Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (
More info?)
Thanks for the reply. I think I found the chip. Here's what it says..
SK8N1
1001
5F32
GMV18
BIOS 1001
What stinks is I already paid for the AMD FX-51 and can't return it.
If it is BIOS 1001, I guess I'll have to send the BIOS chip to
badflash.com. Again, thanks for all your help.
On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 05:25:41 -0400, nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:
>In article <al9ug0d8ip58qa9vij49peg83ta0mn4qsu@4ax.com>, RDellinger
><rdellinger@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> I have 2 matched sticks of ram and 2 36gig raptor hard drives. I've
>> already swapped the power supply with no luck. Is the BIOS revision
>> also stenciled in the motherboard near the motherboard model #, ie.
>> SK8N?If it is, then it shows rev. 1003. Thanks for your reply.
>
>That is the revision of the motherboard printed circuit board.
>The revision number is revved any time the copper tracks on
>the motherboard are changed. Normally, it would read something
>like 1.03 and be printed in silk screened white letters, just
>like the motherboard name.
>
>What you are looking for, is the paper label on the socketed
>flash EEPROM chip. The flash chip has leads on four sides (PLCC),
>and the chip sits in a socket. Now, the fun begins when you try to
>correlate what is on the label, with what is available on
>the download site. I cannot guarantee that I can figure out
>what you've got, but it is all you have to go on. As the
>cpusupport web page says FX-51 won't boot without BIOS 1003,
>it is something to check. Apparently, if you were to plug
>an Opteron in there, it is supposed to boot up as slick
>as can be. (Sometimes the number on the label, corresponds to
>a string in one of the BIOS files, near the end of the file.
>I use a hex editor, and download all the BIOS files, and try
>and match them up that way.)
>
>I don't understand why Asus didn't put the Voice POST chip
>on this board. I bet the SK8N board wasn't cheap to buy, and
>there is room on the left hand side of the board for more
>circuitry. The Voice POST chips aren't that expensive in
>volume, and Asus uses a lot of them.
>
>Another diagnostic device that is sometimes useful, is
>a "port card". This is a device with two LED displays on it,
>and the BIOS code makes blind writes to I/O port 80 while
>the POST code is running. The numbers shown on the display
>represent the routine currently executing. If the BIOS
>gets stuck, the number on the display then represents what
>routine it got stuck in. These cards are sometimes sold on
>Ebay, for in the neighbourhood of $29.95 or so. The pictures
>I've seen, show a card that can plug in a PCI slot, or an ISA
>slot, by rotating the card 90 degrees. Since your motherboard
>is beeping, that means at least some BIOS code is running.
>At least one motherboard manufacturer integrates this two
>digit display, right into the motherboard. The display is a
>lot more useful than Voice POST.
>
>HTH,
> Paul
>
>>
>> On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 00:41:36 -0400, nospam@needed.com (Paul) wrote:
>>
>> >In article <rkpsg0h2t15272o6b1cprij5m77r0jub5g@4ax.com>, RDellinger
>> ><rdellinger@cox.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Still having problems with new install. Originally, I wasn't getting
>> >> any beeps, no video, and even the hard drives didn't seem to spin. I
>> >> swapped memory and power supplies and still the same except I get a
>> >> beep but this is after waiting maybe 10 seconds. Aren't usually the
>> >> beep codes heard in less than half that time?
>> >
>> >On my computer, it takes 30 seconds to a minute, for the BIOS
>> >to figure out no keyboard is connected. The fact that 10 seconds
>> >have passed means this time the BIOS got further through the power
>> >on self test (POST) process.
>> >
>> >SK8N motherboard
>> >AMD FX-51 CPU
>> >KVR333X72RC25/512 (don't know how many sticks)
>> >Power supply - model number, brand ?
>> >Number of disk drives ?
>> >
>> >If the drive isn't spinning, either that means
>> >one of (+5V, +12V) is not withint spec (overloaded),
>> >or the BIOS has specifically issued a command to
>> >park the drive. A cheap multimeter, applied to a drive
>> >connector (to check +5 and +12) and applied to the six
>> >pin AUX power connector (to check +3.3V), will tell you
>> >whether the supply is at fault.
>> >
>> >http://www.asus.com.tw/support/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx
>> >
>> > AMD Athlon 64 FX-51 ALL 1003
>> >
>> > System will not boot with this processor
>> > before updaing to version 1003
>> >
>> >Check the paper label on the flash chip, to see
>> >what revision it is running. You may need to
>> >install an Opteron, in order to flash the BIOS.
>> >
>> >Also note, there is a thread on Abxzone, where the
>> >flashing process needs the use of a particular command
>> >line option. One of the BIOS downloads contains an .exe
>> >to do the flashing, and that .exe apparently sets the
>> >options for programming the flash. The other BIOS
>> >versions on the download page also have warnings about
>> >how not to flash. The people on Abxzone experienced
>> >non repeatable conditions on their SK8N boards,
>> >where sometimes the board would boot and sometimes
>> >not, when using the early BIOS.
>> >
>> >Given you are using an FX-51, and there were issues
>> >with BIOS prior to the 1003 release version, a BIOS
>> >update is most likely to help. You just may need
>> >an Opteron in the socket in order to do it. An
>> >alternative, is to send the flash chip to badflash.com
>> >and have a later version of BIOS flashed into it.
>> >
>> >HTH,
>> > Paul