P4T533-C + 2.66 GHz = BIOS Update Data Incorrect

[Pete Gray]

I just brought a P4T533-C to life with a 2.66 GHz and get the
following message during boot: <BIOS> BIOS update date incorrect.
CPUID=00000F29. I've seen this type of message before, which has
always been corrected by flashing to the latest BIOS. I flashed the
board to BIOS 1010 (the latest), but the message is still there. The
system runs fine otherwise. Anyone have any ideas? Anyone running a
2.66 GHz on this board and not getting the message?

TIA,

Pete

 

[Paul]

I just brought a P4T533-C to life with a 2.66 GHz and get the
following message during boot: <BIOS> BIOS update date incorrect.
CPUID=00000F29. I've seen this type of message before, which has
always been corrected by flashing to the latest BIOS. I flashed the
board to BIOS 1010 (the latest), but the message is still there. The
system runs fine otherwise. Anyone have any ideas? Anyone running a
2.66 GHz on this board and not getting the message?

TIA,

Pete

If the day comes that no more BIOS updates are provided by Asus for a
board, and you have this problem, then CTMC is capable of loading a
microcode update.

http://www.tipperlinne.com/bios6b4.htm

Basically, you need to find another BIOS file that has microcode loaded
for a 0F29 CPUID. You extract the CPUCODE.exe from inside the BIOS
and that file can contain a large number of 2KB microcode files.
The CTMC program is capable of loading one of these 2KB microcode
files into a volatile cache region of the BIOS flash chip. (The
cache gets flushed if you keep swapping in processors with different
CPUIDs, which hardly ever happens. You just repeat the last step
of the procedure to put the microcode back if that ever happens.
Keep the 2KB microcode file safe somewhere, for that day.)

The microcode updates are encrypted chunks of code written by Intel.
The microcode can be used to patch bugs in particular revisions of
processors, and there is no way of knowing whether there is a
serious bug fix in there or not. Some recent Microsoft OS (WinXP ?)
have a microcode "device" driver, that loads the 2KB microcode patch
after Windows is booted. In a case like that, the "unpatched" period
is from when the BIOS starts until the desktop appears. So, if the
machine boots without screwing up, then the Windows microcode driver
fixes any problems. If the patch was key to a good boot up, then the
patch would have to be applied.

The CTMC process is safer than flashing the whole BIOS, because if
the microcode cache segment is ever corrupted, the processor is
designed to reject microcode patches that don't "checksum" properly.
I believe the CTMC program uses a BIOS call and the BIOS does the
actual burning of the 2KB segment. (The BIOS uses this call, every
time it finds a new processor type plugged into the processor
socket, in which case the BIOS transfers a 2KB chunk from its own
CPUCODE.exe into the 2KB cache segment.)

So, the toughest part of this process, will be finding another
motherboard with a later BIOS, and extracting 0F29 from the BIOS
file.

HTH,
Paul

 

[Pete Gray]

If the day comes that no more BIOS updates are provided by Asus for a
board, and you have this problem, then CTMC is capable of loading a
microcode update.

http://www.tipperlinne.com/bios6b4.htm

Basically, you need to find another BIOS file that has microcode loaded
for a 0F29 CPUID. You extract the CPUCODE.exe from inside the BIOS
and that file can contain a large number of 2KB microcode files.
The CTMC program is capable of loading one of these 2KB microcode
files into a volatile cache region of the BIOS flash chip. (The
cache gets flushed if you keep swapping in processors with different
CPUIDs, which hardly ever happens. You just repeat the last step
of the procedure to put the microcode back if that ever happens.
Keep the 2KB microcode file safe somewhere, for that day.)

The microcode updates are encrypted chunks of code written by Intel.
The microcode can be used to patch bugs in particular revisions of
processors, and there is no way of knowing whether there is a
serious bug fix in there or not. Some recent Microsoft OS (WinXP ?)
have a microcode "device" driver, that loads the 2KB microcode patch
after Windows is booted. In a case like that, the "unpatched" period
is from when the BIOS starts until the desktop appears. So, if the
machine boots without screwing up, then the Windows microcode driver
fixes any problems. If the patch was key to a good boot up, then the
patch would have to be applied.

The CTMC process is safer than flashing the whole BIOS, because if
the microcode cache segment is ever corrupted, the processor is
designed to reject microcode patches that don't "checksum" properly.
I believe the CTMC program uses a BIOS call and the BIOS does the
actual burning of the 2KB segment. (The BIOS uses this call, every
time it finds a new processor type plugged into the processor
socket, in which case the BIOS transfers a 2KB chunk from its own
CPUCODE.exe into the 2KB cache segment.)

So, the toughest part of this process, will be finding another
motherboard with a later BIOS, and extracting 0F29 from the BIOS
file.

HTH,
Paul

Paul:

Thanks for the great reply! I checked the ASUS site again and found a
1011.007 beta BIOS for the P4T533-C and that solved the problem,
without introducing any new problems.

Pete