NoteBIOS FAQ
Because Phoenix is an outsourcing software company, we are unable to provide specific answers to your questions. However, there are several general issues which are addressed below, where you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions that Phoenix receives about its notebook power management products. Should you require further assistance, please contact your computer manufacturer or vendor.
If you have other questions, check the BIOS FAQ for general BIOS information.
When I try to Save to Disk, why does the system suspend to memory instead?
Although many notebook systems offer "save to disk" capabilities, this may not be an option for most desktop or server systems. If your system has the capability to save to disk, make certain the appropriate feature is enabled in BIOS Setup.
In PhoenixBIOS/NoteBIOS systems, go to the "Power" menu. Change "Suspend Mode" from "Suspend" to "Save to Disk."
Note -- Many newer AwardBIOS-based systems offer "save to disk" capabilities through ACPI-aware operating systems such as Windows 98. If you are using an ACPI-aware operating system, check under Setup for "Power Management Setup" and select "S4" (Save to Disk) instead of "S3" (Suspend to RAM). For some AwardBIOS-equipped systems not using ACPI-aware operating systems, "Save to Disk" may be an option under "Power Management Setup."
Return to Top
How can I get the system to boot from the operating system and bypass a corrupt save to Disk file?
To get your system to boot directly from the operating system instead of from the save to disk feature, you will need to reboot the system several times. Simply switch the machine on for a second; then turn it off. After approximately five restarts, the system should boot normally. You cannot go into Setup directly to disable the Save to Disk feature once it has been selected, because Setup is not available on a "resume." To disable the feature, reboot the PC under operating system control as explained above, and go to the "power" section of Setup.
Return to Top
Can I use NoteBIOS 4.0 to boot from an IMATION SuperDisk drive?
NoteBIOS version 4.04 introduced a feature that allowed a system to boot from an operating system on a CD-ROM. NoteBIOS 4.0 version 6.1 also supports booting from an ATAPI or IDE drive (e.g., Iomega Zip, Fujitsu MO, etc.) that can be formatted as either a floppy or a hard disk drive. If this option is available, the documentation for your SuperDisk drive should list this feature. A drive must be formatted in a special way to make it bootable. There is no guaranteed technique that can be used to detect if your version of the BIOS supports booting from this drive without simply trying it. Note that booting from SuperDisk is not supported on USB or 1394.
Return to Top
What does this message mean: "Miser partition lost, run PHDISK"?
The "Save to Disk" feature, often used in portable PCs for power management, typically uses a special partition to save the state of the computer between uses. If the power management software in the BIOS checks for this partition during POST and can't find it, it prints the error message shown above. This error is usually caused if the disk is repartitioned or changed. A similar message is printed if the memory is increased in size and the computer state will no longer fit in the partition.
To recreate the partition, run the PHDISK.EXE program supplied with your computer (it must match the power management software in your BIOS).
Return to Top
How do I use and/or get PHDISK.EXE?
PHDISK.EXE is a utility program that can create a file or hard disk partition large enough to hold the entire state of your computer so when you "save to disk" the system can be restored at the point where you stopped working. Only systems that are designed with the Phoenix-based "Save to disk" option need the partition or file created by PHDISK.EXE.
The installation instructions for PHDISK.EXE vary with the version of PHDISK.EXE and may be provided in a separate document or in your owner's manual. Please read these instructions carefully before using the program.
There are two options PHDISK.EXE will use to allocate the space needed to save the computer's state when it is suspended:
- Defining a separate partition (area of the disk), or
- Defining a file that can be used with the existing file system
CAUTION - If you need to recreate the storage area and there is not enough appropriate disk space available to create a partition, the installation utility will provide a warning message. If you receive this message, you should select the "create a file" option to avoid possible damage to the existing file system.
We also suggest that you add 8MB to the default size of the recommended partition to allow some room for expansion.
Because there are several versions of this product and many include customizations by system manufacturers, Phoenix does not offer replacement copies of PHDISK.EXE to end-users. Contact your computer's manufacturer to get a replacement copy of the PHDISK.EXE program and the proper installation instructions for your system.
Return to Top
