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BIOS Revisions

Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:38 am
by darkcirca
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Re: BIOS Revisions

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:15 am
by matt
I got mine from Laptops4Me on eBay

Rev: XpressROM_BIOS_DT366_0.01.18
Built: 07/01/2005 17:29:43
5535 Rev: A3
GX2 Rev: 2.1 @ 399MHz
XpressROM: 4.23.00
VSA: 03A0

How to upgrade the BIOS?

While I'm at it - here are the BIOS settings mine came preconfigured with - Can/Should I tweak them? Particularly the CPUDIV?

CAS: 2.5
FbDIV: 9/24
CPUDIV: 0/2
GLDIV:2/4

PM: Disabled

Re: BIOS Revisions

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:32 pm
by matt
Oh, okay.

Did you download a BIOS image from somewhere? Or is there some public FTP that you can point these devices to?

I found a reference to DT366 firmware on this website: www.flepo.de. They manufacturer mini PCs (not tablets) but seem to share the newer DT366 Geode LX800 architecture. I don't want to risk using their firmware.

When it comes to BIOS, I take one part "don't fix it if it isn't broken" and one part "it probably was broken if they released a BIOS update". Any idea what differences I might see in a BIOS update? Is it worth the bother/risk? Probably not! :-)

Re: BIOS Revisions

Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:50 pm
by matt
Yeah - the 1.18 BIOS on my WebDT boots from USB just fine.


Out of curiosity I did a bit of hunting. The XpressROM BIOS is designed by a group called "Insyde Software".

A complete guide to the BIOS settings in the WebDT can be found here:

http://amd.insydetech.com/productcenter ... /index.cfm

(direct link to pdf: http://amd.insydetech.com/productcenter ... dev1_9.pdf)


I compared the menu entries in that manual with those in my 1.18 BIOS. The differences are subtle - no major changes. Here they are for interest sake;

A rewording of an entry in the Power Management menu.

I have a debugging configuration menu available as option 'G' from the main screen of the BIOS, which is missing from the above manual. It looks like debugging when you are messing around at the hardware level, which isn't stuff I'm gonna play with. Although there looks to be a memory test (MTEST) in that menu too.

The 'Boot Order' is bought out to its own menu in that newer firmware manual, whereas for 1.18 it is within the Motherboard Configuration->IDE Configuration menu

Motherboard Device Configuration -> PCI configuration has USB 2.0 entries in the new BIOS. This presumably is for the Geode LX800 version of the WebDT.

Motherboard Device Configuration->"Thermal Configuration" is in the new BIOS.  This sets high-temperature shutdown limits.


And that's about it.


The AMD link above has BIOS for download, but you need an account. The changes between revisions look so minor that I don't see the point. I only post this info for completeness.

case closed!

Re: BIOS Revisions

Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 1:53 am
by Foxx
If anyone has a bad flash of a BIOS and cant recover, contact me. I have the hardware to flash LPC Fimrware Hub ICs used in the WebDT. Just cover shipping costs and send me a copy of a BIOS you know that works. I would be more than happy to help you out, no charge, although if you want to slip me a few extra bucks as a token of appreciation, that would be nice. If anything I might even be able to ship out a whole new BIOS chip, preflashed, but I would have to charge for the cost of parts.

I have a Willem EEPROM Programmer than can handle the chips used in the WebDTs, typically an SST 46FL0xx FWH. Keep this between you and me, but if you sweet talk SST they can send you some free samples of the chips used in the WebDT. I am also doing similar work with the WebTV 2 RM4100.

Here is a lil' image to spark your interest:
Image

Direct links to my RM4100 hacking:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?uname=FoxxOTG&isOwner=true&tags=RM4100#

Let me know if I can be of any help.

Edit:

This is my BIOS Build:
XpressROM_BIOS_DT366_0.01.18          07/01/2005 17:29:43

Re: BIOS Revisions

Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:57 pm
by woocash
hi

maybe someone would be interested..

FbDIV: could be tweaked to 25 , making CPU run @ 415 MHz, and memory @ 207 MHz

- i run XP tiny - I didn't see any noticeable performance boost...

i didn't try to tweak it to higher levels... maybe someone try to do that?  8)

Re: BIOS Revisions

Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:09 pm
by eastern
Found the bios doc from insyde on google docs, the link above has long since died:
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cac ... xYcjHMfIkA