upgrading the bios of an oem motherboard

The Captain · February 1st, 2003

My computer is kinda slow (PIII 500mhz) so I wanted to try to overclock it a little bit. However, it's an HP Pavilion 8566C. I found out that it had an ASUS P2B-VT OEM motherboard, meaning that HP modified the motherboard (eg. integrated video). I want to know if it is safe to use an unofficial bios rather than the HP one. Oh, and considering that I am able to overclock my cpu, how would I be able to tell if it gets too hot since the case/mobo/cpu has no thermometer?

**Yeloazndevil** · February 1st, 2003

I would stick with the official one since it is safer, I'm not sure if u can use a unofficial bios just wait for the many tech ppl here

The Captain · February 1st, 2003

I did some more researching. It seems that my mobo uses the Intel 440 BX chipset.

*EDIT* I also found out that it uses a Phoenix bios. The update I found is located at http://www.centrix-intl.com/p2b.htm. Again, I stress that the mobo in that picture has the same chipset, but is different because it was modified by HP.

February 1st, 2003

Hmmm using a bios that does not have support for your internal hardware could have some negative effects. It may work but simply no longer detect your onboard card.

Or it may not work at all. It's kind of risky In my opinion.

Have you seen anyone else with this board who can tell you what happens from experience? I wouldn't risk it IMO.

**cooliscool** · February 1st, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by ChrisRay
Hmmm using a bios that does not have support for your internal hardware could have some negative effects. It may work but simply no longer detect your onboard card.

Or it may not work at all. It's kind of risky In my opinion.

Have you seen anyone else with this board who can tell you what happens from experience? I wouldn't risk it IMO.

In his profile it says he has a GF2 TI, so it not detecting the video would be a good thing.

I say go for it.

February 1st, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by cooliscool

In his profile it says he has a GF2 TI, so it not detecting the video would be a good thing.

I say go for it.

Thats assuming the board will even boot ^^. Obviously its a good thing. But I'm not sure how the board will react to his jumpers which have obviously disabled unboard video.

**cooliscool** · February 1st, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by ChrisRay

Thats assuming the board will even boot ^^. Obviously its a good thing. But I'm not sure how the board will react to his jumpers which have obviously disabled unboard video.

That's true.

I still say take the quantum leap.

The Captain · February 1st, 2003

>But I'm not sure how the board will react to his jumpers which have obviously disabled onboard video.

Actually, the mobo is jumperless as far as I can tell. Anyway, this has sorta become a mute point since I found out that I have the latest drivers for this mobo. The problem is that there is almost nothing in the bios that will allow to change anything-->no video, cpu, or other kind of settings. About the only thing that is there allows me to set master and slave drives.

**cooliscool** · February 1st, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by The Captain
>But I'm not sure how the board will react to his jumpers which have obviously disabled onboard video.

Actually, the mobo is jumperless as far as I can tell. Anyway, this has sorta become a mute point since I found out that I have the latest drivers for this mobo. The problem is that there is almost nothing in the bios that will allow to change anything-->no video, cpu, or other kind of settings. About the only thing that is there allows me to set master and slave drives.

Dude.. just go for it. Trust me, i have a feeling you'll be ok.

The Captain · February 1st, 2003

>Dude.. just go for it. Trust me, i have a feeling you'll be ok.

I would, but what I was trying to say is that I can't find any updated drivers for mobo.

**cooliscool** · February 1st, 2003

Quote:

Originally posted by The Captain
>Dude.. just go for it. Trust me, i have a feeling you'll be ok.

I would, but what I was trying to say is that I can't find any updated drivers for mobo.

That shouldn't interfere with the BIOS.

hnayoung · February 1st, 2003

Well, I can understand your worries and problems. I also have an HP....I so regret ever buying it. Everything in it is OEM, integrated, or really generic pieces of crap. I just got a soundblaster audigy 2 platinum and it wasn't working too well. So I looked inside...stupid HP gave me a 160 watt power supply and I knew that was the problem. I've ordered a new 500 watt power supply so once that comes in we'll see if the problems go away.

Anyways, I got off the topic a little bit but yeah, the most recent drivers HP has for my comp are 2 years old. I'm guessing that's the same case as with you.

My mobo is a modified asus board...I've looked for drivers on the asus site and they do have it but I've heard that it isn't really recommended to use these bioses since we have the modified boards. If you do try and flash the bios to your motherboard with one of these other bioses you run the risk of your system not even booting up, which means you've got a dead mobo. It's too big of a risk if you ask me and honestly I'd just save up some money and get a new mobo. P-III mobo's are real cheap these days....although if i were you I'd save up for a P4 mobo.

hope this helps

The Captain · February 1st, 2003

Huh. Sorry, I just don't understand. There are no more drivers for my mobo that I can find. I looked on google, but as far as I can tell, they don't exist.

**cooliscool** · February 1st, 2003

Mobo drivers don't affect your bios support or vice versa. Just flash the frickin bios.

hnayoung · February 1st, 2003

you're right the drivers for your mobo probably don't exist which is why you will need to upgrade your mobo if you so desire to

**Demigod** · February 1st, 2003

I don't recommend you do this. You could seriously mess up your computer, flashing with an incompatible BIOS. If you have the latest version then just keep it.

hnayoung · February 1st, 2003

exactly, demigod is right. Don't try and flash your mobo with some other bios if there isn't one.

Chinoz · February 1st, 2003

Well..HP gave you a modfied BIOS..i'm sure they tinkered something in there to prevent you from flashing an unofficial one. Unless you're really thru with your board, don't do it.

Chinoz · February 1st, 2003

Btw captain, just wanna tell you that you can get cheap p4 mobo's and processors...

P/s forget abt p3. I have a slot 1 p3 450 (100MHz FSB). I pushed it up to 124MHz FSB..got it to a "stunning" 540MHz (Lame..)...and got absolutely no performance boost. So..my advice for you..get a p4, get a life

February 1st, 2003	#1 (permalink)
The Captain Crono! Wake up! Join Date: May 2002 Location: cyberspace Posts: 1,446	upgrading the bios of an oem motherboard My computer is kinda slow (PIII 500mhz) so I wanted to try to overclock it a little bit. However, it's an HP Pavilion 8566C. I found out that it had an ASUS P2B-VT OEM motherboard, meaning that HP modified the motherboard (eg. integrated video). I want to know if it is safe to use an unofficial bios rather than the HP one. Oh, and considering that I am able to overclock my cpu, how would I be able to tell if it gets too hot since the case/mobo/cpu has no thermometer? __________________ DFI LT X38 mobo, E8400 OC @ 4ghz, 4gb G.Skill DDR2 1066mhz, 8800GTS 320mb (G80), 2 x 150gb WD Raptors in RAID 0, 2 x 320gb media/backup drives, NB & CPU DangerDen waterblocks, BlackIce GTX 360 radiator

February 1st, 2003	#3 (permalink)
The Captain Crono! Wake up! Join Date: May 2002 Location: cyberspace Posts: 1,446	I did some more researching. It seems that my mobo uses the Intel 440 BX chipset. EDIT I also found out that it uses a Phoenix bios. The update I found is located at http://www.centrix-intl.com/p2b.htm. Again, I stress that the mobo in that picture has the same chipset, but is different because it was modified by HP. __________________ DFI LT X38 mobo, E8400 OC @ 4ghz, 4gb G.Skill DDR2 1066mhz, 8800GTS 320mb (G80), 2 x 150gb WD Raptors in RAID 0, 2 x 320gb media/backup drives, NB & CPU DangerDen waterblocks, BlackIce GTX 360 radiator Last edited by The Captain; February 1st, 2003 at 01:29.

February 1st, 2003	#8 (permalink)
The Captain Crono! Wake up! Join Date: May 2002 Location: cyberspace Posts: 1,446	>But I'm not sure how the board will react to his jumpers which have obviously disabled onboard video. Actually, the mobo is jumperless as far as I can tell. Anyway, this has sorta become a mute point since I found out that I have the latest drivers for this mobo. The problem is that there is almost nothing in the bios that will allow to change anything-->no video, cpu, or other kind of settings. About the only thing that is there allows me to set master and slave drives. __________________ DFI LT X38 mobo, E8400 OC @ 4ghz, 4gb G.Skill DDR2 1066mhz, 8800GTS 320mb (G80), 2 x 150gb WD Raptors in RAID 0, 2 x 320gb media/backup drives, NB & CPU DangerDen waterblocks, BlackIce GTX 360 radiator

February 1st, 2003	#10 (permalink)
The Captain Crono! Wake up! Join Date: May 2002 Location: cyberspace Posts: 1,446	>Dude.. just go for it. Trust me, i have a feeling you'll be ok. I would, but what I was trying to say is that I can't find any updated drivers for mobo. __________________ DFI LT X38 mobo, E8400 OC @ 4ghz, 4gb G.Skill DDR2 1066mhz, 8800GTS 320mb (G80), 2 x 150gb WD Raptors in RAID 0, 2 x 320gb media/backup drives, NB & CPU DangerDen waterblocks, BlackIce GTX 360 radiator

February 1st, 2003	#12 (permalink)
hnayoung Surfer Dude Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The Beach Posts: 195	Well, I can understand your worries and problems. I also have an HP....I so regret ever buying it. Everything in it is OEM, integrated, or really generic pieces of crap. I just got a soundblaster audigy 2 platinum and it wasn't working too well. So I looked inside...stupid HP gave me a 160 watt power supply and I knew that was the problem. I've ordered a new 500 watt power supply so once that comes in we'll see if the problems go away. Anyways, I got off the topic a little bit but yeah, the most recent drivers HP has for my comp are 2 years old. I'm guessing that's the same case as with you. My mobo is a modified asus board...I've looked for drivers on the asus site and they do have it but I've heard that it isn't really recommended to use these bioses since we have the modified boards. If you do try and flash the bios to your motherboard with one of these other bioses you run the risk of your system not even booting up, which means you've got a dead mobo. It's too big of a risk if you ask me and honestly I'd just save up some money and get a new mobo. P-III mobo's are real cheap these days....although if i were you I'd save up for a P4 mobo. hope this helps __________________ "What's wrong with taking care of a woman, she takes care of you" System Specs - Asus P4PE mobo, P4 2.53 GHz, 1024 MB DDR 333 PC 2700 ram, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum, 80 GB Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 9 7200 rpm HD, 160 GB Western Digital Caviar, Antec True Power 430 Watt PSU, Chieftec Dragon Case with Clear Side Panel, ATI Radeon 9800, Cendyne 48x16x48 CD-RW, LG 16x DVD-Burner, Hitachi 17" Gamer's LCD Monitor, Asus TV Tuner Card

February 1st, 2003	#2 (permalink)
Yeloazndevil :3 Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 10,140	I would stick with the official one since it is safer, I'm not sure if u can use a unofficial bios just wait for the many tech ppl here

February 1st, 2003	#4 (permalink)
ChrisRay Guest Posts: n/a	Hmmm using a bios that does not have support for your internal hardware could have some negative effects. It may work but simply no longer detect your onboard card. Or it may not work at all. It's kind of risky In my opinion. Have you seen anyone else with this board who can tell you what happens from experience? I wouldn't risk it IMO.

February 1st, 2003	#13 (permalink)
The Captain Crono! Wake up! Join Date: May 2002 Location: cyberspace Posts: 1,446	Huh. Sorry, I just don't understand. There are no more drivers for my mobo that I can find. I looked on google, but as far as I can tell, they don't exist. __________________ DFI LT X38 mobo, E8400 OC @ 4ghz, 4gb G.Skill DDR2 1066mhz, 8800GTS 320mb (G80), 2 x 150gb WD Raptors in RAID 0, 2 x 320gb media/backup drives, NB & CPU DangerDen waterblocks, BlackIce GTX 360 radiator

February 1st, 2003	#14 (permalink)
cooliscool Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Hyda IV Posts: 6,057	Mobo drivers don't affect your bios support or vice versa. Just flash the frickin bios. __________________ Fayt: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8GHz @ 3.0GHz [Allendale] (1333MHz FSB), 2GB Crucial DDR2-800 Dual Channel kit @ 800MHz 4-3-3-10, 512MB BFG nVidia GeForce 7950GT OC (650/1600), Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, MSI P6N-SLi nVidia 650i mobo, 200GB Seagate Barracuda 8MB Cache 7200RPM SATA2 (NCQ), 80GB Seagate Barracuda 8MB Cache 7200RPM SATA2 (NCQ), Lite-On DVD+-RW 16x w/ Lightscribe, Lite-On 16X DVD-ROM, Aspire X-Dreamer II case, Logitech MX518 GG Optical Mouse, Asetek Waterchill kit (distilled water + Red Line Watter Wetter), T.I.M - Arctic Silver Ceramique

February 1st, 2003	#15 (permalink)
hnayoung Surfer Dude Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The Beach Posts: 195	you're right the drivers for your mobo probably don't exist which is why you will need to upgrade your mobo if you so desire to __________________ "What's wrong with taking care of a woman, she takes care of you" System Specs - Asus P4PE mobo, P4 2.53 GHz, 1024 MB DDR 333 PC 2700 ram, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum, 80 GB Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 9 7200 rpm HD, 160 GB Western Digital Caviar, Antec True Power 430 Watt PSU, Chieftec Dragon Case with Clear Side Panel, ATI Radeon 9800, Cendyne 48x16x48 CD-RW, LG 16x DVD-Burner, Hitachi 17" Gamer's LCD Monitor, Asus TV Tuner Card

February 1st, 2003	#16 (permalink)
Demigod これはバタスです Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,811	I don't recommend you do this. You could seriously mess up your computer, flashing with an incompatible BIOS. If you have the latest version then just keep it. __________________ CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 2.66 Ghz (Yorkfield) Mobo: Intel DX48BT2 Memory: 2048 MB PC10600 DDR3 Videocard: PNY Geforce 9800 GX2 PCIe w/ 1024 MB GDDR3 Soundcard: On-board SigmaTel High Definition Audio Hard drive: 300 MB Maxtor & 1 TB Hitachi Optical drive: LG GGW-H20L (2x BD-R DL) OS: Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit)

February 1st, 2003	#17 (permalink)
hnayoung Surfer Dude Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: The Beach Posts: 195	exactly, demigod is right. Don't try and flash your mobo with some other bios if there isn't one. __________________ "What's wrong with taking care of a woman, she takes care of you" System Specs - Asus P4PE mobo, P4 2.53 GHz, 1024 MB DDR 333 PC 2700 ram, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum, 80 GB Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 9 7200 rpm HD, 160 GB Western Digital Caviar, Antec True Power 430 Watt PSU, Chieftec Dragon Case with Clear Side Panel, ATI Radeon 9800, Cendyne 48x16x48 CD-RW, LG 16x DVD-Burner, Hitachi 17" Gamer's LCD Monitor, Asus TV Tuner Card

February 1st, 2003	#18 (permalink)
Chinoz ... Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Desa Park, Key Ell, Malaysia Posts: 2,301	Well..HP gave you a modfied BIOS..i'm sure they tinkered something in there to prevent you from flashing an unofficial one. Unless you're really thru with your board, don't do it. __________________ System specs P4 2.6c \| Abit AI7 \| Radeon 9800pro \| 1024mb kingston ddr400 \| 120gb seagate sata \| 40mb wd \| And all the minor bits and pieces 3dMark2001SE

February 1st, 2003	#19 (permalink)
Chinoz ... Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Desa Park, Key Ell, Malaysia Posts: 2,301	Btw captain, just wanna tell you that you can get cheap p4 mobo's and processors... P/s forget abt p3. I have a slot 1 p3 450 (100MHz FSB). I pushed it up to 124MHz FSB..got it to a "stunning" 540MHz (Lame..)...and got absolutely no performance boost. So..my advice for you..get a p4, get a life __________________ System specs P4 2.6c \| Abit AI7 \| Radeon 9800pro \| 1024mb kingston ddr400 \| 120gb seagate sata \| 40mb wd \| And all the minor bits and pieces 3dMark2001SE

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