[roberden]

Flashing Bios bootblock - HP Z800

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Has anyone tried flashing the BIOS on an HP Z800 workstation (to upgrade the bootblock found on earlier revision motherboards)? Flashrom can read the SST25VF016B flash chip but it is 'locked down'.

Here is part of the error message:

Calibrating delay loop... OK.
Found chipset "Intel ICH10R". Enabling flash write... tried to set 0xdc to 0x3 on ICH10R failed (WARNING ONLY)
WARNING: SPI Configuration Lockdown activated.
FAILED!
This chipset supports the following protocols: FWH, SPI.
Found SST flash chip "SST25VF016B" (2048 kB, SPI) at physical address 0xffe00000.
Any ideas?

 

[Tyree]

Is the Bios update from the manufacturer and are you following the manufacturer's instruction precisely as listed?

 

[roberden]

Is the Bios update from the manufacturer and are you following the manufacturer's instruction precisely as listed?

Updating the BIOS with HP provided 'softpacks' is not a problem. The issue is that the BIOS flashrom has a portion (the Bootblock) which has its code write protected. The HP updates for the Bios never write (update) this section of the flash. The Bootblock is therefore 'protected' as if it were ROM.

As newer revisions of the motherboard are manufacuted the bootblock is updated in the Flashrom to accomodate newer CPUs (e.g. quad-core, hex-core, etc.). Older boards are identical (hardware wise) to the newer one but for the programing in the bootblock of the Flashrom. If reprograming of the bootblock were to be achieved, older boards revisions would work with the newer CPUs just like the newer revisions.

So the need is not to update the BIOS, it is to update the bootblock of the BIOS which is likely hardware write protected.