M747 BIOS update?!?

Questions that don't belong in the other forums.
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DJBBOY
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Okay, I'll try to stay calm. Please don't execute me. I have been trying to find a solution now for a while. I did a complete fresh install on my computer with WIN2000-Professional. I formatted with the NTFS, everything seems to have loaded fine. I can get on the internet, I can print, I can check e-mail. The only problem I have is my video. The screen looks terrible. I have posted this before, but nothing seems to work. When I go to the display settings, I can not change the seetings. The only choice I have is 16 colors. I opened the case and the Video card says SiS 6326. I have tried downloading drivers for this from SiS website, no help. In the device manager it shows SiS 6326 with a yellow exclamation point. When I look at the properties it says, "This device cannot start. (Code 10)" It also has Video Controller (VGA Compatible) with a yellow Exclamation point. The properties say, "The drivers for this device are not installed." When I try to reinstall the drivers, nothing happens. I tried using different drivers, but certain ones won't even give a display. I have to press F8 at start up and run the VGA mode to get a picture. Someone said I should update my BIOS, but I don't know where to find them, or how to update them. Here is more info on my system:

Celeron 400 Mhz processor.
Fujitsu 2.1 GB HDD.
CD-ROM drive.
American Megatrends BIOS( At least this is what is displayed at start-up)
release version 3-4-1999.
The video card says SiS 6326 on it, but I don't know for sure. This computer was dropped for me by a friend, and I have to use it at work. Everything worked GREAT until I tried to update to WIN2000. I am almost ready to go back to Win Me, but I want to stay with 2000. Can anyone help?
ajzchips
El cheapo dude
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Location: Madrid, Spain

You don't seem to have the latest BIOS. The M747 BIOS release notes often mention updates to the integrated video BIOS. Perhaps it's exactly what you need for Win2K.
http://go.to/ajz
DJBBOY
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the following file: 747_V50_BIOS_19990521S_2M_AMI[2]

I unzipped it into my unzipped file and when I click the above mentioned folder it has the following file in it: 990521.rom.

Now what do I do?[/i]
a_user
Good ol' Boy
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Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2002 4:09 pm
Location: Elgin, Texas

Read the FAQ's on bios update to start with.

1) You need a flash program
2) you need a boot disk with only the system files, the bios file and the flash file.
3) you should know if there is a clear cmos jumper and how to use it
4) you need to know/write down any bios changes from defaults
5) you need to know how use the flash program... Ie - what the various parms mean and do for you.

Flash the bios at your own risk....
DJBBOY
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I apologize for seeming like a complete idiot. If I have angered anybody, again, I apologize. I have a Flash utility, a sys file and the BIOS on a diskette. Now what?
a_user
Good ol' Boy
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Location: Elgin, Texas

Did you read the FAQ's ?

Assuming you have everything on the boot disk... no autoexec or config.sys. Try booting and at the prompt enter the flash pgm with a /? to view the parms info. Now if you can't figure out how do it from there get someone to help.
ajzchips
El cheapo dude
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Location: Madrid, Spain

Make sure you do have a V50 (or V5x) M747. You can check this near the keyboard connector, on the motherboard.
DJBBOY
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I was able to flash the BIOS. But it ended up being an older release than than before I started. I did check the motherboard revision. It is rev. 5.1
I just want the display settings to work. This video card worked with Windows Me, why will it not work with WIN 2000-Professional? I'm going to take it out and try it in another computer and see what happens. I just wish I could get it to work. I thank everyone for their help. Im usually alot better at finishing problems on my computer. It's just real frustrating to have something as simple as a video card driver get the best of me. Anyway, thanks again. I'll let you know what happens with the video card switch.
ajzchips
El cheapo dude
Posts: 3048
Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2002 12:41 pm
Location: Madrid, Spain

The latest version for your board is of 21/5/1999... newer than the one you mentioned at the start of this thread.
edwin
The Hardware Archivist
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Is there a sticker on the back-side of that video card? Any other type number printed on the card itself? FCC ID perhaps? I've battled with a Diamond Speedstar A50 and the sis reference drivers (it's also using the sis6326 chip). I reverted back to the latest version of the Diamond drivers for this card.
DJBBOY
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Well, I left the BIOS at the older release date. I took a different video card from another computer (Trident TGUI 9680-1) and installed it. I did a quick search on Google (thanks for this reference from a previous post. This search engine workes alot better than MSN!) and found the driver, installed it, and everything is perfect! WIN 2000 is running fine. The display is good. In the display settings, it allows me to chose more than just 16 colors. There is only one thing that didn't get fixed. In the device manager, it still shows a yellow exclamation mark ( :evil: ) next to the Video Controller (VGA Compatible), but now it is listed under other devices. I booted in safe mode and uninstalled the old sis 6326 driver, and it still comes up. But hey, Everything seems to be okay.

Now this is the weird part. I put the SiS 6326 AGP card in the other computer (where I got the Trident card), installed it, went to the SiS website, downloaded the driver for WIN 98/ME, and it works fine. This other computer is running Windows Me. I guess that card doesn't like WIN 2000, even though the SiS website has a driver for it. Anyway, thanks everyone for their help!!

PS

Should I still try to flash the BIOS to the newest release date? ajzchips, where did you see the info for the 5/21/1999 release? Does it utilize the AMINF325 flash utility upgrade thing? This is the only one I found that worked for me. I have to try and remember the website, but all I had to do was download one link to a floppy disk, reboot in MS-DOS mode, type one command to save the old BIOS just in case, and then type another command to install the new one. Restart the computer, run the BIOS, make adjustments to the settings in the CMOS and Adavace CMOS settings and it got me to where I am now, but like I said, when I was all done, the new Flash was for an older release. Any feedback on this? Thanks again for eveything everyone!![/b]
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