D845GRG "Gateway Essex" BIOS P19 \ VOGONS

D845GRG "Gateway Essex" BIOS P19

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First post, by aspiringnobody

Posted on 2024-10-10, 15:58

aspiringnobody Offline

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Hello all.

I recently bought an upgraded heatsink for my Northwood P4 box. When I received it, the packaging had a SL6SM 3.06GHz P4 w/ HT that the seller didn't document. I just thought I was getting the better intel heatsink (with the copper slug) to replace the all aluminum one gateway provided.

I've seen a couple of places online where it is reported as working in the D845GRG. But I'm on BIOS P12 and I'd like to upgrade first to the newest bios (this is a windows ME machine so I need the bios option to disable HT).

Anyone have a link to the newest P19 bios? RG84510A.15A.0057.P19

P.S. recapped the three 3300uF caps by the cpu socket yesterday (they were bulged badly). This was the worst board I've ever recapped! Apparently by the time P4 was around the board had lots of internal ground planes + lead free solder.

Never Again!

Reply 1 of 4, by aspiringnobody

Posted on 2024-10-10, 23:55

aspiringnobody Offline

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Found it, attached below. For what it is worth: do not update the BIOS from Windows (even if you think you know what you're doing). I think this particular installer is... bad. After the self extractor runs, grab the files from C:\Cabs and make your own floppy. Better yet, grab the P18 BIOS from the Retro Web, use that to make a floppy, and then swap in bios files from this file.

If you insist on doing it from Windows, for the love of God do it from safe mode. You have been warned.

Reply 2 of 4, by Horun

Posted on 2024-10-11, 03:10

Horun Offline

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Interesting ! From Intel website the last BIOS for D845GRG is RG84510A.86A.0033.P17. .BIO file dated 7/14/2003. That is straight from Intel in 10/2019 before all old stuff was removed....
Your file the .BIO file is dated 8/21/2003. Wonder why Gateway has a "newer" file than the Intel archive....

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 3 of 4, by aspiringnobody

Posted on 2024-10-11, 19:35

aspiringnobody Offline

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Horun wrote on 2024-10-11, 03:10:

Interesting ! From Intel website the last BIOS for D845GRG is RG84510A.86A.0033.P17. .BIO file dated 7/14/2003. That is straight from Intel in 10/2019 before all old stuff was removed....
Your file the .BIO file is dated 8/21/2003. Wonder why Gateway has a "newer" file than the Intel archive....

the retro web had a listing that the P19 file existed but didn't have it backed up. I'm pretty sure the file is real but the changelog is like nothing I've ever seen before. Perhaps GW hacked it themselves?

Reply 4 of 4, by aspiringnobody

Posted on 2024-10-12, 02:23

aspiringnobody Offline

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Can confirm that the 3.06GHz P4 runs in this board. Seems to have the 845 A1 chipset so HyperThreading isn't supported at all. It wasn't stable for me, but, I think it was overheating. I'm waiting on the plastic bracket so I can use the copper heatsink it's supposed to use; I tested it with the all aluminum heatsink that uses the bracket the motherboard came with, and it was very hot when I checked after 3dMark froze.

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