Thread: Intel D945GCLF (with integrated Atom 1.6Ghz CPU)

Originally Posted by rickd

For some reason, my long post reviewing implementation of this mobo (one would think central to the thread) has not appeared in the couple of days since I posted it. I don't know what I ran afoul of--but I'm not typing it again.

Anyway, go to the Intel web page (I no longer have the link handy) and navigate to the BIOS downloads. You'll see that 800x480 has been supported in the new BIOS starting with Version 095. I saw that resolution available in the OS when I upgraded the BIOS to the current version, which is 099. The instructions for processing the BIOS upgrade are included and are straightforward.

EDIT: I see that my previous post was approved by the moderator, making this one redundant. But it is more succinct! Thank you, moderator.

RickD

Thanks for the tip on BIOS. I got so excited about finally getting native resolution out of my Lilli... downloaded the BIOS and tried to update it... and no go. It said something about this BIOS is not intended for my mobo or something. I think that is because it came with modified BIOS from the vendor I bought it from - I can tell because it has their logo on boot-up. So I am guessing that BIOS update program does not recognise it and does not want to update to the latest. Any idea how to get around it short of contacting the vendor?

Originally Posted by gorby

Thanks for the tip on BIOS. I got so excited about finally getting native resolution out of my Lilli... downloaded the BIOS and tried to update it... and no go. It said something about this BIOS is not intended for my mobo or something. I think that is because it came with modified BIOS from the vendor I bought it from - I can tell because it has their logo on boot-up. So I am guessing that BIOS update program does not recognise it and does not want to update to the latest. Any idea how to get around it short of contacting the vendor?

There is a software application called the Intel Integrator Toolkit, which is the software you vendor used to create that custom boot screen. I don't know what sort of expertise is required to make use of it, but I suspect that anything the vendor did can be inspected, undone, or modified with that software. (Disclaimer: I have not downloaded or used this software--you're on your own with it.)

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Filt...stems&lang=eng

I note that there is now a new BIOS available from Intel, version 103. Since my machine is stable and so far doing everything I want of it, I'm not tempted to update the BIOS again.

My machine does indeed report 800x480 as a resolution option when I review display configuration in XP.

RickD

Originally Posted by SpecialEd

Tried that patch, and still can't get the audio device to be recognized by XP. What service pack are you updated to? I only have XP pro w/ SP 3 available. When I was working with Intel on this prob, they said that the D945GCLF only supported up to XP service pack 2, and beyond that they could not help me.

I'm going to install XP home on this little puter tomorrow, hopefully that will solve the audio issue.

My video card took a dump on me too... so much for my custom pci header and remote vga adapter....

Might as well look for another card now, since I went to all that work to make this thing have video that didn't eat up the ram.

I'm using XP SP2, which I bought at retail and have not attempted to update. This machine will never have more than limited access to the Internet, and it will NEVER run Outlook or IE, so I'm not that interested in potentially breaking things by downloading security patches.

My video is working fine, though the video device driver is reporting a bit of confusion in Control Panel. I am able to adjust screen resolution without difficulty in both XP and Ubuntu Linux.

RickD

Originally Posted by BlackStealth

Hmm I never had any sound driver issues, even though I installed Windows XP in many different ways. When I using TinyXP rev09 with driverpacks, it already had drivers for the realtek audio. Are you running Windows XP 64bit?

Didn't realize the chipset fan is 40mm, I have some ultra quiet 14 dBa 40mm fans that I originally purchased for my noisy vooompc-2 case that I can reuse. My fan is quiet and does not need replacing, but if it fails I'm ready with something better.

I'm not using XP 64bit, which I understand has issues with the Realtek soundcard device. I'm using XP SP2. I had installed other device drivers previously that were packed in a collection of drivers, and I may have undone something that was not previously broken with the audio device. It is even possible that I had disabled the audio device in the BIOS when I first installed XP so that it did not attempt to install a driver for it. When the sound didn't work, that was the first thing I checked, and I did disable and then re-enable the audio to try and make the PnP manager see it again. Installing the new driver woke it up, however.

I'm a little concerned about heat on the northbridge, and given that I plan to use the machine amateur radio field operations, I want to maintain the maximum cooling possible. That's why I did not order the shorter heatsink (my case doesn't need it). The fan I linked will move a lot of air for a fan that size. It's probably overkill, but that's okay with me.

I have noticed that after startup, XP will dial that fan speed down to a low speed in any case. Either that, or the bearing problem has progressed to the point where the fan locks up a minute or so after reboot, heh, heh. The bearing problem is intermittent, and the bearing starts binding and whining if the fan is turned in the wrong direction. Stopping the fan and letting it restart resolves the issue for a while, but I don't need to be starting out with a flaky fan.

RickD

I've installed Windows four times, one time with Windows XP Pro SP2, and all other times with TinyXP SP3 trying out different options, audio worked each and every time. I use the supplier driver CD and let it install all drivers for me automatically. I'm a bit surprised to hear some people having issues with audio driver. Perhaps Windows would get less confused if you leave all USB devices unplugged and install them one at a time after Windows + Drivers have first installed successfully.

Interesting...

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ient,1997.html

Originally Posted by rickd

There is a software application called the Intel Integrator Toolkit, which is the software you vendor used to create that custom boot screen. I don't know what sort of expertise is required to make use of it, but I suspect that anything the vendor did can be inspected, undone, or modified with that software. (Disclaimer: I have not downloaded or used this software--you're on your own with it.)

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Filt...stems&lang=eng

I note that there is now a new BIOS available from Intel, version 103. Since my machine is stable and so far doing everything I want of it, I'm not tempted to update the BIOS again.

My machine does indeed report 800x480 as a resolution option when I review display configuration in XP.

RickD

Very frustrated! According to the vendor, the only change they did to stock BIOS was put a custom flash screen, that's all. According to them, this should not cause any issues for upgrading. In the mean time, I tried latest BIOS (0103) and previous BIOS (0099) and both give me an error that this update is not intended for my BIOS. Now, I am trying the Windows version of the update that Intel provided. Maybe I should try a boot version to see if I get any further; but I would be surprised. My setup is rock solid but inability to get the native resolution is driving me nuts!

Thanks for all the info though.

Rick,

Can you give the the driver info for the updated resolutions you are showing available.

This is what I have, and the best I can get is 800 x 600, now that my video card sit the bed on me.

Intel 82954G Express chipset family

date: 2/15/2008

version: 6.14.10.4926

Anyone else having issues using CF-IDE adapters with this board? I have purchased two separate ones and with both they are only transferring in PIO mode at a max of 2.5 MB/s. If I connect the same card via USB and boot to the HDD, it transfers upwards of 25 MB/s. I switched it from master to slave, I switched the IDE cable out, nothing seems to matter. I was just wondering if anybody was successfully using an IDE adapter for a CF card on this mobo.