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What's a BIOS? Many people don't know what a BIOS is and think that AMI is the manufacturer of their computer. Some people even believe that the AMIBIOS is some sort of virus or malware.

The BIOS is yours. It says AMI everytime I boot up. Why can't you support it? You can think of the BIOS as the concrete in a building. AMI is like a big cement producer. Your computer system is the building. You wouldn't go to the cement producer to fix your plumbing problem or request that your alarm system's security code be reset.

Using this same example, you wouldn't contact the cement producer to pour more concrete. You'd need to contact someone who can create a form/mold for it, mix it, pour it and finish it. In the BIOS industry, we call this process, BIOS porting.

Why can't I use a BIOS from a similar configured system? Unlike my cement example, a BIOS ported for one piece of hardware won't work on a similar piece of hardware unless both pieces of hardware are exactly the same.

This brings us to the next obvious question that you would ask.

I understand AMI didn't originally port my BIOS and isn't the motherboard/computer manufacturer of my motherboard/computer. Since AMI is a BIOS company and should have the expertise, why can't AMI do a BIOS port and provide me with an update to my motherboard BIOS? One of the main reason, which is essentially mentioned above, is because of the hardware. We would need to know the exact specifications of every chip used on your motherboard (including their revisions). On top of that, we would require time on multiple pieces of hardware to properly debug and test it. In terms of man hours/cost required, it would cost you a lot more than the cost of your computer when it was brand new.

I would pay money for a good BIOS update. Sounds like there is money to be made here. Why doesn't AMI simply keep a library of all possible hardware combinations and offer those as BIOS updates? AMI has attempted a BIOS update model similar to that in the past (a little prior to the Y2K scare). However, there are simply too many combinations to support and test.

The reason I say this is because, the computer industry is a fast-paced one. What was fast and new this morning, will be old and gray tonight.

Some motherboard manufacturers can design and build a motherboard in as quick as a month. Their production run (on a specific board design) might be less than one week. In that time they may build 100,000 boards. If sales are good, they might fix any bugs, revise (rev-up) the board, update the BIOS and do another 300,000 production run of the boards. Immediately after two or three production runs, the board is end-of-lifed. Once it's end-of-lifed, it's common practice that the board's BIOS isn't updated anymore.

A large motherboard manufacturer will also purchase the source code for the BIOS. They will employ a team of BIOS engineers. Legally, the motherboard manufacturer can't remove the AMI logo from the BIOS source code, but can hide it. They typically change the BIOS code so much that it's unrecognizable to us. This is another major reason we can't tell you what their error codes mean or how to update their motherboard's BIOS. This is also another reason why our detection software sometimes doesn't work.

Throughout this site you'll see repeated references to visit the manufacturer of your computer system or your motherboard's manufacturer for support, software drivers, BIOS updates and so on. I hope you now have a better understanding why this is so.

Answers to Common AMIBIOS and non-AMI product related Questions:

a.) What's a BIOS?

b.) The BIOS is yours. It says AMI everytime I boot up. Why can't you support it?

c.) Why can't I use a BIOS from a similar configured system?

d.) I understand AMI didn't originally port my BIOS and isn't the motherboard/computer manufacturer of my motherboard/computer. Since AMI is a BIOS company and should have the expertise, why can't AMI do a BIOS port and provide me with an update to my motherboard BIOS?

e.) I would pay money for a good BIOS update. Sounds like there is money to be made here. Why doesn't AMI simply keep a library of all possible hardware combinations and offer those as BIOS updates?

1.) Is there a backdoor password for the AMIBIOS CMOS Setup?

2.) Why does the AMI Logo show up all of a sudden? Is this some kind of Malware?

3.) Why is the BIOS Flash procedure different from my motherboard manual and your website?

4.) I need motherboard BIOS and device driver updates but don't know who made my motherboard. How can I determine the manufacturer of my motherboard?

5.) I have a computer (notebook, laptop and/or desktop) with your BIOS. It shows an error code. What does this error code mean?

6.) My motherboard has your BIOS, however my motherboard manufacturer is out-of-business. Can you supply me with a BIOS update?

7.) I want to customize my BIOS boot screen with name of my company. Can you provide me with utility that can do this?

8.) I have a MegaRAID (or HyperDisk) Controller. It has AMI printed on the board, but there is no information on your website. Where can I get support for it?

9.) Is there a way to remove American Megatrends software/AMIBIOS from my computer?

10.) I have a personal computer made by AMI. I need a system recovery disk. Can you sell me one?

11.) Why doesn't AMI build motherboards for the personal computer market?

12.) I understand that my motherboard isn't made by AMI. However, I have a question about one of the basic BIOS features on my motherboard. Why is this feature hidden in the BIOS on my motherboard and how do I enable it?

13.) I am attempting to update the BIOS for my computer so it functions better with Microsoft Windows 7. Do you have any BIOS updates for me?

14.) I have a Compaq Presario. It displays the AMI when it boots up. Now the sound is gone. Can you repair my motherboard?

15.) I have an ASUS motherboard that displays a FAN ERROR. I checked all the wires. They are hooked up properly and the fan is spinning at the proper RPM. How do I get rid of your message?

16.) Do you have an AMIBIOS Firmware Update program for Linux®?

17.) "Press F1 to continue," keeps displaying every time I turn on my computer. What gives?

18.) Your motherboard identification utility, AMIMBID, didn't work. Now what?

19.) Where can I find a list of all computer hardware manufacturers?

20.) There is a company that I found online that offers BIOS upgrades for ANY computer or motherboard. Is this for real?

1.) Is there a backdoor password for the AMIBIOS CMOS Setup?

No, there is no backdoor BIOS password. If you forgot your BIOS password, you'll need to contact your board manufacturer or computer manufacturer for the proper instructions on how to reset the BIOS password.

2.) Why does the AMI Logo show up all of a sudden? Is this some kind of Malware?

AMIBIOS is a BIOS. AMIBIOS is not malware. Most likely, the reason you did not see the AMI Logo until now is because your AMIBIOS was set to either QUIET BOOT or SILENT BOOT. For more information click here.

3.) Why is the BIOS Flash procedure different from my motherboard manual and your website?

Follow the BIOS Flash instruction provided to you by the motherboard manufacturer.

Some motherboard manufacturers purchase the entire AMIBIOS source code. When that occurs, the motherboard manufacturer typically customizes everything. Like the way the BIOS is updated.

The AMI Flash procedure provided on AMI.COM is meant to be used for AMI motherboards.

4.) I need motherboard BIOS and device driver updates but don't know who made my motherboard. How can I determine the manufacturer of my motherboard?

The motherboard manufacturer's name and model is usually printed on the PCB of the motherboard (also known as a logic board in Apple computer systems). ASUS, AOpen, Supermicro, MicroStar (MSI), Elitegroup (ECS), BIOSTAR, ABit, Soyo, Epox, Soltek, Tyan, Trigem, Tekram, PCChip and Foxconn are popular motherboard manufacturers. There are many more motherboard manufacturers than the ones listed here.

5.) I have a computer (notebook, laptop and/or desktop) with your BIOS. It shows an error code. What does this error code mean?

Error codes differ from motherboard manufacturer to manufacturer. Contact your motherboard manufacturer for the proper answer.

6.) My motherboard has your BIOS, however my motherboard manufacturer is out-of-business. Can you supply me with a BIOS update?

No, AMI doesn't update BIOS code for other motherboard manufacturers. The reason is because the motherboard manufacturer makes changes/updates to their motherboard's BIOS code.

7.) I want to customize my BIOS boot screen with name of my company. Can you provide me with utility that can do this?

No, AMI does not provide a change logo utility to our customer's customer. If you want to change or customize your logo, you'll have to work that out with the motherboard manufacturer.

8.) I have a MegaRAID (or HyperDisk) Controller. It has AMI printed on the board, but there is no information on your website. Where can I get support for it?

The MegaRAID division was sold to LSI Logic in 2001. Please contact LSI Logic for support.

9.) Is there a way to remove American Megatrends software (specifically, the AMIBIOS) from my computer?

This is surprisingly a common question. We receive about eight of these types of emails a week.

The simple answer is, "No." The reason is because the BIOS is essential to the operation of your computer. You can physically remove the BIOS chip, but your computer won't boot up.

What many people don't realize is that the AMIBIOS was always part of your computer. It isn't something that can install itself and slow your computer down.

As mentioned above, AMIBIOS is a BIOS. AMIBIOS is not malware. Most likely, the reason you did not see the AMI Logo until now is because your AMIBIOS was set to either QUIET BOOT or SILENT BOOT. For more information, click here.

10.) I have a personal computer made by AMI. I need a system recovery disk. Can you sell me one?

No, AMI has never made a personal computers (meaning a computer typically used in a home environment). Most likely your computer is a white box computer. A white box computer is a generic personal computer that is built with off-the-shelf parts. If you don't know who sold the computer to you, then you'll have to obtain a new operating system CD and reload the system yourself. You'll also need to find out which components are in your computer and find the software drivers and load those as well. The only sure way to find out which parts make up your computer system is to open it up and look for model numbers on each card and board. If you have never done that before, take your computer to a computer repair shop and pay them to do it for you.

11.) Why doesn't AMI build motherboards for the personal computer market?

AMI doesn't manufacture motherboards (personal computer-based) anymore for many reasons. The largest reason is because it simply isn't profitable. AMI originally designed and built motherboards in-house, in Norcross, Georgia. In 2008, AMI closed its manufacturing lines. The last AMI motherboard to leave the line was in 2005, called the Olympus IV or Series 876. It was a very low volume, motherboard purposely designed and built for the medical industry. The Series 876 motherboard cost more to make than what you can buy a fully configured computer system for today. For this reason, AMI has only released four motherboards on the market since 2000. All of them in the Olympus line: the Olympus, the Olympus II, the Olympus III and the Olympus IV. Unless you have an Olympus motherboard, you probably don't have an AMI motherboard. If memory serves me correctly, AMI only built 10,000 motherboards total between 2000 and 2005. Since 2005, AMI has not built or designed any.

AMI has built a few server boards since 2000, but those were very robust and weren't meant for personal computers. AMI's server boards exceeded the meantime before failure (MTF) numbers of many comparable server boards. Many of AMI's server boards are still in use today. For those server boards, AMI still retains all device drivers and manuals on the website.

If you've got a low-volume server board requirement for a server that must be robust and very reliable, please contact our hardware sales department and they can give you a quote. AMI specializes in custom board designs, including (but not limited to) boards that don't comply with any current size standards. AMI also designs backplanes for storage appliances, controller chips that can be used to manage different devices, remote access devices, blade management devices and an entire line of storage appliances.

12.) I understand that my motherboard isn't made by AMI. However, I have a question about one of the basic BIOS features on my motherboard. Why is this feature hidden in the BIOS on my motherboard and how do I enable it?

AMI doesn't support the ability to turn on/off (hide or unhide) features on your motherboard. These are exactly the types of customizations that your motherboard manufacturer has complete control over. You should contact company that made your motherboard.

For example, if your motherboard manufacturer is in the process of creating a software driver to support onboard video, but was unable to incorporate it before they released their motherboard, they could simply disable or hide that feature. They would then issue a BIOS update with that feature enabled (unhidden) in their BIOS.

Another example, an end-user (who is a software programmer) wanted to know why NETWORK BOOT wasn't available (or even displayed) from within their AMIBIOS settings. This person knew that AMI wasn't the motherboard manufacturer, but thought that AMI could help. AMI really can't help because we only licensed our BIOS software to the motherboard manufacturer. The motherboard manufacturer didn't contract AMI to design the motherboard or write the network device drivers.

Some motherboard manufacturers purchase the entire AMIBIOS source code. When that occurs, the motherboard manufacturer typically customizes everything. Like the way the BIOS is updated. In those cases, even AMI's BIOS update procedure won't work anymore.

13.) I am attempting to update the BIOS for my computer so it functions better with Microsoft Windows 7. Do you have any BIOS updates for me?

No, AMI doesn't update BIOS code for other motherboard manufacturers. The reason is because the motherboard manufacturer makes changes/updates to their motherboard's BIOS code.

Also, typically to speed up the performance or to make it work better (better compatibility), you should update the device drivers for your computer. For more information, click here.

14.) I have a Compaq Presario. It displays the AMI when it boots up. Now the sound is gone. Can you repair my motherboard?

No, you should contact Compaq. AMI doesn't manufacture boards or computers for Compaq (or any other computer company).

15.) I have an ASUS motherboard that displays a FAN ERROR. I checked all the wires. They are hooked up properly and the fan is spinning at the proper RPM. How do I get rid of your message?

You should contact ASUS for support. AMI doesn't control or set their error messages or RPM speed thresholds, which can cause a message like that to appear if the RPM is out-of-range.

16.) Do you have an AMIBIOS Firmware Update program for Linux®?

No, AMI doesn't offer a Linux® version of the AMIBIOS Firmware Update (AFU) utility. However, there are plenty of people who've updated their BIOS on their Linux®-based computers with the partial help of the AFUDOS utility. For more information, click here.

Keep in mind that AMI doesn't offer, update or support motherboard BIOS updates for other motherboard manufacturers. If you have a question about your motherboard's BIOS, you should contact your motherboard manufacturer.

17.) "Press F1 to continue," keeps displaying every time I turn on my computer. What gives?

That message could mean you have a dead motherboard battery and that it needs to be replaced. However to be sure, you should contact your computer or the motherboard manufacturer for the proper answer. Error codes differ from motherboard manufacturer to manufacturer.

18.) Your motherboard identification utility, AMIMBID, didn't work. Now what?

You have a couple options that are open to you. One of them involves opening your computer up (by a qualified computer technician) and physically removing the motherboard to see if the manufacturer's name is printed on it. However, AMI doesn't recommend that anyone open up their computer just to determine the motherboard manufacturer. Also, it may void your warranty with the computer manufacturer (if it's still under warranty) and/or cause accidental damage to the internal components.

The other option is to use a third-party hardware identification utility. The third-party hardware utility may not list the motherboard manufacturer correctly, so you'll still have to do some detective work.

For example, if the third-party hardware utility lists AMI as the motherboard manufacturer, it is wrong. However, the model number may be listed correctly. You can then do an Internet search to find out who made your motherboard. For more information on such a utility, click here.

19.) Where can I find a list of all computer hardware manufacturers?

That's a tall order. There are a lot of computer hardware manufacturers located throughout the world. I don't think there's a single list that lists them all. However, I know people have tried to make one. Your best bet is to use your favorite Internet search engine or you can use my favorite one. For more information, click here.

20.) There is a company that I found online that offers BIOS upgrades for ANY computer or motherboard. Is this for real?

Yes and no. The money you have to pay them is real. The BIOS updates are possibly real. However, if they give you the wrong BIOS update, your computer won't boot.

Most of these companies don't write new BIOS code. They basically sell you something you can get for free. All they do is maintain a database of motherboard companies along with all of that company's BIOS update files.

They then offer a free motherboard BIOS checking utility to see if your BIOS is current. If the BIOS in their database is newer, they offer to sell it to you.

This to me is a little fraudulent. They didn't port the BIOS, although some of the website I've seen sure makes it sound like they did. If you get right down to it, it's simple copyright infringement.

My advice to you is to do your own legwork. Find out who made your motherboard and what's its model number. Visit the motherboard manufacturer's website and download your BIOS Update directly from them.

If you find that the company that made your motherboard is no longer in business, your best bet is to upgrade (replace) your motherboard. A motherboard company that has gone out of business won't have a website with their latest BIOS updates (even if they released a BIOS update prior to closing their doors).

There are a few benefits to doing an upgrade. You get the latest and greatest, along with the most up-to-date software support. You'd be able to run the most current operating systems along with playing the newest games. Your older applications will run smoother and faster.

The downside (and there is always one), it will cost you money. Also, you'd probably have to reload your operating system since the most popular operating system is tied to the hardware.

Once you're commited to the idea of upgrading the motherboard, back up your most important data onto some sort of external drive or USB device. You can also burn your files to a CD or DVD. Make sure to backup your Favorite websites, emails and all your family pictures.

Basic rule of thumb, which applies to other industries as well. Don't buy the cheapest thing out there. You truly do get what you pay for. A company that offers a low-priced motherboard is in business to churn them out. They won't focus on support. Their goal is to be first to market with the latest and greatest. With a motherboard purchased from that type of company, I would guess no more than a few months of BIOS updates.

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