Bios Mods -The Best BIOS Update and Modification Source

MSI 848P Neo2-V ( MS-7108 )
This board uses the Intel 848P and ICH5 Chipset and has support for all P4 Prescott 533/800mhz processors.
The only bios available is Version 1.0 that the board was shipped with and was never updated by MSI.
Researching this problem I believe this chipset supports the Cedar Mill Series CPU.
I have loaded the newer CPU microcodes (0F62) in the OEM bios but it still will not recognize the Cedar Mill CPU.


I am currently running a P4, Prescott, 561, SL8J6, 800mhz FSB, E0 stepping, 0F41 CPUID, 3.60Ghz, 90nm, 115 watt
To start, I am trying a P4, Cedar Mill, 651, SL94W, 800mhz FSB, B1 stepping, 0F62 CPUID, 3.40Ghz, 65nm, 86 watt
When the Cedar Mill processor is installed, Fans run but no video or POST or startup at all.

It is a Phoenix - Award Bios Version 6.00 PG

The current board bios is available at MS-7108 v1.0 Bios
or direct download here.

The ECS 848P-A7 V5.0 Board uses the same chipset, socket and has support for both Prescott and Cedar Mill Processors.
This bios has a very similar layout but is using a 512mb chip instead of the 256mb that is  in the MSI board.
This boards bios is available here ECS 848P-A7 v5.0 Bios

I am able to recover the bios on this board as it was originally soldered to the board but I have removed it and installed a socket for easy removal.
I also have another P4 machine that I can hot swap the chip to reflash the original bios if necessary  (I've had to do it a few times already)

I've also attached a CPU-Z report (.txt) for review.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks - Rich

Try to use "512mb chip" with "ECS 848P-A7 v5.0 Bios".
Can you boot your Pentium 4 651 on other motherboard and make TXT-report of CPU-Z?

(04-07-2019, 02:12 AM)DeathBringer Wrote: [ -> ]Try to use "512mb chip" with "ECS 848P-A7 v5.0 Bios".
Can you boot your Pentium 4 651 on other motherboard and make TXT-report of CPU-Z?

My other P4 board can only run the Northbridge Processors.
It only has  400mhz FSB available but has the same style bios socket and works well to recover the MSI bios chip.

I have loaded all the compressed files onto my 256mb chip using Hxd Editor and then loaded all of the required microcode using cbrom155 into NCPUCODE.BIN and left out some lower number microcode to fit it on the chip. I did not change the boot block or decompression sections.
This new bios file is then recognized as valid by cbrom and BITv1.4 but when loaded on bios chip the MSI board will not start with either CPU installed.

Is the CPU information loaded from the first bios file? ( in the MSI bios listed as "bios.bin"  128mb uncompressed ) In the ECS bios it is listed as "angus.bin"

Thanks - Rich

CPUID is checked by some modules in BIOS. So this mod is cost much more then new motherboard.

(04-07-2019, 08:15 AM)DeathBringer Wrote: [ -> ]CPUID is checked by some modules in BIOS. So this mod is cost much more then new motherboard.

OK - I know its an older board but thought there was a way to make the newer processor recognized through bios manipulation?

I've approached it as a challenge but have also learned quite a bit researching and manipulating it.
I've spent plenty of time on it without success but thought someone might have a solution or a location of a file area to change?

I do have a 512mb chip but have not tried to upload and run the ECS bios as you suggested.
Maybe that would have more success than what I've already tried?

Thanks Again - Rich

Disassemble and analyse modules:
bios.BIN (angus.bin)
awardext.rom
awardeyt.rom
and bootblock.
BTW: Adding microcode doesn't add support for new CPUs.

(04-07-2019, 12:39 PM)DeathBringer Wrote: [ -> ]Disassemble and analyse modules:
bios.BIN (angus.bin)
awardext.rom
awardeyt.rom
and bootblock.
BTW: Adding microcode doesn't add support for new CPUs.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

I have previously checked all but the bootblock modules in an uncompressed format in HxD and have not found an area that I felt it was located.
Are there any programs you would recommend that might be able to disassemble and give a better search of each module?

Thanks Again - Rich

Any disassembler ( bin -> asm)