snipe3687 wrote on 2025-09-29, 17:12:

thanks for pointing that out! I will adjust that now.

Hello. It has been more than THREE MONTHS since you sold me three WeeCee Redux boards where the CMOS can't be stored because they have a defect and battery doesn't make contact.
You told me to wait until next day so you could test a different battery, but I couldn't get an answer since 2025-12-01.
This is NOT a way to treat a customer: I paid 100 euros per board, that's 300 euros for 3 boards.

Duffman wrote on 2022-12-24, 12:08:

@Paul_V […]
Show full quote

@Paul_V

Here is my modded XGI Volari BIOSs - Both A 32KB Z9 and 64KB V5/V8 version.

Along with Winflash that was bundled with these ROMs. I'm not sure if this is just standard winflash or if it's a special version for XGI.
Hopefully this flash tool works.

I'm assuming just open winflash.exe - I'm guessing just select the modded ROM and flash it?

My theory is that the extra BIOS code in the 64KB ROM is what allows 3D to work? needs testing to verify.

If the BIOS mod then works I'll send you the Volari V5/V8 driver.

Sorry for the Necro Reply on this thread, but I am searching for a Volari V8 bios! I have a V5 256MB and I am looking unlock the cores! Any V8 bios would be deprecated (in .Rom / .bin type) even better if its 256MB version! cheers!!

Thanks!

AGP4LIfe? wrote on 2026-03-04, 17:00:

Duffman wrote on 2022-12-24, 12:08:

@Paul_V […]
Show full quote

@Paul_V

Here is my modded XGI Volari BIOSs - Both A 32KB Z9 and 64KB V5/V8 version.

Along with Winflash that was bundled with these ROMs. I'm not sure if this is just standard winflash or if it's a special version for XGI.
Hopefully this flash tool works.

I'm assuming just open winflash.exe - I'm guessing just select the modded ROM and flash it?

My theory is that the extra BIOS code in the 64KB ROM is what allows 3D to work? needs testing to verify.

If the BIOS mod then works I'll send you the Volari V5/V8 driver.

Sorry for the Necro Reply on this thread, but I am searching for a Volari V8 bios! I have a V5 256MB and I am looking unlock the cores! Any V8 bios would be deprecated (in .Rom / .bin type) even better if its 256MB version! cheers!!

Thanks!

Well, it's basically the first result in search
https://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item … 0-xgi-volari-v8

But I doubt it will do you any good. According to datasheet, V5 and V8 are different architectures.
It is not some 9500 with locked shaders\pipelines, which would transform into 9700.

Paul_V wrote on 2026-03-04, 23:01:

Well, it's basically the first result in search https://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item … 0-xgi-volari-v8 […]
Show full quote

AGP4LIfe? wrote on 2026-03-04, 17:00:

Duffman wrote on 2022-12-24, 12:08:

@Paul_V […]
Show full quote

@Paul_V

Here is my modded XGI Volari BIOSs - Both A 32KB Z9 and 64KB V5/V8 version.

Along with Winflash that was bundled with these ROMs. I'm not sure if this is just standard winflash or if it's a special version for XGI.
Hopefully this flash tool works.

I'm assuming just open winflash.exe - I'm guessing just select the modded ROM and flash it?

My theory is that the extra BIOS code in the 64KB ROM is what allows 3D to work? needs testing to verify.

If the BIOS mod then works I'll send you the Volari V5/V8 driver.

Sorry for the Necro Reply on this thread, but I am searching for a Volari V8 bios! I have a V5 256MB and I am looking unlock the cores! Any V8 bios would be deprecated (in .Rom / .bin type) even better if its 256MB version! cheers!!

Thanks!

Well, it's basically the first result in search
https://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item … 0-xgi-volari-v8

But I doubt it will do you any good. According to datasheet, V5 and V8 are different architectures.
It is not some 9500 with locked shaders\pipelines, which would transform into 9700.

Yea, I have seen that website. Unfortunately that bios is a weird extension. I(I don't know how to use it) the flash program for the XGI cards needs a .rom or .bin.

and the V5 & v8 arch is actually identical! its the same chip, so it can be unlocked potentially with just a simple bios flash!

AGP4LIfe? wrote on 2026-03-05, 21:45:

Paul_V wrote on 2026-03-04, 23:01:

Well, it's basically the first result in search https://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item … 0-xgi-volari-v8 […]
Show full quote

AGP4LIfe? wrote on 2026-03-04, 17:00:

Sorry for the Necro Reply on this thread, but I am searching for a Volari V8 bios! I have a V5 256MB and I am looking unlock the cores! Any V8 bios would be deprecated (in .Rom / .bin type) even better if its 256MB version! cheers!!

Thanks!

Well, it's basically the first result in search
https://www.vgamuseum.info/index.php/cpu/item … 0-xgi-volari-v8

But I doubt it will do you any good. According to datasheet, V5 and V8 are different architectures.
It is not some 9500 with locked shaders\pipelines, which would transform into 9700.

Yea, I have seen that website. Unfortunately that bios is a weird extension. I(I don't know how to use it) the flash program for the XGI cards needs a .rom or .bin.

and the V5 & v8 arch is actually identical! its the same chip, so it can be unlocked potentially with just a simple bios flash!

IMHO, leave it as is then.
You should at least have "Plan B" if things go south:a hardware programmer.

So Ages2001 (who made Universal NT Installer) has made some storage drivers that could use some testing.

https://github.com/ages2001/IDENT
https://github.com/ages2001/WINDISK

IDENT is a SCSIport miniport driver and WINDISK is a VXD driver.

Cool, this may help to solve problems with SATA3 ctrl on my P67 and LBA48 for >2TB HDD...

Yesterday night I tried to play with IDENT and WINDISK drivers and I almost succeeded with WINDISK to boot on SATA3 due to it's WINDISK.VXD that is loaded early in SYSTEM.INI and take over BIOS int13h and switch to 32-bit WINDISK.PDR later. But this driver unfortulatelly do some strange freezing when I open This Computer in Windows Explorer or trying to change a current drive infile manager. It hangs, I have to press ctrl+alt+del and kill the Explorer or file manager process to continue. In command line I can change current drive by typing the letter without problem. This occurs bot on SATA2 and SATA3 channel and I can't figure out what cause this behavior.

@RayeR

How about IDENT? did it show the same behavior?

I tried IDENT too but it loads in later stage than WINDISK.VXD - it's MPD only, not loaded from system.ini so it happens that on SATA3 channel Windows hangs before the ESDI_506.PDR or IDENT.MPD has a chance to take over it (there's some VDMA implementation bug on SATA3 channels that triggers when/soon after CPU switched to V86 mode).

@RayeR

IDENT doesn't boot?