Hi,

I don't have any experience with upgrading system components, but I figured that the only way to learn was to try it. I replaced my aging slot-1 processor from a P2-400 to a P3-750, after successfully flashing my BIOS with the latest version from the manufacturers website. The motherboard is an Abit Bx6 Rev 2.0. Officially, the latest BIOS for the board supports processors up to 700 MHz, but I have read that CPUs that exceed 700 MHz can be used on this board (core volatage is the same??).

Using the BIOS softmenu II settings, I set the system to recognize the processor at 750 Mhz (multiplier at 7.5 and clock at 100 MHz), and P3-750 does appears on screen during the initial boot sequence. However, the system only “remembers” these user-defined settings if I disable “Speed error hold.” If this is enabled, I get a message during the boot sequence telling me that “the CPU is not workable, or has been changed - Please recheck CPU softmenu.” If I don’t select “user defined” for the CPU, the the BIOS defaults to a P2 @233 MhzCPU. Furthermore, when I look in the windows “system information” box, windows also thinks that the CPU is still a P2. Is there something else in the BIOS that I need to change for this CPU to be recognized, or is this now a windows 98 problem? I am running the first edition (Microsoft Windows 98 4.10.1998).How do I know which info is correct - that on the BIOS info screen, or that in windows?

Any suggestions as to how to fix this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help.


System Specs:
PIII-750 MHz running Win 98 (first edition)
Abit BX6, rev 2.0 (with latest BIOS)
384 MB generic RAM (100 MHz)
Matrox G200 16 MB
Soundblaster Live Value OEM
Quantum Fireball 8.4 GB
Generic 52X CD ROM
HP CDRW 9110i
Microsoft Natural elite keyboard
Logitech cordless wheel mouse
HP Laserjet 1100

If you disable the “Speed Error Hold” How does the system run?
The speed error is a safe guard to protect the chip.

Give it a try you shouldn’t hurt the new chip if your settings are within the chip spec’s

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To ERR is HUMAN
To REALLY screw things UP, YOU NEED a COMPUTER !

Thanks for the reply. The system runs normally if I disable "speed error hold", but first, I need to "tell" it to continue by hitting the F1 key before windows is loaded, so that it can continue booting into windows. However, when I access the BIOS settings again after this, it seems to only want to run at the default settings (according to the BIOS) of P2-233, 66 Mhz FSB. My concern is that since I put in the new processor, and both the BIOS and windows system information tell me I am running a P2, I have downgraded the system, rather than upgraded it. There must be a way to run the processor at its rated speed of 750 Mhz, 100 FSB. I'm just not sure how to get it to do this. I would even be happy if I could get it to run at 700 Mhz, which is the highest speed that the BIOS officially supports.

If the mother board supports it try to use the jumpers to set/lock the cpu speed.
Then if needed disable the halt on errors in the bios to avoid the F1 to continue message

------------------
To ERR is HUMAN
To REALLY screw things UP, YOU NEED a COMPUTER !

If I remember correctly, Windows98 first edition cant tell the difference between a p2, 3, 4 or a Celeron. They all come up p2.

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- - Load Universe into Cannon. Aim at Brain. Fire. - -

Originally posted by judi:
I would even be happy if I could get it to run at 700 Mhz, which is the highest speed that the BIOS officially supports.

have you tried that??

------------------
- - Load Universe into Cannon. Aim at Brain. Fire. - -

Thanks Rick and Dr DRAM for the replies.

Ah! Since windows98 first edition doesn't recognize the P2 processor, this makes perfect sense! So, it seems that the BIOS settings I selected manually are indeed correct (multiplier at 7.5 and clock at 100 MHz), and the motherboard does, in this case, properly support the processor I have installed. I ran a program called CPU ID to verify the settings.

Rick: I can manually set the jumpers to lock the processor speed, but knowing what I know now, I guess I don't need to do this.

So thanks again for the great advice. I'm kind of glad that things didn't go completely smoothly with the upgrade (but not terribly badly), because this is, at least for me, to best way to learn to troubleshoot. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

Judi.

Welcome to the school of Hard knocks http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif


------------------
To ERR is HUMAN
To REALLY screw things UP, YOU NEED a COMPUTER !

Yup, I'm sure that this computer of mine will be knocking me around quite a bit before it is finally finished with me! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/tongue.gif