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BIOS And CMOS Information

BIOS Flashing BIOS Chip Removal BIOS Settings
Hot Swapping RV BIOS Proc Choices SH BIOS Proc Choices
HPT366 BIOS Versions CMOS Clearing  




BIOS Flashing

NOTE... 7/3/2000, I flashed the BIOS to SH without disabling the BIOS settings mentioned below and without clearing the CMOS afterwards. I received no error messages.

Jeff
General

The 3 disks (regular, autoflash, or emergency autoflash) flash differently. The regular is for manual command line control, the autoflash is for normal automatic flashing, and the emergency autoflash is for those desperate occasions when the error control and prompting the abitfae.bat file provides is not wanted.

Flashing with the regular or autoflash disk should bring up the abitfae.bat text prompting you to continue. Or an error message if something is wrong with the flash disk as far as files contained. Here's a list of error messages from the abitfae.bat:

:Error_1
ECHO No AWDFLASH.EXE!!! or you may have not execute the .EXE file to be a .BIN file yet.
ECHO Flash Failure !!!

:Error_2
ECHO No %1 file or you may have not execute the .EXE file to be a .BIN file yet.
ECHO !!! Flash Failure !!!

:Error_3
ECHO Command error: No parameters

Flashing with RV on 6/5/2000 left no "no update" blocks. The below mentioned BIOS settings were disabled. I did it twice, once clearing the CMOS and once without. After flashing the first time and pressing F10 to return to the A:\ prompt, I used ctrl/alt/del to restart the computer and received the error message "CMOS checksum error - Defaults loaded". I entered the BIOS, disabled the settings again, exited and reflashed. This time at the "A:\" prompt I shut the computer down, unplugged it, and used the jumper to clear the CMOS. There were no error messages the second time but I'm not sure if it makes any difference since Abit's current instructions don't mention having to clear the CMOS, or if shutting the computer down and restarting without clearing would have eliminated the error message (hey, I'm done for now but my curiosity's piqued... OK I'll try it later).

What the switches mean (thanks Joel and others at the Abit ng):

/PY: Program new from file, Yes
/PN: Program new from file, No
/SY: Save original to file, Yes
/SN: Save original to file, No
/CC: Clears CMOS data
/CP: Clears PnP data
/CD: Clears DMI data
Backing Up

From: M. Joel Guerra

Write down all of your BIOS settings before you do anything else! After flashing and clearing the CMOS memory, enter BIOS Setup and select "Load optimized defaults", then restore settings according to your previous setup. Some who don't do this will have trouble loading and running their software. Trouble spots include ACPI and PnP OS values.

To back up the BIOS either download a copy of the BIOS you currently have, or use:

"AWDFLASH newBIOS.bin oldBIOS.bin /SY /PN"

to make a copy of the current BIOS without programming the new one. Note the spaces in front of the "/'s". Put this backup BIOS "oldBIOS.bin" on a floppy disk and modify a copy of the batch file (the autoexec.bat) to restore this old BIOS automatically if you have a problem programming or using the new BIOS.

Why clear the CMOS memory? Well, the new BIOS version might have the settings in different locations in the CMOS memory. What was a memory timing value for CAS 2 in the QJ version might turn off Logical Block Addressing for your hard disk in the RV version! Selecting "Load optimized defaults" will set the CMOS memory to the defaults for the new BIOS.
Flashing

The following methods are for flashing the BIOS on a Abit BE6-II, although they should also be good guidelines for most Abit boards. Be sure and check Abit's site for updated instructions.

See Joel's advice above for backing up the BIOS before flashing. Really a good idea having an autoflashing bootdisk with the original BIOS on hand during a flash, just in case. It's easy to tell a bad flash, the screen will display...nothing!

First, check out Abit's USA and Taiwan sites for the latest instructions as they change them occasionally. They should pop up automatically when downloading a BIOS from their web site. Be VERY sure that you download the correct BIOS! Especially with the BE6-II Ver1.2 out. Find the current BIOS version on your computer (bottom of screen at bootup) and make sure it's listed in the various BIOS downloads available for each board. Also download the latest "abitfae.bat" and "awdflash.exe" on the way to the BIOS. Create a boot disk as explained below.

According to Abit (at one time or another) you should disable the following in the BIOS right before flashing:

CPU Level 1 Cache

CPU Level 2 Cache

Video BIOS Cacheable

Video BIOS Shadow

Do not attempt to run the computer with these setting unless you have a few hours to let the OS load. :) After you accept the settings in the BIOS it will reboot, insert the boot disk right away and flash the BIOS. Use either the autoboot disk with its "autoexec.bat" file or type the command line in when booted at the "A:\" prompt:

ABITFAE BEH_SH.BIN

if using the SH BIOS, substitute as needed. Follow the instructions if using the manual method. When done flashing (easy to tell):

Press F10 to return to the "A:\" prompt.

Remove the floppy



NOTE: Some do not clear the CMOS afterwards and have no problems, but I always clear it. At one time or another Abit recommended it. (?, having a hard time finding out if it matters) If you do decide to be a fellow "A" type :) :

Turn off the computer.

Unplug the computer from any power source (important to disable standby power!).

Use the jumper to clear the CMOS (for a few seconds should do it), replace the jumper.

Plug the computer back in.



Restart the computer, enter the BIOS and "load optimized defaults", then check ALL settings. On mine the processor is always wrong.
From: TomG

When you flash your BIOS, you will need to completely reset the whole system. Flashing wipes out the current settings and will force a default setup.

This is not a problem but you need to be familiar with your setup so you can get back. Also, the slave on IDE 1 and both master and slave on IDE 2 default to none after a flash and many make the mistake that their drives on those channels no longer get detected. In reality, the BIOS has fooled them and the drives are disabled via the setup.

You need to set them to "Auto" and "Auto" if there are any devices connected to them. "None" makes people think that it means None detected. It does not mean that... it means this channel is turned off!
Creating a Regular Boot Disk

Check the BIOS download carefully for error messages when unzipping the .exe to the .BIN file. Put the .exe file on a floppy before unzipping to give yourself more time to view any messages. It happens too quickly when unzipped on the HDD, this nailed me once. Download again if needed.

There are several ways to make a clean boot disk with the 4 needed boot files; Drvspace.bin, Command.com, Io.sys, and Msdos.sys:

1. At a DOS prompt, with a floppy in the drive, type "format a: /s" to put the files on the floppy.

2. Through Windows go to My Computer, right-click the floppy icon, choose "Format", erase and then "Copy system files only".

Test the boot disk. Copy the abitfae.bat, the BIN file, and the flash utility to it. The disk is now ready for manual flashing using the command line.
Creating an Autoflashing Boot Disk

The following method creates a boot disk that will autoflash the BIOS when the computer boots with this disk inserted. In notepad type:

A:\ABITFAE BEH_SH.BIN

if you are using the Beh_sh.BIN update (substitute the right file name) and save it to the boot disk as autoexec.bat.

This .bat file will make the disk autoboot when you start the computer.

Be careful with this disk. If you forget to take it out you will flash the BIOS again when rebooting. Leave the autoexec.bat file out if you want and just type the command line in at the DOS prompt to make the disk less of a "loaded gun".
Creating an Autoflashing Emergency Boot Disk

Instead of the autoexec.bat line in the autoflashing boot disk:

A:\ABITFAE BEH_SH.BIN

use:

A:\AWDFLASH BEH_SH.BIN /PY /SN /CC /CD

if you are using the Beh_sh.BIN update (substitute the right file name) to bypass the abitfae.bat error checking and confirmation dialog. Note the spaces in front of the "/'s". This disk will now flash the BIOS without user input when the computer is booted.

BIOS Chip Removal

To remove the BIOS EEPROM it's best to have the board out of the computer. If not make sure that the computer is unplugged from any power source. It would probably be wise to remove the CMOS battery too.

Andromeda Research, a chip programmer manufacturer, suggests using a metal nail file with the last 1/4" or so of the tip bent at 90 degrees. It works fine, although decidedly low-tech! The "tweezer" type removers tend to bend pins.

Slip the bent end of the file under one end of the chip and work each end out a little at a time making sure it doesn't cock to one side or the other. The chip may be fairly hard to move at first but make sure that the difficulty is not because the tool is under the chip socket. Be very gentle when the chip is almost all the way out.

Note the small notch in one end of the chip that matches a notch in the socket. Put it in backwards and the chip will fry. Check the pins carefully before replacement and gently straighten any that might be bent. Locate the chip carefully in the socket and press down evenly until seated.
From: Mike Lewis
Just a thing I have found useful over the years, and it saves having to bend precious nail files. Came in handy again when trying to identify the dying bios chip on my be6-II rev 2. Just use one of the slot blanking plates that everyone has hundreds of, nicely pre-bent to achieve the desired chip levering and removal results.

BIOS Settings

Official Phoenix/Award explanations: http://www.phoenix.com/pcuser/bios-award-fields.html

Here are some of the more important settings:



SOFTMENU III

CPU Operating Frequency
After a flash this is invariably 233(66) when my Processor is 400(100).
The manual has a note in this section called "Solution in case of booting problem due to invalid clock setup". It mentions turning the computer off/on, if that doesn't work turn off/on 3 or 4 times. If that doesn't work hold the "Insert" key down while turning the computer on.
STANDARD CMOS FEATURES SETUP MENU

Note that only the primary and secondary IDE channels are available. If you're on IDE3 or 4 you ain't gonna find your HDD here. The HPT BIOS is in control of them and shows up as a blue screen.
ADVANCED BIOS FEATURES SETUP MENU

Quick Power On Self Test:
If you see multiple memory checks at bootup, enable this for quicker starts.

First Boot Device:
The first disk the BIOS checks. Usually the floppy.

Second Boot Device:
Select UDMA66 if the OS HDD is on IDE 3.

Security Option:
Forget your System or Setup password? Clear the CMOS with the jumper.
ADVANCED CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP MENU

Go here:
Sharky Extreme Memory Guide
for an in-depth memory guide.
Memory Settings From Secret Squirrel:

SDRAM CAS Latency Time:
3 or 2...lower is faster. (Stick with 3)

CAS is a very complicated term for a very complicated feature of system memory. All an end user needs to know is that unless you know for sure that you paid a lot more money for your RAM, or specifically asked for CAS 2 RAM, you probably have CAS 3 RAM. Technically, the Column Address Strobe is measured in clock ticks, and while 2 ticks seems on the face to be 33% less than 3 ticks, it's not quite a linear measure. This setting is very easy to get wrong, for it won't stop your system if in error. Strange things might happen, like Windows Registry errors, or 3D games locking up after a few minutes. How can you tell what kind of RAM you have by eyeballing it? You can't, you have to index the code on the IC's to a master list. Good luck finding one, it's very hard to do.

SDRAM Leadoff Command:
Assigned with CAS Latency Time

SDRAM Precharge Control:
(Enabled/Disabled): When Enabled, all CPU cycles to SDRAM force an "All Banks Precharge Command" on the SDRAM interface..specifying the length of the RAS precharge part of the DRAM system memory access cycle. What does that mean? Who knows! Leave it disabled until someone can actually explain it to me.

DRAM Integrity Mode:
(ECC/Non-ECC) Set to ECC if you know for a fact that you have ECC RAM, if you don't know, then you don't. It's very expensive. Non-ECC should be the default anyway.

System BIOS Cacheable:
If enabled, the system BIOS is cached in the L2 cache like any other instruction. much faster if it works perfectly.

Video BIOS Cacheable:
If enabled, the video BIOS is cahced in the L2 cache like any other instruction, much fatster if your video subsystem isn't very fast. Chances are you will get better performance if this is enabled, but if any instabilities occur, disable.

Video RAM Cacheable:
If enabled, the Video RAM (frame buffer and whatnot) gets cached in L2 like any other instruction. However, this is a very dicey proposition, and quite possibly pointless if you have a current AGP video subsystem. My advice, if your video card has 4M of RAM or more, disable this setting.

8/16 bit I/O recovery time:
This inserts a wait in clock ticks for consectutive operations of the cards and devices on the ISA bus. Such as for modems and SCSI cards and sound cards and (gasp!) video cards. If you have no ISA devices installed then set to NA and never worry about it again! Some older ISA cards need to have their settings adjusted up or down if they don't work so hot in very fast systems. the defaults should work fine,...but just rememebr this...anything you set other than what is there will decrease the performance of your system if you can't previosuly see anything wrong and that NA is really 3.5 so don't do NA if you have a card installed.

Memory Hole at 15M-16M:
This is a throwback to the ancient times of IBM and HP peripherals that needed EMS memory as opposed to XMS memory that is ubiqutious today. Disable this at all costs! If you have *anything* that requires this to be enabled, you have no business reading this!

Passive Release:
Another ISA feature that monitors the to and fro of the chipset (PCI to ISA bridge). Leave it be unless you have a really whacky ISA card. Again, if you do, you know who you are and you don't need to be reading this.

Delayed Transactions:
Another ISA feature. Enable it to meet PCI 2.1 compliance. Which is almost any current ISA card. Again, if you have a very unusal card, you can disable it for compatibility sake, but you really have no need to every look at this again. Set and Forget, the best BIOS setting!

AGP Aperture Size:
This specifies the amount of system memory that your AGP card can use. It should be 64M for the sole reason is that is what programmers expect it to be.

Spread Spectrum:
I have heard that this is for Electro-Magnetic Compatibility Testing. I have no idea what that is, and it can't be anything that a user would want to optimize. So leave it be.

Most of these settings have a minor impact on performance. There really isn't a lot of optimizing that can be done with these settings. The system bios caching and video bios caching seem like they should have a grand impact, and in DOS, they might. But Windows is a complex beast, and it finds a way to avoid a lot of these controls, probably for the best.

Again, if you set something wrong, for any reason, including trial and error for experimentation, don't panic! You can't hurt anything (seriously) by fiddling. At worst, you will have a pokey, unstable machine that requires constant rebooting and attention. Kinda like what we all have now...eh?
INTEGRATED PERIPHERALS

Ultra DMA-66 IDE Controller:
Turn this off if there are no disks on IDE 3 or 4. I always have trouble with the HPT drivers if they are installed and I am running at 33. For example after flashing to the PO BIOS, WIN98 installed the drivers even though I was running at 33. Blue screen of death time. In the BIOS disable "Ultra DMA-66 IDE Controler".

IDE HDD Block Mode:
This should be enabled if the HDD supports it. Most modern ones do.

Power On Function:
Make sure the JP1 setting matches these settings.

KBC Input Clock:
If you are having keyboard problems this may help.

PWR On After PWR-Fail:
This must match the JP2 setting. Check this if you are having trouble turning the computer off.
POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP MENU
PNP/PCI CONFIGURATIONS

PNP OS Installed:
Lets the OS participate in doling out resources. Try toggling this if you are having hardware problems.

Force Update ESCD:
Normally disabled, If the OS can't boot after adding a new card enable the setting to reset the Extended System Configuration Data. It holds the IRQ, DMA, I/O port, and memory info.

Resources Controlled By:
If you need to assign IRQ's this must be set to manual.

Hot Swapping

Warning!!! This is a risky procedure, procede at your own risk!!!
From: TomG
Take your BIOS chip out and find another machine that uses the exact same BIOS chip. It does *not* need to be the same BIOS contents or revision... just the same chip. One can be an Abit the other an Asus as long as the same chip is in use.

Boot the other system to a bare DOS boot and pop out the chip while the other system is booted. Install your chip, still while booted. Have the correct flasher utility and BIOS file for *your* system and flash using the correct files for your system. Shut down and, with luck, your chip will be flashed.
From: Me :)
Don't use the same bad download/disk/procedure you used in the first place if that was the cause of the bad flash! :)

You might want to prep the chip beforehand by placing a ribbon under it so it is easier to get out without using any metal tools. They can be a bear to get out without damaging fragile pins or shorting. Be sure to match the notch in the chip and socket for proper orientation or the chip will fry.
From: M Joel Guerra
You can program an EEPROM chip from one computer in another computer.

My only caveat is that you make sure you are using the same type of chip. Some EEPROMs program at +12 volts, some at +5. Some have a different capacity. Only if they are from the same motherboard family, and even then I'd be wary of board revisions.

Some examples (courtesy Asus):

It may be that the different chips have different form factors, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Many manufacturers use Award 4.51G, which probably has the same copyright date, but they can use different EEPROMs.

You can always get a replacement BIOS chip from Abit.

RV BIOS Proc Choices

Abit BE6-II RV version BIOS settings (the version of RV I have from Abit's website) for processor selection, CPU multiplier, FSB, PCI & AGP bus.

AGP bus:
1:1, 2:3
PCI bus:
1:2, 1:3, 1:4
CPU multipliers:
2 to 8 by .5 increments
FSB:
66, 75, 83 to 200 in 1.0 increments
Processor selection (in order):

233 66
266 66
300 66
333 66
300 100
350 100
400 100
450 100
366 66
400 66
433 66
466 66
500 66
533 66
533 133
500 100
550 100
600 100
600 133
650 100
667 133
700 100
750 100
800 100
733 133
800 133
User Define

SH BIOS Proc Choices

Abit BE6-II SH version BIOS settings (the version of SH I have from Abit's website) for processor selection, CPU multiplier, FSB, PCI & AGP bus.

AGP bus:
1:1, 2:3
PCI bus:
1:2, 1:3, 1:4
CPU multipliers:
2 to 11 by .5 increments
FSB:
66, 75, 83 to 200 in 1.0 increments
Processor selection (in order):

233 66
266 66
300 66
333 66
300 100
350 100
400 100
450 100
366 66
400 66
433 66
466 66
500 66
533 66
566 66
533 133
500 100
550 100
600 100
600 133
650 100
600 66
667 66
667 133
700 66
700 100
750 100
800 100
733 133
800 133
850 100
866 133
933 133
User Define

HPT366 BIOS Versions



BIOS Version Problems Repaired
1.26.0 - 8/8/00 Fix compatibility problem with IBM DTLA ATA-100 hard disk
1.25.0 - 4/4/00 Fix problems with Diamond Fireport 40 SCSI adapters
1.24.0 - 3/6/00 Add IC controller revision control . Users need to update related OS drivers if current BIOS v1.24 or above is used
1.23.0 - 1/28/00 Increase delay time while scanning devices. Some devices need more time to be ready after reset
1.22.0 Fix compatability problem of Seagate Barracuda hard disks
1.21.0 Fix BIOS display overlapped with SCSI type controller. BIOS should clean up screen whenever the initialization is done. Fix BIOS not be recognized on certain PCI slot. This is caused by BIOS scanning the wrong PCI slot address.
1.20.0 Change BIOS interface to allow users to alter disk timing mode and select bootable disk on U66 channels. Fix not compatible with Phoneix BIOS which is caused by the Int13h extend functions implementation in previous changes. Fix compatibility with AOpen AX6BC Pro mainboard.
1.10.0 Fix interrupt problem which will cause system won't boot up if HPT366 plugs in different PCI slots. Add Int13h extended functions which are required for WHQL.
1.00.9 Fix compatibility problem on WD205AA hard disk.
1.00.8 Fix timing table setting on PIO1/PIO0 and DMA1. Fix scanning error on Intel 810 chipset. Fix ZIP drive problem. Fix detection devices problem if only "Slave" channel device exists.
1.00.7 Support more than one HPT366 adapters on NT4.0 system.
1.00.0 Offical release.


CMOS Clearing

The CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, whew) is a battery-backed area of the BIOS chip that holds user-defined settings.

First of all unplug the computer. Very important, standby power is supplied to the board and mine will start when removing the jumper if it is plugged in. Luckily it survived. :) The clearing jumper on a BE6-II is located very close to the CMOS battery in an easy to get to spot.

Remove the jumper from pins 1-2 and place on pins 2-3 for a few seconds. Fingers or needle-nose pliers work well for this, be careful with the fragile pins. Replace the jumper back to pins 1-2.

Be sure to plug the computer back in. :)


Created by Jeff Davidson
Boca Raton, Florida, USA
© Febuary 10, 2000