New Mac Nvidia flasher....WHO KNOWS PLATYPUS?

[The Rominator]

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL978

Looks like a new ROM and flasher for 7300 and Quadro 4500.

I'll try it out and post new ROMs if anyone is interested.

Meanwhile....could this contain what we need to make an OSX Nvidia flasher?

[Cindori]

well drag me backwards and call me dandy, if this isnt what we've been waiting for


I just extracted the flasher core and successfully dumped the rom from my 7300GT. :D



this needs some more playing.

[The Rominator]

Looks very promising...I was able to dump and flash new ROM on a 7300GT. Also working on 8800GT. It is likely that we will find this to not work until an Nvidia card is already a "Mac" card...but again Netkas little "helper" app that enables PC Nvidia cards to work with a "helper" EFI Nvidia will be the "go around"

BTW...the new 7300GT ROM is indeed quite different...can't tell what it changes but doing a "compare" shows many changes.....most notably in the EFI part.

UPDATE: I may have spken too soon about helper app allowing flasher to work. Just tried with GTX285 using 88GT as "helper"......NVFlash didn't see the GTX285, just the 88GT.

SO I tried with 7300GT and 8800GT and it saw them separately and seemed to respond well to usual NVFlash commands.

This WILL allow easier testing of different Mac ROMs for cards with existing Mac roms. Or maybe Nvidia wrote the flasher to "ignore" PC BIOSs and there is a check or switch in the flasher app that can be used to our advantage. I will try a PC BIOS 7800GTX in and see if it is flashable....assume NO unless I post differently.

[666sheep]

Not working for me. Error: No Nvidia card detected. Tried -c and -a with 7300GT (original) and 7800GT (PC). I extracted nvcmdflasher and nvFlashDriver.kext. Kext installed with KextHelper. Without kext also that same. I'm running 10.4.11 (MP 1.1). It requires higher OS version?
Edit:
Answered myself: yes it does ;) I should read sys requirements before... lol

[The Rominator]

Some years back, a guy named "Chris" wrote the OSX GUI wrapper called "NvidiaFlashUtility 1.1" using Platypus.

By replacing and renaming the relevant new parts, I am able to get limited functionality.

I can NOT figure out how to use Platypus to update the commands. The "Flash" and "Dump" buttons apparently link to unseen commands which WERE the right ones in NVFLASH 4.44 that this was originally written with. With new version 5.70d6 the only correctly linked command is "Get Info".

Still quite promising.

If I could figure out where to correct the text commands, we would very quickly have a GUI Nvidia flasher.

Anyone?

I have linked the original 1.1 version along with my "corrected" 1.2 version.

Originally, this was included with Graphiccelerator from Thomas Perrier....would make sense that if a working version could be made that it would get included with Cindori's newer app.

I am also attempting to contact "Chris" to see if he is interested in updating his app. So close.....

[Cindori]

soon done with beta GUI

[Cindori]

World #1 Intel OSX Nvidia GUI Flasher :D


pretty basic still.
I was able to reuse alot of code from ATI Flashing Tool.

http://groths.se/Nvidia.zip


Dumping leaves the Rom on your boot drive.

Have not tried flashing yet.

[The Rominator]

I am having trouble with it but I think it is because I have multiple Nvidia cards in...will try with just one.

SOme useful commands that I have tested in OSX :

"-v" = information....even gives EEPROM Chip part # ...also gives index #
"-i=X" = where "X" is the index # given from above....needed when there is more than 1 Nvidia card
"-4 -5 -6" = overrides MOST flash troubles...Device id, subsystem id and board id.
"-b dumped.rom" = dumps ROM with name given

BTW...I was just able to get info from and dump rom from a GTX285.....I think because I finally had cards in proper slots.

[Cindori]

still no luck with non efi cards?


btw how does index act? is it ordered after slot? if so, pretty easy to add radio buttons for what slot to dump ROM from.

[The Rominator]

Just tried with 7300GT as only card, worked to dump but couldn't flash..gave the attached error

The index # is gonna be an annoyance. I have never been able to get it to work right for flashing in Mac Pro, either in DOS or now in OSX. Works to pick which ROM to save, but in example of GTX285 and 73gt, it always flashes the 7300GT, even if I specify index number for gtx285

I have been able to flash non EFI cards....but need to clarify under what circumstances

[Cindori]

oops will fix that later... I forgot...to define...variable bundle :D

[Cindori]

link updated with fix

[The Rominator]

it would appear that it isn't getting commands it expects, any attempt to flash results in screen attached.

Does ANYONE know Platypus?

[Cindori]

won't need platypus :p


brb

[Cindori]

just made working flashing script :)


gonna compile and recheck, upload soon

[Cindori]

ok


http://groths.se/Nvidia.zip


I am getting this problem... It says it can't flash with file. I'm using the dump from card. Im having same issue if I go terminal.

But the flashing script should be fully functional.

Info button not done yet.

btw knowing platypus would not help anything cause what you want is the sourcecode of the script. you need the source, you can't access this in binary.

[The Rominator]

I can flash just fine in terminal...so issue must be in your script

this seems to think I have the kext someplace it isn';t.....but maybe is on your HD?

[Cindori]

look:

http://piclair.com/data/usc07.jpg (http://piclair.com/usc07)

http://piclair.com/data/pj98a.jpg (http://piclair.com/pj98a)


so script is working like terminal...


anyway for that kext problem, fixed it, now try:

http://groths.se/Nvidia.zip

try to not use any other functions, only browse/flash


I'll break down for you what buttons does:

Browse creates directory NvidiaFlashTool in Application Support, copies your selected rom there, named flashrom.rom

Flash creates directory Kext, copies driver there, repairs permissions
Copies nvcmdflash to NvidiaFlashTool
Loads driver
Then calls nvcmdflash with command "flashrom.rom"

reason behind all the copying is because I can't figure out how to properly load the kext from inside app resources.

[voyagerd]

I tried this on my MacBook Pro in my sig and get the error when I try to dump the ROM, Supported EEPROM not found (2).

[The Rominator]

SOme useful commands that I have tested in OSX :

"-v" = information....even gives EEPROM Chip part # ...also gives index #
"-i=X" = where "X" is the index # given from above....needed when there is more than 1 Nvidia card
"-4 -5 -6" = overrides MOST flash troubles...Device id, subsystem id and board id.
"-b dumped.rom" = dumps ROM with name given



useful info. I can do all of those functions when commands typed correctly and ROM is where it is expected to be.

Look at my terminal logs above....btw...it looks in your user folder for the ROM specified...not at root.

[Cindori]

rommy did you try my updated link?

btw what did you meant with "it looks in your user folder for the ROM specified"

[The Rominator]

rommy did you try my updated link?


Yes, I have tried 3 versions.

Can you number them? ie....1.01...1.02...1.03....easier to be certain which version we are testing


btw what did you meant with "it looks in your user folder for the ROM specified"

it (nv flash app) looks in your user folder (folder of user you are logged in as) for the ROM specified" (Rom specified means the one you are asking it to flash with)

So...............if you want to flash with a ROM called "m73gt.rom" you would place that ROM in your user folder. Looks like yours is called "Oskar". The other folders in your user folder are "Desktop, Docuents, Downloads"...etc. AFter you place the ROM in your user folder, then you load the kext. After it is loaded, then open a term window. Next, drag the app to the window, it will load in the path, after this type the name of the ROM you have placed in your user folder. To override all of the usual tests, you then type in "-4 -5 -6" then hit return. It should ask for a "y" three times or 4 times if needed keep hitting "y".

so, in term window is "(path to nvflashhapp) m73gt.rom -4 -5 -6"
hit return...hit "y" where appropro...working for me

[Cindori]

So...............if you want to flash with a ROM called "m73gt.rom" you would place that ROM in your user folder


ah, didnt know this. well ok, can make that work.

[i-rui]

Has any progress been made with this flasher?

I have a 2008 mac pro and a 8800 card i want to flash to work with it.

The card is an official apple upgrade, but it's the first gen version with the efi32 ROM.

Will this utility allow me to easily flash it to the efi64 rom? (and how exactly would i go about doing it)?

[Cindori]

i am working with it atm.
it is a month or so from release since I am making something good

steps for using the nvflash for osx is outlined in this thread; otherwise just boot windows and use some easy flasher there

[The Rominator]

As Cindori says, everything you need to flash in OSX is outlined in this thread. You need to have a little comfort in terminal and be able to load the kext. But it most definitely works on any Nvidia card that already has a driver loaded. So you would need to fire it up in the 2006 , run the steps above to flash with EFI64 rom and then shut off and place card in EFI64 machine.

Or flash in any machine running DOS or capable of running DOS.

[i-rui]

thanks for the replies

i don't have a dos machine i can flash from, nor do i have a 2006 mac pro

My 2008 mac pro has a ati 2600 in it. If i install the 8800 in a different slot would i still be able to flash it (would the 2008 mac pro be able to recognize it if it has the efi32 rom on it?)

[Cindori]

nope.

but you can boot dos on your mac...

[i-rui]

do you think after you've finished coding this nvidia flasher it will ever be able to flash the efi32 card in my 2008 mac pro? I could probably wait a month if you think it will

or should i just concentrate on finding a solution through dos or windows? (does it have to be dos? i might be able to flash on a windows xp machine)

[Cindori]

i believe rommy noted that the card must be recognized and initialized for it to be flashed in osx, so a 32 efi card in 64 efi mac would be a no-go

flashing dos isnt hard.
download some bootcd package and drag some nvflash utility there, burn to cd, reboot and google up the correct commands to use

[Krazubu]

Come on guys this nvidia flash tool has been there for ages inside the 1st mac pro update for 7300GT in 2007 :eek:
http://support.apple.com/downloads/GeForce_7300_GT_Firmware_Update

I had it somewhere in my files but I could never get anything off it. It always says "ERROR: No NVIDIA display adapters found" but I'm on hackintosh.

[Cindori]

That old one didn't even run on macpros.


Btw, my tool releasing in 1 week

[MrCheeto]

I'm needing help here getting a GeForce FX 5200 to work in my PowerMac. I don't have any other machines with an AGP slot.

Ideas?

NVFlasher returns "IOIteratorNext Returns NULL" when trying to get ROM information from the card. I'm using a PCI card as the active card to flash the AGP card.