as this one with the following numerical key
AB-CCCC-DDDDDD-EFGHIJKL-mmddyy-MMMMMMM-N
Use the following resources to determine the manufacturer of non-AMI motherboards using the AMI BIOS:
AMI has a listing of U.S. and non-U.S. motherboard manufacturers at http://www.ami.com/support/bios.html.
AMI also offers a downloadable utility program called AMIMBID for use with Windows 9x/2000/NT/Me/XP, and MS-DOS. Download it from http://www.ami.com/support/mbid.html.
A more detailed listing, including complete identification of particular motherboard models, is available at Wim's BIOS site (http://www.wimsbios.com). This site also has links to motherboard manufacturers for BIOS upgrades.
Identifying Motherboards with Award BIOS
Motherboards with the Award Software BIOS also use a numerical code, although the structure is different from that for the AMI Hi-Flex BIOS.
The following is a typical Award BIOS ID:
2A59IZ1DC-00
The first 5 characters identify the chipset. 2A59I stands for the Intel Triton TX chipset. (See list)
The sixth & seventh character identify the manufacturer: in this case it's Z1. (See list)
The 8th character (most of the times, not always!) identifies the model. I say 'most of the times' because the manufacturer can use the same 8th character for all models based on a particular chipset!.
The C-00 at the end doesn't mean much.
For lookup tables of these codes, see the following Web sites:
Award Software's official table for manufacturers only is available at http://www.phoenix.com/pcuser/phoenixbios/motherboard.html.
An expanded list, also containing chipset information (stored in the first five characters of the Award BIOS ID), is available at Wim's BIOS site (http://www.wimsbios.com).
Identifying Motherboards with Phoenix or Microid Research BIOS
Unfortunately, neither Phoenix nor Microid Research (MR BIOS) uses any type of a standardized motherboard ID number system.
For systems using a Phoenix BIOS, see whether your motherboard or system is listed on the Micro Firmware BIOS upgrades page. Links from this page for Intel and Micronics motherboards list the codes that show up onscreen during boot. Match these codes to your system, and you might be able to use a Micro Firmware upgrade. Most MR BIOS (Microid Research BIOS) installations are done as upgrades rather than in original equipment. See the list of supported chipsets (identified by chipset brand and model, not motherboard vendor) and motherboards using Intel's Triton-series chipsets to see whether your system can use an MR BIOS, or contact Microid Research directly for system-specific information.
Source:
Link 1
Link 2
Although knowing the BIOS brand and version is sufficient for troubleshooting a system that won't start, solving problems with issues such as large hard disk support and power management requires knowing exactly which motherboard you have and who produced it. Because motherboard manufacturers tailor BIOS code to the needs of each motherboard model, the motherboard or system vendorâ€â€not the BIOS vendorâ€â€is the source to turn to for BIOS upgrades and other BIOS configuration issues.
A much easier way to get the Award/AMI BIOS number & possible manufacturer is by using CTBIOS v 1.5. Run it and it'll give you the BIOS number, possible manufacturer and more. If you want to know the name of your chipset you can also download ctpci330.zip.
If you have an AMI BIOS you can also try the AMIBIOS Motherboard ID Utility (written by AMI)
Identifying Motherboards with AMI BIOS
Motherboards using AMI BIOS versions built from 1991 to the present (AMI's High-Flex BIOS or WinBIOS) display a long string of numbers at the bottom of the first screen that is displayed when the system is powered on or restarted:
51-0411-001771-00111111-071595-82439HX-F
Interpret a number such as this one with the following numerical key
AB-CCCC-DDDDDD-EFGHIJKL-mmddyy-MMMMMMM-N
Use the following resources to determine the manufacturer of non-AMI motherboards using the AMI BIOS:
AMI has a listing of U.S. and non-U.S. motherboard manufacturers at http://www.ami.com/support/bios.html.
AMI also offers a downloadable utility program called AMIMBID for use with Windows 9x/2000/NT/Me/XP, and MS-DOS. Download it from http://www.ami.com/support/mbid.html.
A more detailed listing, including complete identification of particular motherboard models, is available at Wim's BIOS site (http://www.wimsbios.com). This site also has links to motherboard manufacturers for BIOS upgrades.
Identifying Motherboards with Award BIOS
Motherboards with the Award Software BIOS also use a numerical code, although the structure is different from that for the AMI Hi-Flex BIOS.
The following is a typical Award BIOS ID:
2A59IZ1DC-00
The first 5 characters identify the chipset. 2A59I stands for the Intel Triton TX chipset. (See list)
The sixth & seventh character identify the manufacturer: in this case it's Z1. (See list)
The 8th character (most of the times, not always!) identifies the model. I say 'most of the times' because the manufacturer can use the same 8th character for all models based on a particular chipset!.
The C-00 at the end doesn't mean much.
For lookup tables of these codes, see the following Web sites:
Award Software's official table for manufacturers only is available at http://www.phoenix.com/pcuser/phoenixbios/motherboard.html.
An expanded list, also containing chipset information (stored in the first five characters of the Award BIOS ID), is available at Wim's BIOS site (http://www.wimsbios.com).
Identifying Motherboards with Phoenix or Microid Research BIOS
Unfortunately, neither Phoenix nor Microid Research (MR BIOS) uses any type of a standardized motherboard ID number system.
For systems using a Phoenix BIOS, see whether your motherboard or system is listed on the Micro Firmware BIOS upgrades page. Links from this page for Intel and Micronics motherboards list the codes that show up onscreen during boot. Match these codes to your system, and you might be able to use a Micro Firmware upgrade. Most MR BIOS (Microid Research BIOS) installations are done as upgrades rather than in original equipment. See the list of supported chipsets (identified by chipset brand and model, not motherboard vendor) and motherboards using Intel's Triton-series chipsets to see whether your system can use an MR BIOS, or contact Microid Research directly for system-specific information.
Source:
Link 1
Link 2