Intel D975XBX "Bad Axe" Mod Thread (including "Conroe" support for rev 303 and lower)

[kenofstephen]

i'd say if there is anyone on here you can trust it's free cable guy i've been following this forum for a long time he is a trustworthy person. he may just be too busy, on vacation, out of parts or just hasn't got around to it.
maybe you should pm him and ask him. and please tell him thanks from all of us for his help with these conroe boards.

I am so worry after 3 weeks of waiting

of coz i've sent him PMs, unfortunately no reply since last week

[kenofstephen]

yes, I need to correct myself here, I believe he is not cheating, the amount is not much at all, but I really want to know what is happening with the mod. parts......

[millzee]

Hi there.

I apologize first of all if this has been addressed; I *HAVE* used the search function, but I haven't been able to find a clear answer on this.

I'm using the D975XBX rev 304 with 1334 BIOS; E6400 retail @ stock...

I've searched through all of my BIOS options, and I've found the EIST option and disabled it, but I am unable to find the C1E option that undervolts the CPU.

I'd like to ensure that my CPU is running at stock vcore and stock speed at all times, but I have no option to disable C1E in my BIOS (not that I can find, anyway).

I am aware of the OC-DEBUG mod......is this necessary to have the C1E BIOS option for E6400?...

If not, then where exactly is the C1E option and why am I missing it?

Did you get anywhere with this as I have the same problem and like you my searches have been fruitless.

[millzee]

OK, found this but it seems a little xtreme

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...4&postcount=14

[Pyr0]

ok my bad axe board seems to act a little strange with my E6700ES

i've been running the latest official BIOS 1334,

i did the OC DEBUG mod to enable the VCore option in the BIOS...
but selecting any VCore apart from 1.30 volts doesn't seem to work. i can prime at approx 3300MHz with 1.3V, but anything higher with any voltage failed within a few seconds

also, EIST is broken, the CPU speed does not change, but the VCore drops when idle
anybody got any ideas, tips or advice?
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

[edit] i've just flashed to the 1304 bios and now i can't even access the "Default Configuration Override" page

there's no option for yes/no

[edit] re-did the OC DEBUG mod and VCore is working now
this board seems to be a bit temperamental

[anthonyl]

I have sent an e-mail to Intel tech support stating that a number of people are having BIOS lock up issues, got a reply back saying that my message was being escalated.

Fingers crossed they fix it...either that or the 590 boards start cropping up.

[SimbaLion]

About to choose a mobo for a new Conroe-based system and had a concern that I saw over here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...&enterthread=y

Can anyone comment on their experiences with the Intel Bad Axe and "30-second post times"?

Thanks!

[kenofstephen]

I just wish one day when I go back to home, I'll see the letter of mod. parts in the mailbox......

[shanetrain]

I have sent an e-mail to Intel tech support stating that a number of people are having BIOS lock up issues, got a reply back saying that my message was being escalated.

Fingers crossed they fix it...either that or the 590 boards start cropping up.

You can add me as another person w/ the BIOS lockup problem.

Interesting thing is, before I dropped my X6800 in, I had a P4 520j that I was running on this board, and never had any BIOS lockup issues.

A bit strange.

Let us know what Intel has to say about it, i'm definitely interested to find out.

[eva2000]

I have sent an e-mail to Intel tech support stating that a number of people are having BIOS lock up issues, got a reply back saying that my message was being escalated.

Fingers crossed they fix it...either that or the 590 boards start cropping up.

did you try my custom bios ?

[shanetrain]

did you try my custom bios ?

Eva,

I'm assuming that your BIOS would not do me any good, due to the fact that I have an x6800 and a rev. 304 board, right?

I believe that all of the options are available to me, from what I gather.

[eva2000]

yeah no diff for x6800 except my bios defaults core 2 duo to 1.35v instead of my default i get of 1.275v for my E6600..

[Niemiec]

could anyone write down memory multipliers like it goes.
when I set fsb to 400 and mem to 533 i got 1:1 but when I set fsb to 533 and mem to 333 I got 4:5 and my Corsair XMS Twin2X1024PC5400C4 aren able to run more than 360 :/

another issue is no cd-in or aux on board and without it I'm not able to have sound on my winfast xp2000 expert tv tuner :/ board for 250USD in Poland and lack of such cheap thing like onboard audio connector :/

[Niemiec]

I'v just finished fighting with moded bios linked previous page and nothing had changed except info in "other system information" in "main" page that "ITK had changed this bios" no cpu vid or boot strap control was visible. cpu is retail oem e6300.

[anthonyl]

The reply I got from Intel about the BIOS freezing was as follows:

"We understand that your system is freezing while you are in the BIOS.

To begin troubleshooting this issue, we ask you to perform a BIOS recovery. The BIOS can be recovered from a diskette using the BIOS recovery mode.

To start the recovery process, I recommend you clear the C/MOS. To do this, please remove the RTC (Real Time Clock) battery for 30-45 minutes. After this period of time, insert the battery back in and turn the system back on.

The next step would be to create a BIOS recovery diskette. We recommend using a newly purchased, unused floppy disk for the BIOS update process. The disk image utility is highly sensitive to bad sectors and other media errors, which are extremely common on used floppy disks.
To create a BIOS recovery diskette, a blank diskette is needed and the BIOS update files copied to it. BIOS upgrades and the Intel(R) Flash Memory Upgrade Utility are available from Intel. The BIOS link can be found on this website for your specific motherboard:
http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scri...ProductID=2205

Now you must set the Configuration Jumper of the motherboard to recovery mode. See how to set the Configuration Jumper at the following URL:
http://intel.com/design/motherbd/bx/bx_confg.htm

Now insert the recovery diskette in the floppy disk drive and turn the motherboard on.

When recovering the BIOS, be aware of the following:

Because of the small amount of code available in the non-erasable boot block area, there is no video support. The procedure can only be monitored by listening to the speaker and looking at the diskette drive LED.
The recovery process may take several minutes; larger BIOS flash memory devices require more time.
A single beep indicates the beginning of the BIOS recovery process.
Two beeps and the end of activity in the diskette drive indicate successful BIOS recovery.
A series of continuous beeps indicates a failed BIOS recovery.

Complete instructions on how to perform a BIOS recovery can be found at this link:
http://developer.intel.com/design/mo...coverybios.htm

In order to better isolate your issue, we need more detailed information on the specific error. Please reply to this e-mail with the answers to the following questions:

1- Please go to Advanced > hardware monitoring and check the processor temperatures. What is the processor temperature and fan speed?
2- When did this issue first happen?

Ho Hum!

[blacksun1942]

I *ALSO* have the BIOS lock-up problem. It's happened to me twice so far. I thought something was wrong with my memory or power supply!

rev 304 BIOS 1334

That e-mail is a crock of BS; BIOS recovery will *NOT* solve this problem. They need to address this in a future BIOS release or through some other means.


And @ millzee;
I kind of fixed it- I ran the Intel Desktop Control Center and selected the option to disable EIST and then rebooted. Now wait! I know what you're thinking; but there's already a BIOS option to disable EIST. I know that. I don't know why this worked, but now CPU-Z shows the correct x8 multiplier and the correct CPU speed, 2.13ghz. Only problem is, I believe the voltage is still low; 1.213v according to CPU-Z right now (that's low, right?).

I don't think I'm willing to try the method you linked to. All I can do is wait for Intel to release a BIOS version that actually lets me STOP this voltage altering crap.

[Pyr0]

yeah you can add me to the list too, i've had the bios freeze with the 1304 and 1334 bios's and i've already tried the bios recovery procedure

i'd love them to add an option in the bios to be able to change the CPU multipliers tho, i'd like to be able to use lower multis for a higher fsb (and be able to set it up in the bios rather than trying to use software)

is there any way to actually mod the bios and unhide any options? (not using the Intel Integrator Tookit)

[anthonyl]

Can everyone who is having the lockup please snd Intel an e-mail about it..if one person does it they might think other problems are causing it..but if a lot of peple send in they might sit up and take notice.


http://supportmail.intel.com/scripts...lcome.aspx?id=

[turtletrax]

Add me to the list too. Having major problems getting BIOS selections to stick as well.

Finding this board pretty frustrating...

Hope Intel gets it sorted.

[Niemiec]

new bios releasde. I haven't upgreading it yet

http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df-external/download.aspx?url=/11504/eng/BX97510J[1].86A.1351.EB.EXE&agr=N&ProductID=2205&DwnldId=11504&strOSs=38&OSFullName=OS%20Independent&lang=eng

[anthonyl]

BIOS version 1351


Intel havnt included a readme on their site yet to show what changes have been made....

They have NOT FIXED THE BIOS FREEZING ISSUE!!!!

[bobov]

I also have BIOS lock-up problem on my D975XBX Rev 305. I found BIOS unlocked after 7-10s. So maybe your guys should wait 10s before you reset the mobo.

[celemine1Gig]

I also experienced the "lock-up" problem once and I'm not even using the BadAxe, but the predecessor "Black Creek". So it rather seems to be problem concerning all similar Intel-BIOSs, then just the BadAxe. After a few seconds (~10-15) everything was useable again in my case. Strange nonetheless.

[Kango]

People, I have had the Bad Axe board ever since the rev 304 first appeared at my local Fry's. It is the most stable board that I have ever owned and I'm happy to have it. But it is not without its downsides. I'm going to list a few issues that have arisen with me.

OC_DEBUG Mod: Get a conductive ink pin from Radio Shack and make the mod. Yes, I wish that Vcore was available without buying an X6800, but we have to hope that Intel will come to their senses at some point. Deal with it.

Vcore Reading: Vcore has the ability to be measured by the BIOS and OS application software. You can see the measured value of Vcore on the Hardware Monitoring page in the BIOS. It is called "Vccp". The name is a flashback from the old TTL logic days which is of no concern now. Despite all you may have heard, the default is 1.325V.

Vmch Reading: Vmch can also be measured in the BIOS and an OS application. It is listed on the Hardware Monitoring page as V1.5. Default is 1.50V.

NOTE: Setting voltages in the BIOS requires a reboot even if the BIOS doesn't perform one by default. I wish Intel had done this right. About 1 out of 3 times will a voltage setting be applied without a reboot. This is a bug. If your voltage is changed without a reboot, running some applications will reset the voltage when they initialize the SMBUS. Always reboot!

EIST: Can be disabled in the BIOS. However, the setting will not take effect until you reboot. It is best to use IDCC to turn EIST off since it requires a reboot to use IDCC for this purpose.

C1E: Cannot be configured in the BIOS!!!!! You have to use a 3rd party tool and turn it off in the OS. I use RightMark CPU Clock Utility. It can be set to apply changes at OS startup.

CPU-Z: Has a bug with the Bad Axe. The voltage it reads is the minimum Vcore required for the processor to operate properly at the minimum divider (6 on all Conroe processors, I believe). And is guite useless.

IDCC: Does not measure anything except fan speeds! It reads the information from BIOS and lists what you have "told" the board to use. Except for the fans, don't rely on IDCC for much. Use IDU if you want to see measurements.


Just a few tidbits. HTH

Kango

[deeznuts]

Awesome post. I know I missed it, but what is "IDU?"