US15 Platform Win7: Vbios and IEMGD Bugs

[ARuju]

Hi ,I miss some info for vbios for US15 Platform:

1)Is possibile to set non-standard modes to primary display? (LCD is 1366x768 but datasheet report only until 1280p with vesa)

2)Setting LVDS to LFP,as described in intel document, eliminate backlight from startup (i can't see nothing on boot bios\or windows logo).Anyway to resolve?

Bugs (are fixable?):

Panning mode not working (can't select Next Button) on CED 1.18

Intel GPU GUI click Display Attributes returns BSoD

Windows 7 Performance Tool returns BSoD

Thank you

Note. Platform US15 on Asus 1101HA

[WILLIAM_C_Intel]

Hello Razak,

I'll be happy to assist you with that.

Intel EMGD tool is only for Intel embedded products, about Asus 1101HA, I would suggest you contact your laptop Asus's support, they can provide you with the graphics driver you need. Computer manufacturers develop custom drivers specially for their hardware designs.

What Intel can provide for US15W chipset to work in windows 7 32 bit is Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 500 driver, the following URL is download site.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=3180&DwnldID=19155&ProductFamily=Graphics&ProductLine=Laptop+graphics+drivers&ProductProduct=Intel%c2%ae+Graphics+Media+Accelerator+500&keyword=GMA500&DownloadType=Drivers&lang=eng https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=3180&DwnldID=19155&ProductFamily=Graphics&ProductLine=Laptop+graphics+drivers&ProductProduct=Intel%c2%ae+Graphics+Media+Accelerator+500&keyword=GMA500&DownloadType=Drivers&lang=eng

If you have any further questions, please let me know.

Good luck.

Thanks & Regards

William

[ARuju]

Thank you william for your answer. I know that us15w is for embedded market but there are only few hw differences(us15 has a smaller mainboard factor) that not change "video" experience with both products.

My dubt is that there is a bug in vbios. I'll explain also why:

1)using iemgd without set inverter frequency backlight is disabled

2)using iemgd with inverter freq all work correctly (bugs only with intel gpu tool on display attrubutes, windows performance and not changable brightness only after hybridation/suspansion)

3) iemg vbios works without setting ports (but no brightness controll via fn button and vga port is not working).(note generic ibm vbios works correctly but we are not talking about it)

Iemgd driver vs official is really better! Less bugs and opengl support so useless restore old intel 8.14.2030 driver

[Kirk_B_Intel]

Hi,

A few things here:

1. the VBIOS provided in the firmware of the Asus was sourced by Asus for thier specific needs. I am not aware of general availability of the tools needed to extract a BIOS, remove the older VBIOS, install the EMGD VBIOS (which requires more ROM space that other VBIOS) and put that back into the system. That siad, if you have a VBIOS problem, you will need to talk to Asus as it is THEIR code.

2. The EMGD driver is made flexible for many situations however, as you have found, not for ALL cases. Intel has certain recommendations for handling functions like backlight control that EMGD provides options to support. If an OEM "goes off the menu" and does something different, then they provide a custom way to support thier design decisions. I would guess that is what Asus has done as backlight is one of those areas that OEMS seem to like to change for some odd reason. I would speculate that the way the VBIOS is setting the backlight and the way you have EMGD configured are different and that is why your backlight is not recovering because the driver is not able to actually turn it back on after sleep. At boot, the VBIOS turns it on and it just stays on and although the driver may be trying to contorl it, is actually NOT controlling it. You might experiment with all the backlight options in EMGD but again I'd bet that Asus did something proprietary and there simply is not code in the driver to control backlight.

3. The EMGD GUI is highly tested in our plan of record situations. That does not guarantee there might be issues with it non-POR situations like on an Asus netbook.

4. US15 is end of life. We are still providing US15 capability in newer drivers (because E6xx shares the same codebase) but we are not testing against it nor doing any support. Even so, we would not have supported any issues on a Netbook like teh Asus with the embedded driver because it is not supposed to be used with a netbook.

Hope this helps.

[ARuju]

Hi kirk, i'm sorry but:

->CED generate two vbios one 128kb for e6xx series and one 64kb for US15W (so it isn't larger than original)

->Mmtool (for AMI bios) can extract and replace vbios (while e6xx can use directly avbu)

->All us15 have the same vbios from ibm

->Intel official driver (intel.com) works correctly with backlight (isn't an asus option)

So these are bugs of emgd..there is any way to contact programmators?

[Kirk_B_Intel]

The 64K version of the EMGD VBIOS is bigger than the standard 48K GMA VBIOS. If the BIOS framework used is EFI, then using the VBIOS, with the SCM in place of the "stock" one is easy. If it is a traditional BIOS framework, then it can be impossible if the BIOS vendor did not leave the extra 16k free.

MMtool is not commonly available nor is the knowledge of the use.

The VBIOS included with the platform was obviously specially modified for the backlight hardware.

There may be combinations of backlight control configurations that you can use to teach the EMGD driver to properly control the backlight, but we do not support that opeation on a netbook, especially an Asus that was designed for use with the GMA driver, not the embedded driver.

You might be able to use the BMP tool, extract the information from the VBT in the VBIOS and figure out the right combination to configure EMGD, but you are on your own for that.

Embedded US15W has been EOLed and we no longer do support so there is no way to contact programmers, or to get any changes made for US15w, especially for a non-POR situation. We have NEVER support use of the embedded driver on netbooks. Some people have been successful at doing it, but it is a non-supported use on an EOL part. Maybe it is time to upgrade to a newer netbook?

[ARuju]

Thank you. IBM generic vbios (used on u15 by many manufacters asus,acer,dell) is 64kb. Is possible to have original vbios (b 48kb)?

I have still no access to bmptool (account limit) but anyway from intel support chat someone told me that isn't compatible for us15/l/w/wp/x is it right?

Thank you in advance

[Kirk_B_Intel]

Intel makes available TWO VBIOS versions- the GMA one that is likely the one you have, and the embedded one that the EMGD tool can build. The BMP tool is not going to do much for you especially if you insist on using the EMGD driver. THE CED tool is used to make changed to the EMGD VBIOS (that you are not using) and the EMGD driver.

Again, your platform is not supported with the embedded driver (even if it is better), and support for the US15w has ended.

We are not going to be able to help you any further with this issue.

[Natalie_Z_Intel]

Hello, Razak! It looks like the driver team has provided what they can for your application questions. If you would like to discuss your embedded project or move it towards newer/different products, you can sign into the EDC http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/intelligent-systems/embedded-design-center.html home page and scroll down to the CONNECT WITH US section and click on "Design Assistance". A form will be provided and you can answer a few short questions. Your inquiry will be routed to an Intel agent who will contact you directly. Hope this helps! LynnZ.