Bios upgrade advice

[El.Plates]

Hi, I am after some advice for an Award Modular BIOS.
BIOS Date: 03/22/99
BIOS Type: Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG
BIOS ID: 03/22/99-MVP3-586B-ITE86-2A5LEH2BC
OEM Sign-On: (591PWIQB) VIA APOLLO MVP3
Chipset: VIA 82C597 rev 4
Superio: ITE 8679 or 8680 rev 0 found at port 279h
OS: Win2000 SP4
CPU: AMD-K6(tm) 3D processor 500 MHz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Unknown
BIOS ROM Size: Unknown
Memory Installed: 255 MB
Memory Maximum: Unknown
This is on an elderly neighbours PC, his son has bought him a retail copy of XP and returned home after asking me if I would install the OS for his father(does this sound familiar to you).Then I discovered the age of the Bios….
So now I’m left with this nice old guy not understanding he has to pay out some money to get the Bios capable of running the OS.
Is there anyplace that anyone knows of where I could get a download to update the Bios for free ?
Thanks for any help with this

[Platypus]

Welcome to WinDrivers, El.Plates.

Is there something specific that makes you believe the system would require a BIOS update?

Occasionally updates were issued to address incompatabilities with XP, but generally system speed and memory complement, chipset drivers and handling of large hard drives were the main XP hassles, and only the last involved the BIOS needing updating.

The modest performance of the K6/500 is probably going to be the main bottleneck otherwise...

[Platypus]

Anyway, it seems the last BIOS update Shuttle have archived for the 591P is from 18th April 2000, 591PWIQH here:

ftp://ftp.shuttle.com/BIOS/591p/

The updates since yours show as:

591PWIQC :
1. use IBM 15G HD, LBA mode become CHS mode after FDISK
2. add function :Init Display First" default "PCI Slot"
3. change CYRIX CPU P-rating
95 X 3 from 350 to 400
95 X 3.5 from 400 to 466
100 X 3 from 380 to 433
100 X 3.5 from 433 to 500
4. set AMD 500 Mhz CPU voltage to 2.2V
5. item "IRQ Routing Miniport Driver" default change to "VIA"
for VIA 4 in 1 Driver
6. can use awdflash 7.12

591PWIQE:
1. Fix Linux cannot shutdown.
591PWIQF:
1. Fix DOS Mode need delay 4Sec to power off
591PWIQG:
1. Fix 533 CPU show 523
2. Support HDD > 37.5G
591PWIQH:
Add symcmos flash support

[CCT]

Just for info:

http://tinyurl.com/yzrdrz


Board by Holco Enterprises, a Holco/Shuttle (HOT) brand - the version dated 3/22/99 had the Intel 8680 chipset.

[El.Plates]

Firstly many thanks for the welcome.
In answer to why I think his PC needs a BIOS upgrade, it’s because of the XP situation ie XP won’t install – it fails at the re-boot after the files have been put on the HD.
I did an image of his previous W2000 setup reformatted the HD and restored the image and all is fine. Have tried the XP install disk on one of my boxes and again all fine.
But he wants to use what his lovely son bought him.
I really think this is a bios/xp hassle and would appreciate any help in getting an upgrade for him.
Also I am not experienced with Bios terminology but want to learn and don't mind giving anybody a grin in the process.What is 591 I dont see any corellation to the bios I am describing.Please bare wit me on this and once again any more help on this gratefully grabbed with both desparate hands

[CCT]

591PWIQB is the OEM descriptor for the board - it is in your own post!

That is a Chinese low budget board that is hard to find bios updates for - here's another site:

http://tinyurl.com/ufh55

You will note that the bios date is November 25, 1999 - not very NEW.

[El.Plates]

Firstly, Platypus and CCT, huge thanks for the help you have given me on this. I have followed up on your suggestions but have hit a bit of a brickwall. I am still unsure of the way forward with this issue. Would I be right in thinking that the last available update for this Bios is not recent enough to be able to run XP on the PC in question i.e. it looks to me to have been released prior to XP, and therefore I’m after something that doesn’t exist? Please feel completely free to tell me if I am missing the obvious and steer me in the right direction if you have the patience! Thanks againFirstly, Platypus and CCT, huge thanks for the help you have given me on this. I have followed up on your suggestions but have hit a bit of a brickwall. I am still unsure of the way forward with this issue. Would I be right in thinking that the last available update for this Bios is not recent enough to be able to run XP on the PC in question i.e. it looks to me to have been released prior to XP, and therefore I’m after something that doesn’t exist? Please feel completely free to tell me if I am missing the obvious and steer me in the right direction if you have the patience! Thanks again

[CCT]

You can 'TRY' one of those bios upgrades BUT the repercussions are likely to be fatal if you get the wrong one or make a mistake.

Basically, that board (and the company) are history now - XP support seems non-existant; stick with what works is my advice.

[Platypus]

Unfortunately CCT may be right. If the BIOS does have a problem that trips up XP, then you'd need a post-2001 release that addressed the issue. The latest dated links I could find were to a 2001 BIOS, but from Spacewalker, who I think no longer exist, so the links were broken.

What goes wrong after the re-boot, no video, error message? There could be an incompatability with something like the support chipset or video.

[slgrieb]

The system in question has a processor that is too slow to run XP well, too little memory to run XP well, and well, it just shouldn't BE running XP. No one is being served by dancing around the issue of system inadequacy except the kid (who made a bad purchase).

He has no right to dump this monkey on your back, Plates, and you should put the ball back in his court. He made a poor decision (glad I never have) and needs to go with another plan.

[street1]

I have personally had a case when installing Windows XP.
I left ot the sound card ,and ,modem put them on the shelf
beside me.Installed XP then shut down put the modem and
sound card back in rebooted then installed the drivers and
everything worked fine.

I don't know why it worked that way I was just glad it did.
This was an old 1998 model Compaq EN.

So you could at least try your install with both ,or either
of those pieces of hardware removed and see what happens.