LAN Boot ROM

Common Options : Enabled, Disabled

Quick Review

Many motherboards have integrated LAN controllers with 1-2 ports. Older generations of motherboards come with 10/100 LAN controllers but newer motherboards now come with Gigabit LAN controllers which allow for throughputs of up to 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps).

However, the newer Gigabit LAN controllers are only supported by newer operating systems. When you use older operating systems like MS-DOS or operating systems that do not have driver support , the Gigabit LAN controller will only operate in the 10/100 Mbps mode. This is where the LAN Boot ROM BIOS option comes in.

When enabled, the motherboard will load the Gigabit LAN controller's boot ROM when it boots up. This allows the LAN controller to operate at its full 1000 Mbps speed with operating systems that do not have proper driver support.

When disabled, the Gigabit LAN controller's boot ROM will not be loaded when the motherboard boots up. The LAN controller will only operate at its full 1000 Mbps speed with proper driver support. Otherwise, it reverts to the 10/100 Mbps mode.

If you have multiple operating systems installed (and at least one do not have driver support for the LAN controller), enable this BIOS option to ensure the Gigabit LAN operates in its full 1000 Mbps mode in all operating systems.

If you are using only operating systems that have driver support for the Gigabit LAN controller, then you should disable this BIOS option. This reduces the boot time (slightly) and frees up memory that would have been taken up by the boot ROM.