m17xR4 Bios Mod - Legacy Support 900 Series Gpu, Updat CPU Microcode, Lan, iRST, Trim RAID0, etc....

Hey Everyone,
I guess to start off, I want you ALL to know that I do NOT own the 17R4, so my knowledge is limited. HOWEVER, bios modding tends to be fairly similar, even between models AND manufacturers. So, I decided to port ALL of the updates that I did on the m18xr2, to your bios on the alienware 17r4!
So, here is what I've done so far.

I updated the LAN & PXE Boot firmware, CPU Microcode for the CPU's that had updates available, and the GOP Policy as well. I also updated the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (iRST) Legacy OpRom to v12.9.0.2006 AND the iRST SataDriver (Also known as the Intel RST EFI Raid Rom), too. These iRST ROMs have been modded to give you TRIM support on RAID-0, and this mod is confirmed to work. (I used in the m18xr2, and it's working perfectly!) I can update you OpRom & EFI Rom to newer version if you'd like, but the down side is that our chipset onl supports this version and supposedly this version or v11 works the BEST on the HM77 Chipset. I've also updated the the Bios to give Legacy Support on 900 Series nvidia GPU's (Of all brands).

I am in the process of having these mods tested. I can confirm that ALL the mods DID work just fine. However, the legacy support for 900 series GPU's mod didn't work in the 1st test. So, I've given the testers another modded bios to try, and they are to get back to me soon. I'll keep you informed on any progress, OR setbacks, that we may have! Keep your fingers crossed!! I hope you all like this. Once I know it's working and not causing trouble / problems, it'll be released. And the ONLY mod that is not working, is theLEGACY SUPPORT with 900 series GPU's. I will update you when there is new news!

Thanks,
Swick

PS Keep your finger, toes, arms, legs, and eyes crossed... We can use all the luck in the world! LoL

 

Hell yes... I have an R4 with 980M installed on the way.

 

y everyone...
I need testers! I've got a mod with MANY UPDATES for your 17xr4. In fact, I've done ALL the updates I could, just like the m18xr2. You have CPU microcode updated, m.2 support, nvmv support, vBios updated for both hd3 & hd4xxx, Intel RST(EFI) updated to 12.9.0.2006 and Intel RST (Legacy OpRom) 12.9.0.2006, updated the LAN Firmware & PXE Boot from 2.0.5.9 to 2.0.6.6, updated the GOP Policy, updated the GOPDrivers for Intel Ivy Bridge and the GOP Drivers for SandyBridge. Updated vBios from 2132 to v2171 (Forgot to mention the version above), SO FAR these are confirmed. Also, the RST Update gives you TRIM support on RAID0! I can confirm that because it's the same mod I used on the m18xr2 and it works perfectly! In fact, I can update the iRST to version 13 OR 14, BUT... these version are BUILT / MADE for your system. The higher version do not have the support that you get from v10 - v12, but I can mod the higher version v13 & 14 to give you support, but you wont get better performance from what I've found in my research. Let me know if you still want the newer version as I can give that if wanted. I just suggest staying away from the newer version above 12.9 as v12.9.0.2006 gives us the best support, speed, etc... The ONLY other version that MAY give better performance is 11.6 or 11.8 (can't remember exact version), but one of those MAY perform better though I doubt it. LMK what you want...

Anyway, I hope others will be willing to test as I only have 1 tester at the moment. I need MORE, assuming you guys even want this! If not, I'll stop modding this as I dont want to waste my time. The ONY thing I'm trying to figure out is LEGACY SUPPORT, but I need testers!
Get back to me ASAP!!!

Swick

 

hi Swick would it be possible to get the mSATA port to run at sata3 speeds? (all 3 drives running at sata3)

 

Hey @JAY8387 ,
I DO NOT believe that is possible as those speeds are hardware based. I will look into it and see if anything is possible. BUT, do NOT hold your breath, as it's unlikely ANYTHING like that can be done! (Sorry)!

Swick

 

I'm in, if you're still looking for testers!

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

 

The SATAIII limitation is because of the CPU Ivy Bridge, I'm afraid that's not possible but IIRC the Svl7 BIOS mod, makes one of the SATA port run at SATAIII speeds but was unstable, the Svl7 unlocked BIOS has many options, flash it, try it out !

M17x R4 owners know well, try at techinferno where the mod is hosted...GL

 

The SATA speed issue was a M17x R3 issue...not M17x R4. R4 has native support for 2 SATA III ports, which are HDD0 and HDD1, not msata. M17x R3 had speed issues on HDD1 so later bios updates only gave SATAIII to port 0, but svl7 modded it to give sata III to both hdd0 and hdd1

 

Yeah sorry you guys are right for some reason i thought Ivybridge supported more than 2 sata 3 connections & that it could of been fixed like svl7 did on the M17x R3. Should of checked before i asked

But i would be interested in testing your bios mods.

also would you be able to improve to the fan tables / allow for better adjustment of them (like adding hysteresis) as from memory in svl7's i can adjust the high & high high set temps & speeds but nothing more

 

Hey Jay,

I'll have to take a look at it and see what I can do.
However, I'm now trying to port legacy mode into the m17xR4. Don't know if it's possible, BUT... I need testers. Are you willing to test?

 

Yes

 

I will be more than happy to test this when I get my machine.

Sent from my overpriced Galaxy S6 Edge +

 

I realise that you're modding the 17xR4 but have you by any chance modded the BIOS for the M17xR3??

I downloaded and flashed a fully unlocked BIOS for my M17xR3 however I had a problem in that it would freeze during booting to Windows 10 several times from a cold boot. After about 6 or 7 attempts it would boot OK.

I am very clean to test any modded BIOS for my M17xR3 if you have any. Thanks.

BTW - I have gone back to the standard Alienware BIOS for the moment.

 

you mean sata 3 6g specifically ?

 

I have a AW17 on the way, if you go that route in future - willing to test.

 

M17x R4 != AW17

Nothing can be done for the Alienware 17 since there is no way to flash the BIOS without SPI programmer.

Also impossible on the M17x R4 due to chipset limitation, HM77 can only support 2 SATA 6Gbps ports, no more. No amount of BIOS hacks can change physical chipset limitation

 

So something is special about the AW17 bios ?
I don;t know this SPI lingo your using...

 

About the BIOS itself...no, it's an ordinary Insyde bios. However, the flashing mechanism is different, and requires a Dell signed BIOS to be flashed. The moment you modify the BIOS, the checksum changes, and the BIOS must be re-signed, or else the flashing utility will NOT flash it. If you have a hardware programmer (SPI programmer), you can just pull the chip and manually program your new BIOS to it, but this is more work than 99% of people are willing to do.

 

Are there advanced menu values hidden or they got wiped out?

 

They are hidden, svl7 unlocked them and released an internal unlocked BIOS, but like i said, it had to be hardware flashed.

 

It's not so hard. In Poland you can just give the mobo to the service and tell them to force write bios on pendrive for about 50$. I think You should think about writing a little guide and give the bios to these who want it but keep it private. Or just tell them there's bios available and if you know how to hardware flash it then you can get it. I think poeple will also pay for it if the price would be small enough.

 

I do not have the BIOS any more, and svl7 has long been awol. I got rid of my Alienware 17 3 years ago