Bios update.
Need p3 microcode

You're kinda stuck if you don't have a p2/covington

MrSzalonna wrote on 2024-10-17, 13:54:

The board is a 440BX, so it should work.

May I ask what makes you think like that? The official manual never mentioned Pentium III; have you read successful experience(s) somewhere else? Chipset support doesn't equal to BIOS support.

MrSzalonna wrote on 2024-10-17, 13:54:

Motherboard: Siemens Nixdorf System Board D1064

What's your settings of switches 5-8? If the TH99 jumper manual at TRW is correct then your MB should support 5.5x multiplier with switches 5-7 off and switch 8 on. If that's unsuccessful then try 5x (as written in the official manual) with switches 6 and 7 off while switches 5 and 8 on. If it still can't turn on then probably lacks necessary microcode as myne wrote.

myne wrote on 2024-10-17, 14:05:

Bios update.
Need p3 microcode

You're kinda stuck if you don't have a p2/covington

Another option could be desoldering and replacing the BIOS chip, although using a PII processor would be a lot easier.

MrSzalonna wrote on 2024-10-17, 13:54:

Also the CPU doesn't get warm

You need to measure the inductor near the cpu with a volt meter and confirm cpu's vcore is present.

MrSzalonna wrote on 2024-10-17, 13:54:

my new 550 Mhz Pentium 3 arrived

Is that CPU a 2 Volt Katmai core, or a +-1,7 Volt Coppermine core?

dormcat wrote on 2024-10-17, 14:48:

May I ask what makes you think like that? The official manual never mentioned Pentium III; have you read successful experience(s […]
Show full quote

MrSzalonna wrote on 2024-10-17, 13:54:

The board is a 440BX, so it should work.

May I ask what makes you think like that? The official manual never mentioned Pentium III; have you read successful experience(s) somewhere else? Chipset support doesn't equal to BIOS support.

MrSzalonna wrote on 2024-10-17, 13:54:

Motherboard: Siemens Nixdorf System Board D1064

What's your settings of switches 5-8? If the TH99 jumper manual at TRW is correct then your MB should support 5.5x multiplier with switches 5-7 off and switch 8 on. If that's unsuccessful then try 5x (as written in the official manual) with switches 6 and 7 off while switches 5 and 8 on. If it still can't turn on then probably lacks necessary microcode as myne wrote.

So there's no mention of a 5.5x multiplier neither a 5.0x. Thanks, I tried the highest and lowest settings, with no luck. I'll try other things tomorrow, but how can you update a bios?

2 volt Katmai if 2.0volt on the back means Katmai.

Don't worry about the multiplier settings.
The CPU ignores them.
Bus, sure. Try 66 (366mhz)

But my money is still on bios.

If you have a floppy, you can try the phoenix recovery

https://www.bios-mods.com/bios-recovery/phoen … -bios-recovery/

https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/siemen … oard-d1064#bios

No guarantee of success

MrSzalonna wrote on 2024-10-17, 13:54:

Motherboard: Siemens Nixdorf System Board D1064

Na płycie głównej jest taki kod: 526361-D1064 A12GS 4 - it´s even your case? If yes, then you need BIOS update, as members wrote before me. Read this thread: https://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/topic1436328.html
But BIOS update can be difficult to get, as link to Siemens is dead.

Board should support PIIIs to 800 / 850MHz (think I might have had mine to 1GHz). If the latest BIOS doesn't have the required microcodes then there's a small app available to inject them in anyway. Apart from TRW, all the BIOS files and the microcode app are still available from Fujitsu support.

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2024-10-17, 19:36:

Apart from TRW, all the BIOS files and the microcode app are still available from Fujitsu support.

I also found out that in theory BIOSes and microcode updates are still available...but it is not possible to download them, I tried latest New Moon 28 on WinXP and Firefox 115 on Win7.

Is anybody able to download the file? -> https://support.ts.fujitsu.com/indexdownload. … 6a-41201520f154

kind regards
soggi

soggi wrote on 2024-10-17, 20:21:

I also found out that in theory BIOSes and microcode updates are still available...but it is not possible to download them, I tr […]
Show full quote

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2024-10-17, 19:36:

Apart from TRW, all the BIOS files and the microcode app are still available from Fujitsu support.

I also found out that in theory BIOSes and microcode updates are still available...but it is not possible to download them, I tried latest New Moon 28 on WinXP and Firefox 115 on Win7.

Is anybody able to download the file? -> https://support.ts.fujitsu.com/indexdownload. … 6a-41201520f154

kind regards
soggi

Download works with NewMoon 28.
Attached.

Forget about it... 🤣

I clicked all the time on the link under "File Download Link" and therefor came back to the same place again and again.

Thx 😉

It's really great that Fujitsu still has this old stuff from Siemens-Nixdorf and Fujitsu-Siemens!

So I would recommend to flash the latest BIOS (V4.06 R1.06) and the latest microcode (VER.2.00 REL 1.09).

kind regards
soggi

For FSC BIOS versions without the required microcodes, the patch list and update app are attached...

In terms of switches, I just followed those from the D1107 (not relevant for coppermines)...

I did some work on my great uncle's computers in the fall of 2002. He had one that was based on an Abit BE6-II with a P3 550 (IIRC) that had died because of capacitor plague, and he had already replaced it with a Socket A system. He had an even older P2 system that I believe was a Gateway. I took that one and used the much newer and better hard drive from the BE6 and installed Windows 98 on it so he could have it as a back up system. I had it up and running fine, then I decided to try the P3 in it for the heck of it. It would POST and boot into Windows with no issues, but it didn't recognize the CPU properly, so I decided to see if I could do a BIOS update to cure that. I had a hard time finding a BIOS update, but I finally did. IIRC it was an Intel OEM motherboard, and the BIOS was an executable and could only be run from Windows. So I ran it and rebooted; it then told me that the CPU wasn't the correct one for this mainboard and halted. Because of the way it updated the BIOS there had been no way to save the original BIOS, and even though I spent quite a bit of time looking, I couldn't find an older BIOS to revert to, so I finally had to throw in the towel and put the P2 back in it.

I'm not implying that anything like that will happen here (more likely the opposite), but this thread reminded me of that anecdote.

PC Hoarder Patrol wrote on 2024-10-17, 19:36:

Board should support PIIIs to 800 / 850MHz (think I might have had mine to 1GHz). If the latest BIOS doesn't have the required microcodes then there's a small app available to inject them in anyway. Apart from TRW, all the BIOS files and the microcode app are still available from Fujitsu support.

How do you "inject" the microcode? I'm not advanced in old tech by any means and still finding out things. If it can save me a couple of buck then sure I can try it. Please provide me with some information. Thanks.

The basic principle is to get an image of the BIOS, then get another BIOS from similar board that had the CPU support you want and is same BIOS version and maker, then use BIOS mod tools to take the CPU microcode module out of the donor BIOS and put it into the imaged BIOS, then flash the modified image back again.

Pretty sure 406 does NOT have the P3 microcode.

"Add support for Mendocino CPU (Micro Code Patch
only via diskette)"

Only mention of micro in the changes

Here's another suggestion. If the CPU VRM doesn't support voltage settings for lower values than 2 V, it will not provide any voltage to PIII Coppermine, therefore the CPU will not boot at all and will remain cold as a dead man. Try to measure if there's voltage output from CPU VRM when the board is turned on with this Coppermine CPU installed.