"Visually silent" POST

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 8:38 pm

Hi,

This might be off-topic, so please moderators feel free to move or even delete this post, but since I feel among equals in these forums, I'd like to ask for help here.

I'm building a "familyPC" which is almost done in its design. I'm about to machine my own case in a workshop near my place and all, so the final product becomes exactly what I want. I've silenced it to a decent point with regular components. Now I need also some "visual-silence" for the booting sequence. My mom would hate those POST messages and so all "moms" (as well as guys like me) out there this machine is intended for.

Asus makes some motherboards featuring something called MyLogo which is supposed to hide POST messages. But it seems there's no Asus microATX board supporting this feature.

Do you know if I can find a way to hide the POST sequence in ANY motherboard through a software patch or any other trick?

Do you know of any microATX motherboard manufacturer who will offer this feature?

I know it's not an easy one. Any help will be very welcome.

Regards,

CM

Zyzzyx · Post by **Zyzzyx** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 8:54 pm

I'm not sure about being able to blank out all the POST screens, but you might research having a splash screen come up instead, much like Dells and Compaqs do.

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:19 pm

The question is how?

How do I put the code to do this BEFORE the actual POST starts?

How do I make whatever image I display stay on top of the POST messages?

CM

Zyzzyx · Post by **Zyzzyx** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 9:40 pm

THAT...

I do not know.

pelago · Post by **pelago** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 3:07 am

This is a tricky one. POST screens are produced by the motherboard BIOS, but additional things like graphics card BIOSes, and SCSI/RAID/SATA BIOSes can also produce their own screens. I don't think there are any patches that an end-user can do to stop the screens coming up. You just have to try and buy models of motherboards/cards that have built-in options to not display any messages, if you can.

silvervarg · Post by **silvervarg** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 4:24 am

Is hardware modding an option?
You could build a hardware thing that connects the screen only when it gets a signal from a certain port (parallell port is easiest to build from).
That way your screen will stay off until you have booted the OS.
I guess this is not really what you had in mind...

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 5:34 am

Jeez, I haven't used an Abit, Asus or Intel board over the past 2+ years at least that doesn't already have the built-into-the-BIOS option to have it "quiet Boot" or "silent boot" or whatever they call the POST/boot sequence that keeps the messages covered by some graphics provided by the mobo manufacturer. This feature is almost alway enabled by default and is one of the things I always disable on the very first boot (because I want to see the POST messages).

On my current Asus P4P800 it's called "Full Screen Logo". I just checked it and with ith enabled the POST screen just stays black, I assume because this is a retail boxed board and has no sort of OEM Logo programmed into the BIOS.

I would look at the online pdf manuals of the board(s) that you are considering buying and look around it the "boot" section for this feature. I'd be real suprised if you didn't find that all current boards have it.

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:12 am

silvervarg wrote:Is hardware modding an option?
You could build a hardware thing that connects the screen only when it gets a signal from a certain port (parallell port is easiest to build from).
That way your screen will stay off until you have booted the OS.
I guess this is not really what you had in mind...

Good idea silvervarg. Yes, hardware modding is an option and I hadn't thought about it. It's still tricky but I think I could make some software switch the monitor on once the OS is loaded. I would try to have something displayed on the screen though, but this could be done with some little device. I'll think of it. Thanks for the idea!!!

Regarding the other posts, thanks all for your interest. POST messages are indeed something inside a motherboard BIOS that seems difficult (though not impossible) to change. On the other hand, those quiet boot modes are not available in many current models (I've checked it out). Seems the display of a logo is an option for a certain range of motherboards from Asus, not all of them. Other motherboards call it quiet boot meaning they will display LESS messages but still show an ugly screen to the end user...

Regards,

CM

PhilgB · Post by **PhilgB** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 7:52 am

I remember looking into this when I was going through my HTPC phase, and I found an article or two with instructions on how to copy your existing BIOS, modify it for a boot logo and then overwrite the original.

Ill try and find it again.

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 8:48 am

Yeah!!! That would be great. It's exactly what I was thinking about. As a matter of fact, another project of mine is an HTPC too, where I definitely wouldn't like any POST messages being displayed.

Thanks!!!

CM

frosty · Post by **frosty** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 9:30 am

I missed something here or I am dumber than a bum's snot, what is the POST screen? The default bios screen upon boot up? IS that what we are talking about? IF so why not just go get a soda or coffee during this boot up process?

canthearyou · Post by **canthearyou** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 11:25 am

Power On Self Test

Yes, the BIOS and other hardware screens.

It shows you the drives recognized, memory text results, etc. I WANT to see this stuff, in fact, Linux has the most comprehensive startup I've ever seen.

Steve

p_UK · Post by **p_UK** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 2:12 pm

yes it is possible to put a custom splash screen on boot up. i was hacking bios code a few years back and noticed that there were provisions to put things like custom logos etc. (e.g. compaq and dell boot up screens) however, this involves modifying the firmware and uploading it. getting it wrong will result in a dead pc.

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 6:00 pm

Thanks everyone.

I've found the site http://www.biosmods.com where I could find lots of useful information on the subject.

Best regards

CM

Ana · Post by **Ana** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 3:27 am

Why do the POST messages bother your family that much? This sounds to
me like welding the front hood shut from your wife's car because she don't
like mechanics

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 4:20 am

Ana wrote:Why do the POST messages bother your family that much? This sounds to
me like welding the front hood shut from your wife's car because she don't
like mechanics

Yeah, my thoughts exactly. It only lasts for a few seconds at the most. Heck, on my boxes I want to see it yet if I blink at the wrong time I'll miss the whole thing.

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 5:35 am

This is a bit annoying, folks. I don't quite get why you bother so much trying to convince me to like something I don't. Getting rid of those POST messages in a commodity that doesn't want to show itself as a disguised PC is a DESIGN decision. Period.

My family PC is not exactly a commodity (though other products in the line will be), but I want it to be as close as possible to one. This is another DESIGN decision.

Maybe you would like your TV showing lots of messages when you turn it on. Maybe you would like a verbose microwave owen. Well, most people don't.

Good vibrations.

CM

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 6:15 am

comomolo wrote:This is a bit annoying, folks. I don't quite get why you bother so much trying to convince me to like something I don't.

Peace bro, just throwing some ideas around. You're free to do what you want.

I posted at the top of this thread yesterday, trying to help you find a way to turn this off in the BIOS, remember?

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:38 am

Peace Ralf

CM

frosty · Post by **frosty** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:38 am

Comomolo - Take it easy m8. I think everyone here is just relaxing a bit on you, but you gotta remember this is the forum where the unusual, the unthinkable, the unheard and the ghetto style modding ideas are embraced with relish and delight.

I can relate to you in one respect to this, someone had edited my autoexec file on my pc before I had bought it used, and that rem message appears on bootup, it irritates cos I did not create the command string then rem it out. But it is like myMother-in-Law's big mouth, I learned to live with it, so in some regards I can really feel your pain. :}

Also I really like your handle looks cool. Comomolo.

Perhaps you are approaching this problem from the wrong angle, perhaps you really could have a timed delay on your monitor or perhaps a monitor that actually takes a tiny bit of time to warm up, I don't know if such a monitor exists, just an idea here m8. :}

Also be warned, I recently updated the bios on my old pc and when daylight savings hit, the board froze up and it would never reboot. They thought the power supply was bad but it was fine and before ordering a new mobo I traded it in on my current athlon 1700. They think the board was bad but could not see any visual damage. Who knows, perhaps had I never upgraded the bios it would have been fine.

Goodluck in your qwest and don't forget some of the smartest people hang out here, not me though. Hehe.

comomolo · Post by **comomolo** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 8:13 am

Hey, don't get me wrong. I appreciate every bit of information you guys have provided me, and I'M NOT UPSET, i just said it was a bit annoying.

I just find it weird. It's like if I asked for a map to get to Aspen and someone replied Aspen is not a nice place, that I should go better to the French Riviera instead (????). I would say: "Errr, great, pal, but I do like Aspen and the subject here is the map..."

Getting back to the subject, I think I'll try to change the boot logo tweaking the BIOS since my chosen motherboard doesn't support that off-the-shelf. I appreciate your warning though, so I'll try to change daylight savings time settings to check if it crashes. I have bought a little device called BIOS Saviour, something that will allow me to backuo the BIOS in another chip and restore it if something goes wrong.

I also have decided to design a little device to display a loop animation until the OS tells it to switch to the VGA signal.

Regards,

p