driver for AO8 please?

Im having serious issues with the new 8.763 driver and associated BIOS, after updating in that order my pc has been unable to go into sleep and hibernate mode, instead it was unresponsive and had to be forcefully powered down.

I attempted to do "system restore" with the idea that I could return to the old configuration before the BIOS update and the system restore wouldnt complete after a good deal of time (~20+ minutes) so I did another forced shut down.

The following day, the pc goes into a "system repair mode" and there is no way out of it. I have two options 1: to "restore to an earlier point" which again does nothing after a great deal of time and 2: "repair" which does nothing and I am left with "finish and restart" which brings my right back to the beginning.

Should I pull the CMOS battery?

How do I revert back to the previous driver and BIOS? Do I need to "restore to factory settings" and if so how?

Also, has anyone run graphics comparisons between AO7 and AO8 because my windows performance graphics ratings declined from 7.1 to 6.7 and others have also noticed a drop in performance.

How can i downgrade bios in Alienware m17x r2? - Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers


Either way I want to go back to the previous set up, any help with this is greatly appreciated.


M17x R2 i7 720 single HD5870

 

According to the BIOS menu (F2) it is in BIOS A08 now and should be in A09 with the latest BIOS update? Is that the problem?

 

Also: A blue screen is flashing in the start up sequence, is the BSOD? I just unplugged the CMOS. Hopefully this gets me somewhere.

 

update: unplugging cmos battery had no effect, neither did "restore default settings" in the BIOS menu.

Running "start up repair" again as I dont know what else to do.

I also tried starting in safe mode (F8) but that too just looped me around to the beginning with my two options "start windows normally" or "enter start up repair".

HELP!

 

Whoops, nvm. Solution for crossfire, sorry.

 

update: "start up repair" and "system restore" apparently worked, I have gained access to the pc. What should I do from here?

How do I upload the previous driver? How can I tell what driver and BIOS Im currently using? (i believe im still on A08).

 

I think the problem is that I have the 8.763 driver and Im still on BIOS A08 and should be on a AO1?

Anyone?

How do I respawn?

 

Somehow I have managed to download and install the 8.763 driver for use with A01 BIOS (or A09?). And although I downloaded the BIOS in the same thread (this forum, stickied at top) I am still on A08 and have been having some issues with getting my R2 to sleep and hibernate and boot up.

Can anyone help me find the correct driver for A08 and can I just install it at this juncture?

What should I do?

 

I think you are confusing the system bios with the video card bios. These are two totally separate things.

 

How many posts did you exactly start with this? As Sefirothe already said, i think you are confusing normal Mainboard Bios with Video Bios. Refer to this thread, read carefully, try to understand, go thru the procedure of flashing your VBIOS and the new drivers 8.763 should work, also with Sleep Mode. Known issue by the way, without new VBIOS A01.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...70-vbios-discussion-non-beta.html#post6721033

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-2010-incl-vbios-flash-guide.html#post6732264

It's also recommended to use the latest BIOS A09 along GPU VBIOS and the new GPU drivers.

 

Thanks for the help, yes I am very confused as to which bios I am referring to. Initially I followed the instructions in the link to update the VBIOS i believe and the 8.763 driver, and maybe I was on A01 because I was having issues with sleep and hibernate so in my infinite wisdom I assumed I could "undo" the changes by doing system restore.

I am now on A08 with the 8.763 driver. What should I do at this point?

I have taken a hit in graphical quality according to windows performance and other non extreme processor owners have also indicated a drop.

I would like to get out of A08, should I go with A01 or A09 and what is the best way to accomplish this?

M17x R2 i7 720 single HD5870

 

download and run this installer to update the system BIOS to A09
Drivers and Downloads



The 8.763 driver thread is for the Dell 8.763 (which you installed) and the dell updated 5870 VBIOS ( Video).

 

so the 8.763 driver is for use with A09?

 

The system BIOS has nothing to do with the display driver or VBIOS unless specifically stated there is a connection. I'm not sure why you feel that there is a connection between the two.

The connection with the 8.763 driver is with the VBIOS update - and that is only if you have a 5870 GPU(s).

Again, the system BIOS, unless specifically stated in the release notes, has nothing to do with the video driver.

 

My apologies for the confusion, I am new to the M17x and PC modifying and gaming.

This is the BIOS I am referring to, which is a VBIOS:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/519439-17xr1-r2-dell-8-763-driver-4870-5870-gpus-5870-vbios-discussion-non-beta.html

My issue is that my R2 fails to sleep or hibernate since the update.

My BIOS is A08, the update in the above link updates the VBIOS to A01 correct?

How can I tell what VBIOS I am using?

Using GPU-Z I have compared my GPU settings and they match those in the link above.

Should I update my BIOS to A09?

How do I fix my sleep/hibernate issue?

Why did my graphics rating drop in "windows performance rating".

Thanks for the patience.

M17x R2 i7 720 single HD5870

 

at this point you should call dell, i assume that you have some warranty left, and if you do use it. that way if something gets mucked up it will get repaired. if you mess something up you are SOL.

your are confusing the system BIOS with the video card bios, and the the drivers. there are no drivers for a BIOS the bios controls they system board and holds the settings for the computer pre operating system. the VBIOS controls the same for the video card. they are totally separate form each other. gpu-z will tell you which vbios you have.

as for the system bios you can find out which one you have by restarting the computer and pressing F2 at the post screen.

essentially it seems that you shouldn't be doing these things. its nothing to be bashful about but without someone there to walk you through it it might become difficult for you. i would rely on dell since they sold you the machine. the last thing you want to do is brick it.
and don't worry about the windows performance index. it means absolutely nothing. it means nothing that it changed.

 

You fix your Sleep issue by updating VBIOS, only thing i can think of that is not working with BIOS option, is RAM Voltage 1.7 set in BIOS.

Please open GPU-Z and tell us your Video BIOS Version you see in there.

Did you create a CD or USB-Stick to flash VBIOS from Boot-Menu F12 during start up?

Also forget that Windows Performance Index, it's not accurate at all.

 

Thanks for all of the help. Ok the VBIOS as reflected in GPU-Z would be 012.02.000.027.037640

Is there away to adjust the graphics peformance of the GPU?

I remember doing it through some interface when I first received the computer but can remember where.

 

I'm surprised nobody has posted anything back here yet...

There are 2 different BIOSes for the M17x-R2 (i3/i5/i7 CPU). The first is the system BIOS, which is currently at A09. The other is for the Mobility Radeon 5870 graphics cards, which is currently at A01. This second BIOS is called a video BIOS, or VBIOS.

If you are having issues after updating to the latest Dell drivers, it sounds like you need to download and install the A01 VBIOS. As part of this update, you will need either a blank CD/DVD or a USB flash drive (up to 2GB, will be wiped). The package you download will write some files to the disc/drive, and you will then need to boot off the drive in order to perform the update.

Once you have done the update, you can use the ATI/AMD reference drivers rather than the Dell official drivers. You can't use these drivers at all with the original A00 VBIOS.

If you run into more issues, there's a sticky thread about the 8.763 drivers and A01 VBIOS. Have a read through that as there's a lot of good information there.

 

No need for another thread vulcan - please continue with the one you created.

merged threads...