Not sure where to start, need to mod Dell screen resolution.

[d510]

Hi All, I replaced the 14inch xga 1024*768 screen on my dell d510 with the 15inch sxga 1400*1050 from an older dell d505. The screen will only show up as 1024*768 in windows, I have tired a few things like powerstrip but can't get the screen to go above 1024*768. The d510 only ever sold with the xga 1024*768 screen and I suspect the bios is limiting the screen. I would like to mod the bios to allow the full resolution but I have no idea how much time it will take to go from knowing nothing about bios modding to getting a workable native resolution screen if it can be done at all. I tried looking for beginner guides but couldn't find any that are beginner enough. Can anybody point me in the right direction or give me a basic general idea of what is involved/needed to modify it
eg. request bios unlock -> use program x to search for what you want to modify -> use program y to modify it -> use program Z to compile it. (except I have never seen the inside of a bios so I am not sure what exactly I am looking for, how to modify it or compile it)

If anybody can give me an idea of how much time I will have to sink into this project it would be much appreciated so I can decide if i should walk away from it or not.





Sorry if I have posted in the wrong place, I couldn't find a say hello thread for first posts.

[Fractalogic]

Hi!

I am new here myself. But one thing that comes to my mind is that you should first check if your graphics card can support the resolution you want. Also, make sure you have appropriate graphics card drivers for the computer, and not some generic VGA driver from Microsoft.

As to BIOS modding, I don't think it is impossible. Of course, nothing is impossible for the human mind. It's a matter of will. What's possible has already been done. It's the impossible that's really interesting. But of course, it all depends on where you're coming from. If you have the time and a strong will and enough basic understanding of the subject, then I think you can do it. You just need to believe it yourself!

Now BIOS programming can get pretty advanced. You would need to learn assembly programming with x86. But you probably would not be looking at any real assembly code. My understanding is that all the major BIOS vendors out there (like Award, AMI, Phoenix) are proprietary and closed source. My understanding is that BIOS modders are only using simple tools for manipulating binary data of BIOS ROM images. I think some of these tools are kept secret by BIOS vendors but are eventually leaked on the Internet. Some of the tools are official releases by the BIOS vendors, some are third party tools. All these tools, these little programs come together to form a BIOS modders toolkit. Mostly, they are BIOS vendor specific. So what works for Award does not work for AMI, and vice verse. Some are used for writing/flashing BIOS image onto the chip, and reading the information back from it, like for backup. Some tools are used only for manipulating data. Like unlocking certain menu items and so on.

Think I got the hang of it?... well, I don't really know what the heck I'm talking about! No, seriously, I only understand the basic concepts. I have never looked at any hex tables in a BIOS programmer and such. But on a scale from 1 to 10... regarding difficulty... I would say that BIOS modding is at about 6 or a 7.

Now, true BIOS programming in assembly... that would probably have to be a 10! Not only because assembly programming is generally difficult, but because the programmer does not have full access to the BIOS code. The programmers who are hired to make BIOS updates for our motherboards don't get to see the full extent of the code. They too, much like modders, are only given a limited number of tools, and perhaps some kind of "core" code for a specific BIOS system (Award, AMI, or Phoenix) is licensed to them. So they too are pretty much working in the dark! It's then up to them to build something on top of that. In assembly!(!!!) Like adding modern features, such as USB functionality, Firewire, Thunderbolt, PCI, PCI Express and many more more. Not to mention the ever so popular overclocking functions! None of those existed back in the age of the original IBM PC.

Sorry for not being of much help here. But you can start by looking at the specifications to determine if it is possible, if the basic requirements are met. Don't forget to have a look at what drivers are used for your graphics card at the moment. It might be as simple as installing proper drivers. Now if you are going down the route of BIOS modding, start by identifying what BIOS system it is. Then you can have a look at the downloads section on this site.

[Oleh]

Hi All, I replaced the 14inch xga 1024*768 screen on my dell d510 with the 15inch sxga 1400*1050 from an older dell d505. The screen will only show up as 1024*768 in windows, I have tired a few things like powerstrip but can't get the screen to go above 1024*768. The d510 only ever sold with the xga 1024*768 screen and I suspect the bios is limiting the screen. I would like to mod the bios to allow the full resolution but I have no idea how much time it will take to go from knowing nothing about bios modding to getting a workable native resolution screen if it can be done at all. I tried looking for beginner guides but couldn't find any that are beginner enough. Can anybody point me in the right direction or give me a basic general idea of what is involved/needed to modify it
eg. request bios unlock -> use program x to search for what you want to modify -> use program y to modify it -> use program Z to compile it. (except I have never seen the inside of a bios so I am not sure what exactly I am looking for, how to modify it or compile it)

If anybody can give me an idea of how much time I will have to sink into this project it would be much appreciated so I can decide if i should walk away from it or not.





Sorry if I have posted in the wrong place, I couldn't find a say hello thread for first posts.

Give your bios and accurate configuration of the notebook.

[Fractalogic]

Give your bios and accurate configuration of the notebook.

What if he wants it back?

I think he is expecting us to fill in the gaps, just by knowing the model number of the computer. That is probably not the best idea when expecting someone to help you. He has to do his own homework of providing proper technical details.

[d510]

Thanks for the background Fractalogic. I will try some other graphics drivers, probably a bit easier than putting a few years of my life aside to learn x86 assembly language.

At the moment just using the graphic drivers from dell website. The computer can support much larger resolutions on external monitors but seems to be stuck on xga for the laptop screen.

Just tried the intel drivers but no luck.

Machine bios is here
http://www.dell.com/support/home/au/en/a...figuration

Notebook configuration is
intel 915gm/910gml graphics
pentium m 1.7ghz
all drivers are from the dell site except for the intel graphics driver I just tried. Not sure what other configuration is relevant.

[gabiz_ro]

Post info about original LCD type and model.
Post info about actual LCD type and model.
Could be a problem in LVDS cable,not all pins conected.
Old display is damaged or working?

Even in unusable state you can use external monitor for using some tools.

Search for some software to read EDID of both LCD panels.
Same producer of Powerstrip have this kind of soft.
Read EDID from both LCD panels and compare,if both are identical then is fake data in EDID (provided by BIOS or vBIOS)
That's why you are stuck at this resolution.
If EDID data is different then maybe is a limitation of vBIOS.
In many cases is one BIOS module that is vBIOS
starting header is 55 AA and contains word PCIR and hw id of video card
In that case Intel 80 86 XY ZC by example in format 86 80 ZC XY
xy zc can be number or letter combinatons.
Find this in device manager.

You may try to find other version that support higher resolutions.