A8js BIOS to accept new graphics card

[forevertheuni]

Hello everyone first post,
Can anyone help me out(or give me tips where to find the information) modifying my laptop original bios to accomodate a new graphics card? The socket is exactly the same(of the cards).
I have a asus a8js : Asus website link
In which my graphics card fried. There are no old ones in stock and if there are they cost 200-300€ for a gforce 7700. So I bought a Gforce 9600 from the asus f8n which has the same socket etc etc.
However..and obviously when I plug the card...everything is black in the screen.
Two questions:
- Is it a BIOS limitation/blockage?
- How can I modify the A8js BIOS binary to accept the new graphics card?

The Bios is a AMI bios
Thanks

[1234s282]

Well this is really the first request of its kind so im not too sure. As far as im aware theres no "Video Whitelist" . As the Video cards are not generally user replaceable , the manufacturers probably dont bother with the whitelists. Whitelists are used for the more obvious / easier upgrades that a user might want to do like upgrading 802.11b Wifi to 802.11n or similar

A quick google search shows that this isnt for the faint hearted as it involves completel disassembly of the laptop. However , if you do manage to find a compatible card , Standard Windows VGA drivers should kick in automatically once you reassemble with the new card , allowing you to install the proper drivers.

What id do myself is just double check all the connections , make sure you havent left anything disconnected or the wrong way round or loose!

Do you get any sign of life from the machine , like do the fans spin???

Regards
Admin

[forevertheuni]

Well this is really the first request of its kind so im not too sure. As far as im aware theres no "Video Whitelist" . As the Video cards are not generally user replaceable , the manufacturers probably dont bother with the whitelists. Whitelists are used for the more obvious / easier upgrades that a user might want to do like upgrading 802.11b Wifi to 802.11n or similar

A quick google search shows that this isnt for the faint hearted as it involves completel disassembly of the laptop. However , if you do manage to find a compatible card , Standard Windows VGA drivers should kick in automatically once you reassemble with the new card , allowing you to install the proper drivers.

What id do myself is just double check all the connections , make sure you havent left anything disconnected or the wrong way round or loose!

Do you get any sign of life from the machine , like do the fans spin???

Regards
Admin

The fans spin but I don't even have the typical beeping" sound with the f8sn card.
When I don't have any card. It doesn't the repetitive beeping because there's no card.
Isn't the Nvidia BIOs included in the same Bios as the rest in laptops usually?

[forevertheuni]

Hello again.
So.

http://dl.free.fr/qcNiTUMm5
In this zip file I assembled the following BIOS

A8js (My laptop with a gforce 7700 has the base graphics card): A8JAS.211
A8jp (Exactly the same config except the graphics card which is an ATI): A8JpeAS.210
A8JAS.211 It's a similar one I think it's the a8ja

F8SNGAS.304 (F8sn where the gforce 9500 comes from) I realized this ROM is shared between F8SN and another F8's(F8SG) series where the graphics card is a gforce 9300.
F8SPAS.301 : A laptop with the same configuration has the F8SN except that has a ATI Mobility™ Radeon® HD 3650, External 1024MB VRAM

I think all of these laptops use solely graphics RAM, so no shared RAM I believe.
I took a look in the A8js and A8jp Roms and the hex seems similar in the beginning, however I have more (I think they are empty lines with FFFF FFFF FFF) in the beginning of one of the files(I know nothing about HEX)
Can you pro's take a look at the files? If I replace the F8sn section to the Graphics in the A8js is it possible to run?(theoretically of course)
I'm buying a PLCC socket to solder into the mobo, to be able to flash as many times as I want.
Thanks.

[1234s282]

Heres the mod , Asus F8SN Graphics ROM From Version 304 In Asus A8JS Bios Version 213

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/747181/Asus%20A8...34s282.zip

Flash this at your own risk!
Regards
Admin

[forevertheuni]

Heres the mod , Asus F8SN Graphics ROM From Version 304 In Asus A8JS Bios Version 213

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/747181/Asus%20A8...34s282.zip

Flash this at your own risk!
Regards
Admin

I'll test it soon. By the way. You rule!

[forevertheuni]

Well, it worked.
However I had no CRT screen, but the external worked. In linux I had LVDS mode is active but no modes. In windows the nvidia drivers worked.


And to see if it was an laptop assembly problem (because I had everything opened up). I re-flashed with the previous BIOs...and..I removed the graphic card(to the old one) and in the process I think I short circuited something....... So now.nothing boots...I feel so stupid after all this....After a great day yesterday..Today had a bad start....

[1234s282]

Well, it worked.
However I had no CRT screen, but the external worked. In linux I had LVDS mode is active but no modes. In windows the nvidia drivers worked.


And to see if it was an laptop assembly problem (because I had everything opened up). I re-flashed with the previous BIOs...and..I removed the graphic card(to the old one) and in the process I think I short circuited something....... So now.nothing boots...I feel so stupid after all this....After a great day yesterday..Today had a bad start....

Aww no! As i was reading this post i was so exctiing that we had got this mod right as it opens up a whole new level of bios modding. Then as i progressed through your post my face dropped

Shame about that mate , try sending it off for RMA (Ensuring of course that the original bios and original graphics card are in there , I dont think Asus will fix it if you have a modded bios and an unofficial graphics card )

Regards
Admin

[forevertheuni]

Maybe it was the back to original flash that screwed everything.

What happens when a bad flash happens? Because the computer turns on. The cd/dvd drive makes it's typical sound but then the computer turns off. Could it be the bios? If so i'll just install a PLCC socket and do my original plan Like this we(that means..if you help me) could make it work 100% and I assure you a lot of a8js users will be happy..(I had a lot of contacts of people wanting to do the same).

Tnx for all the help

[1234s282]

Im not fully understanding , so in the end did my mod work?

Because this could open up another area of bios modding for us

Regards
Admin