Gateway LT31 AHCI unlock Bios request

[Calab]

I'm trying to upgrade this laptop for my son to use. Hoping to put an AMD TK-42 processor into it, and I keep seeing that a modded BIOS upgrade adds AHCI and other features that help with stability. Guess I grabbed the wrong one - or had a bad download.

Well, I installed the TK-42 into our Gateway ZA8 (LT31), but the netbook is not stable. I've gotten most of the way through a Windows 7 install before a freeze. I've tried a few Linux Live CD's but they seem to freeze up as well.

What's funny is that it seems to be more stable on battery than on the power brick... I could see that making a difference if Windows was running and there were different power profiles in use, battery vs powered, BUT a Live CD shouldn't be doing that.

I'm guessing that the TK-42 just draws too much power for the ZA8. I guess an upgrade from an L110 CPU to the TK-42 is just too much. It's a pity as I've heard of others doing the same upgrade successfully.

---

•Win+B

If you do manage to successfully activate CRISIS, please post the key combination that you used in case other people need it in the future.

If you do not already know, the NVRAM settings are a much safer way to modify BIOS settings regardless of whether they are actually present in the BIOS menu or not.

Win+B (possible Ctrl+B) was the combination that let me restore the BIOS on my ZA8.

Messing with NVRAM settings is definitely safer, but you need the system up and stable to be able to run the app to do so. If your app can run from a DOS booted from a USB stick, it would be great.

I just wish we have a full featured BIOS for my ZA8 (LT3112h) so I could see the CPU temps, etc. I upgraded the CPU from the stock L110 to a TK-42, but the system isn't stable. I'm guessing that the TK-42 just draws too much power.

[timgatton]

I'm trying to upgrade this laptop for my son to use. Hoping to put an AMD TK-42 processor into it, and I keep seeing that a modded BIOS upgrade adds AHCI and other features that help with stability. Guess I grabbed the wrong one - or had a bad download.

Well, I installed the TK-42 into our Gateway ZA8 (LT31), but the netbook is not stable. I've gotten most of the way through a Windows 7 install before a freeze. I've tried a few Linux Live CD's but they seem to freeze up as well.

What's funny is that it seems to be more stable on battery than on the power brick... I could see that making a difference if Windows was running and there were different power profiles in use, battery vs powered, BUT a Live CD shouldn't be doing that.

I'm guessing that the TK-42 just draws too much power for the ZA8. I guess an upgrade from an L110 CPU to the TK-42 is just too much. It's a pity as I've heard of others doing the same upgrade successfully.

---

•Win+B

If you do manage to successfully activate CRISIS, please post the key combination that you used in case other people need it in the future.

If you do not already know, the NVRAM settings are a much safer way to modify BIOS settings regardless of whether they are actually present in the BIOS menu or not.

Win+B (possible Ctrl+B) was the combination that let me restore the BIOS on my ZA8.

Messing with NVRAM settings is definitely safer, but you need the system up and stable to be able to run the app to do so. If your app can run from a DOS booted from a USB stick, it would be great.

I just wish we have a full featured BIOS for my ZA8 (LT3112h) so I could see the CPU temps, etc. I upgraded the CPU from the stock L110 to a TK-42, but the system isn't stable. I'm guessing that the TK-42 just draws too much power.

I read the forums and found so many people NOT getting the TK-42 to be stable, that I just went with the L310 (about $10 on eBay). And when you look at the power specs, it's easy to see why ... the power draw between the L110 and the TK-42 is "MASSIVE" ... it's rated to draw 53% more power than the L110 ... and no design engineer is going to put that much power handling "overhead" in the MOBO power circuits.

For my upgrade, I did the following:
- replaced the rotary disk with a 60 GB SSD (after seeing that the image on the rotary was 30 GB, I went with something only 2X that size). Note that I tried to Acronis clone the disk but rotary to SSD caused Windows to not load (too much of a change) so I had to re-build.
- installed a 32GB SD card (that will be for storage ... easily and cheaply upgradable)
- installed Win-7 Ultimate-64
- had to search a bit to find drivers ... not too hard
System was running well, so I then installed the dual core L310 and am very happy. I see most people can get the systems to OC about 40% with a new BIOS so thinking of doing that next.

[timgatton]

Some BIOS manufacturers release Windows BIOS flashing utilities for the average user, but they are more prone to failure from within Windows. I recommend booting from a boot-able USB Flash Drive with DOS as the OS. Do NOT use your own DOS image. For the full process (Phoenix BIOS) click on the "BIOS updates" section of bios-mods.com. Read the entire article very carefully. You will be following the instructions for Phoenix BIOS's.

Standard Precautions:
DO NOT mistype ANY commands and do NOT do anything unnecessary. Make sure that your notebook's battery is 100% charged and that the battery works. The power cord must also be fully inserted and working. Make sure you have a copy of this BIOS someplace other than your laptop and that you can access the internet with this other computer. If you get a brick and you need help activating Phoenix CRISIS recovery (assuming it works on that model - If it does, you will need a USB floppy drive and/or a 2GB or less flashdrive), please post a message.

I ran WinPhlash as Administrator and same problem.

Thoughts?

You said that "from Windows" isn't a good idea. Do you recommend a boot from USB or ? Can you direct me to where that might be covered?

thanks
[/quote]
[/quote]

Thank you for your answers/support so far. I am trying the DOS approach and in reading the article, it says that you flash a BIN file, yet all I find are WPH files. Can you explain / amplify as I cannot find any links to BIN files.

thanks

tpg

[Sml6397]

You can rename the file to "bios.wph" "bios.rom" and "bios.bin" interchangeably based on the required file name. Assuming you have your correct BIOS version, all you have to do is change the file extension from .wph to .bin.

The reason for the different extensions is based on the method of backing up the BIOS, programs used to modify it/picky programs, personal preference, etc.

Some BIOS manufacturers release Windows BIOS flashing utilities for the average user, but they are more prone to failure from within Windows. I recommend booting from a boot-able USB Flash Drive with DOS as the OS. Do NOT use your own DOS image. For the full process (Phoenix BIOS) click on the "BIOS updates" section of bios-mods.com. Read the entire article very carefully. You will be following the instructions for Phoenix BIOS's.

Standard Precautions:
DO NOT mistype ANY commands and do NOT do anything unnecessary. Make sure that your notebook's battery is 100% charged and that the battery works. The power cord must also be fully inserted and working. Make sure you have a copy of this BIOS someplace other than your laptop and that you can access the internet with this other computer. If you get a brick and you need help activating Phoenix CRISIS recovery (assuming it works on that model - If it does, you will need a USB floppy drive and/or a 2GB or less flashdrive), please post a message.

I ran WinPhlash as Administrator and same problem.

Thoughts?

You said that "from Windows" isn't a good idea. Do you recommend a boot from USB or ? Can you direct me to where that might be covered?

thanks

[/quote]

Thank you for your answers/support so far. I am trying the DOS approach and in reading the article, it says that you flash a BIN file, yet all I find are WPH files. Can you explain / amplify as I cannot find any links to BIN files.

thanks

tpg
[/quote]

[timgatton]

You can rename the file to "bios.wph" "bios.rom" and "bios.bin" interchangeably based on the required file name. Assuming you have your correct BIOS version, all you have to do is change the file extension from .wph to .bin.

The reason for the different extensions is based on the method of backing up the BIOS, programs used to modify it/picky programs, personal preference, etc.

Some BIOS manufacturers release Windows BIOS flashing utilities for the average user, but they are more prone to failure from within Windows. I recommend booting from a boot-able USB Flash Drive with DOS as the OS. Do NOT use your own DOS image. For the full process (Phoenix BIOS) click on the "BIOS updates" section of bios-mods.com. Read the entire article very carefully. You will be following the instructions for Phoenix BIOS's.

Standard Precautions:
DO NOT mistype ANY commands and do NOT do anything unnecessary. Make sure that your notebook's battery is 100% charged and that the battery works. The power cord must also be fully inserted and working. Make sure you have a copy of this BIOS someplace other than your laptop and that you can access the internet with this other computer. If you get a brick and you need help activating Phoenix CRISIS recovery (assuming it works on that model - If it does, you will need a USB floppy drive and/or a 2GB or less flashdrive), please post a message.

I ran WinPhlash as Administrator and same problem.

Thoughts?

You said that "from Windows" isn't a good idea. Do you recommend a boot from USB or ? Can you direct me to where that might be covered?

thanks

Thank you for your answers/support so far. I am trying the DOS approach and in reading the article, it says that you flash a BIN file, yet all I find are WPH files. Can you explain / amplify as I cannot find any links to BIN files.

thanks

tpg
[/quote]
[/quote]

thank you. Got it working, and while the SLEEP and RESTART doesn't work as clean as I'd like, the big killer is AHCI ... I turn it on and Windows won't boot. Thus, between the SLEEP and RESTART bugs and not getting the AHCI benefit, I don't see a reason to do a BIOS update for a 40% OC benefit (already got a 400% increase by going to the L310 and using a 64-bit OS).

thanks

tpg

[Sml6397]

The reason that Windows will not boot is that you do not have the required drivers. You must install these first. I will post a tutorial on how to do this in a few minutes. Do not give up yet.

Do you still have the Windows installer DVD?

You can rename the file to "bios.wph" "bios.rom" and "bios.bin" interchangeably based on the required file name. Assuming you have your correct BIOS version, all you have to do is change the file extension from .wph to .bin.

The reason for the different extensions is based on the method of backing up the BIOS, programs used to modify it/picky programs, personal preference, etc.

Some BIOS manufacturers release Windows BIOS flashing utilities for the average user, but they are more prone to failure from within Windows. I recommend booting from a boot-able USB Flash Drive with DOS as the OS. Do NOT use your own DOS image. For the full process (Phoenix BIOS) click on the "BIOS updates" section of bios-mods.com. Read the entire article very carefully. You will be following the instructions for Phoenix BIOS's.

Standard Precautions:
DO NOT mistype ANY commands and do NOT do anything unnecessary. Make sure that your notebook's battery is 100% charged and that the battery works. The power cord must also be fully inserted and working. Make sure you have a copy of this BIOS someplace other than your laptop and that you can access the internet with this other computer. If you get a brick and you need help activating Phoenix CRISIS recovery (assuming it works on that model - If it does, you will need a USB floppy drive and/or a 2GB or less flashdrive), please post a message.

I ran WinPhlash as Administrator and same problem.

Thoughts?

You said that "from Windows" isn't a good idea. Do you recommend a boot from USB or ? Can you direct me to where that might be covered?

thanks

Thank you for your answers/support so far. I am trying the DOS approach and in reading the article, it says that you flash a BIN file, yet all I find are WPH files. Can you explain / amplify as I cannot find any links to BIN files.

thanks

tpg

[/quote]

thank you. Got it working, and while the SLEEP and RESTART doesn't work as clean as I'd like, the big killer is AHCI ... I turn it on and Windows won't boot. Thus, between the SLEEP and RESTART bugs and not getting the AHCI benefit, I don't see a reason to do a BIOS update for a 40% OC benefit (already got a 400% increase by going to the L310 and using a 64-bit OS).

thanks

tpg
[/quote]

[timgatton]

The reason that Windows will not boot is that you do not have the required drivers. You must install these first. I will post a tutorial on how to do this in a few minutes. Do not give up yet.

Do you still have the Windows installer DVD?

You can rename the file to "bios.wph" "bios.rom" and "bios.bin" interchangeably based on the required file name. Assuming you have your correct BIOS version, all you have to do is change the file extension from .wph to .bin.

The reason for the different extensions is based on the method of backing up the BIOS, programs used to modify it/picky programs, personal preference, etc.

Some BIOS manufacturers release Windows BIOS flashing utilities for the average user, but they are more prone to failure from within Windows. I recommend booting from a boot-able USB Flash Drive with DOS as the OS. Do NOT use your own DOS image. For the full process (Phoenix BIOS) click on the "BIOS updates" section of bios-mods.com. Read the entire article very carefully. You will be following the instructions for Phoenix BIOS's.

Standard Precautions:
DO NOT mistype ANY commands and do NOT do anything unnecessary. Make sure that your notebook's battery is 100% charged and that the battery works. The power cord must also be fully inserted and working. Make sure you have a copy of this BIOS someplace other than your laptop and that you can access the internet with this other computer. If you get a brick and you need help activating Phoenix CRISIS recovery (assuming it works on that model - If it does, you will need a USB floppy drive and/or a 2GB or less flashdrive), please post a message.

You said that "from Windows" isn't a good idea. Do you recommend a boot from USB or ? Can you direct me to where that might be covered?

thanks

Thank you for your answers/support so far. I am trying the DOS approach and in reading the article, it says that you flash a BIN file, yet all I find are WPH files. Can you explain / amplify as I cannot find any links to BIN files.

thanks

tpg

thank you. Got it working, and while the SLEEP and RESTART doesn't work as clean as I'd like, the big killer is AHCI ... I turn it on and Windows won't boot. Thus, between the SLEEP and RESTART bugs and not getting the AHCI benefit, I don't see a reason to do a BIOS update for a 40% OC benefit (already got a 400% increase by going to the L310 and using a 64-bit OS).

thanks

tpg
[/quote]
[/quote]

Yes, I do.

Can't wait.

So your saying that if I'd had the new BIOS in during the Windows install, it would have worked then as Windows would have installed those drivers ... correct?

[Sml6397]

Yes, if you had enabled AHCI and then installed Windows, this would be much easier.

What you need to do is edit a single registry value to 0. I am writing the instructions specifically for your system. I will be done in a few minutes. It's been a long time since I modified the registry with a command prompt command.

After this, you will have a massive overclock and AHCI.

The reason that Windows will not boot is that you do not have the required drivers. You must install these first. I will post a tutorial on how to do this in a few minutes. Do not give up yet.

Do you still have the Windows installer DVD?

You can rename the file to "bios.wph" "bios.rom" and "bios.bin" interchangeably based on the required file name. Assuming you have your correct BIOS version, all you have to do is change the file extension from .wph to .bin.

The reason for the different extensions is based on the method of backing up the BIOS, programs used to modify it/picky programs, personal preference, etc.

You said that "from Windows" isn't a good idea. Do you recommend a boot from USB or ? Can you direct me to where that might be covered?

thanks

Thank you for your answers/support so far. I am trying the DOS approach and in reading the article, it says that you flash a BIN file, yet all I find are WPH files. Can you explain / amplify as I cannot find any links to BIN files.

thanks

tpg

thank you. Got it working, and while the SLEEP and RESTART doesn't work as clean as I'd like, the big killer is AHCI ... I turn it on and Windows won't boot. Thus, between the SLEEP and RESTART bugs and not getting the AHCI benefit, I don't see a reason to do a BIOS update for a 40% OC benefit (already got a 400% increase by going to the L310 and using a 64-bit OS).

thanks

tpg

[/quote]

Yes, I do.

Can't wait.

So your saying that if I'd had the new BIOS in during the Windows install, it would have worked then as Windows would have installed those drivers ... correct?
[/quote]

---

Here are the instructions:

1.) Insert the Windows 7 Install DVD into your notebook.
2.) Set your BIOS to boot from the CD-Drive.
3.) Turn on your notebook and load up the Install DVD (you will have to press "any key" to load from the installation media when prompted).
4.) Click "Next" and then "Repair your computer." Do NOT reinstall Windows.
5.) After the installer DVD detects your Windows OS, click "Next"
6.) Select Command Prompt.
7.) Type "regedit.exe"
8.) Type each of the following commands one at a time:

REG ADD HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci /v Start /d 0 /f /t REG_DWORD

REG ADD HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\IastorV /v Start /d 0 /f /t REG_DWORD

Note that this is NOT case sensitive.

This will tell Windows 7 to enable the AHCI drivers at next boot.

If these instructions do not work, repeat the process, but add the following command as well (in addition to the previous two):

REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\amdsata /v Start /d 0 /f /t REG_DWORD

[Calab]

thank you. Got it working, and while the SLEEP and RESTART doesn't work as clean as I'd like, the big killer is AHCI ... I turn it on and Windows won't boot.

Windows won't start because it doesn't know how to handle the AHCI hardware. This is something that is determined/installed during the Windows installation.

There are articles online that show how to switch to ACHI without having to reload Windows. Shouldn't be too hard to find with Google.

[Sml6397]

Did you try the instructions I posted in my previous comment?

thank you. Got it working, and while the SLEEP and RESTART doesn't work as clean as I'd like, the big killer is AHCI ... I turn it on and Windows won't boot.

Windows won't start because it doesn't know how to handle the AHCI hardware. This is something that is determined/installed during the Windows installation.

There are articles online that show how to switch to ACHI without having to reload Windows. Shouldn't be too hard to find with Google.