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"The Bios Patcher"

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:21 pm
by Jim
Has anyone here ever used "The Bios patcher" ? I have it ; but have never used it. I would like to use it to correct the bios for SPZ1. (1.3 Gigahertz Celeron Tualatin on FIC KA-6100 AT board). It is supposed to run automatically, but the instructions are a bit confusing; and I don't want to take any unnecessary chances. If anyone here knows how to use it, and what "cbrom.exe", "Iha.exe", and "reall.cod" are, (see attached files), please let me know. If anyone wants this program, let me know that too.

Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:32 pm
by AlleyViper
I might be wrong, but lha shoud be lharc, a dos prompt program to compress/decompress such as zip.com .
"cbrom" is a program to extract/delete or include modules in award bios files. In another thread, I commented that I had no space to include a pci adapter raid bios in my mb's one,: it was using that specific program.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:36 am
by KachiWachi
The BIOS Patcher (by apple_rom - http://www.rom.by/) has been around for a while.

It is supposed to "automatically" patch your BIOS...but it can be quirky (or so I'm told over at Wim's).

Use it at your own risk.

Thanks.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 7:06 am
by Jim
K, Thanks for that info. Now does anyone know where one gets : "cbrom.exe", "Iha.exe", and "reall.cod"? - which the readme file in my first post in this thread says has to be in the same directory as the patched file.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:59 am
by Uranium235
Jim, I've got the files you need on my computer at home...I'm at work right now. Running the Biospatcher is pretty simple and I can walk you through it. I've used it several dozen times just to experiment. You should run it on a very stable machine, not overclocked or it can corrupt the patched Bios file. I'd also recommend running the patcher from a DOS prompt on a Win2k or WinXP machine rather than from Win98 or from pure DOS, the DOS prompt on Win2k & WinXP just seems to be a more stable enviroment and I've had the most success doing it this way. The FIC BIOS should take the patcher without problems. You have to be careful with Asus Bios's though. I can also run the patcher myself for you if you like and send you the patched file.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:12 pm
by DonPedro
Jim,

kachi gave you the link, here it is again: http://www.rom.by

you find the link for files to download in the upper right corner.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:39 pm
by kalabok
lol,

if someone needs translation from cyrillic, i am happy to help out.
belarus is actually my native country, to tell the truth ... :roll:

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:59 pm
by Jim
@ Peter & KachiWachi : There seems to be a wide selection of files to download.
@ Kalabok, if you don't mind I will take you up on your offer. Not asking you to translate the whole page at that link, :

(Though truth to be told it might be a good idea, since "The Bios Patcher" is supposedly capable of enabling features that the mobo manufacturer didn't see fit to enable, and if people knew what files to use, it might become a popular tweaking tool);

But would appreciate it if you could go through that page, and advise me as to which are the correct files, (and best versions), to download and use for the FIC-KA6100 (Award Bios) and also for the Gigabyte Ga6va7+ (also Award Bios).

@ Uranium 235 : Once I get the proper files, I'll take you up on the offer of a "Walk Through".

Thanks ALL.

Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 6:44 pm
by kalabok
jim, you forgot the link ;)
or do you want just an overview, what is written about "bios patcher" programming?

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:33 am
by kalabok
without reading it deeply ...
... maybe this can help you, jim:

http://www.geocities.com/mamanzip/Artic ... ricks.html

Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 7:32 am
by KachiWachi
Jim -

What exactly do you want to "fix"?

The "problem" with the BIOS Patcher is that it is "automatic". It basically goes through your BIOS, looks for "broken" things that it knows about, then inserts new code to "fix" whatever problems it finds.

Naturally, you will need to have free space in your BIOS for the patches to be inserted.

As with anything "automatic", sometimes you will not get the desired results. :(

As for "enabling features", I think you actually mean "unhiding" them. IIRC, you can see (and change) this using MODBIN.

I will agree with Uranium235...run this program from a pure DOS environment (if possible).

As a side note, maman also posts to Wim's.

Thanks.

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:30 pm
by Jim
@ Kalabok : Thanks for that link; but I am sorry to say the information therein, is way, way, over my head. I would have to undertake considerable education before I began to understand what he is going on about. The link you requested is the one provided by both KachiWachi and Peter: (by apple_rom - http://www.rom.by/) With your knowledge perhaps you could do an article for the "Bios Patcher" similar to my "WPCredit Operating Instructions Post".

@ KachiWachi What I want to do is attain propper recognition of the processor. What I am getting is " <90Mhz P2 " I realize as long as the thing works properly that is not a major issue; but it is the kind of thing that BUGS me. The Bios Patcher is supposed to be capable of enabling the recognition of P3 processors; and since it is also supposed to enable features that the mobo manugfacturer "overlooked "; it would be a very pleasent bonus if it came up with a 1/4 PCI bus divider; though I don't know if that is possible; but it is worth the risk to find out.

Sorry for not answering sooner; but have had my machine down for a few days while I have been working on "Bingo Bunny 3" (Gloria's new Sempron Machine).

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:11 am
by KachiWachi
I've been busy trying to fix the DFI myself (I have four File Record Segment HDD errors at the moment :( ).

I'm not sure if the BIOS Patcher has an option to select what you want to add...but it might.

I'd surely keep an original BIOS backup handy...and a spare Flash ROM too! :wink:

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:26 pm
by kalabok
ok,

i will try to fullfill my promise, here is some info i got from rom.by:

the bios patcher works for himself. you cannot enter a setup and choose the settings you want to modify. just type "patcher name" and "bios name" - and it does the job for you. sounds confusing to me, but it is the way mister apple_rom programed it (as far as i understod).
you can add 137gb support, force the mobo to identify the correct cpu name, other stuff i never needed. jim, you should read the about_bp.txt file, its more or less all you need to know.
i didnt find someone who tried the same as you do, jim. as i understand, you dont have any voltage support problem (due to some adapter, right?) so just try it out. its hard to give me any advice as i never used it before as well.

Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:24 pm
by Jim
Hey Kalabok, still waiting for the "Article" on the "Bios Patcher". Hint, hint, pester, bother. Also waiting for your comments on the files I sent you. (Duck, Hide, you might be angry).