BIOS

[MarkZ]

I'm playing around with the idea of modifying one of my old computers to run with a custom BIOS so I can quick boot and perform some other tasks.

Has anyone converted TinyBIOS (http://www.pcengines.ch/tinybios.htm) or one of the other free source bios's to MASM32?

- Mark

[PBrennick]

masm32 is not allowed to be used for that purpose, read the EULA. You should try nasm, fasm or goasm.

It is an interesting project, though, so let us know how you make out.

Paul

[GregL]

masm32 is not allowed to be used for that purpose, read the EULA.

Paul,

Are you sure? I am definitely not a lawyer, but I just re-read the Platform SDK EULA and the Windows 98 DDK EULA from MASM32, and I don't see where it says anything about what MarkZ wants to do not being allowed.

Also, if the MASM you are using came with Visual Studio, Visual C++ etc, those EULAs apply and the Platform SDK EULA or the Windows 98 DDK EULA do not apply.

Whether it is possible to do with MASM is another question.

[PBrennick]

If you own a copy of masm then you can do this. If you are using a free copy of masm you have certain restrictions that require you to program only for the Microsoft Platform. The BIOS is NOT included in the Microsoft Platform. Hutch can explain this better that I, but that is the way it is. It is best to buy Visual Studio for stuff like this. Personally, I would never pay all those bucks for all that yuck.  :toothy

BTW: This is the reason you do not seeany hobby OS projects in masm.

Paul

[GregL]

Paul,

OK, that makes sense. I knew that with the free versions of MASM you couldn't write programs for non-Microsoft operating systems . But I didn't realize that would apply to BIOS software too.

Thanks for the clarification.

(I do own copies of MASM 6.11, Visual C++ 6.0 and Visual C++ 2003)

[MarkZ]

I'll have to ask my lawyer about this.  The BIOS is OS independent to me.

I've started to look at the GNU assembler for this just to be covered.

- Mark

[P1]

I OWN my different version of MASM and in these distributions, there were few, if any restrictions.  ( Mainly relating to CodeView use. )

In the Free distributions of ML.exe, you DO have a EULA which covers it's use.  Which does state that restriction to only M$ software.

1.   GRANT OF LICENSE. This EULA grants you the following limited, non-exclusive rights:
* Software Product. You may install and use the enclosed SOFTWARE PRODUCT on a single computer to design, develop,
and test software application products for use with Microsoft Windows or Windows NT operating systems ("Application").

Regards,  P1  :8)

[Jimg]

I have searched high and low and can't find any eula for masm.  The only one's I can find are for the sdk and the ddk, not masm.  Where did you find this.

[P1]

The only one's I can find are for the sdk and the ddk, not masm.

Yes, THAT Eula covers all the software in that distribution.  So the real question is where did you get you MASM from and follow those rules.  For the MASM32 distribution, M$ has required the standard EULA from the SDK/DDK be included to cover how the software will be used.

Where did you find this.

In the MASM32 distribution.

I HAVE original media and documentation with the distributions, that I HAVE, MASM 5.0, 5.1, 6.11 with downloaded upgrades.  Which allows me to work on binaries for my distribution of software.  If I were taken to court by M$, I have the Original purchased rights of THAT distribution of software.  So I own the rights to perform certain things with the purchased versions I have, that the SDK/DDK versions do not have.

The point, I hope to make perfectly clear here, M$ has the right to sell/give different rights to different people for different amounts of money.  Just look at how MSDN is distributed!   Have you looked closely at academic versus commercial licensing?  Basically, you have the right to learn, not earn.

Regards,  P1  :8)