Another MOBO ID

How-to identify your motherboard ?
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Cheffy
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Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:53 pm

Hello all!

I've been trying to update my bios for my mobo, but been having a devil of a time trying to be certain of the right type. My mobo is a clone, seemingly of the PCChips M930L. Here's the info from the amibios utility:

An AMIBIOS ID String Was Detected:
62-1107-001437-00101111-040201-SiS645

AMIBIOS ROM Size: 256 KB
BIOS Build Date: Apr 02 2001
Motherboard Manufacturer Code Detected: 1437 - Hsing Tech Enterprise Co., Ltd.

AMIBIOS Build Tag: M930LR
AMIBIOS Project ID: M930LR Not listed in TAG.DAT file

SMBIOS info:
Manufacturer : ECS
Product Name : M930LR
Version : 1.0
Serial Number: 00000000

Now here's the info from CTBIOS

Program: eSupport.com BIOS Agent Version 3.54
BIOS Date: 11/07/01
BIOS Type: American Megatrends
BIOS ID: 62-1107-001437-00101111-040201-SiS645-M930LR
OEM Sign-On: Release 11/07/2001
Chipset: SiS 645 rev 0
Superio: ITE 8705/SiS 950 rev 1 found at port 2Eh
OS: WinXP SP2
CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor 1500 Mhz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Yes
BIOS ROM Size: 256K
Memory Installed: 384 MB
Memory Maximum: 512 MB
Memory Slot 01: 128 MB
Memory Slot 02: 256 MB
Memory Slot 03: 0 MB
Memory Slot 04: 0 MB

Now Hsing Tech doesn't support mobos, and ECS doesn't list my board (but one similar). Looking around I found out PCChips, ECS, and Hsing Tech are all linked. This PcChips board:

http://www.ikonpc.com/pmoreinfo.asp?iid=1917

Appears NEARLY identical, except that my southbridge chip is noted as an XP4 HT7961 - same as the SiS961 chip.


PCChips lists this:

http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWeb/Downlo ... 35&LanID=0

As the closest match. But I'm concerned about trying this in case it's the wrong bios. How liekly is it that it differs?

Any assistance would be appreciated!
KURIAKI
Moderator
Posts: 1037
Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2004 9:37 pm
Location: Cancun, Mexico

Check the motherboard surface and look for PCB version, V1.5, V5.1 or V5.1a.
The latest BIOS update from PcChips for M930L is valid for all the PCB versions:
Model name: M930L PCB: v1.5 \ v5.1\ v5.1a

file name: 020729S.ROM
check sum: 3358h
1.Fixed when system uses KVM(electronic data switch),the PS2 mouse can't be detected.

file name: 020722S.ROM
check sum: D22Bh
1.Added delay time for HDD detection

file name: 020610S.ROM
check sum: DE0Ch
1.Adjust timing for stability and compatibility
2.Fixed system boot slowly when system has PCI IDE RAID card.

file name: 020426S.ROM
check sum: 95A7h
1.Updated Microcode(F13h) for P4P 478 Pin E-0 stepping
2.Support P4 Celeron CPU 1.7 and 1.8 GHz
3.Fixed THUMB(Apacer HandyDeive) can't boot.
4.Adding TV-OUT function
5.Fixed PS/2 mouse could't work properly in WinXP

file name: 020402S.ROM
check sum: C614h
1.Support SiS645 chipset's FSB 133MHz

file name: 020311S.ROM
check sum: 540Ch
1. Supporting SiS 961B chipset with ATA 133 HDD
2. Adjusting default setting; "MA 1T/2T select" sets to "2T" for DRAM stability.

file name: 020218S.ROM
check sum: CF96h
1.Fixed sound card sometimes has yellow mark in Windows OS series.

file name: 020204S.ROM
check sum: F879h
1.Support USB Thumb Drive and add Thumb Drive legacy support in CMOS Setup Menu
2.Support 48-bit LBA HDD
3.Fixed device manager appeared "!" mark in windows O.S when parallel port selected EPP or SPP mode.

file name: 020114S.ROM
check sum: CE58h
1.Support SiS646 chipset
2.Support C-Media 9738 CoDec

file name: 011128s.ROM
check sum: 7AD9h
1.Fixed Korea keyboard can't work properly after booting from HDD.

file name: 011114s.ROM
check sum: 9555h
1.Set default size of share memory to 32MB when CMOS checksum bad.
2.Changed VGA BIOS for Portuguese Windows_Me OS installation failure issue
3.Fix problem 'Set RTC PowerOn then shutdown by pressing power button over 4sec under DOS prompt, CMOS will be checksum bad after RTC power on'
4.Support SDRAM 166MHz(DDR 333) function.

ftp://64.124.27.138/pcchips/BIOS-n/M930L/020729s.zip
More than 100,000 BIOS strings in my database just now!
http:/ /www.kuriaki.has.it/
http:/ /www.supportbios.info
------------------------------------------
Saludos desde Cancun, Mexico
KURIAKI
cp
BIOS Guru
Posts: 1914
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2002 9:07 pm
Location: Germany

chance = 0%

HSING Tech. manufactures motherboards (and other stuff) and sells them under the PCChips label. Those boards are also sold (under different names maybe) by Alton, Amptron, Aristo, Elpina, Eurone, Minstaple, Matsonic, Protac, Snogard and others.
Sometimes they also relabel the chipsets..but if relabled they are infact ALi, ViA or SiS chipsets and always work with the latest chipset drivers from the manufacturers.
Cheffy
New visitors - please read the rules.
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:53 pm

Sexiness!!! I want to upgrade because I bought a ATA 133 Maxtor HD and my system refuses to run it under anything but Multi-word DMA-2 (despite that it runs my 20 gb maxtor fireball as UDMA-5). i've tried every trick in the book short of reinstalling XP, and nothing has worked. I was about to pick up a separate controller card, but if this flash works it should grant me UDMA-6 use, and hopefully this HD will work properly.

"Check the motherboard surface and look for PCB version, V1.5, V5.1 or V5.1a. "

Could not for the life of me find any labelling on the surface, aside from a sticker with the serial # on the Parallel port. Except... it does SEEM to say in very fine print in the bottom righthand corner V1.2A - I'm not sure if it refers to the bios, the mobo, or the usb socket. It looks like part of the circuit board, not something added. But, can't really be sure.

Edit - I also downloaded the AMI flash program aminf342.exe - except that no instructions were given. I know that the files (rom and exe) need to be copied to a boot disk and the system booted from said disk. Then type the flash programme followed by the rom name.

e.g. a:\aminf342.exe XXXX.rom

Now, should I use any switches? Not sure which are there for use. I've read it's best to clear the ESCD, which can often be done with a switch. Apparently it resides in a different part of the flash memory than CMOS, and might not be wiped when the CMOS is cleared after flashing.

Thanks much,

Cheffy
edwin
The Hardware Archivist
Posts: 6286
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Try a decent ATA-133 compatible cable and make sure the drive is not dumbed-down with the compatibility utility from Maxtor. Some bioses for older chipsets falsely report UDMA5 mode capabilities which makes them go haywire. By dumbing down the drive to UDMA2 mode it can be run in those systems.
edwin/evasive

Do not assume anything

System error, strike any user to continue...
Cheffy
New visitors - please read the rules.
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:53 pm

Well the problem is the drive isn't even in UDMA 2 mode - it's multiword DMA-2, which gives the same transfer rate as PIO 4 mode - 16.7 mb/s. The older drive is definitely functioning in UDMA, average rate of 33 mb/s and burst of around 50 - 60 mb/s.

I picked up an Adaptec ATA 133 card today, perhaps not the best card but my choices around here are limited unless I order online. So we'll give the a roll.
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