Question About a Risky BIOs Flashing

I have an MS-7093 motherboad that I got with an HP PC. The HP BIOs
version is stripped all to hell, with nothing more left than the
absolute minimum settings.

Would it be possible to install the actual MSI BIOs instead of the HP
version? If I could do that, I could have access to MANY more options,
including overclocking.

There is a backup copy of the BIOs burnt in, so that you can "press F5
to load default setup". If I did flash an incompatible BIOs, would I
still be able to load that backup copy? Or would all be lost?

'Shadow Tek' wrote:
I have an MS-7093 motherboad that I got with an HP PC. The HP BIOs
version is stripped all to hell, with nothing more left than the
absolute minimum settings.

Would it be possible to install the actual MSI BIOs instead of the HP
version? If I could do that, I could have access to MANY more options,
including overclocking.

There is a backup copy of the BIOs burnt in, so that you can "press F5
to load default setup". If I did flash an incompatible BIOs, would I
still be able to load that backup copy? Or would all be lost?
_____

First of all, please post more information about your system. YOU have the
system, we don't. Secondly, changing the BIOS to something that may not
match the motherboard is unlikely to be successful. And, depending on the
components used in your system, even success may not mean much in terms of
improved performance. Thirdly, "press F5 to load default setup" DOES NOT
MEAN THAT A BACKUP COPY OF THE BIOS IS AVAILABLE. All it means is that the
DEFAULT BIOS settings are available to load if you have incorrectly set
these parameters. Finally, your serious misconceptions are an indication
that you should NOT consider changing ANYTHING about your BIOS except for
the parameters that are user changeable Unfortunately, that's the way large
manufacturers design their standard systems; not to give user flexibility,
but instead to give the best chance of long term stable operation.

There may be other changes to your system that MIGHT allow overclocking, but
the changes will not be obvious, nor easy, nor have a guaranteed outcome.

Phil Weldon

"ShadowTek" wrote in message
...
I have an MS-7093 motherboad that I got with an HP PC. The HP BIOs
version is stripped all to hell, with nothing more left than the
absolute minimum settings.

Would it be possible to install the actual MSI BIOs instead of the HP
version? If I could do that, I could have access to MANY more options,
including overclocking.

There is a backup copy of the BIOs burnt in, so that you can "press F5
to load default setup". If I did flash an incompatible BIOs, would I
still be able to load that backup copy? Or would all be lost?

ShadowTek wrote:
I have an MS-7093 motherboad that I got with an HP PC. The HP BIOs
version is stripped all to hell, with nothing more left than the
absolute minimum settings.

Would it be possible to install the actual MSI BIOs instead of the HP
version? If I could do that, I could have access to MANY more options,
including overclocking.

There is a backup copy of the BIOs burnt in, so that you can "press F5
to load default setup". If I did flash an incompatible BIOs, would I
still be able to load that backup copy? Or would all be lost?

I looked in the BIOS section of the manual, and I don't see a place to
set the CPU input clock. The DRAM timing section, allows you to set
CAS (but not the other three). That MSI BIOS may have a lot of settings,
but doesn't look like a really good overclocker BIOS.

If the board had an Nvidia chipset, the "Clockgen" program allows
some of those chipsets, to have the clock setting adjusted while in
Windows. I'm not aware of that working with ATI chipsets. The Nvidia
chipset seems to have clock synthesis built-in, which may be why
it can be done. (You cannot get datasheets for Nvidia chipsets, so
I'm guessing at that.)

The F5 feature, restores default BIOS settings. That is an entirely
different feature, than something like the Gigabyte Dual BIOS, where
a second chip stores a backup copy of the BIOS flash code. So F5 doesn't
undo all the damage that a bad flash operation can do. If you erase
the flash chip, the board won't POST again. You could press F5 all day
long, and nothing would happen.

If you want to change the BIOS file, and be guaranteed to be able to
back out later, on demand, then purchase a second BIOS chip from
badflash.com . To do that, you have to tell them the part number on
the socketed BIOS chip, and you also have to send them the BIOS file
to flash into the chip. You also send them $25. They send you a chip.

This tool can be used to easily remove the PLCC from the socket. A
tool similar to this, but perhaps a cheaper version, may come with
the PLCC from badflash.com . I don't really know, what they include
in the package. So if you don't have any tools at all, this tool
can be used to ease the chip out. You don't put chips back with this,
and you push them back into place with your thumb. It takes a bit of
force to get them to snap in the first time. And they have to be put
back in the same orientation as they came out. There are seven different
ways to do it wrong (and some of those, cause the chip to burn).

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062619

If you didn't want to deal with badflash.com , there is also the
BIOS Savior product, from ioss.com.tw . But I'm not sure that
many computer retailers carry that product any more - there
are five or more versions, and you have to figure out which one
to buy, which is never easy. IOSS don't have a product now, to
handle the biggest flash chips. Some motherboards come with
1MB flash chips, and there isn't a BIOS Savior for them.

The BIOS Savior adds a second flash chip. It includes a toggle
switch. By flipping the switch, you can flip from one BIOS image
to the other. Which is a quick way to move between two BIOSes.
Someone who has used it, claims he also clears the CMOS, when
changing from one image to the other. So then you set up the
BIOS settings again.

Based on what I've seen in the MS-7093 manual so far, I don't
think I'd bother.

Computers like the HP, may "key" their recovery CDs to the BIOS.
If you put in the MSI BIOS, then want to use the recovery CD to
reinstall the HP copy of WinXP, then the installer may complain if
it doesn't see the HP BIOS. That is why I'm emphasizing schemes
that make changing the BIOS back, easy, for when that day comes.
As I'm not familiar with all the details of how keying works with
HP/Dell/Gateway, you should do a bit more research yourself, as
to what effect a change to BIOS or hard drive makes.

HTH,
Paul

On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:54:59 -0800, ShadowTek wrote:

I have an MS-7093 motherboad that I got with an HP PC. The HP BIOs
version is stripped all to hell, with nothing more left than the
absolute minimum settings.

Would it be possible to install the actual MSI BIOs instead of the HP
version? If I could do that, I could have access to MANY more options,
including overclocking.

There is a backup copy of the BIOs burnt in, so that you can "press F5
to load default setup". If I did flash an incompatible BIOs, would I
still be able to load that backup copy? Or would all be lost?

I can't answer the question you asked but I can give you some general
tips about this. I did the same thing with an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
motherboard that came in a Compaq. The MSI BIOS flasher doesn't recognize
the HP BIOS so it won't burn the new BIOS unless you give it a switch to
force it, /F. After flashing the BIOS the system was completely dead
until I cleared the CMOS RAM. After I cleared the CMOS RAM it was fine.

I looked in the BIOS section of the manual, and I don't see a place to set the CPU input clock. The DRAM timing section, allows you to set CAS (but not the other three).

Yeah, that's one of the things I wanted access to. I was having some
trouble with "bad" RAM a while back, and thought it would be nice to
be able to relax some of the timings when troubleshooting in the
future.

I forgot about the "BIOs key" issue for software bundles. That would
be a problem, so long as I use Windows for this PC.

I didn't know that there was anything that could be done for screwed
up BIOs. I'll keep that website in mind if I have any future
problems.

Another reason I wanted the "real" BIOs is just so I can know what the
current settings are. All the user changeable settings that HP
stripped out of it would have been preset by them to some particular
value. But, of course, they don't give any documentation about it, and
when you try to ask customer support, they won't tell you anything
useful.

Oh well, I guess I will just stick with what I have now. I just wanted
to get some input on what my options were.

Thanks