Compal JFL92 Latest Bios?

Hey everyone, just wonderin whats the latest bios for the Compal JFL92 and where to DL it

 

Compal site, is the safest way to DL it. Although your vendor could also send it to you if required.

 

Only update the BIOS when needed!!!!

 

What BIOS are you using now?

 

(JFT02116 is newest BIOS for all IFL90/IFL91/IFT00/IFT01/JFL92/JFT02).

And this is no joke.

 

I'm not laughing Sorry, I'm.

How is your project coming?

 

Isn't it coming a new BIOS, a 117?

 

Yep BIOS is getting ready almost. project is going fine need takes more time so reply on any quetions here ins't going to be so great but il be back.

 

help me, I'm stupid (and FIND is broken today, for some reason)!

I've downloaded the HP USB drive boot software, and built what should be a bootable floppy image on my thumb-drive, along with the JFT02116 folder containing my bios-update files, but for the life of me, cannot remember how to make the laptop actually boot from this. I went into BIOS setup, and tried moving the 'FDD' option up to the top of the boot device list, but the only thing that happened was Windows came up and said it couldn't boot the last time (wtf?!?) and gave the usual options 'boot in restricted mode', 'boot normally', I forget the rest.

 

found it - hit F12 at bootup time, and pick the usb option...

But it won't boot from it -- invalid or non-system disk.

Grrr, it's friggin' 2008, you'd think there'd be a way to update BIOS from within Windows by now...

 

Then you have not made a valid bootable disk, you must also put in the root the DOS files.

 

I grabbed these two programs:

HP Drive Key Boot Utility
HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

I downloaded a DOS 6.2 .img file

I ran the first utility, and specified where my .img file was. This left my thumb-drive with all of 52kb free -- not near enough to put the flash software on.

So, I copied all those files OFF the thumb drive into a folder on my hard disk.

Next, ran the Storage Format Tool, and told it to create a DOS Startup Disk, and from the folder that I'd just put the DOS files from previous step on. Confirmed it had command.com, io.sys, and msdos.sys

Then I added my folder with the IFL-flash files.

Just tried it again, but it's still not a bootable drive. What am I doing wrong?

 

PM to REPARAQU he has a web site with the exact steps to make a bootable USB drive. If you cannot reach him, let me know and I willassit you.

 

Hi, in case you haven't solved your issue, here is the way I did it;

1. DL the DOS files into your HDD using the following link: http://www.gamebeat.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1057

• Just follow the instructions to DL the DOS files into your USB drive.

2. Use the HP application to transform the USB drive into a bootable one, enter the HDD place where you DOS files are on the cell requesting for it.
3. DL your new BIOS to your HDD.
4. Create a directory called BIOS on your USB drive.
5. Then execute the compressed BIOS file in your HDD and instruct it to save the extracted files into your BIOS USB directory.
6. Re-boot your laptop and press F12, choose booting from USB drive.
7. This will bring you to the C:\ prompt.
8. Make sure you are in the root typing CD\ and press enter.
9. Go to the BIOS directory typing CD\BIOS and press enter.
10. Then type JFT02116 and press enter and follow the instructions.

Make sure you have backed up your important files and that you have handy the crisis driver in case things go wrong, remember the Murphy’s law.


Let me know if this worked for you.

 

That was the same web-page I resorted to when trying to get it working. I do see that I have an older version of the Disk Storage Format tool, however, so I'll give that a try later.

 

Ok, let me know if works.

 

Got it, and successfully updated my BIOS - seems the newer version of that USB Disk Storage Format tool did the trick.

Sadly, it didn't help my TF2 video lag.

 

Which NVIDIA 8600M driver are you using, Windows Update will offer the 167.59 version and this works great.
Please let me know if this driver will solve you video lag.

 

I'm the stupid one now, what do you mean by TF2 video lag?

 

I would guess it's the Team Fortress 2 game has a video lag.

 

Yeah, my favorite game is Team Fortress 2, and for months, it's been performing flawlessly on my IFL-90.

But from time to time, Valve pumps out updates, and it made the game start playing with exceedingly low framerate. It'll start out at a nice 100 fps or so, with high details, then over the period of a few minutes, slowly drop down to a completely unplayable 9 fps. Then back in a quiet area, it'll jump up to oh 40-50, then right back into 9-15, eventually it just gets stuck down there, and never changes 'til the map does, and that seems to reset things back to speedy, but the cycle repeats. (Even if I turn the graphics details way down, and reduce the resolution to absolute minimum [640x480], the only difference is that instead of starting out at 100fps, I start out at 190+ fps, same pattern, and same extreme slowdown into the teens).

Updating the BIOS was the one thing remaining on the list of things I've got control over, that might make some possible difference with video performance.

I can play Quake4 and Doom3 at high details/high resolution with no slowdowns, and it's NOT overheating. Have seen quite a few people who have nVidia 8-series video cards and faster CPU's that are complaining about the same thing.

 

How much memory do you have?

 

that problem almost sounds like a memory leak. When I get my laptop back wed, I'll try TF2 and see if I have the same issue.

 

I've got 4GB in my laptop, but running XP most of the time. Even when I am running TF2, I've usually got more than 1GB free.

@ custom90gt - would be most interested in hearing your report. Use the 'cl_showfps 2' command in the console, and then jump on a crowded server and play on the same map for more than a few minutes (Dustbowl exercises this bug for me everytime, if the round lasts for a while, and there's a good crowd).

 

I would also suggest that you test your memory, using any application and see if all the memory is recognized bu the OS.

 

Well, apparently that BIOS update really did do the trick, the game works great again now (even before the just-pushed-out TF2 update this evening). Can't explain why it still seemed crappy when I first tried after the BIOS update, other than to say "eh, friggin' computers..."

 

Is the OS, it takes a couple of times to boot correctly and to learn the memory useage, is just the way it has been written, I had the same experience. I agree w/r the friggin computers thing.

 

Which driver version are you using with the Graphic Card.
Windows Vista gets the offer trough the windows update to install the NVIDIA 8600M GT driver version 167.59.
I am using this driver for several months and I like this driver very much.
OC is still working games like Gears of War, Medal of Honor Airborne, Crysis, Dirt, Call of Duty 4 and other new games are running fine with 1280 x 1024.

 

I should try that, I have a lower driver, last time I tried to install that driver the system didn't allow me to.

 

I should agree with RePaRaQu for Windows Vista driver version 167.69 works great. It is especially noticeable with Aero performance.

 

Final update (well, hopefully):

Someone on forums.steampowered.com suggested that I might be overheating, which I initially disregarded -- the fans weren't blowing like crazy, and the laptop never felt all that warm.

But after exhausting everything else I could think of, I think this might've been the problem all along. I installed some temp-monitor software, and ran TF2 in a window, until the framerate turned to sh*t: sure enough, my cpu cores were in the mid-80's (C), and gpu was at 76, and surely the biggest impact - cpu was running at 1200 MHZ to try and cool down.

I moved some papers and jumbled-up cords that were semi-obstructing the rear air-vent, and things are running much cooler now - TF2 didn't stutter one bit after that - and cpu cores never got above 80.

/me crosses his fingers...

 

Still 80C is a lot to my opinion.

 

No that's okay, mine will go up to 88C when running heavy apps and fully loaded.

 

Any news about the version 117 BIOS? I miss it a lot. ChiLung said it will let me set the NX bit, wich I need for testing W2k8 Hyper-V (and to make Vista safer).

 

I will check the new version, and keep you informed.

 

Will this 117 work on IFL90?

 

Thx a lot RePaRaQu!

 

no news about the 117 bios version, but I am testing a new beta version at this time.
Further details and info will be released when it's set to official and it will be completed with changelog details and a fix list.

 

Big fixes?

 

any news yet on it

 

Nothing yet?

 

So far no news, the BIOS will not be updated unless some issue is detected or other kind of hardware update is needed to be detected correctly or by the BIOS.

 

Thanks, RePaRaQu, however this is no good news. Missing NX bit is not enough issue? Can You tell me, how can I set DEP (NX bit) till then?

 

For this time only my answer will be I don't have any solution for it.

 

I plan to buy 50 JFL92 but DEP is an essenial for me. Is it sill missing ? If it really is i don't understand Compal. This function is available in every notebook right now and and lack of DEP will push me to different Vendor.... Please let me know if the support is already there...

 

DEP is an OS, not a mobo thing. Plus, DEP causes a lot of problems and people normally disable it.

 

Unfortunatelly, not. DEP is a processor feature which must be enabled via BIOS which is definitely a part of the MOBO. There's a software DEP but it its useless for me.... There's a tool called Securable which checks for DEP funcionality. On JFL92 it says that it's available (my T8100 supports it) but IS DISABLED. Then the program says to enable DEP (or whatever it's called NX etc.) in MOBO BIOS.... Waiting for Compal to do this finally. I'm sure that i'm not the only person who waits for it. It prevents me from using Hyper V, other users are prevented for using some security features in Vista working with hardware DEP.... :cry:

 

You are right, I checked and it even says it at the bottom of the window that my IFL90 doesn't support DEP through HW but it does with SW.

Thank you for the clarification.

Compal BIOS really sucks, it doesn't give me many options in mine, and it is for a good reason (protect the users against themselves ) but still it limit the usage to the more computer familiar people.

 

RePaRaQu If you are from Compal or can direct someone from Compal to this forum thread so they can try address this problem.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=219231&page=5

It is related to IFL90 getting stuck on BIOS-logo.

My preliminary observations were wrong and even after BIOS-update to 1.16 my laptop still hangs from time to time but right now it doesn't happen that often. If I am correct it has something to do with power supply because quite often it hangs after a power cord has been connected to laptop. Especially if a computer was started shortly after the connection was made.

Here you can see a similar problem but with a different model

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=263029

 

Any news about BIOS 1.17 ?? Can someone send me a beta bios to test it ? Thx