[Release] Improved M18x R2 Maxwell Legacy BIOS

Expected version 2.0?

 

Hey I wonder if someone could help me, I seam to be having the same problem as someone else had not long ago.

Just put in a 980m into my M18xR2 running A11 unlocked with the horrible picture at boot .
I'm using windows 7 and I can only get my laptop to boot If I have the system set to SG mode, also works on just the Intel graphics to. If I try and set it to PEG I get a black screen and 8 beeps all the time, to which I have to reset the BIOS back to SG.

I have not flashed any Vbios yet as I have no idea if what I have is a G-sync model or not, and I would rather not brick the card by flashing randomly.
Ran the metro last light redux benchmark and got a steady 60FPS most of the time, so don't think it is the card which is the problem.
Currently running 980m driver version 378.49 from Eurocom and no issues there, only problem is my device manager is having issues to.

Any ideas ? any help would be apreciated as I have 0% experience at this kind of thing.

 

Just wanted to add that I have just flashed your improved version of the A11 Bios...thanks you so much for making the bootup look stock. I was rather annoyed how they changed it, now only if I could get my 980m to work this easily.

 

As my memory helps me, devce ID for a non g-sync 980m is 13D7. Seen a different device ID, you might have a g-sync model.

If other can chime in, I believe the gsync model, will not post in PEG mode.

 

You might be right, had a look and I think this is my card https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/177729/177729.
If I am stuck with SG mode that's fine I guess as the 980m is running games properly. Only issue is the device manager missing a lot of stuff. Only paid £300 for the card and considering a 780m or 880m on E-bay are between £240-£360 I think its still a good buy.

 

i use slimdrivers to update all the drivers, except for AW command center and AW OSD which you have to get from Dell directly.

as for your GPU, you got a weird one. 13d7 is the 980M non-gsync version, so you will probably be stuck using optimus. I would return this GPU and get a non-gsync version instead, PEG is much better to deal with than optimus.

 

I would return it if the other 980s on Ebay were not over £500 and from the US, import charges alone make it hard for me to justify the price.

I can always wait and see if anything else comes along, my 675m SLI was dying so I didn't have the luxury of waiting. Plus my CPU was also on the fritz suffering from screen pull when in IGFX mode, Now I have a 3940mx and everything seam to be running ok..for now.

 

OMG I am such an idiot, device manager is perfectly fine now -.- I completely forgot that the Chipset version I installed was before the 3940mx was out. now I updated all my drivers everything is registered properly...wow so dumb.

 

Contact Klem over T|I forum and gave him your gpu's id for your ad personam bios ^_^

 

Done and done, now I play the waiting game...again. At least I currently have a working and better R2 than I started with.

 

Klem got the job done, now everything works perfectly and without being in SG mode ^^ Thanks to @aaronne for the advice.

Also unfortunately @Raidriar with the tweaks klem made to the A11 unlocked bios for me, your Bios teaks no longer work leaving me stuck with the non stock boot screen.
Could I possibly trouble you to have a look at what Klem has done to get your Bios mod to work ?
I really prefer the default boot images and the atheros LAN oprom is doing my head in already

 

i don't know what he did....you think you could put him in touch with me?

 

All he did was take the A11 Unlocked Bios and changed something in the r2final.bin file as that is all he gave me. whatever he did makes my 980m work without needing SG mode. I can always upload the file, but here is his profile where you can message him - https://www.techinferno.com/index.php?/profile/9146-klem/

 

or you could just send him my bios and up him update it with his image, it is a relatively simple process.

 

I sent him a message with a link to your Bios, hopefully I will hear back from him soon.

I have no idea how you or Klem edit the Bios as it is well beyond me. If his mod lets all G-sync cards work properly your welcome to the file, all the 980m card I see on Ebay tend to be G-sync models.

 

Well it is done, Klem has done his magic and now I am running your modified bios with stock boot up and fully working 980M in PEG.
Now to just work out the right balance for the fans and the 980m runs a little hot :S

 

Will it be made available?

 

Well here it is with the modified file that got my 980M working.
I will say you flash this at your own risk, the M18XR2.Bin file is what has been modified that got me past the 8 beeps and working in PEG mode with my G-sync 980M.

Download - https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-pdQf2uKCV6zchMqh_LjiL-vq5dAoYSd

Same flash method as pointed out by @Raidriar , just make sure you are running svl7's unlocked A11 BIOS before flashing this.

 

Good morning, and thank you for your help.
I recently received a m18x r2 to which I installed a 780m gtx.
(waiting for 2x 980m gtx)

Problem, with keys fn f7 I can not swich to the integrated card.
In the advanced bios tab I see no option for swich igfx / peg.

I would like to install this bios unlocked for view igfx options.
I am currently on A12 bios, I can flash A11 unlocked bios, or I have to go back to the stock A11?

You could explain the procedure to me, thank you.

 

I believe you have to install Alienware OSD to get the FN7 key to switch gpus

 

In order to see those options in the BIOS you need the A11 unlocked BIOS.

Flash back to A11 , then flash A11 unlocked.

For the FN+F7 issue, install Alienware OSD driver. Also install Alienware Command Center while you're at it if you don't already have it.

 

Already installed all the applications and drivers, but thanks for the reply. Rengsey.

 

Many thanks your answers.
Ok I installed the Dell A11 bios.

Do I have to extract the graphics card for flash bios A11 unlock?
Does the prr2 unlocking bios tool do it automatically by launching the FLASH.BAT command?

 

I think you use ppr2 tool first then do flash.bat right after? I don't remember. I think the instructions were here somewhere.

 

These are the instructions, I'm using google to translate, sometimes it's not easy to understand.
It seems to me, first FLASH.BAT and then prr.exe (in the bios folder I have a file named prr2)
Right?

1) Create a Bootable DOS BOOT DISK
2) Extract ALL files in this RAR file to the root of the flash drive.
3) Keep USB flash drive plugged into USB port and go into bios
3) Go into bios and change the setting to LEGACY in the boot menu. (This allows you to boot into DOS)
4) Once you've saved the setting and reboot, you'll want to hit F12 to select the USB drive as boot drive
5) You should see a C:\ command prompt. If so, you've successfully booted into dos
6) Now you will need to run the command "FLASH.BAT" (without the quotes)
7) It will run the unlocking bios tool (CREATED BY SVL7 - FULL CREDIT TO HIM) in order to write to the bios
8) Once run, it will tell you ready to flash. Press any key to continue.
9) Once you've pushed any key, it will flash. Wait for the flash to finish.
10) You'll see a message that says data is IDENTICAL of somthing along those lines. That means flash in complete!
11) Once you see that message AND you see the "C" prompt (C:\) you'll know the flash is done!
12) Reboot the laptop...
13) Remember that with this BIOS MOD I've changed the default Primary Display to IGFX (FOMR PEG), so you don't need to worry about the 8-beeps issue while in legacy mode!
14) Once you've rebooted the laptop, go into the BIOS and change the settings to whatever you had them set as before!
15) LASTLY - IMPORTANT - If you are running Windows 8 or higher, you MAY have to reinstall the OS, but by flashing this BIOS MOD, you will be able to install Windows 7 with FULL 900 Series GPU support. It works perfectly!

 

Help! I created a BOS BOOT DISK and use legacy to boot in DOS.

But it is saying that "An operating system wasn't found".

I have extracted all the files into my external hard drive (format: NTFS)

 

@Raidriar many thanks for the hard work. I just have a few questions to make sure I do this right. From what I have read, I need to do the following things:

1. Flash down to A11 Bios (I am on A14)
2. Ensure legacy boot and iGPU are enabled
3. Create boot disk and run flash off of Boot disk
4. Profit

Will I run into issues downgrading from A14 to A11? I have tried svl7's method on Tech Inferno and ended up bricking and replacing my motherboard. Just want to make sure I get the steps down. I am running Anthem on my m18x R2 and on dual 680m SLI, my system is starting to show its age. I would like to take the plunge and go dual 980m. Many thanks for you time.

 

So this BIOS will get rid of the annoying Atheros Boot Agent screen from the other unlocked BIOS? Would I need to flash back to the Dell A11 from my current Unlocked A11? Cheers.

 

Yes

 

Awesome. Was that yes to both questions?

 

If you are already running A11 unlocked, you can flash the BIOS over the current one

 

Thanks again. I'll try to have a go tonight.

All flashed without an issue. It feels great not to have the Boot Agent come up every time. First boot did seem slower than before, even with the Atheros screen, but hopefully it was just getting settled.

 

Yes

 

The UEFI boot image is not the white Alienware name, are you able to add back the correct logo?

 

Hello,
i have an Alienware M18x R2
I have upgraded grafigcard to GTX 980m.

Without bios update, i got 8 beeps and screen do not show anything.
So, also not possible to go into bios by F2

I have removed grafigcard - then it was possible to go into bios.
I have flashed bios: M18x_R2_A11_Maxwell_Legacy.
I have swiched of legacy.
Then put in grafigcard GTX 980m (one piece, no SLI)
Result:
Bios shows chipset grafigcard ivy bridge, but no additional grafigcard
Installed Windows 10, device manager shows unknown device, but no gtx card.
Try to install nvidia driver, but failed, because it do not find any grafig card.
On board grafigcard shows error.

After reboot, gtx980m was present and works without problems,
also optimus, so this is working.

But
not working is: go to raid controller during boot process
(set bios to raid, installed Windows 10)
No key is working: ctrl + i, also shift ctrl + i and a lot of other key combination.

- i have installed two SSDs and two harddisks

My question: is this a problem with this bios or what can i do.

 

Assuming the 980m is in the primary "left" slot. This is the one seen in the image here. When you boot into BIOS, what is the graphics selection? I think it should be Auto or PEG, not iGFX or SG. Boot into Windows and verify that Device Manager sees the 980m. Don't forget to install with unsigned drivers.

Homer

 

Hi everyone, quick question. I'm running dual GTX 980m in SLI on Windows 10 and I've always had throttling and other issues. Have you found the performance to be better in Windows 7 legacy versus Windows 10? I'm still running stock vBIOS on the GPUs but running Swick BIOS on the motherboard. Thanks.

 

I think 7 technically has less overhead, but I didn't see any real difference going from 7 to 10, other than 10 is more "modern" feeling. Throttling is a way of life now that NVidia crippled the drivers trying to force us all to upgrade. Also, unless you have a double power supply or a single big one, the 980Ms will try to pull more than your single PS is capable of.

Homer

 

Hi Homer,

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I ended up trying both yesterday. From what I can tell there's a slight performance gain when running under Windows 10 but not really by much at all. I also ordered and have been trying to use the Eurocom 780w power supply to help what I thought were power throttling issues but I can't for the life of me seem to get the m18x R2 to use more than 300w of power. It seems to just choke back and not accept anything near to what the power supply can provide.

 

How can I fix this, the UEFI boot image is not the proper white Alienware name logo on this A11 unlocked bios, does anyone else have this?

 

Thats the "signature" of the BIOS moder. Does it bother you THAT much? Its present for a couple seconds..

 

Yeah it kind of annoys me a little too, now that I’m in UEFI. I’ll have to get used to it or go back to legacy.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

What is the advantage to UEFI over Legacy for the M18x R2 anyway?

Homer

 

Well when I was doing my research into the 1070 upgrade, one of the threads said you had to be in UEFI for it to work, which doesn't seem to be true. I had already formatted my drive (for the millionth time) and done the UEFI installation so I couldn't be bothered doing it all over again. I'll probably go back when I can get a new interposer and get back onto the SATA3 connector.
I'm not actually sure if there's any advantage at all.

 

I prefer the original white alienware name logo in UEFI, and it's also an OCD thing as it's the legacy image but it's all squished and looks rough/un-polished.

I'm thinking of just getting my stock A11 unlocked instead.

 

I will look into fixing the UEFI image as a parting gift to the scene. I think the M18x has run its course, it lives only as a nice collectors machine now.

 

Thanks!

It is a crime that no good, enthusiast friendly, 18" platform exists to replace it.

Homer

 

That's sad news!

Are you leaving the m18x scene or NBR altogether? (neither is good )

 

I'm already fairly inactive on NBR as compared to the past, there are really no reliable enthusiast grade machines out there any more. M18x R2 was the best of the bunch, but it is now an ancient platform seeing as it was released in 2012. 8 Years is a long time in computer land. With the death of MXM standard format cards and the dead of even the weird form factor cards supporting LVDS from pascal and polaris onwards, the M18x is effectively a dead end. Few people still have their machines. That being said, I intend to keep mine until the day it dies. I will provide support here and there for more serious faults, not noobish questions.


Regardless, the first post has been updated with a new link for the BIOS with fixed logo for UEFI booting (though I loathe UEFI, I suppose some people use it). Same risks as before, I take no responsibility. Flash at your own risk.

If you like my work and want to buy me a beer, donations are always welcome but never ever required.

 

I guess it is a dead end...inevitable for any machine at some point.

I would gladly buy you a beer, you deserve a crate actually for all your contributions past and future!

I could donate via BeerPal