BIOS K7S5A BIOS FAQ

Updated 05/11/02 by Tim B @ OCWorkbench.com

1. What's the latest official BIOS?
2. What's the latest unofficial/beta BIOS?
3. What are the differences between BIOS versions?
4. What BIOS works with the Athlon XP?
5. What's the password for the 010911 BIOS?
6. How do I flash the BIOS?
7. How do I flash the BIOS if I have an NTFS drive?
8. How do I clean boot?
9. How do I make a boot disk?
10. What amiflash version should I use?
11. What if I get an error during flashing?
12. How do I clear the CMOS?
13. What if I get the error message "CMOS settings wrong.... " when I boot?
14. I flashed the BIOS and now my board is dead, what can I do?
15. Why is my 1400Mhz cpu detected as 1000Mhz by the BIOS?
16. What do all those BIOS settings mean?
17. What are the best BIOS settings?
18. Which BIOS supports Fast Writes and Sideband Addressing?
19. Why are all my devices on the same IRQ?
20. How can I disable ACPI?
21. How can I enable ACPI?
22. Which BIOS chip does the K7S5A use?
23. Can I use AMIBCP to modify the BIOS?
24. Can I use the K7S5A2 BIOS on the K7S5A?

1. What are the latest official BIOS releases from ECS for the K7S5A?

The latest official BIOS version is 021001.

See here… www.ecs.com.tw or www.ecsusa.com for flashing utilities and guides.

2. What's the latest unofficial/beta BIOS?

The latest Overclocking unofficial/beta BIOS is version 021001.

All Overclocking BIOS’s Link

3. What are the differences between BIOS versions?

This are the release notes for the official BIOS releases:

See here… ECS K7S5A Download Page

4. What BIOS works with the Athlon XP?

Although any of the K7S5A BIOS versions work with the Athlon XP processors, only 010911 (and later) BIOS revisions will correctly recognize and display it as an Athlon XP. I recommend you upgrade your BIOS if you plan on using any of the new processors. Bios’s dated from 020809 support the XP2400+ and XP2600+ processors.

5. What's the password for the 010911 BIOS?

The password for the OCWorkbench 010911 BIOS files is "ocworkbench".

6. How do I flash the BIOS?

Every time the BIOS is flashed there's the risk of something going wrong, and you could end up with a corrupt BIOS. My advice is, that unless you're experiencing some kind of problem, leave the BIOS alone. If you have to upgrade your BIOS, carefully follow the steps below:

1. You will need two files to upgrade your BIOS. You'll need the amiflash utility, and the .rom file of the new BIOS you want to update to.

The BIOS flash utility is called AMINF333.exe, see the ECS Web Page page for download and alternative guide

2. Please note that the BIOS distributions are supplied as either .zip or .exe files. You can use WinZip to extract the .rom file from the .zip package. In case it's an .exe, just run the executable and it will automatically extract the .rom file.
3. Copy the flash utility and the .rom to your HARD DRIVE or a CDROM.
4. To use amiflash, you will need to be in DOS and no memory management and/or drivers should be loaded. If you're using DOS, Windows 9x or Windows ME, do a clean boot. If you're using Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you'll have to make a boot disk.
5. Restart the computer, and do a clean boot or use a boot disk.
6. Go to the directory where you placed the two files.
7. Type "aminfxxx xxxxxx.rom" substituting with the BIOS file you wish to flash. Ex: to flash BIOS ver. 011215 using amiflash 3.33, you would type something like "aminf333 011215.rom". The particular files names may vary for different BIOS or amiflash versions.
8. Press enter to start flashing, once complete the system will reboot.
9. Press "F1" to enter BIOS setup, set you configuration and save it. Reboot.

7. How do I flash the bios if I have an NTFS drive?

Obviously if you use a NTFS you won't be able place the flash files on the hard drive. You could put them on a floppy disk, but there's always the risk of corruption of the floppy, which is not good. The best solution for most would be to create a CD with the flash files. You'll need a CD burning software such as Easy CD Creator or Nero to burn the image into a CD. Once you burned the CD, use it to boot the machine and then use the utility and files included in it.

8. How do I boot clean?

If you're using DOS, Windows 9x or Windows ME:
Press "Shift + F5" while booting. You should read the message: "Windows is bypassing your startup files".

If you're using Windows 2000 or Windows XP:
You need a boot disk. Read how to make a boot disk.

9. How do I make a boot disk?

If you're using DOS or Windows 9x:
1. Format a floppy disk (no quick format)
2. Go to the command prompt
3. Type "sys a:"

If you're using Windows ME:
1. Format a floppy disk (no quick format)
2. Go to directory C:\Windows \Command\EBD (assuming you installed in C:\Windows)
3. Copy files IO.SYS and COMMAND.com to the floppy
You can also download a DrDOS 7.x boot image at http://www.bootdisk.com, then execute to create the boot disk.

If you're using Windows 2000 or Windows XP:
You should NEVER, EVER try to create a boot disk if your BIOS is not 010911 or newer. The earlier BIOS versions caused data corruption under Windows 2K/XP. If you have the required BIOS, you should download a DrDOS 7.x boot image at http://www.bootdisk.com, then execute it to create the boot disk. If your bios is new enough you can simply format a the disk but select the Create MS-DOS Disk tag.

10. What amiflash version should I use?

Some of the early versions of the overclocking BIOS included a different version of amiflash, named f-010621.exe. It really doesn't matter which one you use, Amiflash version 3.29 or higher works for any of the current BIOS versions.

11. What if I get an error during flashing?

These are the errors most often encountered while trying to flash the BIOS. If you get one of this errors don't panic, your board has not been flash yet, so go ahead and take care of the problem or reboot if you need to.

Amiflash locks up
This probably means the flash utility is corrupted, or you didn't perform a clean boot. Download amiflash again and try placing it in the hard drive or a cdrom, instead of a floppy.

CRC Error
This means you're probably trying to flash from a floppy disk, and the disk is corrupted. Place the files in the hard drive or a cdrom. Read over the instructions on how to flash the BIOS.

Chipset/Flash part isn't available. The function will be invalid.
This usually happens when you try to flash the BIOS under Windows 9x/ME/2K/XP, you need to do it under DOS. Read over the instructions on how to flash the BIOS.

Error 2 - File does not exist
This means you're telling amiflash to flash a file that doesn't exist. Make sure you include the .rom extension. Ex: "aminf329 011215" gives an error because the BIOS file is named 011215.rom. The correct syntax would be: "aminf329 011215.rom".

Error 9 - BIOS tag is incorrect
This can mean two things, either your BIOS file is corrupt or you're trying to flash a BIOS for a different motherboard. Corruption is unusual but can happen. Delete the BIOS .rom file and download it again. If you're flashing from a floppy disk, download the file again, place it in the hard drive and flash from there.

12. How do I clear the CMOS?

1. Unplug the power
2. Remove jumper JP4 and place it on 1-2
3. Wait 30 sec
4. Put back on 2-3
5. Plug power and restart

If that doesn't work (it should), try adding the following steps:
1.1 Remove jumper JP1 completely
4.1 Put back jumper JP1

13. What if I get the error message "CMOS settings wrong.... " when I boot?

This message is normal after you flash the BIOS, press F1 to enter the BIOS setup. Make any needed changes in the settings, then save and exit. Reboot.

14. I flashed the BIOS and now my board is dead, what can I do?

Check to see if the floppy drive light goes on when you power up. If it does, it's your lucky day, there's a 95% chance you can fix it. Follow these instructions:

In another computer, format a floppy disk under DOS/Windows 9x/ME. Don't use Windows 2K/XP or the quick format option.
Copy a BIOS .rom file to the floppy. Don't copy any extra files.
Rename the file AMIBOOT.ROM.
Double check the floppy is good by running Scandisk or Norton Disk Doctor.
Put the floppy in your computer and turn it on.
Wait while the floppy is being read.
Wait until you hear 4 beeps (usually <1 min, 5 min at most). >
Turn off and on again.
If this doesn't work, try downloading a different BIOS version .rom file and repeat the process.
If all else fails, get a replacement BIOS chip. I recommend you try here first: BadFlash. They have instructions on how to identify and replace your BIOS chip with a new one. Before your order, find out what part no. to get.

If you live outside the US, in Germany you can try http://www.derpcdoktor.de/ or http://www.segor.de/cih.htm, in The Netherlands http://www.flashBIOS.org/, in France http://electro.proxone.fr/, and in Italy http://www.elma.it/.

15. Why is my 1400Mhz chip detected as 1000Mhz by the BIOS?

This is normal after you install a new processor, flash the BIOS, or clear the CMOS. The reason is the Front Side Bus (FSB) is set to by default to 100Mhz instead of the 133Mhz which your chip is. To change the FSB, go into the BIOS Setup, and then go to "CPU and PnP Setup" menu. Scroll to "CPU/DRAM Frequency" and using Page Up/Down, set the CPU Frequency to 133Mhz.

16. What do all those BIOS settings mean?

S2k I/O Compensation > Is to do with the strength of signal between the S2K bus on the chipset and the cpu, enabling this or disabling can have the effect of allowing you to overclock a bit more or it may have no effect at all.

IO APIC > See this guide at Microsoft and see the IO APIC Guide to see how to install on your system – it gives you 24 IRQ’s.

Memory Termination > Was introduced in the the 020626 BIOS by ECS, and is assumed to be a fix for the ghost memory problem – the mobo thinking it had more ram installed than it did (shows up in the post screen as module 0,1 for example) note: this setting will not appear in the bios itself.

DOS Flat Mode > Is memory addressing under dos, to use the extended memory more efficiently (windows has it "built in"). Dos itself uses a "segmented memory model", i.e. memory is addressed with a segment-address and an offset-address, one of the main reasons that bad functioning programs give "general protection errors". But it was necessary to access the memory in 32 bit mode, rather than dos's initial 16 bit. In a flat memory model, all memory addresses consist of "one piece", rather than the 2 (segment and offset). The result is safer memory addressing, and a possibility to create/run larger programs, since there's more "language" to write the addresses of the memory over the dos's first 64k. (From a reply by Atbo)

PCI IDE Busmaster > This increases the IDE performance under dos using the onboard PCI-IDE ‘controller’, which is particularly useful if you use backup programs such as Norton Ghost or Partition Magic. This setting does haven’t any effect once in windows however as windows uses its own IDE busmastering software.

DRAM Driver Slew > Affects DDR Ram – enable for a small performance increase.

Clk Gen Spread Spectrum > Reduces the EMI generated by the motherboards clock generator. It does this by modulating the pulses so that the spikes of the pulses are reduced to flatter curves. So that it doesn’t interfere with any other electronics in the area. Leave disabled for optimum system stability and performance, enable if you have problems with interference.

17. What are the best BIOS settings?

For everything you ever wanted to know about BIOS settings, and which ones to use, check this three guides:

1.The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide at Adrian's Rojak Pot by Adrian Wang
This is the most comprehensive BIOS Guide available. Just about every option in a modern BIOS is explained. The best performance setting is usually pointed out, and the explanations are easy to follow. A must for any overclocker wanna be.

2. The BIOS Guide at LostCircuits by MS
For the more technically inclined, this guide provides the whys behind each BIOS option. It details the reasons why an particular option was implemented. For example, the little understood "Spread Spectrum" option, has nothing to with performance or compatibility, but rather with meeting FCC emission standards. A fascinating reading.

3. BIOS Survival Guide by Rodrigue and Croucher

18. Which BIOS supports Fast Writes and Sideband Addressing?

AGP Fast Writes is supported only by CheepoBIOS’s denoted by an ‘f’ suffix – i.e chb1001f.rom. Sideband Addressing is supported by all BIOS releases.

19. Why are all my devices on the same IRQ?

This is a normal configuration when ACPI is enabled. Most devices will share one IRQ line, usually IRQ 9 or 11. ACPI is an interface for managing power and device configuration. Although it's supposed to make your life easier, the reality is that ACPI causes more problems than it solves. A lot of PCI cards do not share interrupts well under ACPI, especially video cards, causing sound to skip, games to crash, and other unpredictable problems. My advise is that if everything works fine with ACPI, leave it alone, but if you're having problems disable it and reinstall the OS.

20. How can I disable ACPI?

Depending on your scenario, there's different ways of going about disabling ACPI.

To disable ACPI in the BIOS before you install any operating system:
1. Enter the BIOS setup by pressing "DEL" while booting.
2. Go to "Power Management SETUP".
3. Scroll down to "ACPI Aware O/S".
4. Using the "Page Up/Page Down" set to "No".
5. Save and Exit.

To disable ACPI under Windows 2000 or Windows XP install:
1. Run the Windows 2000/XP Install Setup
2. When you see the message "Press F6 if you want to specify additional mass storage devices....", press "F5"
3. When you get a list of options to choose from, select "Standard PC"

To disable ACPI after Windows 2000/XP is installed.
I do not recommend this, a clean install is always better. But if you still want to do it, here's how:

1. Go to Device Manager and select Computer -> Properties of ACPI PC
2. Click the driver Tab and choose Update Driver. When the wizard gets to the "What do you want the wizard to do?" page select "Display a list of the known drivers..."
3. Then "Show all hardware of this device class"
4. Then select "Standard PC"
5. Reboot the machine.

Be aware that when Windows 2000 restarts it'll redetect most of the hardware in your machine again and reassign IRQ's to devices.
Read The ACPI FAQ for more info.

21. How can I enable ACPI?

There's two parts to a ACPI system, the BIOS and the operating system with support for ACPI. To enable ACPI on the BIOS, go to the BIOS setup and then to the "Power Management Setup" menu. Set "ACPI Aware O/S" to yes by using Page Up/Down. Then install the OS of your choice.

If for whatever reason the OS does not recognize the ACPI support automatically, you force it to, please read The ACPI FAQ for details.

22. Which BIOS chip does the K7S5A use?

The K7S5A boards ships with the Winbond 49F002U. The early boards, ship with the PLCC-32 "square" version of the chip, part no. W49F002UP12B. The newer boards have been fitted with the DIP-32 "rectangular" version, part no. W49F002U12BN. If you're a new technical info addict, you can read the W49F002U Datasheet.

23. Can I use AMIBCP to modify the BIOS?

You can use AMIBCP 7.5 to enable ‘hidden’ options within the bios – most of which however have already been unhidden by Cheepoman in his Overclocking BIOS’, it can also be used to insert your own startup logo.

24. Can I use the K7S5A2 BIOS on the K7S5A?

You should not use the K7S5A2 BIOS on the K7S5A motherboard. Although this boards are similar, they are not the same. Don't do it.