The software is very simple and basic but it does the required job which
is to allow the user to define new BIOS files and download any selection of user created and Axol supplied
files to the POST card. Download the software here
Instructions for use:
When the software is downloaded it should be unzipped and copied to any directory required, even a floppy
disk for
convenience of updating BIOS data whilst in the field.
The software consists of 3 parts, all parts
must be copied to the same directory on the disk.
1) The program
This is AXOLPOST.EXE and is usable in any PC running MSDOS3.3 or higher or compatible. It works
in Win3.11 and Win98 systems which adequately emulate the DOS environment however, it will not
operate in WinNT systems due to the way the hardware is accessed when programming the card.
This is a file used to allow the card to operate in other languages than its native English. All
messages built into the card are in English but the card is designed to allow an alternative for
every message to be stored in EEPROM where the user can download any language file required. These
language files do not exist yet but the option is built in for future use. It is more likely that a small program will be written to
allow the user to write such files rather than us supplying lots of files for each possible end user.
These are all plain text files each of which contains the
full text of the POST codes for a particular BIOS. Only a few are currently available here but more will be added from time to time. The user can also add any BIOS not included here and need not rely on us to do it.
The format is very clear from the files, just
load one into your favourite text editor and take a look. For any non-standard BIOS you wish
to use simply copy an existing BIOS file to a text editor and modify it to suit the new BIOS. Then
save the file back into the directory where the AXOLPOST.EXE file is. It will then be found
next time the software is run. Files supplied by AXOL Electronics will always use digits only
(e.g."102.txt") so any user
produced files should include alphabetic characters to prevent conflicts (e.g."bios122.txt").
A valid BIOS file must:
Have the extension .TXT
Be under 20,000 bytes
Be in the same directory as the software
Have the first line "Axol POST code file" without the quotes
Have the second line equal to a 32 character description of the BIOS
The remainder of the file is a list of 2 digit hex codes and code descriptions
When the program is run the user will be presented with a menu at the top of the screen
and a list at the bottom. The list is a list of BIOS files currently selected for download
to the POST card. The menu items are straight forward. Any new BIOS file can be added to
the list if there is room.
There are hard coded maximum limits of 15 BIOSes and 1888 POST
messages. Any attempt to exceed these will be rejected by the software. A currently selected
BIOS will need to be removed from the list first before a new BIOS can be added.
It is
recommended that the "Unknown BIOS" be one of those downloaded, it takes up no message space
and will prevent confusion in the event that the card is used in a system running a BIOS not
currently programmed into the POST card.
Downloading to the POST card takes typically under 30 seconds and a successful download will
be acknowledged by the card beeping and displaying a message.
The software allows groups of BIOSes to be pre-defined and saved to disk. This will
allow those involved in maintenance of a number of companies' computers to quickly load the
most useful combination of BIOSes for the job. e.g.if a client has only Compaq computers then
a selection of Compaq BIOSes can be selected and saved under the group name "compaq". Then,
when visiting that client, the block of BIOSes which can be usefully held in the POST card
can be retrieved in a couple of key strokes without the need to select each BIOS file
individually. These group files are kept in the same directory as the software and are
called XXXXXXXX.DAT where XXXXXXXX is the 8 character name given to this group by the user
when saving the group.
