hi all i just subscribed today to try to get a poweredge r730 server rack to work as gaming pc. after i got all i start getting problem:
at first i had crash when installing any driver with a “whea uncorrectable error” bsod. seems i find a way to fix this by enabling mmio low memory remap.
then second problem is boot from nvme to pcie. i find a guide to implement nvme driver, but i notice that it already support it. if i install windows from usb pendrive, i can see the nvme and it is recognized in system, but when i reboot i wont show on boot device list.
i think that is releated to some dell restriction on unbranded dell component.
second problem is bios is locked or i dont have the right fpt version.
server has a c610 chipset with intel management version of 03.01.03.131 family sps.
i downloaded one flash programming too rar and with tat fptw inside it i got that output. i can backup using “fptw.exe -bios -d backup.bin” command, but i cannot write it back getting error 280.
other problem is intel arc a770 is not recognized in system and therefore the fan start spinning at max speed.
now the rebar state. i injected the ffs module at the end, but it seems not working for some bad address with pcibridgehost.i attach my original backup. r730original bios
here is my original bios dumped by desoldering and solder chip back. disabling the flash lock would be very cool as i need to remove everithing each time i want to test a new bios modification.
Edit1 by Fernando: Thread title shortened and customized Edit2 by Fernando: Thread title changed (it turned out, that NVMe is natively supported by the BIOS) Edit3 by Fernando: Thread title changed again (problem has been solved)
@Scruffy
Welcome to the Win-RAID Forum!
After having checked the integrity of your linked 2 BIOS files named originale3.bin and bios2.bin, I have serious doubts regarding the integrity and the functionality of them:
According to the UBU tool none of them is a proper AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS.
Look here:
The BIOS named originale3.bin contains an unknown NVMe module named NvmExpressDxe:
It has a similar GUID header as the NVMe modules we are offering within this Forum, but it is definitely neither an original present official AMI NVMe module, nor a module, which has been offered by this Forum.
The BIOS named bios2.bin contains even 2 NVMe modules named NvmExpressDxe and NvmExpressDxe_small. Both of them have the exactly same GUID header (none of them will work properly!):
If the NVMe modules were integrated into the original BIOS files, this has been done at an absolutely wrong location (should be at the undermost position of the DXE Volume).
hi tnx for reply. i name original bios name because that is the bios i read with my external programmer. (sofi 8a).
bios 2 was my first try to make rebar work and make nvme pcie work, but after i flashed bios i noticed it already had that nvme support, but it only accept boot from dell branded nvme pcie.
the nvme is the original from dell bios, while the small one was taken from some blog on internet.
do you think that replace nvmexpress with the one i got from here will solve nvme boot ? i can give it a try, but would be very cool to unlock bios flash with fpt from shell so i dont need to take board bout each time for make other bios mod try.
@Scruffy
As I have already written, both BIOS files have obviously been bricked by unproper modifications.
I neither have the required knowledge nor the time to help you with the recovery of a normally working BIOS. My advice: Try to flash the latest BIOS 2.16.0, which has been released on 11/22/2022 by Dell for your device.
i flashed bios from dell , but the output is the same as before.
keep in mind that this bios works and pc just load fine, it’s the added non compatible hardware that make the bios mod necessary, otherwise the server with no intel vga and no nvme boot works fine.
@Scruffy
There may be a need for a BIOS modification for your purpose, but not regarding the NVMe support.
I just have checked the latest original BIOS 2.16.0. It contains indeed the module named NvmExpressDxe.
yes i write on first post that i then noticed that biosd already had that driver and ofcourse installing windows on nvme works, but then after reboot it wont allow me to boot from nvme annymore.
one workaround is to use clover usb boot utility, but if i can add it in bios by maybe replace some dell id with the one i got and some other models , or just skip the check would be much better.
also rebar doesnt work and also vga give fan full speed wich make it very noisy.
tnx for the help
edit: if i open original ( saved original bios from working pc) and analyze it with uefitool ne, i get a value of ReBarState … is that for rebar enable ?
@Scruffi
To be able to boot off an NVMe SSD the OS has to be installed in UEFI mode (using the GUIMode Partition Table). Additionally some BIOS settings should be customized for that purpose.
i dont think is some guid mode … if i install a dell nvme pcie it works perfect, but im using nvme to pcie adapter and nvme is a crucial p5 plus 1tb. it is seen in bios as pcie ssd. problem must be dell locking boot from non dell branded nvme.
ofcourse bios is in gpt and uefi. if i use 2,5inc sata it works perfect in boot.
No new EFI boot entry in boot manager (besides seeing a physical PCIe disk or not in bios and other drives disconnected), after a clean OS install on that Crucial?
EDIT: Humm… then your maybe rigth, its Dell own picky’s.
@Scruffy
To find out whether your Dell system is able at all to boot off an NVMe SSD, do a clean install of Win11 according to my guide “B. Best/safest procedure to get Win10/11 properly installed onto an NVMe SSD”, which I am offering within the first post of >this< thread (look into the “Step 4”).
Before you start with the test you should do a backup of the important data, which are now stored on the NVMe SSD.
ive installed windows several times on this server . on normal computer once u install os and reboot, windows boot manager get on first position and boot normally, but here "windows boot manager " is not selectable.
if i go to add boot option i have no folder to navigate, while if i go to delete boot option i have “indows boot manager” and “hd with nvme guid /efi/microsoft/bootmgr.efi”. it meand that dell doesnt support non dell nvme to be installed.
i think i need some bios mod to allow booting from non dell nvme branded ones , or maybe the only thinkg i can do is to remove dell nvme dxe inside bios and replace it with another one i have or from my laptop or from your tutorial link
success!!! replaced the nvme dxe inside bios with the one on your guide and i was able to boot from pcie ssd
but now i keep getting whea uncorrectable error when tring to install driver, but i think the problem is releated to intel arc gpu giving that bsod, or at least now its the combination ov nvme+intel that give that, because looks like with 2,5inch ssd all is or with older drivers.
to confirm 100% problem is only with nvme+intel, or intel i sould reformat the pc and try reinstall chipset driver and see if i get bsod .
@Scruffy
Thanks for your feedback! It is fine, that you finally were able to boot off the NVMe SSD.
Which driver for which device do you mean?
Forget the Intel chipset “drivers” - that are no real drivers and a change will not solve the interference problem between the Intel Graphics Adapter and the NVMe Controller.
My advice: If possible, change the slot/port of one of them.
Edit:
Due to the fact, that the problem has been solved, I have customized the thread title.
This way other affected users may better find the solution.
any driver… chipset, intel vga… if i try install them i got whea bsod. if i remove intel vga i can install any driver just fine. if i put intel vga back and try install vga driver i got bsod, but if i install them from device manager manually they install ok , and after they got installed i can run the driver exe install and installation go just fine.
it’s sokmething related to memory or irq allocation that cause bsod. most specially with pcie bus , memory or irq.
is it possible to unlock bios , so i can flash bios with ftp ? till now when u told me to try flash original bios back, i tried replace hdr with my modified bio. flash went ok, but my modded bios wasnt flashed properly, as if i dump bios i got like it was original from dell exe install bios file.
ps: fpt from shell give enexpected error, while on windows im able to read it with -bios option, but cant flash anything back. fptw -f -bios biosname.bin give me error 280 or similar.
would be cool to unlock bios from writing permission to allow me flash it the easiest way without the need to desolder bios chip each time.
also intel vga is unrecognized in bios. it give unknown specification and so on, so maybe pcie code are not implemented correctly in the bios. maybe some dxe for pcie list or supported card is not like the one on other mainboard that allow people to install any pcie.
to prove that look at the nvme dxe. after replacing the dell one with the generic i was able to boot from nvme.
You’re using a modern desktop GPU card/architecture… and on a server class system board, with several years apart, but mainly this is a server efi bios with Dell code handling a modern UEFI GOP gpu card… the issues you have maybe expected due to this class.
Several system boards have a so called “Service” jumper or “ME disable” jumper, it differs across brands, try to search info for it, regarding your system board.
A note: About the EXE’s… the system board hw has, as we know has its on PnP/Bios configuration, some have/had (Manual/AUTO) and all the devices attached matters…but when the OS is loaded, its him that will, on top of it, manages the resources allocation and MS PnP… now is that Intel EXE expecting some specific resources to be available on the system… and they’re not available anymore/used.
tnx for reply. on mainboard there is just one spot called “me FW” but it’s not populated. it’s missing 2 pins and a resistor and one track is going under pcie slot so dont think it’s for flashing.
inspecting the board there is no service mode in it.
interesting ur talk about uefi gop. is there a way to analyze them in the dell bios and maybe update them ?
