Has any body tried coreboot??

[javilin93]

Hello
I have this old computer,and i would like to give coreboot(a small linux kernel that replaces the computer's bios) a try,but i don't want to risk it.Has anybody tried coreboot?
I have a:
Abit-bh6 motherboard
Celeron 300a(overclocked to 450Mhz)
160mb ram pc-100
should i try it the site says it supports the abit-be6??
If you are intereted in coreboot you should check it out too
coreboot's website

[i92guboj]

Hello
I have this old computer,and i would like to give coreboot(a small linux kernel that replaces the computer's bios) a try,but i don't want to risk it.Has anybody tried coreboot?
I have a:
Abit-bh6 motherboard
Celeron 300a(overclocked to 450Mhz)
160mb ram pc-100
should i try it the site says it supports the abit-be6??
If you are intereted in coreboot you should check it out too
coreboot's website

As long as you keep your original BIOS safe on a drawer, you can undo whatever you did, so, it's a relatively safe operation. Note, however, that you need to hotswitch the chips with the box turned on. This always implies some degree of electrical risk. A mad spark might fry your motherboard at any time. It's not *highly probable*, but it can happen.

So, if you can't afford to buy a new mother board if something fails, then I'd say don't do it. The risk is very minimal, though. Indeed, you risk frying your box every time you shut it off the hard way or there's an electrical outrage. So, it's up to you now :P

[javilin93]

hello and thank you for reply
I have three questions:
I have the bios update in floppy will that work as a bios backup??
and can coreboot from a usb drive??
Since I have the abit bh6 not the be6-II v2.0 will my board work??

[i92guboj]

hello and thank you for reply
I have three questions:
I have the bios update in floppy will that work as a bios backup??

No, in general terms.

No motherboard will be able to boot without a BIOS. That means you will not get the chance to boot to re-flash your BIOS chip.

Still, some motherboards can recognize special key sequences, even if the BIOS is invalid, that will allow them to read a BIOS image from a floppy, and will allow you to reflash it. This is a common feature in some laptops. So, check the manuals for your hardware.

If your hardware doesn't support this feature, then, if your BIOS is trashed, you can't boot the machine, and you will need a new BIOS from your motherboard manufacturer.

I advise you to check this:

FAQ - coreboot

and can coreboot from a usb drive??

I don't understand that. Coreboot is intended to replace the firmware on your BIOS. Nothing else.

Since I have the abit bh6 not the be6-II v2.0 will my board work??

That seems like a question for the coreboot mailing lists. And even then, if it has not been tested they can't be sure either... that's it, until *someone* actually tries it and report success or failure.

This is why you should always save your original BIOS on your drawer, and never touch it at all. If anything goes wrong and your newly flashed BIOS can't boot you are going to have a very bad time getting your box to run again. And if you can't get a BIOS from the manufactures, then your mother board is going to the trash bin.

[javilin93]

Thanks again
What I meant by the usb thing is can you boot from a usb drive with coreboot(example booting knoppix from usb,using coreboot as my bios)

[i92guboj]

Thanks again
What I meant by the usb thing is can you boot from a usb drive with coreboot(example booting knoppix from usb,using coreboot as my bios)

I guess yes. But I haven't done it myself.

Coreboot allows you to boot a kernel directly, bypassing everything and freeing you from the propietary firmware, I know that it can do much more complex things, as an example, look for this on the faq:

Why do we need coreboot?

I guess that it would be better to ask on their mailing lists or IRC to be sure.

[javilin93]

Thanks I think I will give it a try.I am buying the bios chip from a guy in ebay and some other stuff (like a null modem cable and probably a POST card)