BIOS
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The BIOS String ID number is assigned to every motherboard made. It is not always unique but there is usually some good info hidden in the string. The most useful is the portion which identifies the manufacturer of the motherboard. In some rare cases BIOS ID strings are not valid and will not be useful in identifying a motherboard. Some of these cases involve pirated boards, OEM products, or a bad flash routine.
How do I find my BIOS String ID?
AMI & AWARD BIOS
1. Turn the system power off
2. Unplug your keyboard or hold down one of the keys on the keyboard
3. Power-on the system (you should get a keyboard error)
4. Look for the long string of numbers in the lower left hand corner of your screen
5. This is your BIOS identification string. It will look like one of these:
Phoenix BIOS – This BIOS cannot be used for ID purposes.
AMI
* 51-0102-zz5123-00111111-101094-AMIS123-P
* This indicates a motherboard with BIOS from 1991 to Present
* The bold numbers are the portion that identify the manufacturer
AMI
* DINT-1123-04990-K8
* This indicates a motherboard with BIOS from 1986 - 1990
* The bold numbers are the portion that identify the manufacturer
AWARD
* 2A5LEF09C-00
* Characters 1-5 ID the Chipset, in this case 2A5LE is the Via 597VP3 chipset.
* Characters 6-7 ID the manufacturer, in this case F0 is FIC.
* The bold numbers are the portion that identify the manufacturer
motherboards.org has downloadable tools which can assist in the identification
of motherboards: http://www.motherboards.org/tools/downloads.html.
They also have online lookup tools: http://www.motherboards.org/moboidtools.html.