View Full Version : Warranty expires
My HP warranty expires in about two weeks, and I'm thingking of doing some modding of my computer then.
The first thing is HP had only the 'clear CMOS' jumper installed when they ordered the MOBO, I'm thinking why can't I solder in a jumper of my own to actually and finally disable the on-board video. The other jumper positions are there on the board but no jumper block connected to them just the traces.
The other thing is it possible to convert a soldered flash BIOS chip into a socketed one? Yeah I know it probably isn't worth it but can it be done?
HP really limits what you can change in setup but I've seen the exact same board in other machines with a much more changeable setup option. I was thinking if it was socketed it wouldn't be too much of a problem to try another BIOS, but since its not I don't want to try unless....
Does anyone here read Korean?
I've found info about the board itself but it is mostly in Korean (some English and pics) so I know which jumpers are which and stuff.
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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....
bassvax
02-08-2001, 10:30 PM
MJC...I can read Korean...it is a simple 24 character alphabet that unlike English each letter has one unique sound. My vocabulary is not that good, but if the words sound out like english words I may be able to help a bit. I was stationed in Seoul, Korea for 3.5 years and married a nice Korean girl...she taught me how to read it and I speak enough to get by...the formal conversational speech will throw me though...anyways...your welcome to e-mail some of it as bmp, jpeg or gif image since I don't have the korean language support on this pc and I don't know if they (work) will want me to install it
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Jerry
Sounds good. I'll get the file off to you sometime Friday. It's the BIOS setup description page, I think it's about the same as that in an eMachines (uses the same MOBO and BIOS), and the jumper settings page. I just want to double check. I've got access to the Eng. versions for eMachines (my in-laws computer).
The interesting thing about this is when HP sent me a new computer to fix my power supply fan it came from Trigem (Shipped for HP from Trigem Computer Co. .....)
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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....
Paleo Pete
02-09-2001, 07:01 AM
Korean is beyond me, but soldering...
I don't think you'll be able to replace the BIOS chip, since most boards are fabricated from up to 10 layers and soldering or unsoldering through all that will usually overheat things, and possibly scrap the board. I wouldn't try it.
If you know where the jumper trace is to disable onboard video that might not be a problem, it should be a simple surface solder, and might work. Don't know how much you know about soldering, so a couple of tips, just in case:
Clean the soldering iron tip with a wet paper towel first, to remove any residue or impurities, and tin it before starting. Tinning is simply melting a bit of solder onto the tip. A small drop is plenty. IF the tip is in good shape and clean it should flow all around the tip instead of forming a big glob, and leave a small drop at the lowest point.
Also tin the wire you use as a jumper before soldering it in, by heating the wire until it sucks up the solder off the iron tip. That makes it join quicker.
Always use resin core solder or resin flux for electrical work, acid core or flux will cause corrosion. Flux works best. Use none on the board, the solder follows the flux and you want it to stay where it is.
Use the thinnest solder you can find.
Solder it quick as possible, to avoid heat. Soon as it gets hot enough to melt the solder on the wire it should make a solid joint. You don't have to heat the wire that way, just the solder, which is why tinning makes it quicker. The solder on the board and wire should melt at the same time, and make a solid connection. The solder on the wire is already solid, if tinned correctly.
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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.
Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)
Pete,
Five minutes to show time, some oaf who doesn't belong on stage trips over a mic cord, no extras........
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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....
Paleo Pete
02-09-2001, 02:56 PM
Gotcha...forgot you were a musician too, sorry about that...
Read that and boy did it bring back memories! I've soldered guitar and mic cords during breaks...crackle crackle buzzz...keep the soldering iron in an old make up case with spare cords, jacks, heat shrink, tape, various tools, etc.
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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.
Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)
Before you try soldering the jumper location, I recommend first trying to jumper the circuit trace to see if closing it will actually work, just in case the BIOS is set to ignore that jumper location. One idea is to get an alligator clip lead and use straight pins to make the contact. Probably need someone there to hold it in place while you "hit the switches".
There are also conductive ink pens that might work for bridging the gap. Radio Shack may sell them.
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reido@my-deja.com
Friends don't let friends install Windows ME
Those are good soldering instructions, Pete. I'd like to add that if he solders it, just use a single strand of a multi-conductor wire, which will require less time to solder (of course, hold it with needle nose pliers). Bend a loop in the wire if it has to go over a trace. Also, a 25W iron is probably the max you'd want to use.
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reido@my-deja.com
Friends don't let friends install Windows ME
Paleo Pete
02-10-2001, 05:08 AM
And here I was thinking 8-3 Romex and a propane torch... http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.
Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)
Bassvax,
Sorry I'm having trouble getting it as a graphocs file as soon I get I'll send it.
Reid,
Already ran down the trace, from what I've been able to find out HP set a whole bunch of things in BIOS and then removed the options from setup, so they are active but not changeable, and since most of the jumpers are normally open they just left them off the board so they couldn't easily be changed.
Pete,
Duct tape rules!!
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mjc
To ME or NOT to ME....
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