need a k8 microcode update for an Amilo A1630

Recommended by Wim's BIOS...

Hi,
I recently bought an Athlon 64 4000 mobile cpu for my Amilo A1630 notebook.
It seems there is no way to let it work with M$ Windows os...Linux works great maybe due to its ability to load the k8 driver microcode into the cpu at boot time.
Obviously there is no recent bios update to solve such issue and AMD do not provide any similar tool to the intel' checkup6 one able to update the bios cpu microcode.
Is there any way to update my bios with any third party program?
Many Thanks!

[cp]

It seems there is no way to let it work with M$ Windows os...Linux works great maybe due to its ability to load the k8 driver microcode into the cpu at boot time.

the source of the problem is not the microcode. which OS are you using? which service pack? what's the exact problem when using Windows? Windows also includes microcode updates and it loads them on startup.

AMD do not provide any similar tool to the intel' checkup6 one able to update the bios cpu microcode

the intel tool works ONLY with bioses that have an intel compatible API to flash the microcode into the bios without altering the rest of the contents. those bioses are rare..i only know of some Fujitsu-Siemens and Intel bioses to support this, the vast majority of bioses doesn't have this API.

a microcode update only fixes cpu errors that occur in very very rare cases under ultra rare circumstances. loading Windows surely is not a rare case in terms of microcode updates.

hi cp,
I focused my attention on the cpu microcode cause there should be no reason to let windows lookups at boot time...I also tried to re install the win xp os and after loading some modules my notebook reset itself.
The strange thing is that my notebook resets itself alaways at the same point...no matter if win xp is starting nor trying to reinstall it...
It surelly is not a temperature issue...linux starts and run well...it is surelly a bios issue but which one if not the microcode one?

[cp]

it is surelly a bios issue but which one if not the microcode one?

again: a microcode update only fixes issues that occur in VERY special situations. and the windows booting code surely does not contain such a special situation.

are you using the recovery cds that came with the notebook or are you installing from a generic windows xp cd? at which point (which module) the machine locks up?

you should get the ultimate boot cd (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/) to run some cpu stress tests and memory checks.

cp, I do not want to bother you with my assumptions...so let say it is a os issue...
I have tried three different versions of win xp...one of them is a genuine professional copy with sp2 and the other two are a home one and a professional xp sp1.
I do not have any fujitsu siemens backup/restore cd...so the three versions of win xp I am trying to install are not customized.
Yesterday I noticed that the hang and reboot issue happens not during the module loading procedure but when the procedure ends and tries to inspect some hardware specs...The initial blue screen changes into the black one and for a brief second fraction I can see the white print: "Verifica in corso..." (verify in progress...) At this point the system resets itself.
Into the bios the cpu is recognized properly so you surelly are right cp...but now I do not know how to install a fresh copy of win xp.
I think that performing some stress test like memtest should not give me any interesting result...as I have just sayd I can use linux with no strange behaviours nor errors.

[cp]

first to feed your needs:
http://www.a42.com/node/443

and the v2 svn of coreboot (http://www.coreboot.org) has three more amd microcode updates.

the linux kernel (i checked 2.6.27.6) does NOT have the ability to load AMD microcodes. there is no such thing as a microcode driver (interface) for AMD processors in the kernel. there is however a microcode driver for Intel processors, but it won't do anything on non-Intel cpus.

the Amilo is the Uniwill 258ka0 and it is not specified to work with the 4000+. a search reveals many unsolved issues when combining the Amilo and the 4000+. if you've not done an update yet this may be the cure.

thanks cp! the code you linked here should be the result of some reverse engineering opteron adaptation...I will try it...now my wife is playing with the pc so I have not so much chances
I will let you know...

Hi again cp...I tried the first shot but with no good results.
The issue with linux driver is that the code is pretty outdated...some includes are not present anymore...surelly they have changed their name or merged into new include files...I did not investigate which includes should be good candidates...I am usual to develop under linux but this time I passed away.
About coreboot I did some research on the site...maybe it should help maybe it won t...tomorrow I will give a try.

I tried to compile the code which should handle the microcode patching via a linux kernel module.
I did some good steps in achieving a good compilation but at the end I obteined a lot of undefined simbols probably due to the fact I am missing some defines...
The linux bios (or coreboot) way is to hard...it is going to erase my actual bios image. And the hard part is that there are no pre configured files for my machine. Apart that there is another issue...to extract the vga bios from my eprom and to "MERGE" with the linux bios generated one (hoping it is correct).
So...if someone wants to make its life a bit difficult the linux bios is the choice.

I finally managed to let the new cpu work with windows xp.
The compatibility issue has gone by using the latest bios from uniwill.
Surelly FSC did not pay for the latest bios image...the last uniwill 1.05 bios seems to do the work very well.
Now apart the fact the crappy windows xp did not recognize cpu power states in order to let it boost and throttle from 800 mhz till to 2600 rated speed, the stability is ok. I have no time and patience to reinstall all software so the only way to let the cpu achieve its rated speed is to manually set the 13x vid.
Two words about the old linux bios (coreboot) project: it is an amotorial project developed by many people and for the use for these many people only...it should be better spending time with the old commodore 64 programming...

[cp]

Two words about the old linux bios (coreboot) project: it is an amotorial project developed by many people and for the use for these many people only...it should be better spending time with the old commodore 64 programming...

yeah, that's the input of a true genius. don't get me wrong but there are open source programmers out there that really do incredible work. but i suspect that you would have written the linux kernel within a month or two. i'd like to see you programming software for a piece of hardware without any/sparse documentation or development manuals in your spare time for free.

cp you need to understand there are people who really need such a software, people who do not take part in the development process...you are sure the coreboot project is aimed to help foreign people with mere knowledge of bios architecture? Have you seen the documentation provided? surelly you did.
What people producing open source progects have done is surelly unestimable...but every good developer should know the target of what he is going to do.
Now, let put on my pants...you really are going to be in trouble with such a software for a month or two? If you want a bios image with linux kernel because you completely refuse the close and buggy software this is your way only. I need a computer to be bios operative and oh...I wanted my life to be beautifull with no problems, a free energy car, an ecologic house and a wanderfull landscape in front of my eyes...surelly you are in the opinion life does not go in this way.
If you do something you HAVE to KNOW which the target is.
Sorry, coreboot surelly is a well aimed project with limitation you sayd...but if you use some good taste you can discover it is aimed for a "closed" people group.
Sorry for being so cold.

[cp]

no problem. it's under heavy development and far away from production use. it's not intended for novice (click+play) users. if you don't know how to use it you shouldn't use it. as simple as that.

cp, the idea is nice...I mean to be free of hidden parametrization, to add some cpu customized and updated microcode...to have a gnu system from basis but the goal you are trying to achieve is very hard.
I do not know how you are organized but it should be more productive in having different groups of people following different cpu architectures and to let such people be focused only on the assigned tasks...then I found it difficult to understand how to merge my vga bios code into the linux bios one.
My life began a bit hard in last two years...I have different plans for my own projects but really I can not do more than my occupation...so maybe now cp you can understand why I immediatly formulated a so cold critics...sorry.
Good work!