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Bios update: which file?



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 22nd 04, 11:16 PM
Katy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Bios update: which file?

I tried replying with the following but it wouldn't post; maybe this
will....

Thanks Paul! Now I wonder if I download the bios flash from Asus he
http://www.asus.com/support/download...S333&Type=BIOS
I read in my manual that the Aflash is a 'writer utility' that uploads the
flash file to the bios to update it. so I would download the Aflash.zip and
the 1007 file, both, right?

and how do I know if I need the 1007 or the 1007c? I went into my setup
and according to the manaul and comparing it to my bios, I have no line
allowing me to enable or disable "Onboard LAN Boot ROM' nor do I have a line
allowing me to enable or disable 'Onboard LAN Controller'.

Would this mean I would use the P4S1007.zip? and not the 'c' version?

I looked at the file link you sent below for the CTMC, downloaded it, and
the text file was in German, the other text file was just numbers. I guess
if I'm going to do that, I may as well flash the bios to do it and allow for
a larger than 137gb hard drive which I need to replace with a 160gb.

I went to the link you sent to an earlier question that led me to
'48bitLBA.com' and chose the Upgrade Bios NOW and the tech who called
informed me at that time it would cost me $50 for their bios upgrade. I had
downloaded, installed and run the Bios Agent creating a text file that I am
probably
not allowed to attach, and I was supposed to call the place to install it.

Couldn't I download/install this myself free of charge from Asus? I have
flashed a bios once before on a PB
which was very involved and irritating, this motherboard seems easier but I
just want to be sure I have the right file for this mobo. Would be great if
Asus could use a Bios Agent to tell 'me' what I need.

Could you help me find the right file? I understand that the responsibility
is still in my court and I'm not about to make you or anyone responsible for
the 'correct file' but I sure could use some feedback.

Thanks again for helping and welcome any advice!!!
katy


"Paul" wrote in message
...
In article , "Katy"
wrote:


I really had 2 questions: (BIOS bootup alert & Event Viewer alert)

I am getting a message before windows loads (so cannot do a printscreen)
just following choosing WindowsXP as operating system (using dual boot
to W2k) that states this:

BIOS: BIOS update data incorrect. CPUID=3D00000F27, PCI Device
Listing... (then it lists my devices and other info including IRQ, etc.)
and continues to load windows with no obvious problems. However, I am
getting many instances of Error in Event Viewer that reports this:
The device, \Device\Harddisk1\D, has a bad block.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

(This link tells me I should replace my hard drive.)

This has been coming up ever since I installed this P4S333 motherboard
almost a yr. ago. I haven't flashed the bios on this motherboard, ACPI
BIOS Revision 1006C, since I bought it.

Could a message like this BIOS: be causing my Event Viewer to report a
bad sector on my Maxtor hard drive? or doesn't this BIOS message have
ANYTHING to do with the Event Viewer message?

I have done a Scan on the hard drive, have used Partition Magic to scan
and fix it, and also have used the Maxtor.exe file that came with the
drive to do 5 surface scans and nothing reports bad sectors to fix, only
Event Viewer is.

Could anyone tell me if Event Viewer is reporting an accurate message
and should the CPUID=3D00000F27 mean anything to me?

TIA for any advice,
katy


Intel has a scheme, where they can repair certain bugs in the processor
with what is called a "microcode update". Some of the bugs will only
be discovered after the processor is shipping and in the field, so
Intel issues new microcode files whenever a bug is found.

The BIOS contains a microcode loader. The BIOS also has a set of
2KB microcode files, to load. The microcode files have ID info,
like the family code 0F27.

When Asus gets updated microcode from Intel, they incorporate the
new 2KB patches into new BIOS releases. Flashing the BIOS is one
way to get microcode for your 0F27 processor.

Another method that works at the BIOS level, is CTMC. This is a
program from CT Heise magazine in Germany. The MC stands for
microcode. The nice thing about the CTMC method, is there is less
risk to the BIOS chip. A volatile region of the flash chip is used,
and no BIOS executable code is touched, so the machine should be
able to boot, no matter how well the CTMC program works. CTMC
uses a hook in the BIOS, so the flashing of the BIOS is being done
by the BIOS itself.

ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/ctmc10.zip

Basically, this is a capsule summary of using CTMC:

1) You have to be able to boot Windows to use the program.
That is because you need to run the CTMC program to do the
actual writing of microcode to the flash chip.
If not, then download the latest BIOS file from Asus, the
latest MSDOS boot floppy based flash program from Asus,
read any warnings on the download page, and flash the BIOS.
2) Find a recent version of BIOS from the download page. If
your processor version was never supported by Asus ever,
you can download a BIOS from another board that uses an
Intel P4 processor, provided it is an Award BIOS, and extract
microcode from that BIOS file.
3) Get the CTMC package. Use splitawd to split the donor BIOS
file into modules. Use LHA to decompress a module called
"cpucode.exe". Use the main CTMC program "ctmc cpucode.exe /store"
This gives a bunch of 2KB files, and the file name will have
the processor family code in it, like 0F270433.bin or the like.
Now, use a MSDOS window or a command prompt window in Windows,
run ctmc again, this time using the option to write the donated
microcode to the BIOS "ctmc 0f270433.bin /write". Reboot.

The BIOS message should disappear after that, and the Intel
FrequencyID utility should change the processor version listed
from 0 to whatever version was in the microcode patch (0x33 in
the example above - the version is part of the file name).

So, that covers two methods. Either flash the whole BIOS chip
using the latest from Asus, or use CTMC to only flash the
needed 2KB of microcode to the flash chip. (The 1008c005.zip
beta BIOS contains 0F270433.BIN microcode, so that BIOS will
certainly fix the problem, or you can use that BIOS file
to extract 0F270433.BIN for a "ctmc 0F270433.BIN /store"
operation.)

In the later Microsoft OSes, there is also a microcode loader in
the OS itself. When say, WinXP boots, it can load a microcode
update to the system, in which case the bugs in the processor
are "removed" after the update.sys runs. But, this method leaves
a gap, that extends from POST, until update.sys runs.

You say your errors exist even after WinXP boots. I would think
the microcode update in Windows would remove the microcode as
an issue, so something else must be wrong.

HTH,
Paul




  #2  
Old September 23rd 04, 01:58 AM
Paul
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article , "Katy"
wrote:

I tried replying with the following but it wouldn't post; maybe this
will....

Thanks Paul! Now I wonder if I download the bios flash from Asus he
http://www.asus.com/support/download...S333&Type=BIOS
I read in my manual that the Aflash is a 'writer utility' that uploads the
flash file to the bios to update it. so I would download the Aflash.zip and
the 1007 file, both, right?

and how do I know if I need the 1007 or the 1007c? I went into my setup
and according to the manaul and comparing it to my bios, I have no line
allowing me to enable or disable "Onboard LAN Boot ROM' nor do I have a line
allowing me to enable or disable 'Onboard LAN Controller'.

Would this mean I would use the P4S1007.zip? and not the 'c' version?

I looked at the file link you sent below for the CTMC, downloaded it, and
the text file was in German, the other text file was just numbers. I guess
if I'm going to do that, I may as well flash the bios to do it and allow for
a larger than 137gb hard drive which I need to replace with a 160gb.

I went to the link you sent to an earlier question that led me to
'48bitLBA.com' and chose the Upgrade Bios NOW and the tech who called
informed me at that time it would cost me $50 for their bios upgrade. I had
downloaded, installed and run the Bios Agent creating a text file that I am
probably
not allowed to attach, and I was supposed to call the place to install it.

Couldn't I download/install this myself free of charge from Asus? I have
flashed a bios once before on a PB
which was very involved and irritating, this motherboard seems easier but I
just want to be sure I have the right file for this mobo. Would be great if
Asus could use a Bios Agent to tell 'me' what I need.

Could you help me find the right file? I understand that the responsibility
is still in my court and I'm not about to make you or anyone responsible for
the 'correct file' but I sure could use some feedback.

Thanks again for helping and welcome any advice!!!
katy

Whoa, Nelly :-) I didn't send you to 48bitlba.com, just to buy a BIOS.
You are absolutely correct, that Asus has your BIOS update for you.
I sent you to 48bitlba, because it has interesting info on the 137GB
disk boundary problem, like what to do for Win2K or WinXP. I did that
because I didn't want to type all the info into a USENET posting, and
sent you there to do some research :-)

As for your current Asus BIOS, in a previous post, you claimed to
be running 1006C, so that would suggest one of the "C" BIOS
is what you should use.

This is the latest release BIOS, p4s1007c.zip, for a "without LAN"
board.

http://www.asus.com/support/download...7c.zip~zaqwedc

This is the latest beta BIOS, 1008c005.zip, from December of last year:
http://www.asus.com/support/download...05.zip~zaqwedc

The Beta has been around long enough, that it should be just as good
as the release BIOS. Checking Google, I don't see any "train wrecks"
caused by 1008, so I would go with the second of the two links above.

You'll need a flash program:
http://www.asus.com/support/download...21.zip~zaqwedc

I recommend flashing from a MSDOS boot disk. I made mine with Win98SE
and have been carting the same floppy from computer to computer ever
since. Bootdisk.com also has boot disks if you need the files.
Instructions for what to do are actually in a README file inside the
aflash221.zip file. When unzipped, you'll find the aflash executable
and the README file.

Things you can do (as well as what is in the README):

0) Before flashing, go into the BIOS, and write down any custom
settings you are using. You will need these later. If you are
overclocking, return the CPU and memory to normal conditions
before flashing. An overclock can overclock the clock on the LPC
interface, and you don't want that. You could even do "Load
Setup Defaults" from the Exit menu, as that returns the BIOS
to factory settings. (I don't bother with that.)
1) The first step with aflash, is to back up the current BIOS. Aflash
reads the contents of the flash chip and stores it in a file. If
the flash procedure appears to be failing, and you haven't tried to
reboot yet, you can use Aflash again, and write the file contents
back into the flash chip. I've actually had to do that once.
Two BIOS files will fit on a floppy for older boards. For newer
boards with 512KB flash chips, you would need a second floppy with
just Aflash and the BIOS files on it, and swap floppies.
2) Try flashing the new file _without_ updating the boot block.
If you flash the boot block on the first try, there is no
recovery procedure if the flash fails. By fail, what I mean is,
it will look like Aflash has succeeded. You try to reboot and get
a black screen. If there is going to be trouble while flashing,
then it is best to just zap the rest of the code in the BIOS,
but leave the boot block intact. Boot block recovery gives you
a slim chance of getting back on your feet again, but it is better
than nothing.
3) If the flash _without_ updating boot block works, then try
including updating the boot block on the second flash. If step
(2) works, then (3) is more likely to work.
4) If step (2) or (3) fail, try the "Clear CMOS" procedure in the
manual. Always unplug the computer first, before doing this.
The jumper is generally called CLRTC, so look for that in the
manual.
5) If things are still looking bad, you can try reflashing. Some
BIOS have a flash routine build-in, and on some alt f2
brings up the menu. If your BIOS doesn't have that feature, or
doesn't have CrashFree, then you can try the boot block method.
That involves a boot floppy, only this time it has an autoexec.bat
file on the disk. The autoexec file is a text file with a one
line command in the file. The file to be executed will be
aflash.exe, followed by a sequence of command line options.
That is how some people manage to flash back to their original
BIOS. (If the BIOS refuses to boot from the floppy, or even
attempt to access the floppy, the boot block is fried.)
6) If recovery steps (4) and (5) fail, visit badflash.com and
buy a replacement flash chip programmed with the version of
BIOS you want to use.

Good luck,
Paul


"Paul" wrote in message
...
In article , "Katy"
wrote:


I really had 2 questions: (BIOS bootup alert & Event Viewer alert)

I am getting a message before windows loads (so cannot do a printscreen)
just following choosing WindowsXP as operating system (using dual boot
to W2k) that states this:

BIOS: BIOS update data incorrect. CPUID=3D00000F27, PCI Device
Listing... (then it lists my devices and other info including IRQ, etc.)
and continues to load windows with no obvious problems. However, I am
getting many instances of Error in Event Viewer that reports this:
The device, \Device\Harddisk1\D, has a bad block.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

(This link tells me I should replace my hard drive.)

This has been coming up ever since I installed this P4S333 motherboard
almost a yr. ago. I haven't flashed the bios on this motherboard, ACPI
BIOS Revision 1006C, since I bought it.

Could a message like this BIOS: be causing my Event Viewer to report a
bad sector on my Maxtor hard drive? or doesn't this BIOS message have
ANYTHING to do with the Event Viewer message?

I have done a Scan on the hard drive, have used Partition Magic to scan
and fix it, and also have used the Maxtor.exe file that came with the
drive to do 5 surface scans and nothing reports bad sectors to fix, only
Event Viewer is.

Could anyone tell me if Event Viewer is reporting an accurate message
and should the CPUID=3D00000F27 mean anything to me?

TIA for any advice,
katy


Intel has a scheme, where they can repair certain bugs in the processor
with what is called a "microcode update". Some of the bugs will only
be discovered after the processor is shipping and in the field, so
Intel issues new microcode files whenever a bug is found.

The BIOS contains a microcode loader. The BIOS also has a set of
2KB microcode files, to load. The microcode files have ID info,
like the family code 0F27.

When Asus gets updated microcode from Intel, they incorporate the
new 2KB patches into new BIOS releases. Flashing the BIOS is one
way to get microcode for your 0F27 processor.

Another method that works at the BIOS level, is CTMC. This is a
program from CT Heise magazine in Germany. The MC stands for
microcode. The nice thing about the CTMC method, is there is less
risk to the BIOS chip. A volatile region of the flash chip is used,
and no BIOS executable code is touched, so the machine should be
able to boot, no matter how well the CTMC program works. CTMC
uses a hook in the BIOS, so the flashing of the BIOS is being done
by the BIOS itself.

ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/ctmc10.zip

Basically, this is a capsule summary of using CTMC:

1) You have to be able to boot Windows to use the program.
That is because you need to run the CTMC program to do the
actual writing of microcode to the flash chip.
If not, then download the latest BIOS file from Asus, the
latest MSDOS boot floppy based flash program from Asus,
read any warnings on the download page, and flash the BIOS.
2) Find a recent version of BIOS from the download page. If
your processor version was never supported by Asus ever,
you can download a BIOS from another board that uses an
Intel P4 processor, provided it is an Award BIOS, and extract
microcode from that BIOS file.
3) Get the CTMC package. Use splitawd to split the donor BIOS
file into modules. Use LHA to decompress a module called
"cpucode.exe". Use the main CTMC program "ctmc cpucode.exe /store"
This gives a bunch of 2KB files, and the file name will have
the processor family code in it, like 0F270433.bin or the like.
Now, use a MSDOS window or a command prompt window in Windows,
run ctmc again, this time using the option to write the donated
microcode to the BIOS "ctmc 0f270433.bin /write". Reboot.

The BIOS message should disappear after that, and the Intel
FrequencyID utility should change the processor version listed
from 0 to whatever version was in the microcode patch (0x33 in
the example above - the version is part of the file name).

So, that covers two methods. Either flash the whole BIOS chip
using the latest from Asus, or use CTMC to only flash the
needed 2KB of microcode to the flash chip. (The 1008c005.zip
beta BIOS contains 0F270433.BIN microcode, so that BIOS will
certainly fix the problem, or you can use that BIOS file
to extract 0F270433.BIN for a "ctmc 0F270433.BIN /store"
operation.)

In the later Microsoft OSes, there is also a microcode loader in
the OS itself. When say, WinXP boots, it can load a microcode
update to the system, in which case the bugs in the processor
are "removed" after the update.sys runs. But, this method leaves
a gap, that extends from POST, until update.sys runs.

You say your errors exist even after WinXP boots. I would think
the microcode update in Windows would remove the microcode as
an issue, so something else must be wrong.

HTH,
Paul

  #3  
Old September 23rd 04, 04:54 AM
Barry Watzman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Note, once a motherboard model is discontinued by Asus, Asus classifies
ALL further BIOS' for that motherboard as "beta". This is a bit
different from the usual definition.

Paul wrote:

In article , "Katy"
wrote:


I tried replying with the following but it wouldn't post; maybe this
will....

Thanks Paul! Now I wonder if I download the bios flash from Asus he
http://www.asus.com/support/download...S333&Type=BIOS
I read in my manual that the Aflash is a 'writer utility' that uploads the
flash file to the bios to update it. so I would download the Aflash.zip and
the 1007 file, both, right?

and how do I know if I need the 1007 or the 1007c? I went into my setup
and according to the manaul and comparing it to my bios, I have no line
allowing me to enable or disable "Onboard LAN Boot ROM' nor do I have a line
allowing me to enable or disable 'Onboard LAN Controller'.

Would this mean I would use the P4S1007.zip? and not the 'c' version?

I looked at the file link you sent below for the CTMC, downloaded it, and
the text file was in German, the other text file was just numbers. I guess
if I'm going to do that, I may as well flash the bios to do it and allow for
a larger than 137gb hard drive which I need to replace with a 160gb.

I went to the link you sent to an earlier question that led me to
'48bitLBA.com' and chose the Upgrade Bios NOW and the tech who called
informed me at that time it would cost me $50 for their bios upgrade. I had
downloaded, installed and run the Bios Agent creating a text file that I am
probably
not allowed to attach, and I was supposed to call the place to install it.

Couldn't I download/install this myself free of charge from Asus? I have
flashed a bios once before on a PB
which was very involved and irritating, this motherboard seems easier but I
just want to be sure I have the right file for this mobo. Would be great if
Asus could use a Bios Agent to tell 'me' what I need.

Could you help me find the right file? I understand that the responsibility
is still in my court and I'm not about to make you or anyone responsible for
the 'correct file' but I sure could use some feedback.

Thanks again for helping and welcome any advice!!!
katy


Whoa, Nelly :-) I didn't send you to 48bitlba.com, just to buy a BIOS.
You are absolutely correct, that Asus has your BIOS update for you.
I sent you to 48bitlba, because it has interesting info on the 137GB
disk boundary problem, like what to do for Win2K or WinXP. I did that
because I didn't want to type all the info into a USENET posting, and
sent you there to do some research :-)

As for your current Asus BIOS, in a previous post, you claimed to
be running 1006C, so that would suggest one of the "C" BIOS
is what you should use.

This is the latest release BIOS, p4s1007c.zip, for a "without LAN"
board.

http://www.asus.com/support/download...7c.zip~zaqwedc

This is the latest beta BIOS, 1008c005.zip, from December of last year:
http://www.asus.com/support/download...05.zip~zaqwedc

The Beta has been around long enough, that it should be just as good
as the release BIOS. Checking Google, I don't see any "train wrecks"
caused by 1008, so I would go with the second of the two links above.

You'll need a flash program:
http://www.asus.com/support/download...21.zip~zaqwedc

I recommend flashing from a MSDOS boot disk. I made mine with Win98SE
and have been carting the same floppy from computer to computer ever
since. Bootdisk.com also has boot disks if you need the files.
Instructions for what to do are actually in a README file inside the
aflash221.zip file. When unzipped, you'll find the aflash executable
and the README file.

Things you can do (as well as what is in the README):

0) Before flashing, go into the BIOS, and write down any custom
settings you are using. You will need these later. If you are
overclocking, return the CPU and memory to normal conditions
before flashing. An overclock can overclock the clock on the LPC
interface, and you don't want that. You could even do "Load
Setup Defaults" from the Exit menu, as that returns the BIOS
to factory settings. (I don't bother with that.)
1) The first step with aflash, is to back up the current BIOS. Aflash
reads the contents of the flash chip and stores it in a file. If
the flash procedure appears to be failing, and you haven't tried to
reboot yet, you can use Aflash again, and write the file contents
back into the flash chip. I've actually had to do that once.
Two BIOS files will fit on a floppy for older boards. For newer
boards with 512KB flash chips, you would need a second floppy with
just Aflash and the BIOS files on it, and swap floppies.
2) Try flashing the new file _without_ updating the boot block.
If you flash the boot block on the first try, there is no
recovery procedure if the flash fails. By fail, what I mean is,
it will look like Aflash has succeeded. You try to reboot and get
a black screen. If there is going to be trouble while flashing,
then it is best to just zap the rest of the code in the BIOS,
but leave the boot block intact. Boot block recovery gives you
a slim chance of getting back on your feet again, but it is better
than nothing.
3) If the flash _without_ updating boot block works, then try
including updating the boot block on the second flash. If step
(2) works, then (3) is more likely to work.
4) If step (2) or (3) fail, try the "Clear CMOS" procedure in the
manual. Always unplug the computer first, before doing this.
The jumper is generally called CLRTC, so look for that in the
manual.
5) If things are still looking bad, you can try reflashing. Some
BIOS have a flash routine build-in, and on some alt f2
brings up the menu. If your BIOS doesn't have that feature, or
doesn't have CrashFree, then you can try the boot block method.
That involves a boot floppy, only this time it has an autoexec.bat
file on the disk. The autoexec file is a text file with a one
line command in the file. The file to be executed will be
aflash.exe, followed by a sequence of command line options.
That is how some people manage to flash back to their original
BIOS. (If the BIOS refuses to boot from the floppy, or even
attempt to access the floppy, the boot block is fried.)
6) If recovery steps (4) and (5) fail, visit badflash.com and
buy a replacement flash chip programmed with the version of
BIOS you want to use.

Good luck,
Paul


"Paul" wrote in message
...

In article , "Katy"
wrote:


I really had 2 questions: (BIOS bootup alert & Event Viewer alert)

I am getting a message before windows loads (so cannot do a printscreen)
just following choosing WindowsXP as operating system (using dual boot
to W2k) that states this:

BIOS: BIOS update data incorrect. CPUID=3D00000F27, PCI Device
Listing... (then it lists my devices and other info including IRQ, etc.)
and continues to load windows with no obvious problems. However, I am
getting many instances of Error in Event Viewer that reports this:
The device, \Device\Harddisk1\D, has a bad block.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

(This link tells me I should replace my hard drive.)

This has been coming up ever since I installed this P4S333 motherboard
almost a yr. ago. I haven't flashed the bios on this motherboard, ACPI
BIOS Revision 1006C, since I bought it.

Could a message like this BIOS: be causing my Event Viewer to report a
bad sector on my Maxtor hard drive? or doesn't this BIOS message have
ANYTHING to do with the Event Viewer message?

I have done a Scan on the hard drive, have used Partition Magic to scan
and fix it, and also have used the Maxtor.exe file that came with the
drive to do 5 surface scans and nothing reports bad sectors to fix, only
Event Viewer is.

Could anyone tell me if Event Viewer is reporting an accurate message
and should the CPUID=3D00000F27 mean anything to me?

TIA for any advice,
katy

Intel has a scheme, where they can repair certain bugs in the processor
with what is called a "microcode update". Some of the bugs will only
be discovered after the processor is shipping and in the field, so
Intel issues new microcode files whenever a bug is found.

The BIOS contains a microcode loader. The BIOS also has a set of
2KB microcode files, to load. The microcode files have ID info,
like the family code 0F27.

When Asus gets updated microcode from Intel, they incorporate the
new 2KB patches into new BIOS releases. Flashing the BIOS is one
way to get microcode for your 0F27 processor.

Another method that works at the BIOS level, is CTMC. This is a
program from CT Heise magazine in Germany. The MC stands for
microcode. The nice thing about the CTMC method, is there is less
risk to the BIOS chip. A volatile region of the flash chip is used,
and no BIOS executable code is touched, so the machine should be
able to boot, no matter how well the CTMC program works. CTMC
uses a hook in the BIOS, so the flashing of the BIOS is being done
by the BIOS itself.

ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/ctmc10.zip

Basically, this is a capsule summary of using CTMC:

1) You have to be able to boot Windows to use the program.
That is because you need to run the CTMC program to do the
actual writing of microcode to the flash chip.
If not, then download the latest BIOS file from Asus, the
latest MSDOS boot floppy based flash program from Asus,
read any warnings on the download page, and flash the BIOS.
2) Find a recent version of BIOS from the download page. If
your processor version was never supported by Asus ever,
you can download a BIOS from another board that uses an
Intel P4 processor, provided it is an Award BIOS, and extract
microcode from that BIOS file.
3) Get the CTMC package. Use splitawd to split the donor BIOS
file into modules. Use LHA to decompress a module called
"cpucode.exe". Use the main CTMC program "ctmc cpucode.exe /store"
This gives a bunch of 2KB files, and the file name will have
the processor family code in it, like 0F270433.bin or the like.
Now, use a MSDOS window or a command prompt window in Windows,
run ctmc again, this time using the option to write the donated
microcode to the BIOS "ctmc 0f270433.bin /write". Reboot.

The BIOS message should disappear after that, and the Intel
FrequencyID utility should change the processor version listed
from 0 to whatever version was in the microcode patch (0x33 in
the example above - the version is part of the file name).

So, that covers two methods. Either flash the whole BIOS chip
using the latest from Asus, or use CTMC to only flash the
needed 2KB of microcode to the flash chip. (The 1008c005.zip
beta BIOS contains 0F270433.BIN microcode, so that BIOS will
certainly fix the problem, or you can use that BIOS file
to extract 0F270433.BIN for a "ctmc 0F270433.BIN /store"
operation.)

In the later Microsoft OSes, there is also a microcode loader in
the OS itself. When say, WinXP boots, it can load a microcode
update to the system, in which case the bugs in the processor
are "removed" after the update.sys runs. But, this method leaves
a gap, that extends from POST, until update.sys runs.

You say your errors exist even after WinXP boots. I would think
the microcode update in Windows would remove the microcode as
an issue, so something else must be wrong.

HTH,
Paul

 




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