[ltp] Making backup of BIOS settings?

[Ryan Underwood]

On Thu, Aug 24, 2006 at 10:30:24PM -0400, FeRD wrote:
> >
> >You can read/write CMOS with a simple C program:
> >[...]
> >
> >Unfortunately, this will not include data that are stored in the
> >Thinkpad's serial EEPROM.  Access to it is disabled by the BIOS
> >so it is impossible for software to dump.
> 
> That was my basic understanding (going back to my original reply) --
> that without special BIOS calls that can't be made from within a
> protected-mode OS, you can't get acess to all of the information in
> the BIOS. So there's no real, complete backup solution without
> rebooting to a CD and using a tool that issues one of those real-mode
> routines.

You misunderstood me.  There is no CD or tool that will allow you to
access the serial EEPROM in a Thinkpad.  It can only be accessed during
boot, before the BIOS disables it.  This is a Thinkpad specific feature.
Other machines will have no problem with saving and restoring the CMOS
memory, and therefore the system settings, even from within an operating
system (as long as there is some way to access the RTC chip from that
OS).

-- 
Ryan Underwood, <nemesis@icequake.net>