15GB: UT-586VA

drugwash · Wed Mar 09, 2005 6:21 am

Hello. I had a try for a patch on my UT-586VA mobo back in november 2004 and it didn't work (old thread here. I'd like to give it another try, as it's (still) my main machine. The BIOS images are here. The one with the "o" is the original one, the one with the "m" is the one I modified to suit my preferences. I'd like the latter to be patched, if possible, but please, check the code thoroughly, as it seems to be a bit tricky. Somehow, the BIOS displays the HDD's correct capacity (15001 MB), but when trying to manipulate partitions, fdisk says it only has 8025 MB!!! With the same boot diskette, I was able to succesfully create partitions on it, on another mobo with a new BIOS type.
Feel free to contact me on messenger, if needed. Cheers!

Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:53 pm

drugwash wrote:Somehow, the BIOS displays the HDD's correct capacity (15001 MB), but when trying to manipulate partitions, fdisk says it only has 8025 MB!!!

This is a known problem of some of these old BETA BIOSes for i430FX and i430VX-based boards... And there is no solution.

drugwash · Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:28 am

You mean I can't do anything to make it recognize my HDD?!

No, I can't take that... My old 8.4GB HDD crashed a few weeks ago and I barely managed to get this 15GB one. I got no money left and I'm working on a 1.2GB HDD since the crash All my data is gone. There has to be something. Maybe now after I partitioned it on another system... Please, try something!

Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:54 am

If you are running an older OS and you cannot afford an HDD controller with its own BIOS, the solution is probably to use Dynamic Disc Overlay (DDO) software that will load before OS boot and take over the BIOS calls for HDD. Seagate used to give OnTrack Disk Manager away free with their drives; other manufacturers did similar utilities and some still may. This can leave problems with utilities that try to access the HDD directly.

BiosMan · Fri Mar 11, 2005 12:59 pm

Rainbow -

Just curious as to the nature of the problem why "some of these old BETA BIOSes for i430FX and i430VX-based boards" cannot be patched. Is it something funky or just no Int 13h extension available to patch?

Can you provide more insight?

Thanks.

drugwash · Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:56 pm

In fact, I'm running Windows 98SE and I'm pretty much happy with it. A PCI controller with it's own BIOS it's kinda hard to impossible to find around here.There would still be the option of MaxBlast 3 (my HDD is a Maxtor 531DX), but -as you said- applications that try to access the HDD directly would screw things up.

Strange thing though, some time ago I had an IBM desktop, 486 SX/25 ValuePoint (which I upgraded to 486 DX/66) which wouldn't "see" more than 528MB of a HDD. But I had a ISA soundcard with an IDE controller embedded (ESS1869) that gave me the ability to use a 1,2GB HDD, but only for backup, not for booting. Oh, good ol' times...

So, what's to do?! Dump motherboard and hope for Santa to bring me a newer one? I'm kinda old to believe in Santa....

Any other ideas?

Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:21 pm

UT-586VA or UT5VA... who made this motherboard.
U7 vendor code is unknown to me...

drugwash · Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:41 pm

That's not a mistery only for you.

I searched for something related to this motherboard all over the Internet and I couldn't find the slightest trace of a manufacturer. Someone on another forum told me he's been dealing with that manufacturer string before (he's been working with AWARD for a while) and that there were a couple of chinese pirate companies that used to use that fake U7 code. So... no chance for a BIOS update. But the damn board still works very well and it would be a pity to dump it.

Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:35 pm

drugwash wrote:Someone on another forum told me he's been dealing with that manufacturer string before (he's been working with AWARD for a while) and that there were a couple of chinese pirate companies that used to use that fake U7 code.

I'm working for weeks with chinese BIOS files... so there is a hope in the way.

drugwash · Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:50 pm

Well, if you'll be able to fix that code for me, I'll advertise you wherever I go as the best BIOS modder of all times. But if you fail and my board dies, I'll just commit suicide...
Now, jokes apart, I'm really fond of that board, no matter how old it is, and I wish it could last a lifetime. And given that now I'm constrained to work with a 1.2GB HDD with next to no free space left, imagine how much I need that board working with the new 15GB HDD.

So, good luck in your quest and may the force be with you!

Hasta la proxima!