Here is a recap of the response to my first post. >From Carl - After reading about the Radeon flashing possibilities, I ordered >the Power Color 64MB from New Egg this week. > >Today, with the instructions and help from list folks (thanks Dan S.) I >tried to flash the card. The problem was that every time (I tried about six >times) I got a Write Error. Here is the error message. > >Serial Rom >Bios Device ID = 0x5159 >ASIC Device ID = 0x5159 >Flash Type = ST >Error: write error at 65536 > >Error 0FL01 > >I had run the Flashrom info before flashing, it came back indicating that >the romsize was 0x20000 (128 KB). > >snip > >At this point I am thinking I got a card with 64K ROM. > >I am off track? The 64K rom can't be flashed for MAC can it. Even using the >two step process, MAC needs more than 64K, right? >> -------------------- >> >> From Dan S. - This is the error everyone with a 64k ROM is reporting. >> >---------------------- > From Will S. - If the card really has a 64k flash ROM it won't work since the > flash firmware for the Mac is 128K. But as far as I know all cards have flash > ROMS labeled as 64K and the ones that do work are mislabeled. This > includes my Sapphire from last Feb. it's flash ROM is labeled as being > the 64mb chip but as reported by the flash firmware it is clearly the > 128k chip.
> So it has only been in the last few months that cards have started > showing up with correctly labeled 64k chips . These are the ones that > don't work. So since it is only recently that correctly labeled cards > have shown up I think it likely ATI is cracking down and enforcing > licensing agreements with card makers.ATI doesn't want us flashing > these cards to Mac and it was only a matter of time before steps would > be taken. However at this time we don't know the why of mismarked chips > other then I don't think any PC cards have correctly marked 128K chips > but it is possible there are some. > ------------------------------ > From Pete in the UK > This card will not flash by any method - flashrom is perhaps not > reporting the size of the rom correctly - nor is it perhaps reporting the > 128k flash write correctly. Maybe the change is a move by manufs to stop > the flashing - maybe just a cost cutter or a mistake - but it stops the > flashing to mac dead in it's tracks. The chip may be a 64k or 128k - but > only 64k is writeable with the mac rom. > The pc rom active code is actually smaller than 64k but written as > twice x 64k by flashrom save when saved at 128k - yet written back to the > card as 130 odd thousand bytes verified - very strange. The pc rom can > also be saved as 64k and written back to the chip as 65536 bytes > verified. The 208 mac rom is around 124k padded out to 128 to fit a 128k > rom chip but I think most of this code is redundant and it could be > reduced to less than 64k given the knowhow. But the rom is written in > Forth fcode and practically impossible to edit. > Soldering a 128k rom chip in place of the 64k may be a solution if > the size of the chip is the only change - but the chip is quite small for > soldering - pity it's not in a pullable socket. > ------------------------------ I cut out the PC & MAC bickering and comments questioning my computer knowledge. They don't contribute to the subject. I appreciate everyone's advice and thoughts. I will pack up the card and send it back, because most folks agree that the card, regardless of the 128K rom size reported by flashrom, seems to only be 64K or maybe 64K available to flash. What others confirmed is that 64K rom reads as 65536 in the flash process. Since the write error I received occurred at 65536 I believe that the flash died when it hit the 64K size. What can we learn? Maybe that it is going to be more difficult to identify flashable cards. You may not know until you have gone to the trouble to purchase one, drag up a PC and attempt the flash to see if it works (or not). I should have jumped on the radeon opportunities earlier when flashable cards were more available, my loss. At this point, I won't be experimenting with hit and miss again. If I pursue a radeon card it will be the Mac version, or one that is already flashed. Even though this means extra $$. Again thanks for the input. -- SuperMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | Service & Replacement Parts [EMAIL PROTECTED] | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> SuperMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/supermacs/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/supermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
