View Full Version : Making New M571 BIOS - Need Tech Docs!!
I've been griping about this 4/21/99 BIOS since it came out - about having to use the TSR to get the VGA BIOS to work properly. Under 98 it was a pain, but at least it worked. But under WinME, you can't load an AUTOEXEC TSR, so if you're using the on-board video on the M571, you're just S.O.L., right? Well, not exactly .... read on ...
Because I, too, am totally disgusted with PCChips lack of support and because PCChips sucks gravy, I am putting together my own BIOS Update for the M571 v3.2/3.2a, incorporating the latest VGA BIOS code (v1.13) and hopefully some other changes into it.
Actually, I've already got the updated VGA BIOS merged into the system BIOS code, along with changes to memory settings. The version I'm testing right now is the 12/07/2001S release. I do have a job that requires travel, and Christmas shopping to get done besides, but I should get a break from the hectic pace around the Christmas holiday. I hope to finish this little project up by then.
For the memory, I have turned on the ability to set the CAS timings and some other tweaking options that are possible but disabled in the 04/21/1999S and 05/14/1999S BIOS versions. But I'm still trying to round up some additional information - if you know where I can find any of the following, it will help me expedite creating and testing this new BIOS revision:
I need IDE Register Information and other technical documents for the SIS 5571 IDE Controller, 5597/5598 Integrated Chip, UMC8663B and Cyrix 6x86 CPU's. I particularly need the IDE Register information! I want to enable HD>32Gb support, if possible, but I need the documents in order to determine if it is possible and what settings are required in order to make it work.
Also, If anybody has done any tweaking on the register settings, I'm interested in hearing from you.
Once I have this BIOS done and tested! I'll make it available to whoever wants it. I'll Alpha test it on my own boards - but I also am interested in finding two or three fearless souls who also would like to test and know how to recover from a bad flash to do Beta testing.
(Added Later)
The Beta testing shouldn't be that big a deal, because I will already have sucessfully tested on mine before I send it out for Beta anyway - I just want a couple of other people to sanity check it before I call it good for the world.
Thanks,
Bear
bearjohnson42@hotmail.com
I think some of the VGA BIOS code is actually in the 5598 chip but I may be wrong on that. Anyway, all of the documentation for the 5598 that any of us here have ever been able to find is contained in one official SIS document which you can get at:
http://homepage.mac.com/fivepoints/5597DS20.pdf
It is a very good doc with loads of register-level info as well as some surprising info that very few people even know about or understand. Links to official docs for most of the other major M571 components are available on timmy's site at:
http://home.directlink.net/~timmy/M571/M571.htm
Be aware that many of the chips may have either gone out of production or the doc links may not work any more. That's the way it is with end-of-life stuff.
Good luck.
Brad
Thanks for the links. I'll be sure to check out Timmy's page right away.
The VGA BIOS code actually is embedded in the system BIOS. You'll notice that when the system first POST's, the VGA BIOS version briefly flashes across the screen before the system BIOS starts up. Depending on the version of BIOS on the system, it'll show either v1.04a or v1.10 (there may be other versions as well, but these are the main two I've seen).
When using an external VGA CARD, the VGA ROM BIOS loads dynamically into system memory along with the BIOS code from other devices, typically in the A000-CFFF address range, when the system boots. Really it's no different for the embedded VGA chip, except that the BIOS code is stored on the same chip as the system BIOS. It's all merged together and compressed into a single file for flashing to the chip, but it's actually composed of individual numbered code modules that are more or less "independent" of each other.
The following is a description of what I've done thus far:
When I downloaded all of the v1.13 drivers from SiS, one of the files included is 597V113.32K. This is the actual VGA BIOS code that goes into the system BIOS. If you look at the header of this file with a hex viewer, you can see the v1.13 version number. It can be read pretty easily in the text viewing area since the number itself is actually a text string.
I started with the 990429S version, extracted and uncompressed the v1.04a VGA BIOS. I ran a line-by-line comparison of the 1.04 VGA code against the 1.13 VGA code - they are different, of course, but the headers are the same (except for the version number). Therefore, I knew I was on the right track.
I then reinserted the original (v1.04a) BIOS code and did a compare. When I was satisfied that I was rebuilding the original BIOS correctly, I then extracted 1.04a and inserted the v1.13 VGA code from the 597V113.32K file. I then loaded it up in the configuration utility, changed the version string and the memory settings.
So that is where I am today. I'll be pulling a 571 board for an upgrade, so I'm going to put it to the test as soon as I can get it into another box. I might have the updated VGA version (without IDE changes) ready to go as soon as next Sunday.
I apologize for the delay. First there was the holidays and then I got sent out of town with my real job for about a week. After I got back I had two systems to build (one of my sideline hobbies) - so to make a long story short, I've just been busy as heck.
With that said, I have created and tested a NEW VERSION of this BIOS for the M571 v3.2A board. I have set the version number to January 22, 2002 (020122S.ROM). The ONLY change in this particular version of the BIOS is the updating of the VGA ROM code from v1.04a to v1.13. I've e-mailed this file to Tim to post on his web page. I would post it here, but I've zipped it up with the flash utility that I used on my board and the zip exceeds the 102400 bytes limit.
I have successfully flashed this BIOS into a v3.2A board and am now running Win98 without the TSR. It seems to be working just fine, with no problems encountered so far. I'll be testing it with Windows ME over the next couple of days. The updated VGA BIOS should fix the monitor timing, refresh rate and other bios-related problems that occur in WinME with this board.
I've now tested this BIOS with Windows ME (using the Win98 drivers from SiS) and everything seems to be working just fine for the base drivers. I would not recommend using the Utilities from SiS with WinME; instead, use the Windows driver update dialog to navigate to the Win98 .inf file and perform the install that way. Set the refresh rate to "Optimal" and it's ready to go.
I've e-mailed the BIOS to Tim for posting on his M571 pages. Timmy's M571 Pages (http://home.directlink.net/~timmy/M571/M571.htm)
DISCLAIMER
Although this BIOS is working great on my system (PCChips/Alton M571 v3.2a), I am making no warranties or promises of any kind regarding how this BIOS code will perform on your machine. Use of this BIOS code is at your own risk.
This BIOS is intended for use on M571 v3.2a ONLY. If you are not using the on-board video, you will find that there is absolutely no performance advantage to using the version I have modified
Hallo everybody, im gona paste here a mail that i recibe from ami bios, please if somebody have some alternative to 30 dolar bill im very thanks (sorry for my brasilian english)....
Thank you for your BIOS Upgrade inquiry and contacting eSupport.com, the Exclusive Authorized Upgrade and Support Center for AMI BIOS. For nearly 20 years, we have constantly upgraded thousands of motherboards and developed new BIOS Upgrades for all the latest technology. Our BIOS Upgrades are specific to your PC and guaranteed to work on your system.
Based on the technical specifications you had submitted, we have an excellent BIOS Upgrade for your system. We have the brand new AMI BIOS for your motherboard. The price is only $29.95 (U.S).
As always, any BIOS Upgrade carries our 100 % Guarantee of Satisfaction.
To view your system details that you had previously submitted, click here: View My System Details
The most notable features are:
Hard Drive Support up to 512GB* (48-bit Technology)
Windows XP Compliance for SP1 & SP2 (service pack)
Windows 2000 Compliance for SP3 & SP4 (service pack)
Windows ACPI 2.0* Compliance
Faster Intel and AMD CPU Upgrade Kit Support
Faster Input Output Speeds
Virtual technical support assistance
100 % Satisfaction Guarantee
Facts You Should Know About eSupport.com
*not available for all PCs
We will email you with a link to download the latest Award BIOS upgrade for your specific system. The file to download will be a zip file (>500 K) that includes the binary, the necessary flash loader, and easy installation instructions. Plus, you'll have access to hundreds of BIOS FAQs online, and free e-mail based technical support. Telephone technical support is not available.
The price for this BIOS download is $29.95 (U.S.). You can place this order through our SECURE website:
@##$##@#@#$$@.......some injures diverses
chao
kyk
Kyk, did you check out this guys bios revision?
timmy
14-12-2006, 02:49 PM
My comments about this offer:
Hard Drive Support up to 512GB* (48-bit Technology)
1st of all, this is marked by an asterisk, so maybe it isn't available in the M571 BIOS upgrade they offer. Even if it is, $29.95 seems like a lot to pay for what you can do with an overlay program that comes for free with most new hard drives.
Windows XP Compliance for SP1 & SP2 (service pack)
Some people run XP on M571s right now and have no problems. I have run Windows Server 2003 on my M571s, but even with this version, I find performance to be slower than Windows 2000, which is what I use. I don't see any advantage to this, and especially not for $29.95.
Windows 2000 Compliance for SP3 & SP4 (service pack)
I don't see any advantage here, either, as I use Win 2000 sp4 and there are no problems, other than the IDE controllers not being recognized occaisionally. As the systems are almost always running, this isn't a big deal for me (see below).
Windows ACPI 2.0* Compliance
This is the area I've determined is the cause of not recognizing the IDE controllers at boot up. The problem here is that they mark this area with an asterisk, too, so there is no guarantee that the new BIOS will fix this problem. Even if it did, the problem is more of a nuisance than anything else, and not worth $29.95 to fix.
Faster Intel and AMD CPU Upgrade Kit Support
I wouldn't pay for something that is already possible without this upgrade.
Faster Input Output Speeds
I would be interested in knowing just what this means. I've seen improvements in all areas of performance by overclocking and by chipset register tweaking. Whether this has anything more to offer, I don't know. Certainly, I can't imagine there being $29.95 worth of performance available.
Virtual technical support assistance
Whoopee! They won't let you call them on the phone, but you can send them a complaint over an internet site? Not worth much to me!
Overall, I would say that without documentation on just what the BIOS will and will not do, it isn't worth the money. For this kind of money, you could buy a couple of Super Socket 7 boards on eBay and run circles around M571s in performance. The beauty of the M571 remains that it provides a lot of power for very little money. If you start spending a lot of money on it, there is little point because that same money will buy you more performance in another motherboard.
Oh lookie, the big man himself came here at the call of m571 lol
"hi timmy" *Grim Waves* :p
timmy
15-12-2006, 02:01 PM
...the big man himself came here...
Grim, I wish you wouldn't have said that -- it's bad enough not being able to see all of my shoes, but when I'm so fat that people can see me thru the internet, that's worse!
As we say out West, "Plumb howdy!" *waves back*
Grim, I wish you wouldn't have said that -- it's bad enough not being able to see all of my shoes, but when I'm so fat that people can see me thru the internet, that's worse!
As we say out West, "Plumb howdy!" *waves back*
:D :D
well, its good to see that even though you're pretty scarce.. your humour hasnt left you lol.
A few of the Guys have been talking about their m571s.
I think Rob said he still has his, LesD gave his away to someone that could really use it, and I gave away mine... much to my regret lol
How're your m5s Timmy? Still got the old beasts? :p
timmy
16-12-2006, 01:50 AM
Grim:
Yes, I still have them. I have been so busy in school that I haven't had time to work on them as I'd like to. Right now, I am in the middle of converting one of them into a server. I got an IDE controller card and will set it up with my pair of 80 GB drives initially. Somewhere along the line, I plan to get a great big drive (like 300 to 500 GB) and install it. This one is running a K6 2+ 500, and I have been having troubles getting reliable data flow @ 500, so I need to swap the NIC out with another one.
My aim is to load this one with Linux and use it as a server, and also install Azureus on it. Then, I am going to set up some of the other systems and try to run Azureus on a Linux cluster. I'll leave the host running, and when I want to run Azureus, I want to be able to turn on the others and fire up the cluster.
The others all have K6 2 300s, altho one does have a K6 3 333, and I figure that five of these things running together ought to be able to get some work done. I talked to a professor sometime back who had a bunch of M571s that he wanted to use in a cluster. He wanted to develop a BIOS that would boot and run on the cluster without a hard drive or floppy -- just the mobo and a power supply. I have tried to follow up with that but haven't gotten and answer yet... (BTW, I still have my Compaq Proliant 7000 server, with 4 PPros, and it is set up to be dual boot with Linux, so I may try to get it involved in some cluster processing, too.)
I would also like to find a nice DNA alignment program and try it out on this cluster when I get it running, too. But that's another story.
Grim:
Right now, I am in the middle of converting one of them into a server. I got an IDE controller card and will set it up with my pair of 80 GB drives initially.
Hmm, sounds nice. But remind me timmy, can the M5s take on large drive like those 80GBs with their onboard IDE ports?
Somewhere along the line, I plan to get a great big drive (like 300 to 500 GB) and install it.
OK! I know that these DEFINATLY have to go on the IDE card lol ;].
This one is running a K6 2+ 500, and I have been having troubles getting reliable data flow @ 500, so I need to swap the NIC out with another one.
Yeah, it might be the NIC, but did you check the PCI bus latency? Probably the card isnt getting enought time to cummunicate with the bus sufficiently... and thats hindering the performance...(how the packets are flowing in and out)... just a thought.
My aim is to load this one with Linux and use it as a server, and also install Azureus on it. Then, I am going to set up some of the other systems and try to run Azureus on a Linux cluster. I'll leave the host running, and when I want to run Azureus, I want to be able to turn on the others and fire up the cluster.
.
HMM! hold up lol This sounds intersting!
What do you mean by that term Timmy? "linux clusters" What are they?
Do you mean just a bunch of interconnected (switch maybe) computers running linux?
Or is it that all these machines are going to boot over the network (using the server?
I talked to a professor sometime back who had a bunch of M571s that he wanted to use in a cluster. He wanted to develop a BIOS that would boot and run on the cluster without a hard drive or floppy -- just the mobo and a power supply.
Hmm, so cant a computer thats booting from a system over a network.. boot up ect without having a HDD itself? :confused: .. I always thought that was the case....
(BTW, I still have my Compaq Proliant 7000 server, with 4 PPros, and it is set up to be dual boot with Linux, so I may try to get it involved in some cluster processing, too.)
WOW!, nice! lol.
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/servers/proliant7000-xeon/upgrade/index.html.
This one here is the one with the chassis up grade that allowed people to use 8! CPU's in their servers!
DANG! these things must have just KICKED ASS in their time!
8 x 200mhz... thats 1600mhz! if you want to look at it that way lol. (though in actuality the load is just split evenly lol)
I would also like to find a nice DNA alignment program and try it out on this cluster when I get it running, too. But that's another story.
Cool! really putting the Beasts to work aren't we? :boonie:
Hey timmy, question;
The only propblem I really ever had with the M5's was the lil IDE reditection bug it had in w2k/XP. (that and its inability to o'clock :p - but thats not a real problem I guess... I'm just an overclocker at heart)
I just got really frustrated with that issue. Although If I remember correctly,(my theory! :p) after a while XP would have all of the possible different random configurations for the IDE port installed, so it would pop up and bug.. but simply adjust.
But with w2k.. it remained the same.
Did you (or anyone!) find out how to address that problem?
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