Asrock 4CoreDual-SATA2 + ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA + ASRock 775Dual-VSTA

[Sparkion]

Hello guys,

I will try to type a request for the guys of Pctreiber. For a bios for the 4coredual-SATAII that will properly detect and boot with 2 x 2GB Ram-dimms.

But it might take a while. I'm being busy with things here at home. Little crisis here and there.

So bare with me please.

__________________________________________________ _____
I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!' -Bruce Baum

[doubleOseven]

Originally Posted by Sparkion

Hello guys,

I will try to type a request for the guys of Pctreiber. For a bios for the 4coredual-SATAII that will properly detect and boot with 2 x 2GB Ram-dimms.

But it might take a while. I'm being busy with things here at home. Little crisis here and there.

So bare with me please.

Thanks! And it would be great if PCTreiber could revised their BIOS with a "Memory remapping" feature, so that more than 3.25GB of memory shows up when you have 4GB of RAM installed :-)

[Deleauvive]

@Sparkion
Meanwhile, I may have a suggestion for you, but there is a risk involved.
Using AFUWIN (4.22, the latest version), it should be possible to program all blocks during BIOS flashing. (flashing from DOS wouldn't erase the book block).
Some French owner of the SATA II claims he managed to use his 2x2 GB of PC2-6400 OCZ Platinum in full (well, within the usual 3.25 limitation) thanks to this *unrecommended* way of flashing.

After browsing and loading PCtreiber's BIOS file, here is how the BIOS flashing should be prepared when using this tool :





Make sure you close all or most programs and disable antivirus.
Last but not least : Don't hold me responsible if you brick the BIOS and cannot recover. Both flashing the BIOS from Windows AND erasing the boot block can lead to serious issues.

[Hlafordlaes]

I don't recommend this. On first try, do not check boot block. See if it works first. You risk bricking the chip and having to replace it.

And if you do go this route, I'd do this from a bootable USB, and first make sure I can flash normally from there, while making a BIOS backup. Then flash as planned from Windows, leaving boot block unchecked. Now you can recover from the USB if your flashing goes awry. You may need to reprogram the LAN IP after this; number to use is near parallel port, iiirc.

[Sparkion]

Originally Posted by Deleauvive

@Sparkion
Meanwhile, I may have a suggestion for you, but there is a risk involved.
Using AFUWIN (4.22, the latest version), it should be possible to program all blocks during BIOS flashing. (flashing from DOS wouldn't erase the book block).
Some French owner of the SATA II claims he managed to use his 2x2 GB of PC2-6400 OCZ Platinum in full (well, within the usual 3.25 limitation) thanks to this *unrecommended* way of flashing.

After browsing and loading PCtreiber's BIOS file, here is how the BIOS flashing should be prepared when using this tool :





Make sure you close all or most programs and disable antivirus.
Last but not least : Don't hold me responsible if you brick the BIOS and cannot recover. Both flashing the BIOS from Windows AND erasing the boot block can lead to serious issues.

Hi Del,

Yes I already found this and flashed with this tool. Only I didn't dare to also flash with the bootblock and NVram enabled.
Bit scared to brick my mobo.

I used it thought to flash to the newest version because for some reason it didn't take from my bootable USB stick in DOS-mode.

Right now, I first need to doa reinstall of windows first to be able to do it.
I was strongely considering 2 weeks ago already to check all the blocks when flashing with AFUwin. (since I use the program anyway, it works flawless btw. in windows)

In the mean time I use the VSTA as my 'main' 2nd PC, for lan. Have the HD3850 AGP in it, plus the e5400 at 3,6 Ghz+ the 4 Gb (3,3 of course) working on the VSTA.
It goes like crazy! Have stock cooling so, only running it at 270 Mhz.

I need to find time and energy to write a letter in proper 'deutsch'. Probably wil not be before this weekend.

__________________________________________________ _____
I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!' -Bruce Baum

[Deleauvive]

@Sparkion
Could you please append the following to the letter you plan to write in German (in German, right ? Deutsch is another language) :

" In certain cases, BIOS code is so large that it extends into the space reserved for the bootblock code. Can you tell us if this is the case with your modded 4CoreDual-SATA2 BIOS L2.20 REV:a ? What I have in mind is another hypothesis : What if regular flashing didn't ensure all leftovers from the official 2.20 BIOS were wiped out at reboot time ? "

That would allow us to avoid the jump in hyperspace that is the flashing of all blocks including the bootblock, unless absolutely necessary.

More info about the BIOS bootblock and unusual ways of recovery from flashing failure here.

[WT]

In the process of acquiring an Asrock S775Dual VSTA board for the price of shipping. I still own and use on occasion a 939Dual-SATA2 that I just cannot retire.

After 20+ years of tinkering with computers, that 939Dual is still my fave board of all time. The 775Dual appears to be the Intel version of the 939 board (minus the CPU upgrade slot) and I look forward to getting it running.