[ale] 1997 BIOS too old?

[mute wonder]

Since the first time I tried Linux last year, through 5+ distros I've
managed to install on my computer, I've gotten complaints during the boot
about my old BIOS:  Power management would be disabled because of it.  And
with some recent distros, I'm getting  trouble with my Plug-n-Play (ISA?)
soundcard, and even the PS/2 mouse.

Maybe the recent hardware problems have to do with 2.6 kernel innovations or
bugs, but what's wrong with having a BIOS barely a decade old?  Are there
certain BIOS settings I should change?  Maybe IRQs I need to check to make
sure nothing's interfering with anything else?
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