Problems after flashing ATI 9800 Pro- any smart friend out willing to help?

[Carolus Rex]

This is also in relation to the "Flashing a PC Radeon 9800 Pro" thread on this forum.
A long post, but please bear with me as I want to give as much detail as possible to make it clear and avoid as many clarification-questions as possible.

SO, after a lot of research (i stress, A LOT), a semi-sucessful (got some artifacts on the display in my G4 using it) flash of a GeForce 2 about two years ago, I wanted to flash a Radeon 9800 pro to use in my PM G4 DA (I have the crappy rage 128 in it currently) (that I by the way got from a raffle from Apple when I used to work there (in Ireland) and I dragged it along me on the plane as the only checked in luggage I had back to Sweden ). It is the Jewel of my collection!

The card I have is a red 128 ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (looking like the one on the other thread) that I bought from eBay with the purpouse of flashing it. It was cheap, but worked perfectly fine in my Dell. It seems to me as if the ROM chip is the 64 version, as the report from ATIflasher corresponds to what have been stated about the different ROM versions on this forum and in other places, but I am only 90% shure of this.
Well, It seemed to me as if the "good 'ol Dell Dimension 8200" was the best bet to do it on, at least at first. Little success did I have. It seemed that the card did not want to be flashed somehow. Nothing happened (I followed the instructions from this site, using "Waybackmachine, as the site seems to have dissapeared; http://web.archive.org/web/20080606030655/http://www.dragoth.net/~dragoth/projects/9800-in-a-mac/
In conjunction with the advices/instructions given on what DOS commands to write from the well-known Mac-Elite site.
I did everything exactly as suggested in DOS, nothing happened in terms of flashing (no OK message or anything else). WI didn't even manage to back up (on to the floppy) the old rom.
Well, let's try it on the G4 instead, I thought.
I set up VNC and remotly controlled my G4 from my MacMini.
Using Graphicellerator and the full and reduced rom for my card (more precicley these two; 1)Retail Radeon 9800 Pro 130 AGP 2x/4x/8x 378/337.5 MHz 128MB BGA DDR 128KB
and 2) gotoh (reduced using new method) 9800 PRO 128MB 130 AGP 2x/4x/8x 378/337.5MHz 128MB BGA DDR 64KB ) I flashed it.
Well...
Graphicellerator gave me, after the flashing process went up to 100%, an error message that I unfortunatley don't remember now, but I am pretty sure that it was the "ERROR Programming Devices" message.
OK, I thought, I'll just reboot and try it again using the other ROM. Well, after rebooting, my system did not recognize any card at all anymore. Hmm. I will try and flash it back in the PC instead. Sorry pal, no can do! No display when back in the PC (starting up in DOS)

So here I am, stuck in limbo and frustration, hoping for the help of my fellow Mac-user friends!

OH, and yes, I did disable (using tape) pins 3 and 11, and I did enable them back when putting it back in the PC.

 

[YoYoMarv]

Solution...

Greetings!

You'll need to plug the card into your PC and flash with the reduced ROM if possible.

Assuming your PC has built-in video, just adjust the BIOS to use built-in video only, Save & Exit from BIOS, shut down, insert the 9800, boot your DOS floppy containing the necessary files, and check to see if your card is still recognized using the flashing app (I recommend FLASHROM v2.40):

<C:>flashrom -i

If all else fails, I can fix it for you if you feel the round trip international shipping is worth it.

 

[Carolus Rex]

Greetings!

You'll need to plug the card into your PC and flash with the reduced ROM if possible.

Assuming your PC has built-in video, just adjust the BIOS to use built-in video only, Save & Exit from BIOS, shut down, insert the 9800, boot your DOS floppy containing the necessary files, and check to see if your card is still recognized using the flashing app (I recommend FLASHROM v2.40):

<C:>flashrom -i

If all else fails, I can fix it for you if you feel the round trip international shipping is worth it.

Thank you for very much for your advice (and offer, but the fun part is doing it, and hopefully succeeding pehaps with a little help, myself)!

It SEEMS (I have a crappy old Dell dimension 8200) that I do not have any built-in graphics. There are no other VGA ports besides the one(s) on my graphics card. I have a couple of different cards, so it is no problem per se, but since I only have one AGP port I dont see how I could do anything with my Radeon 9800 in there (as it does not work properly after my failed flash.)

Three questions;
1) When i wrote the (correct ones, I double checked) DOS commands, why did nothing happen in the first place (see my first post) with the card? No flash, no nothing. It was only when I did it on the G4 that it "worked"
2) Would it be possible using a PCI-graphics card in the PC, to flash the Radeon in the AGP slot? This is what is adviced when using a Mac, but would it work the same way on the PC?
3) Am I mistaken with the lack of built in graphics on the Dell? I cannot see where it would be.

 

[phaedarus]

As someone who once had an ATI 9800 SE in a dual G4 867mhz , my advice is not to waste your time.

The card will eventually overheat, causing screen artifacts thus, rendering the card useless. I believe it was designed to operate in a G5 case.

In my specific case, I purchased it only because I wanted to use the Apple Cinema LCD screen which the included stock card would not accept. After awhile, I discovered that the power connectors were blackened from overheating. The display will still work with the card but the artifacting has negated my ability to use the PowerMac G4.

 

[Carolus Rex]

Perhaps so, but I still would like to do it just for the satisfaction of it +to perhaps learn something, and I already spent a lot of time on it, so a little more does not matter. It just bugs me that I didn't succeed in the first run, I want to have the card flashed. If it eventually overheats, I'm not off worse than now with the 128 Rage card that resides in it. I can always put it back.

Isn't the SE an "inferior" model compared to the 9800 Pro? Perhaps that is the reason for overheat? Plus, I have an "Arctic Cooling" fan and heatsink and the G4 in general runs very very cool.

 

[phaedarus]

Perhaps so, but I still would like to do it just for the satisfaction of it +to perhaps learn something, and I already spent a lot of time on it, so a little more does not matter. It just bugs me that I didn't succeed in the first run, I want to have the card flashed. If it eventually overheats, I'm not off worse than now with the 128 Rage card that resides in it. I can always put it back.

Isn't the SE an "inferior" model compared to the 9800 Pro? Perhaps that is the reason for overheat? Plus, I have an "Arctic Cooling" fan and heatsink and the G4 in general runs very very cool.

The 9800 was made for 8x AGP slot - the one in my G4 was only 4x. The stock card I put back in has been very problematic since the overheat so you could be looking at some serious issues with the slot itself down the line. Who knows?

It is your time and money however and G4s sells for less than $200 so it's not as if you're risking a Mac Pro or anything.

Good luck with flashing the card.

 

[Dave H]

I have been using a flashed Radeon 9800XT for 2 1/2 years without a problem in my G4 DA.
I installed an ATI Silencer 3 on it right away, and put low-profile ramsinks on the back, as the cooler's backplate was too tall and would not allow the case door to close.

 

[lannister80]

I have a 9800 Pro in my G4 MDD (the 256MB version) and I've never had a problem with overheating (during normal/gaming operation). Just with the fan.

The fan (bury frame) started making noise and died shortly thereafter while I was at work. Came home to a computer with no video, and the card was WAAY too hot to touch. I let it cool down for a while and then reinstalled, and got video. Uninstalled right away since it did not have a working fan.

Ordered another 2-wire bury-frame fan from some online vendor, and it's been a-ok ever since...

Well, except for the molex connector to the card melted/charred once, I think one of the pins was arcing a lot, soot and such inside the connjector. Removed the molex connector and soldered a 4-wire power cord (with molex on the other end, ovbiously) directly to the card's power traces.

Hmmm, maybe not the most trouble-free card in the world.

 

[Carolus Rex]

Replying myself....

OK, just in case anyone is in the same situation here (googleing and finding this post) I'll reply two of my own questions;

****
Three questions;
1) When i wrote the (correct ones, I double checked) DOS commands, why did nothing happen in the first place (see my first post) with the card? No flash, no nothing. It was only when I did it on the G4 that it "worked"
2) Would it be possible using a PCI-graphics card in the PC, to flash the Radeon in the AGP slot? This is what is adviced when using a Mac, but would it work the same way on the PC?
3) Am I mistaken with the lack of built in graphics on the Dell? I cannot see where it would be.
****
If you MUST buy a PC, don't buy a Dell is my conclusion.
2) It seems that this should be no problem, but not with the DELL Dimension 8200 at least since it's BIOS does not allow for PCI graphics cards. It's not, as far as I understand, "possible" to update the BIOS other than with DELLS own updates. ie. it does not work.
3) No built in graphics, it is AGP card or bust.

So, it looks as if I have to postpone the re-flashing of my Radeon 9800 pro until I can lay my hands on another PC, as I cannot do it (anymore) in the one I have.

*************

Now, I have a NEW question related to the same issue (flashing graphics cards)
I have a Geforce 4 that has a PC ram. It is my understanding that in order to flash it on a Mac using Grapiccellerator, it have to have a Mac RAM already. Then you can flash it to another Mac ram. Is there any other way (except putting it in a PC to flash it there) to flash it using another tool, on a Mac? (I use VNC to see what I'm doing)

 

[MacVidCards]

There is a way to flash in the terminal but it was arcane and difficult and I have lost instructions.

Any other way to flash Windows Nvidia AGP requires DOS.

Also, the GeForce 4 Ti4600 requires a little, teeny, tiny resistor moved otherwise it is no go in Mac. There was a fixed ROM that didn't require this but not sure if it ever made it out for public consumption.

If your GeForce 4 is of the MX variety, it is a rebadged GeForce 2 and can be flashed, (again in DOS) but the bother involved in picking right ROM will be prohibitive. (worth $10 as PC card and $30 as Mac.......how hard do you want to work for the $20 added value?)