Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
4 Posts
0
50832
Precision M60 board in Latitude D800 laptop
I noticed the weirdiest thing today as I went to upgrade the BIOS in my Dell Latitude D800. The BIOS failed to upgrade due to "incompatible hardware". The utility states that I am running a Precision M60 system.
I then rebooted the computer and checked the BIOS setup and sure enough it says Precision M60. I never noticed this before. Has anyone else seen this? And is it normal?
Thanks,
Murray
AussieChris
4.2K Posts
0
July 19th, 2005 05:00
Hi,
The motherboard was shared between the M60 and some D800's. Using a switch you can flash it over.
Regards Chris
Art
1.5K Posts
0
July 19th, 2005 05:00
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=58259
Link to: Notebook Forums > Dell Latitude D800 memory: frequency and timmings
Pasted from above site; "...you could try the D800 to M60 USB Flash Drive flashBIOS Utility from somms to enable the PC2700 support
Link to the page with the above "USB Flash Utility"
Check your RAM to see if it is PC2700.
Let us know what you discover.
There had been a long thread, late last year, about a whole fleet of D800s shipped with M60 BIOS.
{HERE is a link to the just released M60 BIOS
Pasted from above site; "...BIOS Release Notes
===================================================================
===================================================================
Systems: Dell Precision M60 Series
Version: A09
Build Date: 06/30/05
The following updates were made to the A08 BIOS to create the A09 BIOS:
Issues Fixed:
============
1. Reduced audible pop sound during POST.
Enhancements:
============
1. Added support for new processors.
2. Update Broadcom PXE code to support newer hardware revisions.
The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems:
1. Microsoft Windows XP
2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI
===================================================================
Compare the above with the D800 A_13 release notes:)
I know that the D800 and M60 are closely related, what I would want to know is would there be any harm from Flashing a D800 to M60?
Dell was shipping D800's with the faster (M60) PC2700 RAM Modules at least as far back as August 2004, were they also shipping them with
M60 BIOS to get the RAM to function at its rated speed?
Art
Message Edited by Art on 07-20-2005 01:26 AM
Art
1.5K Posts
0
July 19th, 2005 15:00
Thank you for that information, as I am very tempted to do that "USB Flash to M60" it was M60 RAM that solved my BSOD
problem six months ago, but it still runs at PC2100 speed, wonder if I could see a difference between 266 and 333MHz?
A careful read of all the BIOS Release notes between D800 and M60 reveals them to be identical except for this 'extra'
one for the D800;
===================================================================
Systems: Dell Latitude D800 Series
Version: A07
Build Date: 03/01/04
The following updates were made to the A06 BIOS to create the A07 BIOS:
Enhancements:
===============
1. Optimized thermal control algorithm to support new video controllers.
The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems:
1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1)
2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI (SP3)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
One other difference, which may explain 'A07' was this;
M60's A01 release of 8/28/03, all the same as D800 A04's
except for this;
Enhancements: (M60)
===============
1. Updated the Broadcom option ROM to the 6.2.11 release.
2. Added a SmartCard Function field on page 4 of System Setup to allow
a user with the Admin Password to enable or disable the SmartCard feature.
3. Optimized the thermal control algorithm.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Enhancements: (D800) {3. is different and 4. is added}
===============
1. Updated the Broadcom option ROM to the 6.2.11 release.
2. Added a SmartCard Function field on page 4 of System Setup to allow
a user with the Admin Password to enable or disable the SmartCard feature.
3. Show the memory speed in System Setup next to the memory capacity
on Page 1.
4. Added new flash code for combined Windows and DOS BIOS flash program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Guess I will need to get a USB Flash Card, would this be the same risk
as a DOS Floppy Boot Flash?
Art
AussieChris
4.2K Posts
0
July 19th, 2005 22:00
Art,
I would make a DOS bootable CD. I have one with many different Bios's on it and find it quite usefull. The MBD in question has the the " D " bay connection right rear. The D800 that does not is D800 only.
Regards Chris
Art
1.5K Posts
0
July 20th, 2005 05:00
Thank you, that really worked great!
The USB Flash (I did not have a USB Flash device) provided by forum member, Community Assistant somms seemed
to only function with USB.
It was 1.4MB but copied to a floppy and it would not boot to DOS, so I formatted and old floppy as a boot device and there
was still plenty of space for the DOS version of the M60 BIOS.
I copied that to the floppy, un-docked from D-Port (there is a "D" Bay connector upper right side that I use as 3rd USB)
and booted to my Sony USB "a" drive and typed a:\m60_a09.exe /forcetype and just followed the prompts to Flash to M60.
F2 BIOS setup now shows the formerly 266 at 333MHz!!! CPUZ and SiSandra agree, one benchmark that I ran just before
and just after (SiSandra's Memory Bandwidth Benchmark) recorded a 17% increase, I would expect up to 25% for some tasks.
Biggest pain was that after BIOS "upgrade" system had to go through fifty "Found Hardware" Microsoft installs.
Only problem I see is it installed a Microsoft Bluetooth and it keeps wanting a passkey (that I told it to skip)
to connect the GPS, suppose I will need to remove it and reinstall the one from the Dell Download Folder.
My Thanks to you for the floppy tip and somms for the M60 idea:)
Art
Art
1.5K Posts
0
July 22nd, 2005 03:00
Chris,
I had just formated a 3.5" 'floppy' diskette and had seen the menu option to make a "DOS Bootable..." and when I saw your post, never noticed that you had said "CD":)
Don't let Microsoft at your Bluetooth, resolution turned out to be a simple "choose...from" Driver Update in Device Manager to get Dell's Widcomm to again see my Bluetooth.
A good Bluetooth 'Repair' site HERE
So let me thank you again for the "DOS bootable.." idea, very worthwhile improvement to my system:)
Art