I've been thinking, if I disassemble the BIOS and figure out what is being changed by the Function -- as described below. This would make the code far less reusable - and bound to the specific BIOS version -- than if I call the function direct.
I have successsfuly been able to get the PnP headers and locate the Real Mode and 16:16 protected mode enteries from the BIOS in Windows XP ...
but my question is how do I call them?
Please help
Darren
"Darren" <darren-n.o.s.p.a.m-gibson@ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:5YT_c.1079$it.1030@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net...
Tim, thanks for this,
I've actually discovered that the call is actually a Plug & Play function call, not an interrupt. I beleive I need to scan the BIOS segment to locate the '$PnP' header signature and then use the segment/offest contained within the header to perform a 16:16 protected-mode function call.
I Think I can get the header by scanning \Device\PhysicalMemory F9000 for the header, and extract the call. However, I would still need to make the function call!!
It feels as though I am going down the wrong road.
I Will take a look into disassemble the function and make the call myself, as you suggested.
Thanks again, and any other suggestions on how to make a PnP function call would be very welcome.
Darren
"Tim Roberts" <timr@probo.com> wrote in message news:n5blj011o5ih9vn4ic1mo32l4m1e592adj@4ax.com...
"Darren Gibson" <darren-n.o.s.p.a.m.-gibson@ntlworld.com> wrote:
Well, calling into 16:16 protect mode from kernel mode isn't exactly
"general purpose". You did say that your need was very specific -- you
have to do this on a set of computers that you control, all of them running
the same version of the same BIOS, right? You need to ask yourself, "is
it better to spend a month digging in to the right way to get into 16-bit
protect mode from an XP kernel just so the code is pretty, or is it better
to get the job done in a week by hardcoding the I/O port numbers?"
If you really, really want to do it this way, I'm still thinking that
Ke386CallBios is the low-impact method.
--
- Tim Roberts, timr@probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc
