Intel Corporation

Mike Kinion

Orville H Christeson

Jerald N Hall

Sean R Babcock

Frank E LeClerg

Frank L Wildgrube

John Yuratovac

An apparatus includes a configuration selector that is selectively configurable to denote one of a plurality of operating modes for the apparatus, including a configuration mode. The apparatus further comprising a programmable multiplexer, a processor, a bus, and a storage medium having stored therein a basic input/output system (BIOS) equipped to operate in any one of the plurality of operating modes, including the configuration mode wherein the BIOS facilitates user programming of a plurality of operating parameters for the apparatus. The programmable multiplexer, responsive to the configuration selector, asserts a default bus/core ratio common to a plurality of processors and buses that can be employed to form the apparatus when the configuration selector is configured to denote the configuration mode of operation. The processor, coupled to the storage medium and the programmable multiplexer, operates to execute the BIOS, in a speed consistent with the asserted bus/core ratio. The bus, coupled to the programmable multiplexer, the processor and the storage medium, operates to provide instructions and data to the processor, including the BIOS, in a speed consistent with the asserted bus/core ratio.

Method and apparatus for setting the operating parameters of a computer system

An apparatus includes a storage medium having stored therein a segmented basic input/output system (BIOS) divided among a plurality of segments within the storage medium, and a processor operative to execute the segmented BIOS. In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the BIOS includes a recovery function that is mode dependent in that while the apparatus is in an update mode the recovery function executes a full reflash of all relevant segments of the segmented BIOS, whereas while the apparatus is in a normal mode the recovery function executes a partial reflash of only identified corrupted BIOS segments.

Method and apparatus for updating a basic input/output system

Method and apparatus for setting the operating parameters of a computer

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Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Mike Kinion