What Is A Processor Microcode Update Softpaq And How Is It Used; How Can A Processor Microcode Update Be Executed In Windows; What Does The Bios Binary Image Naming Convention Indicate; Can The Bios Post Splash Screen Be Modified - HP dc7900 - Convertible Minitower PC Questions And Answers

What is a processor microcode update softpaq and how is it
used?
Typical processors download code from the BIOS during initialization referred to as
microcode. If a new, supported processor is installed in the business PC which requires a
microcode currently not adequately provided by the BIOS, the BIOS will issue a POST
warning "1801-Microcode Update Error". To add this microcode to the BIOS, a processor
microcode softpaq is provided to update the BIOS. Processor microcode changes can be
updated in the BIOS without having to change the entire BIOS. Binary file microcode image
is uXX_MMmm.bin where the "u" indicates microcode, XX is the general BIOS family, MM is
major version, and mm is the minor version. Microcode updates can only be accomplished
by using Flashbin.exe utility.
Microcode update images are offered for the general BIOS family and can be applied to any
particular BIOS of that family. For example, microcode image u7D_0101.bin can be
applied to any BIOS in the 786D family such as 786D1 or 786D2. Minor version numbers
are incremented to indicate minimal changes to the microcode typically involving an updated
version of a previous released microcode. Major version number changes indicate a greater
degree of change to the microcode source such as the addition of a new processor
microcode.
How can a processor microcode update be executed in
Windows?
With the latest version of HPQFlash to support the 2007 HP Business PC products (e.g.
dc7800), processor microcode patches can be updated in a Windows environment. As
detailed in the previous section, the microcode softpaq specific to the general BIOS family
can be downloaded containing the image file uXX_MMmm.bin. This image file must be
copied to the same directory as the HPQFlash.exe utility. Once that process has been
completed, the microcode update can be executed by running the command "HPQFlash –u
uXX_MMmm.bin" from the directory containing the utility and microcode image file. To log
the operation output, the command can be extended to "HPQFlash –u uXX_MMmm.bin –l
<logfile> where the logfile value is replaced with the file name target.

What does the BIOS binary image naming convention indicate?

Binary image format is XXX_MMmm.bin. The XXX portion indicates the BIOS family. The
MM is the major version number. The mm is the minor version number. The BIOS family is a
collection of BIOS products all originating from the same basic code source. For example,
7DX would indicate a BIOS image from the 786D BIOS family. Minor version numbers are
incremented to indicate minimal changes to the BIOS source code typically involving minor
problem fixes. Major version number changes indicate a greater degree of change to the
BIOS source code such as new feature additions, additional hardware support, or significant
POST modifications.

Can the BIOS POST splash screen be modified?

The Image Flash (Flashi.exe) utility can be used to replace the POST splash image stored in
the BIOS part or save the current image. This DOS utility is typically provided for re-sellers
who may want to be able to put their own logo in place of the standard Hewlett-Packard
image. Error checking is done to insure that an image that does not meet the requirements
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