FX6800 New BIOS Out 842P181G

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
G

Guest

Guest
Checking the FTP site earlier tonight, I found they had released a new BIOS for the FX6800 series system.

It's dated 12/23/2009 FX6800_BIOS_842P181G.zip 793 KB

There is the usual files packed in the zip files including a .pdf document which is very poorly written and contains some bad information.

Remember - This must be done from an Administrator Account

Once you download the file, you can save the contents (a folder containing 6 files) to the "root" directory
of the "Local Disk (C)".

Next open Notepad and paste the following line into it: AFUWIN.EXE 842P181G.ROM /p /b /c /REBOOT
and save as update.bat. Place this file in the folder containing the BIOS update files.

Now physically disconnect your system from your network. (unplug the network cable from the back of the system)
Do a quick check to make sure your system is clean of any Malware or other parasites.
Then disable any Anti-Virus or other resident Security programs.

Go to your Control Panel > User Accounts and disable UAC - Your system will now need a Reboot.

-

Soon as your system finishes loading, Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt

Now enter CD C:\BIOS_842P181G
Next enter update

You should see the BIOS start to update, then when it finishes, then system will shutdown quickly but the fan will stay on. Now at this point I advise you to wait a minute just in case. If after a minute the system has not rebooted, hold the power button in until it shuts down fully (10seconds).

Now restart the system and be ready to hit F2 after it starts. You will notice that there will be a Check Sum error. This is OK, the BIOS Update took just fine, you just need to enter the BIOS and make some adjustments to return everything to how you had it set before the update. After you finish with the BIOS and save your settings, you will find that the Check Sum error will be gone.

I have already updated my system with this BIOS and after you run the update, Select
Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information

You'll notice that in the Right Pane where it says BIOS Version/Date it lists AMI R01-B0, 5/19/2009

Now don't forget to re-enable your Anti-Virus and other security programs and to reconnect your network cable.

-

For anyone having any problems, here is the link to the old thread.
Gateway FX 6800-01e BIOS Update from Gateway Unsupported

It's almost 2:00AM in the morning and I'm heading to bed G'night everyone :)
 
Ok, just did a Quick edit this morn to add the Bolded Red information reminding everyone that this must be done from an administrator account.
 
I installed the bios update and it appears to be working for Windows 7. It changed a few of the bios options, vt and added eist (which I enabled for no good reason other that to see what it does. CPUs show up as 'parked" now).

rgbm3 :)
 
Morning!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! :)

The correct format in your case would be as follows:

AFUWIN.EXE 842P181G.ROM /p /b /x /c /REBOOT

the /c must come after the /x when used together.

/P - Program main BIOS image
/B - Program Boot Block
/X - Don't Check ROM ID
/C - Destroy CMOS checksum (Clear nVRAM)
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too. thanks for the info and fast reply! ill give it a try, hopefully i wont have a paper weight when im done lol.
 
ok, it seemed to take just fine. would you be able to explain to me what to change in the bios to make my computer run better? thanks for all your help!
 
Gateway (Acer) didn't bother to include any information as to the changes in this updated BIOS.

But my guess is (?)possibly(?) better support for Windows 7.
Plus they also did make a few changes /additions in the BIOS which you will notice when you look through the BIOS settings.
 
I am not seeing the core speed go up into the 2.9s as before it seems to be in the 2.6s. have you noticed this after the new bios update? Or did I maybe turn something off in the new bios?
 
Did you go into the BIOS and verify your settings after updating the BIOS?

Also, have you cleaned your system recently as this can make a difference too as the turboboost relies on core temps and heat retention would affect this.
 
Hi, cleaned recently. Is there a post somewhere that tells us what we should have on in the new bios? I think I must have disabled something in the new bios. What part of the new bios turns on turbo boost? Thanks.
 
Turboboost is a feature which is self enabling and is dependent on the temperature of the processor. The cooler the processor runs, the faster the processor is able to run.

It's basically self overclocking with the temperature being the regulator.

As to settings in the BIOS, if the Fan was previously running faster (loud), then smart fan was probably Disabled. This in itself would make a difference cause higher fan speeds would mean more air flow meaning more active cooling.

But even so, I do recommend going through the BIOS and checking all your settings to be sure everything is as you want them.
 
Smart fan is disabled and things are cool enough for it to overclock as before. It is not going above much above 2.6 now. For advanced chipset features intel eist is disabled. Also for the speed step option under voltage this is also disabled. I will keep an eye on things but something seems a little off. As far as I know everything else is set up the same as in my old bios and this new one besides the ones mentioned. Maybe we could compare our bios settings are you going above 2.6? Thanks.
 
Mine has mostly been running about 2.79 GHz

I could probably get it higher than that if I were to go to liquid cooling.

As to BIOS settings, I haven't done anything special with mine. But if you're interested, here is the latest hacked BIOS for this system from the other Gateway BIOS threadthread.
 
Alright seems that enabling the intel eist allowed the core speed to get into the high 2.7s. I enabled the spread step as well (not speed step as I had said earlier). I seem to remember being able to get into the 2.8s and .9s before though. Also things where more sporadic now it really stays at those speeds and does not jump around. Before I would see it jumping all over the place.
 
Sounds like your system is running more stable now. :)

All that is left is to bring the temp down even more to get higher speeds.
 
Ok I installed the older bios before this one again. I am able to get the core speed to 2.9 again and the multiplier is able to change instead of being locked it can go up to 22 now. Before I think it was locked on maybe 20. The new bios seems to prevent turbo boost overclocking to around a steady 2.79. As I am writing this it is 2931.30. Very interesting not sure what way is better but i like seeing the 2.9. Just a note I guess I have been saying 2.9 when i say this I mean 2900 Mhz etc.
 
As to BIOS settings, I haven't done anything special with mine. But if you're interested, here is the latest hacked BIOS for this system from the other Gateway BIOS threadthread.
Click to expand...

Which other thread is that? I was considering applying the Unlocked BIOS from above, but wanted to get as much information as possible. This is always a risky endeavor for me as I don't have nearly the skill level as some people on the forum.

One question I have in particular is:
With this BIOS will I be able to take advantage of faster DDR3 PC3-12800 • DDR3-1600 memory?

That above anything seems to be the slowest aspect of this Gateway. I ended up getting a referb and wanted to get more ram. When I got the system it stated that it had 3 GB, but all I ever see is 2 GB through the system. I'll have to look further with some of the techniques I've learned here.



 
The other thread is this - Gateway FX 6800-01e BIOS Update from Gateway Unsupported which is also linked in the very first post of this thread here.

The Hacked BIOS was posted here by MelodyChloe in the other thread and this was the second one she posted which by the way was the newest Gateway BIOS after it had been hacked.

As for memory, I honestly don't know if it does anything with the memory. You'd have to find out from the one who hacked it.

If you have your replies set to 50 per page, then her first post will be page 5 of the thread, 39 posts down the page.
 
I also had a question concerning this bios update. I just installed it a few days ago and notice that randomly, the fans will rev up very fast for about 15-20 seconds, then wind back down. Not too sure if this is the 'Smart Fan' feature or not, but it definitely sounds intense. Haven't played around with much of this stuff in years, so I'm a little out of practice.
 
The setting within BIOS, PC Health Status, "Smart Fan" [ Enabled/Disabled ] when disabled will result in the loud sound coming from the system chassis, once the change has been accepted and written.

This mode of operation will cause instability of the video card crashing (no matter which version of Win OS is being used, although Vista seems to be more problematic when using the 64-bit edition). It doesn't matter which version of ATI drivers are being used. It doesn't matter which version of BIOS is being used.

The actual event seems to be a crashing of display drivers stopped ( amdkmdap ) responding and was unable to be recovered. Win OS then fails. The only response is to Hard Reset the computer by depressing the power button for over 5 seconds in duration, or by removing physical power to the chassis.

If you run BIOS "Smart Fan" as [ Enabled ], this same series of events occur much less frequently (hours, days or weeks apart), where running as [ Disabled ] will cause crashes typically within 10-15 minutes.

-------------------

Root cause of this issue is the under sizing of the power supply, based upon the installed 450 watt unit being used in either the Gateway shipped system, or the refurbished units ( I have a 2-day old refurbished unit, built in Jan-2009 ). I have a FX6800-01e, with the 1GB video card from ATI Radeon HD 4850 Series.

Resolutions

Don't run as Disabled, and if running enabled, try to limit the environmental temperatures that the system is exposed to, along with the CPU demand, as when the CPU/SYSTEM gets hot, the fans increase their speed/RPMs and demand more power from the power supply. Depending upon this event duration, the Video card instability can occur, which will cause the system to crash.

The long term resolution is the replacement of the power supply with one from a reputable vendor, rated at least between 650 watts and 750 watts (I would recommend going 750+ watts, depending upon what additional devices you will be installing (there are three additional hard drive bays, along with an additional optical drive bay).

When reading the other threads which involve the Gateway FX6800 series machines, the common solution was to replace the power supply, and once done, the frequency of problems have subsided.

---- Change out the Power Supply ----
 
I can vouch for the power supply upgrade. I upgraded to 750 watt and have FAR fewer problems. I have another question, though. I've been reluctant to upgrade the BIOS, and I'm wondering if anyone has tried replacing the mobo on their fx6800-01e? Any thoughts on this? A recommendation for a compatible mobo would be greatly appreciated.
 


I upgraded to " 842P181G " , which is found on the Gateway Support website, but you would need to take the option of selecting "All Windows Operating Systems" to find this version.

If you follow the instructions for upgrading the BIOS, it will apply and work.

The actual BIOS version info is:

R01-B0 (05-19-2009)

which was packaged by Gateway as 842P181G and made available in December 2009.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom