Re: New CPU installed! error

In article <1139523559.330915.87860@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Dion
Macale" <dionmacale@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi,

i just flashed the bios up to version 1006, as i did not want to
install a more recent beta version, however the problem persists.

i am not really sure where to go from here

OK, try the following tests.

1) Get a copy of Asus Probe. Go to support.asus.com.tw, select
Download, type "tools" into the upper left search box. The
returned list of tools should include Asus Probe version 22308,
suitable for Win2k/WinXP. Install Asus Probe. You should not
have to restart.

There should be an Information tab, and a DMI Explorer option.
DMI Explorer dumps the text strings stored in the DMI/ESCD.
Click the processor item on the left hand column.
For my 2.8GHz/FSB800/512KB Northwood, it tells me the
family is 0F29 and there is an extended BFEBFBFF value as
well (and I don't know right off hand what that value means).
In any case, what we are checking here, is what the BIOS has
managed to record and write to the DMI. The value itself
doesn't have any value, except when we compare the output to
the other utilities.

There is a picture of Asus Probe here, except the processor
item hasn't been highlighted here yet. This is what you
see when first entering the DMI Explorer tab.

http://www.benchmark.co.yu/tests/mainboards/asus/cubx/probe5.jpg

2) Install the Intel Processor Identification tool.

This tools is pretty anemic, but has one piece of information
of interest.

http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df-external/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=1881&lang=eng

Once pidenu06.msi is installed, the tool should confirm one
of the values above. The 0F29 family string should be
verifiable. The other tidbit of value with this tool,
is the "revision". The "revision" in this case, is actually
the revision of the microcode loaded into the processor.
The microcode is the greater of the revisions found in the
BIOS or as delivered by the Windows microcode loader, depending
on the version of OS. In this case, a value of 0 for the
revision is bad, and means neither the BIOS nor the OS
loaded microcode.

3) The third tool is CPUZ (www.cpuid.com). There is a text
dump option, which records all sorts of hardware info.
CPUZ will have the 0F29 value as well. (Unfortunately,
I don't see the "revision" recorded, so you'll have to
get that from step 2 above.) You will also find a line
with the string "Function 1" in the text dump and the right-most
column will have the magic BFEBFBFF string I found in the
DMI Explorer in step one. Again, the DMI contents for that
eight character hex number, should match the CPUZ value
currently being read out.

If the tools don't have matching info, it means DMI/ESCD is
not getting updated. If the "revision" in step 2 is 0, then
further work will be needed on your BIOS version. (There are
BIOS toola for extracting the microcode file, and with some
luck, reading the revision of the microcode being used.)

Since CPUZ is most detailed, you could post the contents from
the text dump tool, removing whatever parts of it that seem
pointless (like your disks or I/O ports etc).

I know this is a lot of work, but that is "science" for you :-)

HTH,
Paul
.

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