Clock Speed and Flashing BIOS

[Twigs 187]

Hello Everyone. I have a KT7A Non Raid Motherboard w/ a 1.4ghz tbird. Today I got my comp back with a SK6 and Delta 38 fan... btw they are great. However, the person that put the comp together says that the computer will not even post with the clock speed set at 1.4ghz. I do believe this is a BIOS problem. I tried to update the BIOS by making a bootable floppy and copying the files. It booted to an A:\ prompt. I then ran awdflash.exe, and entered the filename of the bios update when the bios asked me. However, after I choose to save the BIOS, and back it up to a different file, after I choose the filename the program sits there. I finally have to reboot but when I look the BIOS is not updated.
What is it that I am doing wrong when updating the BIOS? Or, can I get around the 1.4ghz problem by setting the speed manually?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for all the answers.
Twig

[morriswindgate]

I take it that this computer would boot and run at 1.4 before. If that is the case you need to do two things. First move the power for the delta fan from the mobo to the power supply with an adapter. Next do a jumper reset on the motherboard to restore the factory defaults, then go into the BIOS setup and reset the CPU multiplier 10.5 and the clock speed to 133mhz.

[Twigs 187]

It has not run at 1.4 ghz before. It won't even post at that speed.

[Michael]

The KT7A requires the cpu fan to be plugged into the #1 fan header or the mb power automatically shuts down. When I flashed my KT7A/Raid at the a:\ prompt I simply typed in "RUNME" (w/o the quotes) and the flash went fine (flashed her 3x's this way). The bios automatically defaults to 900mhz, you then just adjust the fsb up to whatever your chip runs at (keeps pci at 33). What is your current bios version? You might want to download a cpu utility that can verify you've got a true 1.4 Athlon. What options are available in your bios? Is this a 266 or 200fsb Athlon? Is your L1 bridge disconnected (see below....not sure if this applies to the KT74.A and newer flash or not)? I wouldn't mess with a flash as long as your current version supports the 1.4 Athlon.

Filename: KT764.EXE
Date: 11/07/2001
ID: 64 NOTE:
Fine tune the register value of CPU driving strength to enhance the system stability.
HPT 370 RAID BIOS version 1.11.0402. The RAID function is for KT7-RAID /KT7A-RAID only.This BIOS version is also for non RAID boards and HPT BIOS will be automatically disabled while RAID controller chip not detected.



Filename: KT74A.EXE
Date: 08/24/2001
ID: 4A NOTE:
Support AMD 1.4GHz(133)CPU.
HPT 370 RAID BIOS version 1.11.0402.



Filename: KT73R.EXE
Date: 07/13/2001
ID: 3R NOTE:
Update BIOS code.
Enhance ISA PnP compatibility.
Enhance SCSI adapters compatibility.
Add 1400(133) Athlon support for KT7A/KT7A-RAID.
Add new option "1200 above" for high speed Athlons with 100FSB. KT7 / KT7-RAID / KT7A / KT7A-RAID / KT7E only support 1.4G(100) Athlon with L1 bridges disconnected. Check L1 before you buy a CPU please!
For Creative SBLive 5.1 sound card users, you may try these options while experience sound quality issue.
.PCI master read caching, default setting=Disabled
.PCI master time-out, Default setting=1
Setting above options to Disabled/3 will lead to the same result with VIA Latency patch V0.14 and may help SB Live 5.1 sound issue. If the system experiences low performance after these settings, enable the "PCI master read caching" please.

Enhance the high speed 133FSB Athlon stability for KT7A/KT7A-RAID.
HPT 370 RAID BIOS version 1.11.0402 for KT7-RAID/KT7A-RAID. This BIOS version is also for non RAID boards and HPT BIOS will be automatically disabled while RAID controller chip not detected.
BIOS compile date: 07/05/2001
!!! Attention for upgrading KT7-RAID / KT7A-RAID BIOS to 3R !!!

When you upgrade bios from ZT to 3R, we highly recommend you backup your system and data to an independent storage device first. New HPT 1.11.0402 bios may corrupt original RAID configuration created on old bios occasionally. That means you may need to rebuild RAID configuration. If it happens, all the data on RAID-0 will be gone!

For RAID-1 user, please press "CTRL+H" to enter hpt370 setup

[Twigs 187]

The Bios has not been updated before I got it, so its an old version.

Can I manually set the multipliers(fsb,etc) and get it to work?

[Michael]

What version bios do you have? If it isn't one of the 3 in my last post then chances are your board does not support a 1.4 Athlon.

[Michael]

Here's a comprehensive guide to flash the KT7A. http://www.mysuperpc.com/computer_upgrade.shtml

I have copied the flash procedure and entered it at the end of this post.

It varies from Abits guide so run at your own risk, but as I stated above it worked for me as advertised by just typing in RUNME (lowercase) at the A: prompt. I had a deuce of a time with Abits instructions and the same result as you, the darn thing wouldn't flash when I typed in the bin command lines as Abit instructed. Again, be aware that flashing done right is a relatively safe procedure, but problems can and do occur....a safe flash in never a total given.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpt from the link above:

This is is the procedure I used for updating the ABIT KT7A BIOS from version WW to 3R under Windows 98SE. It worked for me but obviously I can't make any guarantees for anyone else. For more information regarding the procedure for updating the BIOS, consult Paul Howard's FAQ site and ABIT's own guide.

1 Perform the procedure for updating the VIA 4in1 Drivers described above, including the steps for verifying everything checks out ok on your PC. The 4in1 drivers will need to be re-installed as part of the procedure for updating the BIOS, so you might as well have the latest ones on hand. Install them before updating the BIOS and verify all is well before updating the BIOS.
2 Backup the data on your PC. If all goes well then you won't need it. But if disaster strikes then you should have your vital data secured.
3 Disable GoBack. This may not be strictly necessary, but it's what I would do. If it's enabled then the "error" at step 38 is encountered.
4 Download the BIOS file package to be flashed, in my case version 3R. I call it a "package" because it contains multiple files inside. The package can be retrieved through Downloads on ABIT's home page or from the BIOS section of Paul Howard's FAQ. For the ABIT KT7A version 3R update, the package is called (kt73r.exe).
5 On the Windows 98SE desktop, open the "My Computer" window.
6 Place a new floppy disk in the A: drive. This will be the Flash floppy.
7 Right click on the Floppy Disk Icon (A) and choose Format from the shortcut menu.
8 Check two boxes, one for Full and another for Copy System Files.
9 Double click on the Floppy Disk Icon (A).
10 There will be four files, three of which have the "hidden" attribute. To see hidden files, select View then Folder Options and then check the appropriate box on the View tab to see hidden files. Then push the Apply button. The four files on the floppy should be: (command.com) (drvspace.bin) (io.sys) and (msdos.sys).
11 Delete (drvspace.bin).
12 Copy the BIOS file package to the A: drive. Double-click on it to extract the files inside to the floppy disk.
13 There are now nine files on the floppy drive. Eight if you don't count the BIOS file package that you copied over. The eight files are (command.com) (drvspace.bin) (io.sys) (msdos.sys) (abitfae.bat) (awdflash.exe) (runme.bat) (***.bin) (***.txt). The *** corresponds to the BIOS file package name. For version 3R, they are (kt7_3r.bin) and (kt7_3r.txt).
14 Repeat steps 4 through 13 for the BIOS file package corresponding to the BIOS version already in your PC. In my case this was version WW and the name of the BIOS file package is (kt7ww.exe). This ensures you have your old BIOS on-hand as a backup in case something goes wrong and you want to reinstall the old BIOS.
15 Go to: Start > Shutdown > Restart
16 Press the DEL (delete) key to enter the BIOS.
17 Write down your current BIOS settings.
18 Load the Fail-Safe Defaults.
19 Set the following BIOS values, if they are not already set:
Advanced BIOS Features: First Device: Floppy Disk
Advanced BIOS Features: Video BIOS Shadow: Disable
Advanced Chipset Features: System BIOS Cacheable: Disable
Integrated Peripherals: Init Display First: AGP
PnP/PCI Configurations: PNP OS Installed: Yes
20 Save the BIOS settings to CMOS and exit the BIOS. Your PC should boot up just fine.
21 Re-boot the PC with the Flash floppy loaded in the A: drive. You should end up in DOS at the A:> prompt. If you do a dir command, you'll notice the *.sys files are not displayed. To see these file, enter the command dir/a:h.
22 The next command will actually do the flash update of the BIOS. Power integrity is crucial. Weather outside ok? UPS working fine?
23 At the DOS prompt, enter the command runme.
24 You will see three screens. The first one says something like:

Please DO NOT run this batch file under Windows!
25 Hit enter. The second screen says something like:

Please make sure of the following:
1) You have made a CLEAN boot from your floppy disk, i.e., NO autoexec.bat and config.sys files are loaded.
2)The BIOS file you are trying to upgrade is correct for your board, otherwise you will get the unknown failure.

Be sure the current PC system is pure without any resident program!
26 Hit enter. The third one says something like:

Be sure you are ready to update the BIOS!
27 This is it! Hit enter. The flash program displays its progress and results.
28 When the flash program is done, press F10 to exit the flash program and return to the DOS prompt.
29 Remove the boot disk from the floppy drive.
30 Power off the PC.
31 Detach the power cord from the back of the PC.
32 Use the jumpers to discharge the CMOS for 3 seconds. For help finding the jumpers see Paul's FAQ How to clear the ABIT KT7A CMOS using jumpers. Then restore the jumper setting so it is no longer discharging the CMOS.
33 Reattach the power cord to the back of the PC.
34 Power on the PC.
35 Press the DEL (delete) key to enter the BIOS.
36 Enter your BIOS settings. It's especially important to have the correct settings for the CPU Operating Speed, Multiplier Factor and CPU Power Supply. Save and exit the BIOS.
37 The PC boot process begins.
38 Skip this step if you do not have GoBack installed or if you have GoBack installed but disabled.

[Twigs 187]

What version should come with the board? I know for sure the BIOS id is not 00, something like 5s.
Sorry for making this more complicated than it is!


Twig

[Michael]

Well, I'm probably giving you TOO much info and complicating things. Your Bios ID number is in the lower left hand corner of the "prompt screen". Just hit "pause" when the screen comes on and look at the last 2 numbers in the string (see pic in my previous post). That is your bios ID number. For instance mine says 64. If you look at my post where I copied the last 3 bios updates you'll see that the most recent flash is id: 64. It's imperative that you have a bios version that supports your 1.4. T-bird, the earlier versions did not. If you can't go into your bios and reset the fsb to 133/33 and up it to 1.4 and boot, then somethings awry and the most likely culprit is an outdated bios that simply doesn't support this chip.

[Michael]

There were revisions to the KT7A boards. Before anything else you need to determine which board version you have. Anything below 1.3 requires a DIFFERENT flash (see link below). I should have thought of this in the first place. To find your boards version # it might be on the box, if not here's where to look on the actual board:



Here's the earliest bios revision I could find. I have no idea what bios version your board would have been shipped with.

Filename: KT7WW.EXE
Date: 12/12/2000
ID: WW NOTE:
Adds CPU protection: WARING! if the CPU fan reading of fan header #1 lower than 200RPM or the fan is connected to header #2, #3, #4, or directly to power supply unit, leaving header #1 empty, this BIOS will automatically SHUTDOWN THE POWER IN 10 SECONDS.
Adds RAID BIOS version v1.03b1(KT7A-RAID only)
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http://www.abit-usa.com/eng/download...-kt7a-raid.htm