Hi! I have a HP Compaq dc7600 Convertible Minitower that I currently use as a VMware whitebox. The motherboard has a Intel 945G Express chipset (supports Core 2 Duo), and LGA775 socket. I bought an Intel E7500 CPU, in order to get VT-x support for Windows Server 2k8 R2, but quicky found out that HP haven't updated the BIOS to support the CPU, even though the chipset (and socket) does. Anyone know if it's possible to mod the BIOS to support the CPU? BIOS: 786D1 BIOS - 1.61 Rev. A Thanks! =) PS: Sorry the links are missing, need 20 posts :/
Moral of the story: check and make sure the CPU is supported by the BIOS first before buying! You can't just assume a brand name computer's motherboard will accept any CPU even if it physically fits! OEMs intentionally cripple their BIOS with the intention that you will buy another new computer from them, not upgrade it. There are very few CPUs that can ever be upgraded on an OEM computer For example: Dell Optiplex GX280... most came with a P4 540 CPU... but the BIOS only allows up to a P4 640, which is a 64bit CPU (Dell never sold the system with these apparently, so no official drivers for it, and no 64bit Intel 915G video drivers either)... you can't put in a a 661 for example, even though it physically fits, the BIOS doesn't know what to do with it So in otherwords, it's worth your time to research your system first before buying anything for it... they're not like generic motherboards where you can practically slap anything in them and work... brand name systems are picky about hardware, and you should've known better. It is also very difficult to modify a BIOS to add or change anything significant such as CPU tables. It's not even remotely as simple as adding a SLIC/SLP header in the BIOS! Each BIOS is built differently, therefore no generic tool or methodology will work in modifying them for stuff like this. At least with SLIC/SLP, the modding methods have become well known in where the data needs to be inserted. The best practical advice I have for you is to just leave that system alone and just replace it with a new one (preferably something you build yourself with generic parts). Don't even bother replacing just the motherboard as most of these brand name systems uses custom form factors or power supply connections. It's not worth throwing money into a brand name system to upgrade as they're more trouble than they're worth.
Maybe someone could help you with changing out the CPU Microcode for that bios. You will need the correct tools based on the BIOS system used, and you will need the latest CPU Microcode and CPU patch data.
The same tools used as for SLIC insertion and extraction. I'm not sure what BIOS that motherboard uses (in the sense of being AMI, Award, other other), but I can only assume the modification of it in terms of the CPU Microcode etc is possible, as even if it isn't a readily modifiable BIOS in terms of the modules (upon which the CPU Microcode is one), it is still modifiable since any motherboard where SLIC information can be insterted or extracted the same can be true for the other modules... As I said, I can't reallly be any more informative because I simply don't know about that model. Those that are familar (in general) to the type of BIOS that motherboard uses may be reluctant to share the information not (just) because they can't be stuffed, but any BIOS modding can be dangerous and you could just as easily 'brick' the board. The main issue you will have with what you intent to do is that even with the modifications such that the E7500 CPU works, VT-X won't... the question then is, do you really need hardware virtualisation, and if so, would your intended purpose be better fulfulled with something else?
Hi Crusnik01, Can your computer boot with the new CPU? If the CPU is supported, your computer should be able to boot with it but you'll get a warning message regarding microcode update. If you got the warning message, it can be fixed by modifying BIOS with new CPU microcode update. I have done this recently. If it boot with blank screen, can't even enter BIOS or POST, CPU microcode update won't be able to fix it. Sorry.
Are you able to mod a Dell GX280 bios to implement support for a Pentium 4 662 or even better a Pentium D 920?
Hi Kizwan, Thanks for sorting thing out! I have a Pentium 4 630 (3.0GHz) installed im my GX280. Initially the GX280 was equiped with a Pentium 4 520/521 CPU. But of course I coud be wrong
From the information that I have obtained from different forums the GX280 will give a black screen with both CPU's. So in this case I think it is useless to investigate if the 662 or 920 is supported by a microcode update. Are you able to enable certain chipset functions that are disabled by Dell in the BIOS? For example I have a 64bit cpu and 4GB ram installed in my GX280 with a X64 Windows 7 installation. However I can only use 3GB ram..
The GX280 supports installation of 4GB of ram, but Windows 7 x64 displays only 3 GB is available. I have a ATI HD4550 VGA adapter and the internal Intel IGP is disabled. The GX280 uses a Phoenix bios.
This is Dell OptiPlex GX280, yes? The BIOS file is GX280A08.EXE (version A08), yes? If yes, it is Dell BIOS. It may based or outsourced to Phoenix but the BIOS structure completely different than Phoenix BIOS.
Ok, I didn't knew that the Dell BIOS differs so much from the standard Phoenix BIOS. Do you have a suggestion who on MDL has experience with modding Dell BIOS files?
I've only used Apokrif's command-line tools to split apart and swap out the entire core BIOS of a Latitude D610 with the Latitude D510 in order to get the 48-bit LBA. I have "zero" assembly skills so that's why I was so unsuccessful at getting the D610 with ATI graphics working (I wish we could have fixed graphics card check routine).