BIOS problem

[sir doris]

Hi,

I'm having problems with an Abit motherboard and the BIOS /w SoftMenu III configuration.

The board is an NF7-M, nForce2 chipset with graphics for Socket A.

It was working fine with intergrated graphics and an XP 2500+, but now i've changed it to an XP 2100+ with GF3 Ti 500 it keeps forgetting it's setting when ever the wall switch is unplugged.

This wouldn't be so bad but it doesn't seem to know what the XP 2100+ is. I've check the web site and it is a supported chip and I've flashed the latest BIOS (version 29 i think) but it still detects the CPU as:

Athlon XP 2100+ 100 x13

when it should be

Athlon XP 2100+ 133x13

So it runs the CPU at 1333MHz, which runs games very choppy, worse than the 1.3 Thunderbird /w 133MHz SDRAM it replaced !

It also defaults the RAM to PC2100 (266MHz) when it is PC2700 (333MHz) - it worked fine as 333MHz with the XP2500+ which was a 333fsb Barton.

Under SoftMenu III the only two choices for the CPU are 2100+ and user defined.

I can get it working by using user defined, but everytime it's turned off it forgets and returns to 1333MHz with PC2100

Dual channel RAM is picked up correctly though.

Anyone got any ideas, I was thinking of replacing the BIOS battery but I don't think that would solve the problem of missunderstanding the defult fsb speed for the XP 2100+.

BTW this problem persisted before I flashed the BIOS (I was hoping the flash would fix it)






...help...

 

[Kurt]

Check if your battery is seated properly. I once had a similar problem. The brace holding the battery in place was bent causing a loose connection. First I suspected a dying battery too but replacing didn't do anything. The board kept losing any custom settings I made after switching off the PSU. Tightening the brace and then slipping in the battery fixed it though.

 

[sir doris]

Thanks for that, it all makes sence now ...DOH

Replaced the battery and now it works fine, and detects the 2100+ as 133x13

Must have been in combatability mode, backing back to the slowest fsb speed because it couldn't remember it's setting.

Anyway thanks m8