| BIOS downloads: | ||
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Latest official BIOS files: For the K7S5A v. 1.x/3.x only: Look here. For the K7S5A Pro v. 5.0: Look here. |
Latest honey X Overclocking BIOS files: For v. 1.x/3.x boards only: OC 030327beta, OC 021029, OC 020626, OC 020430 For v. 1.x/3.x and Pro 5.0 boards: OC 030811, OC 021209b, OC 030120, OC 030110, OC 021209 (If in doubt, use the 021209b) Mirror site |
AMI flash tool: Version 3.35 Version 3.33 Version 3.29 |
| Guides and important posts |
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The unofficial K7S5A motherboard guide Beginner's guide to overclocking the K7S5A Read this before posting in the Problems with K7S5A section Bad Caps? What to look for |
| Author | Comment | ||
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 Oken |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 3330 (06/12/03 03:54:37) |
If you are careful when you move your computer around, you can also do it with a pair of insulated alligator clips.
 But you still have to solder the resistor ends to the clips. Be sure to insulate the exposed resistor leads too. |
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/12/03 08:29:16) |
Ok... I'll try flashing the BIOS to OC 030120. I think was using OC 030110 before. Hope this fixes it
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ArmadilloBoy |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 9 (06/12/03 14:21:20) |
So I went ahead and did this mod and I have to say it wasn't nearly as easy as I had hoped. Thank goodness for my wife's patience and willingness to hold the thing in place. It was really quite a pain and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who hasn't soldered before.
Worst of all is that after all the trouble, the computer Still Doesn't Cold Boot.  The problem is exactly the same except that it did cold boot once since doing the fix...but only once. Is a cold weld a possible issue? I'm quite sure there was good contact, but maybe I'm wrong. Any ideas on how to fix this if it didn't work? Is it worth trying another resistor (i.e. did I get a bad resistor that needs replacing)? I'm not sure what to do now. I guess I'll try changing the bios a few times and pray a lot. Though I don't know how a Bios can affect cold booting if the problem is that I can't even get to the BIOS posting screen (no vid at all actually). Any suggestions are still appreciated. |
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/12/03 15:31:09) |
Well, if you recommend not soldering for people who havent soldered, then I REALLY cant do this!
This problem is ANNOYING!! I want to fix it!!! I've tried the updated BIOS.... same problem. Is there ANYTHING else I could try (that requires software, not hardware modification..) Curse you K7S5A Board for not liking my new DDR Ram!!!! I refuse to put my old PC 133 back in! |
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honey X |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 1050 (06/13/03 01:26:10) Bios Magician |
Well, soldering is not everyones challange but it also doesnt have to be. For me the solution with the aligatorclips is more risky than soldering the resistor directly on the mobo. They can fall off while transporting the PC or not giving good contacts and resulting in a no working fix. If you dont have the skills to do it, ask a friend for doing it for you as the fix is indeed very easy. All you have to do afterwards is making sure the chipsets voltage is reduced to 1,7V (w/o the capacitor) to know the fix is really doing its job.
Ok, you will loose the warranty if you solder it directly but all you have to know is if the Mobo gives you also other problems than this one or its the one and only problem. For me the answer was quite clear. Everything was fine exept this cold boot problem so I first connected the resistor without soldering it, made sure the voltage is reduced to 1,7V and checked then if the problem still occurs. This was not the case so I said to me to hell with the warranty and soldered the resistor. At least how big is the chance the mobo gets broken within the warranty? Of course there is a chance but in the other hand noone will buy one single Mobo for a lifetime but upgrade some day. Another aspect that should be mentioned. This fix is made for people who are thinking like MrAthlon, Oken or me and are knowing the risks and how to apply this fix but for someone who is to anxious doing it there is another option, simply to RMA it and not to wait and deal with this issue until this period passes. I for sure know there are people who used SDRAMs and later switched over to DDRAMs and got this problem where it was to late to RMA this Mobo but they also can sell it for example on ebay and buy a more up to date one by not loosing a lot of money if soldering isnt an option for them. |
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/13/03 07:05:16) |
Well, I cant RMA it cause I voided the warrenty by taking off the elitegroup chipset heatsink off and putting a bigger one one.
Hmmm selling it on Ebay. I guess I can try. Though my wife will probably kill me cause that means buying a new mobo.... and if I by a new mobo, I would want to buy a newer processor.... and if I want to by a newer processor, then I would say "hey, how about a better case and power supply..." and then I would say "hmmmm I sure can use a better video card..." Oh! It never ends! 
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ArmadilloBoy |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 9 (06/13/03 15:58:28) |
Oddly enough pbuscher, I'm in almost the exact same situation.
So this is probably a really dumb question, and I probably know the answer without realizing it, but how do I check the "chipset voltage." 
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/13/03 16:19:46) |
I've seen it in the BIOS where you change the FSB and stuff to overclock it. Mine says 7.6v
This problem is very annoying... now I cant just turn on my computer and walk away. I have to turn it on, wait a few seconds, turn it off then back on, then hit enter... And of course my wife is totally against me getting another motherboard. Now i'm stuck with the problem with my new DDR Ram... and no, I dont want to take it out. I'm getting so much more performance on my new PC2700 than I did on my PC133. Speaking of which, if anyone interested, you can bid on my old RAM at: cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI...3418761672 Its a good deal! |
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honey X |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 1050 (06/14/03 09:16:11) Bios Magician |
The voltage displayed in the Bios is the CPU vcore but not the chipsets vlotage. You have to measure to between ground and the middle pin of U8 or the back of it that is the same like the middle pin and soldered on the Mobo.
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/14/03 13:07:43) |
oops.. actually it says 1.76 v for the Cpu core voltage, but I guess that is not what youre talking about.... chipset voltage? hmmm sounds confusing...
But! I did try this: I turned on the computer and went straight into BIOS... waited there for about one minute... then exited and it booted into windows fine! Hmmmm I do have a bigger heatsink with a fan on the chipset - maybe I should try to take off the fan on the chipset to see if it helps. I guess its not getting hot enough when if first originally boots and then it freezes when it first trys to go into windows... Does that sound right? Gee, I sure hope I fix this problem!!! |
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/14/03 15:16:46) |
bah! No luck. I took the fan off of the heatsink that is on the chipset and I get the same problem.
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honey X |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 1050 (06/14/03 15:49:01) Bios Magician |
Quote: If this were the case then a lower chipset voltage would result in a hotter chipset for all who were successful with this fix. This would also mean that a higher CPU vcore would result in lower CPU temps, right? Does this make sense? I for sure think there must something warm up because this problem doesnt occur with a warmed up system but its not the chipset. For me it looks like the voltages are fluctuating more on a cold system than on a heated up system but this looks for me like either the voltage regulators need higher temps to work good or simply that higher temps are resulting in a higher overall resistance which results in a more stable voltage that is not droping below a specific value where this problem occurs. These drops may occur only for a few millisecounds and be only measurable with a Oscope but long enough to clear the Cmos or to not allow the system to post. |
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/15/03 09:07:30) |
Great, but is there any way to fix it?
Could a future bios update allow someone to change the voltage on the chipset? Or is changing the voltage on anything done via altering hardware on the mobo? |
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honey X |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 1050 (06/15/03 12:20:00) Bios Magician |
Well, I hardly belive thats possible because the mobo has neither the traces hardwired nor the logic implemented to control voltages via Bios.
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pbuscher |
Re: How do I solder? | ||
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Posts: 70 (06/15/03 16:05:49) |
Ah, too bad. Well, it was worth a shot.
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VirusOnline |
Which Capacitor ?? | ||
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Posts: 65 (06/23/03 02:46:57) |
On old out of order mainboards I found a lot of Capacitors with 1000MicroFarrad, but they are only 6.3Volt.
But we are talking about 1.70Volt, right?! So I can use them without problem, or not ??? (Also they are VENT 105DegreesCelsius, whatever that means.) Thanks for any help with that. By the way: I plan to do that without soldering on the mainboard. I'll let You know whether it worked for me: Bend and twist a thin wire around the left pin of U8 and isolate it with shrink-tube. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART TO MAKE SURE, THAT THE WIRE IS ABSOLUTELY ISOLATED AGAINST THE MIDDLE-PIN OF U8. On this rather long wire put (in my case: solder) capacitor and resistor and another piece of wire. Attach this wire-end to one of the little 'screws' of the lpt or serial-port, twist it around this 'screw' and put the 'screw back to where it was before... Finnished! No soldering on the board and easy removable for possible RMA. |
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Oken |
Re: Which Capacitor ?? | ||
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Posts: 3330 (06/23/03 03:58:43) |
6.3Volt 1000MicroFarrad caps are fine. 6.3Volt is just the maximum voltage you can use them with. "VENT 105DegreesCelsius" means that it will vent out internal pressure if they exceed 105 degrees celsius. Don't worry about that, you will not be putting a heavy load on it.
From www.chemi-con.com/guide/pg2.php : Quote:There is nothing like the smell of a exploded cap (it stinks). But like I said, don't worry about it 
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honey X |
Re: Which Capacitor ?? | ||
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Posts: 1050 (06/24/03 03:56:26) Bios Magician |
Dont care about the voltage. Everything above 1.8V is ok. I just used a 16V capacitor because I had one of them at home and 105 degrees celsius vent temperature is more than enough. At least water starts to boil at 100 degrees celsius which would be damn hot and the capacitors only do become warm if they have to charge/discharge all the time, but this is not the case for this capacitor.
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joesgarage11 |
Boot Failure | ||
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Posts: 1 (06/25/03 18:24:45) |
Thanks for the info, honey...
I've had this problem since I got the board. Boot, black screen, reset, windows boot failure screen, enter to continue. Bah! I'm going to try the fix this weekend. My wife's computer has the same board, but never had the problem. It's about six months newer than mine. |
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KevinN206 |
Re: Lost Cmos/Mem detection/coldboot issue fix(R182) improve | ||
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Posts: 20 (07/01/03 00:55:59) |
I've the K7S5A Pro, but it sometimes take no more than three tries to boot up the computer. I've to turn it on-then off four times before it boots. What's weird is that, it always boot on the fourth try. Usually everything powers up (all the fans, drives, and hd) except for the monitor which remains blank, and the drives keep turning on and off.
Once I'm able to boot at 133/133, it's perfectly stable even at 40-42C for CPU and using SETI. Does the resistor/capacitor fix work for K7S5A Pro? I've not able to find the fix in here since it's only for the K7S5A which have different hardware and layout. I couldn't find the R182 provided, so I've no idea if the fix applies to the Pro version. |
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