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SYSTEM RESET
Reset the computer system. General operation includes a test of
of the CPU, ROM checksum, and initialization of hardware including:
Memory system
Timer/Counter (which is also used for RAM refresh)
Interrupt Controller(s)
DMA Controller(s)
Keyboard Controller
Video Controller & Video RAM
Floppy Controller
Hard Disk Controller (if present)
Portions of the hardware may also have specific tests made to
insure reliable operation. Test failures may display error code
on the screen if the video subsystem is operational, or generate
beeps or LED blinks to signify the error.
Note: A soft reset uses the warm_boot_flag to skip the memory
tests. (i.e. from pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del).
The system checks for installed ROMs by searching memory from
C000h to the beginning of the BIOS, in 2K chunks. ROM memory is
identified if it starts with the word AA55h. It is followed a one
byte field length of the ROM (divided by 512). If ROM is found,
the BIOS will call the ROM at an offset of 3 from the beginning.
This feature was not supported in the earliest PC machines.
The last task turns control over to the bootstrap loader (assuming
the floppy controller is operational)
See Also:
0:472h
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