Mesh 2200T (Clevo 2200T) only operates in PIO4 disk access mode

System Requirements:

  • Windows 2000
  • Windows XP
  • SIS 630 / 720 Chipset

The Problem:

Yep, it is another ones of those Clevo / Kapok issues! This one was a client’s problem from September 2004 that they were rather desperate to have resolved, and yet no one could come up with an answer.

Essentially the problem boils down to sub-standard performance from the system, which is painfully noticeable at boot time when the system has a lot of disk activity. The reason why this happens is because Windows gets confused with the BIOS/Chipset firmware disk access mode instructions, cannot safely assume it can use Direct Memory Access for data transfer and so gets locked into the processor intensive PIO (mode 4) to do anything.

As usual, this is the result of a badly written set of BIOS firmware.

The Fix:

The 2200T uses an anarchic Phoenix core (1.00.03 10/22/97) with the usual set of extensions to make the modern hardware interconnects work correctly. Before continuing you need to ensure that the Firmware build for the BIOS (this isn’t the core 1997 date) is at the highest possible level; this I believe to be 1.17 built on 28/10/2002.

I am also aware that there is a 1.00.04 core version available in some quarters. I am not able to state the impact of any of these changes on this core. I provide no support or warranty for using the BIOS files below. User them at Your Own Risk.

Version Date Changelog

07/09/2001

27/09/2001

20/11/2001

1. Recognize PIII 1.13GHz CPU (Tualatin core).
2. Support system memory up to 1GB.

30/01/2002

21/03/2002

1. Solve the error message under Windows XP event viewer.

17/05/2002

1. Support “Fn+F6” function key for some NON DDC external display device.

28/10/2002

1. Fix the CD-ROM boot failed sometimes problem for TEAC DW-28E and Samsung SN-608.

Windows Registry Fix:

If you reinstall your system at this point, you may have an XP compatible BIOS, however it will still come up in PIO mode 4. It is SIS who actually came up with a solution for this problem, which is known under Windows 2000 on the iS530/620/630/540 chipset’s.

The fix dupes Windows 2000/XP into using UDMA on the hard disk channels. It isn’t what I would call an ideal solution, however it does at least get the computer moving again.

You can download the SIS DMA fix here: dmapatch.zip (67KB)
All the program is doing is making registry changes on the system. Once you have run the .exe you need to restart the computer before it will come up using DMA.

 

Flash Utility OEM String Syntax:

The information below has been placed here for reference purposes and is not directly related to the Fix.

FP /N=OEMName[,HotlineNo] BIOSFileName
or
FP /O=OEMName[,HotlineNo] BIOSFileName

Note :

  1. The maximum length of OEMName is 16.
  2. The OEMName is case sensitive.
  3. The system manufacturer name read from DMI BIOS interface is OEMName padded with blanks(ASCII 20h) and the length of OEMName+blanks is 16.
  4. If you need space character for OEMName and HotlineNo, Replace it with a special character “^”.
  5. After flash the BIOS, turn power off and turn it on, then you can see the OEMName by using the DEBUG command as following :
    DEBUG
    -D F000:1C00
  6. Some valid examples:
    a.The hotline number for “Test Computer” company is
    123 4567 890. Then the usage for FP is as following:FP /N=Test^Computer,123^4567^890 BIOS.BIN

    b.The hotline number for “MyComputer” company is
    123-4567-890. Then the usage for FP is as following :

    FP /N=MyComputer,123-4567-890 BIOS.BIN

    c.To disable OEMName and HotlineNo : (FP v1.41 or later)

    FP /N=KAPOK,KAPOK BIOS.BIN

  7. /O option will disable the OEMName string display during BIOS POST.