New Bios 1.21B

No readmes

 

Who dares to try it out

 

wonder what it breaks/fixes this time

 

Added cd flasher in the dummy guide.

 

Well someone had to try it:

 

Anything different? I just love the lack of a README alongside a PROPER changelog ://///////

 

I too just flashed to bios 1.21, it works great. However I didnt notice any change as yet.

 

How about CPU temp ? Flashed new BIOS and installed fresh WinXP with newest Intel 8.2.0.1014 drivers. With EVEREST don't show CPU temperature anymore. Shows only "CPU Diode" temperature 33C. One good thing - GPU(OC 490/416) only 45C with XTreme-G MobileForce XP 94.20 M4(thanks for maluckey). Before with default 83.90 nVidia drivers always was 53-58C.

 

It seems to be the new "fashion" from the guys at Compal... I wonder if they are just being lazy or they are hiding something.

So you mean it was working great before and it keeps on doing it?

I don't understand your explanation about CPU temperature. You mean the text in Everest used to be "CPU temperature" and now it's just "CPU Diode"? Do you get differentiated temperatures for both cores, with normal values? Maybe the newest Intel drivers just changed the temperature/diode string and the BIOS has nothing to do with it?

Also, the 45C on the GPU may be due to the new drivers instead of the BIOS? You seem to be implying that 45C is a good temperature (looks so, since yours is overclocked and still shows a pretty low value)

Anyone else noticed anything different. I blindly flashed with the last 118B (no changelogs) and didn't notice anything bad or good...

 

119 had issues with some people for "jumpy" CPU throttling.. does that exist? I flashed up right before I left for work to see if linux would boot (X wont start on my machine with anything over 116b) and it failed.

I'm going to try a liveCD though and see if maybe re-installing X server will fix it.

 

Before flashing BIOS, reinstaling Windows and using Intel 8.2.0.1014 drivers "Everest" always was showing "CPU", "CPU Diode", "GPU" and "HDD" temperatures. "CPU" and "CPU Diode" was difrent temperatures. for example: 51C and 35C. Now shows only "CPU Diode", "GPU" and "HDD"

 

OK, now I've been home and trying to figure out what is wrong...

Using any bios newer then the 116b will kill both linux and windows GUI's.. Just blank black screens.. Back to 116b for me!

 

1.21B, works like a charm since yesterday. Haven't noticed anythng wrong except for an error message regarding an ACPI bug in dmesg. But it seems harmless. I can't say if it runs cooler or not. Think not.

Cheers,

//m.

 

from wher did you download this bios?
i can`t find anything on the compal site

 

well it is on the compal site. but you can go ahead and read 'dummies guide to flashing' or so, the first post in that thread, and just get that ISO and burn it to som cd-rw then boot it and you're done.

That's what I did, the .exe is a .7z archive so you can always extract the iso if you don't have window$.

 

I guess it still does not fix the buggy DSDT table, right?
What kernel are you using? Do you get anything under /proc/acpi/thermal_zone?
Are you the guy using ArchLinux? Custom or standard kernel?
What's the square root of a gazillion?

 

Define buggy DSDT
2.6.21-viper
No, and why would I care, acpi-cpufreq sorts itself out and there is coretemp module for temp monitoring
Yes, as the bottom of my every post says
Reasonably custom I reckon, viper2 like stated above
How much's a gazillion?

 

1.21B appears to throttle the fan properly. The fan is off when I boot into Linux, then if I push the cpu and get the temp up to 46c then the fan spins low. When the cpu hits 54c, the fan runs faster, and at 64c it runs at highest speed.

I've added my thermal zone tweaks to the DSDT table for 121b and after I test them further today, Ill post it to the Linux ACPI site. Although, with the new coretemp driver, the modified dsdt table may no longer be necessary.

-Raliegh

 

OK, I was able to use 1.21B in XP by booting into safemode and removing my nvidia driver, then restarting and installing the stock drivers for the HEL80. So far so good.

 

I just drove up my T7600 CPU (2.33 GHz) to about 95% for several minutes by playing 6-7 videos at the same time, including a couple that are HD H264. Max CPU temperature reached with 1.21B was 68ºC, and the GPU 41ºC, using the 158.22 display driver from NGOHQ.com.

It seems to me that the fan is running at a lower speed - less noise - than previously with 116B/119B.

And, am I the only one for whom custom button #2 fails to work with 119B/121B? It worked fine with 114B & 116B, and key #1 still works. Can anybody make any guesses as to what would influence these buttons' behaviour?

 

Ok after a few day working on my laptop with Bios 1.21B I have noticed that my fingerprint reader wasnt working I tried reinstalling many times without success. The 2nd button of Sidewalker wasnt working either. Now that I switched to Bios 114B everything is working is working as they should.

So I recommend not to flash to Bios 1.21B

 

I also noticed that the power button was acting weird.. you can't hold it down to force off the system, after so many seconds you have to let go of the button to get it to turn off.

Also noticed my GPU temperature was WAY up.. about 35C @ idle.

Back in 116B for me.

 

Isn't that perfectly normal?
Mine is always been around 36C.

 

121B a good bios. The fans cycle a lot nicer than on 119B. BUT! Indeed, I have some troubles with the finger printer, don't even know why to be honest.

The resulting finger prints are, well, just not what I'd expect. It made better scans somewhere before

Example scan follows: http://szklo.eu.org/~imachine/tmp/finger.xpm

 

Just in case it makes a difference to anybody, my fingerprint reader is working OK with 121B. My driver is AuthenTec 7.6.1.13, which I think I downloaded from the Lenovo site. However, I've been using this driver from a time before I flashed 121B, so I can't attest to it's significance.

I'm "glad" to see that I'm not the only one with a non-working #2 Sidewalker button.

 

Personally I've never used the special command buttons (I think you need drivers?) nor the media buttons (I forget about them), but it amazes me how after TWENTY-ONE versions of a BIOS, they not only still have buggy ACPI implementations, but they succeed in breaking stuff that was working before. Plus now they don't even give you a changelog of what the attempted to fix/change.

I guess most of their engineering and development efforts now is going towards the new models...

 

You can use the command buttons except for the two programmable ones (at least I can on Linux) and except for fn+f1 :/ Everything else works and I think even fn+f3 does something as my screen goes blank for a sec if I use it.

What exact buggy ACPI implementations are you referring to? I have not seen anything except for now in the 1.21B one line, but that doesn't seem like anything too off.

<code>ACPI: BIOS bug: multiple APIC/MADT found, using 0
ACPI: If "acpi_apic_instance=2" works better, notify [email protected]
</code>

That's the one I got recently I think as I can't recall seeing it before. The other errors are:

<code>PCI: Bus #07 (-#0a) is hidden behind transparent bridge #06 (-#07) (try 'pci=assign-busses')
Please report the result to linux-kernel to fix this permanently
</code>

and

<code>PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 7 of bridge 0000:00:1c.3
PCI: Cannot allocate resource region 8 of bridge 0000:00:1c.3
*snip*
PCI: Failed to allocate mem resource #6:20000@d0000000 for 0000:01:00.0
</code>

I don't even know what the above two lines stand for, what device and so forth, as all devices so far worked perfectly for me. Whatever else there is, I don't use it it seems.

The lack of changelog is indeed annoying, agreed.

 

Tell me about it. I've been programming (mainframes) for almost 40 years, freelancing for over 25 of those, and if I were to produce code with as many bugs as we're presented with, we'd have banks giving away money and companies going bust. I keep on being amazed at how we got ourselves into such a position where anybody can sell us just about any piece of crap they want. Pathetic, really.

 

'money makes the world go round' - unfortunately, not being any real value itself, these are the results of people doing wild goose-chases after every single pence and penny they might claim. some people tend to forget that money is supposed to be a virtual good made to make good exchange easier, rather than a good itself. oh well.

 

Don't know about Linux, but on Windows, Fn+F3, as indicated by the picture on the F3 key and as is common on just about any laptop, goes through the various display configurations - assuming you have more than one monitor and/or TV connected. So a press of these keys would give you notebook only, then external monitor only, then notebook+external, then whatever other combination is supported by your graphics, etc.

 

yeah that's why it probably just blanks the screen for a sec. Haven't tested with external monitors or anything. Just wanted to give a heads-up that all keys work except for program1/2 and fn+f1, for me, and on Linux that is.

 

No, mine was UP about 35C... meaning while gaming it's in the 90C area.

I'm investigating what might be damage from that BIOS... I can't game now without my video card throttling down from overheating. I'm even back down in v116b.

 

It went HIGHER? Huh. Something's certainly off there Mine stays around 35-40, when gaming about 45-50. Nice. ;]

What version notebook do you have ?

 

I'm idling about 70C on the video in a room that's about 70F, even after going back to 116B. So either that bios broke something, or I magically got a new issue with the cooling on the GPU at the same time.

What do you mean what version?

 

Hi!
Anyone , tests ? EL80 bios 118B
http://www.compal.com/asp/driver_dn...d/NB/HEL80_81/HEL80/Vista For Intel/BIOS/118B

 

pyro, mine's CEL80945PM1. There's PM2's etc.

 

Some question about the GPU-Temperature:
You 've written something about 30-40°C ... which GPU do you have?
My (H)EL80 with a 7600Go is having something around 50°C on direct AC Power, with CPU-Throttling (NHC) and maximum PowerMizer throttling. Furthermore, i reduced the GPU and the GPU-RAM-frequency to 80 Mhz on 2D-Mode (lowest possible GPU-Speed)
greets!

 

mine's at 50 when I game 7600go here. But I have smeared it with liquidmetal. So probably it will be different results for some rubbish paste.

 

Yeah im having ethernet issues after installing that 121B bios. I went waayyy back down to 114B after the problem still plauged me at 116B. I posted the issue in another thread.

On another note, i think this Bios is crap. After i installed it ive had nothing but issues.

 

Well, for me except for the fingerprinter issue, it's the best bios out there so far, so I guess YMMV certainly could be the codename for this release.

 

The only thing remotely like that I can find on my system says cm-2

 

This is what I'm used to for temps in the past.

I've got about 30 log entries now where my GPU has slowed down because it's to hot. I've gotten around this it seems by setting the fan to always be on. But it's still about 20C higher then it used to be.

 

I can't use powermizer using the stock drivers (not sure about others). It will screw up my display and within about 30 seconds the entire system locks up. I've got the 7600GO like all non VBI (look at my signature - I'm surprised you had to ask )

Running stock speeds. Before using BIOS 121 I was on the desktop about 42C (had the system almost a year like this) and gaming in the 60's. Now it's in the 60's on the desktop, and 85+ while gaming. As I've posted, I've had about 30 messages with the videocard slowing down because of heat.

I've got Arctic Silver 5 on my CPU and GPU, and the cooling fans were triple checked for clean and unblocked.

The notebook is suspended in the air using an ergonomic notebook arm, so no vents are blocked and there is no surface below the notebook to be warm or slow airflow. Room is kept around 67F-70F all year long.

 

No idea. Does downgrading to an older bios do magic for you? I mean, it could be just that there's something different with the sensors... tho I doubt it. Perhaphs a sensor driver would be required, I'm not really a Window$ user. Do you get similarly higher temps under Linux?

From what it seems, the 1.21 is a good bios but causes a bit of issues about, probably a next bios will be out there some time soon...

Ps. as regards the VBI/non-vbi, I have a VBI and also 7600go. Just to make that clear

 

Hi there.

I have a HEL80 VBI C2D 7200, GF7600, Fujitso HDD 120GB.

I flashed with this bios, but i now have the following problem.

I'm trying to install Windows XP SP2, when the setup is starting to appear, right after the "Please push so key to start setup", a key is pushed, and the HDD led goes green the screen remains black and the computer doesn't do anything for mor than 5 min.


Can someone try just booting the setup for windows xp, with this bios.

 

I guess that I am the odd man out here. I am using 121b and have zero issues. I don't use the fingerprint reader so I can't comment on it.

I can comment on the fact that gaming is fine, and temperatures are no higher than before. THAT I know. I've been using this BIOS for intense gaming with FEAR, STALKER and HL2. These games are punishing to any system, but run flawlessly with 121b, as they did with 119b.

I would uninstall all drivers, clean the registry of remnants and reinstall current drivers if flashing to this BIOS made issues. The reason is, that if the BIOS were as buggy as claimed, it wouldn't work on ANYONES machine. Thanks to the wonder of mass producing they are all virtually identical.

You'd think that these drivers were responsible for the rainstorm at my wedding, and my getting sick at the fifth grade picnic LOL!!.

 

Except for the fingerprinter being weird and acting up a bit, I too agree that 121B is a good, no, the best so far for me, released bios. The cpu runs cooler, the fans are less often on, everything is great, all buttons work (1,2,web,mail,power), acpi events get properly generated...

It's wonders. One thing I recommend to anyone after the upgrade, clear the TPM in the bios, reset it, and also, reset your bios settings to defaults if the TPM work did not do magic for you.

Afair, the tpm resetting got me some device in and something stopped being a problem in the dmesg, but can't recall what it was, and if it really was that actually... But still, I guess it's worth a shot

Cheers,

//m.

 

Anything newer then the 116B bios and I can't use any other video driver then the stock.. Windows will boot blank..

In linux, I can only use the 'nv' driver when using a newer bios then 116B...

No idea, I'm sure something was updated in the hardware that doesn't work for my machine.

 

What nvidia drivers do you have? I use 100.14.11, they work flawless. Your box should work okay too I guess, it's pretty much the same bios for non-vbi/vbi.

 

So, regarding issues with the Function keys, which are still "in" with the 121b bios?

Do brightness / volume keys still work? Honestly, those are the only ones of concern with me. I'm currently running the 114b bios, but after reading about possible performance increases with the newer bioses, I'm kind of itching to update again.