Enigma BIOS update

[Randomthom]

Hey,
I was wondering, I bought my Enigma back in July/August time last year & there has been a BIOS update since then, I can't find any information on it except the files from the compal website itself. I'm hoping it will have some level of fix for the CPU throttling issue (under full load the processor automatically reduces it's clock speed to lower the power consumption as the 85W power supply isn't fully sufficient when the processor is at full 55W draw).

Obviously flashing a BIOS is a risky business, I was wondering if you update the BIOS on the ones you're selling now & if so, how? The files are a .BAT, .EXE & .ROM, I'm assuming I could put them on the root of my USB drive & boot from it to run them but I'm not 100% sure! Would appreciate your expertise with this.

Thanks!

 

[vanthus]

The motherboard manual I got ,although i''ve a desktop, gives detailed information on how to update the bios,don't know if you'll have such a manual.

 

[PCS]

You will need to create a bootable USB disk. Once you've created this you will need to run the BIOS utulity (exe) and update the BIOS with the ROM file. My advice is to backup the existing BIOS (if possible) prior to installation.

Please be careful when flashing the BIOS, as an incorrect flash will result in the laptop failing to boot and is not covered under warranty. If you need further advice, please don't hesitate to contact us where you can speak to our laptop technician.

 

[yifeipei]

Hi Randomthom
I went to Campal's website and I did not find the product spec of Enigma. Do you know the name of it?

 

[PCS]

Hi Randomthom
I went to Campal's website and I did not find the product spec of Enigma. Do you know the name of it?

As you haven't yet received your laptop, you don't need to download any drivers. When you receive your laptop it will come with all the latest drivers installed, including the BIOS.

 

[yifeipei]

I did not require an operation system. How could "all" drivers be installed?
Actually I was just curious to go to Compal's website to see the product spec of Enigma. I thought if I could know more about this product I can have a better experience after I get it.

 

[PCS]

All necessary drivers will be provided on the CD with your order, and all other drivers will be installed automatically by Windows 7, should you install this operating system.

We have listed all relevent details on our website under the "detailed information" tab, and as far as I am aware there are no product specification on the Compal website, just drivers, the manual and a BIOS update - all of which we provide.

 

[pengipete]

I did not require an operation system. How could "all" drivers be installed?
Actually I was just curious to go to Compal's website to see the product spec of Enigma. I thought if I could know more about this product I can have a better experience after I get it.

There are a couple of that may help put your mind at rest.

Compal are an ODM - they don't deal directly with the public. What they do (in this context) is manufacture and assemble the very basic parts of a laptop - the case and motherboard. It's slightly different from PCS building a desktop where the motherboards are standardised - for laptops, the board and case have to match exactly - hence the need to get both at the same time. It's PCS who decide what CPU, how much RAM etc to install. The "Enigma" brand is PCS's - Compal use their own name (or number). Because they can't know the final specs for the finished laptop, Compal can't really supply drivers - that's down to PCS - though in practice, most drivers will be available from other sources. In particular, Windows 7 now has far more drivers available through Windows Update than any previous version so fo most people, the whole process is automatic.

Drivers are a link between the hardware and the operating system but they are really a part of the latter. As you've ordered a blank computer - no OS - there's no way PCS can know what drivers you need - you may be planning on running Linux rather than Windows. The important thing to remember is that the operating system doesn't really "see" a motherboard - it sees the individual components. Those components will mostly be manufactured by another company anyway - Texas Instruments, Marvell etc - as no company makes an entire motherboard completely from scratch. Earlier computers had separate components for pretty well everything - hard drive controllers, for example, would be added to the mainboard in the same way that graphics cards are these days - so as far as the operating system is concerned, it just identifies - for example - a specific Intel controller and doesn't care that it's hard-soldered to a motherboard.

From your perspective as an owner, it means that you don't need to worry about the make or model of motherboard as your operating system will identify which components require drivers and will also identify the specific manufacturer of that component. The only "driver" that the motherboard uses as a whole is the BIOS firmware. Except with very new models of motherboard, BIOS updates are rarely needed - even less so with laptops -and if an update was needed, PCS would be the ones who distribute it to their customers through their normal download page - I suspect it would also get a mention on the forum - so you don't need to hunt around for it.

It's a bit odd if you are an enthusiast when it comes to computers but with laptops, there's almost nothing you can - or need to - do with the motherboard. The things to concentrate on when chosing a laptop are all about real-world usage - processing power, connectivity, portability - even whether or not you like the case. With a desktop motherboard, you're looking at expansion slots, number of drive headers etc - those things jus don't apply to laptops.

What I'd suggest - if you haven't already ordered - is to look through the exisiting threads to make sure that there are no common problems or criticisms of the enigma or maybe start a thread inviting existing owners to say what they think - you can specify any particular areas that you need clarified.

 

[yifeipei]

Thank you. I've bought it. I thought my old one could work well for a while, but it was really a tragic laptop...so I couldnot wait and bought enigma quickly.
I'm sure I'm going to use windows 7 on that laptop. When PCS do the test stage they can test the functions under windows 7 circumstances specifically.

 

[pengipete]

I bought my latest desktop without an operating system (I bought the full version of W7 elsewhere) but PCS had pre-installed W7X64. Obviously, the OS was their "special" version that can't be activated (sorry chaps - not a way to get a free copy) but it would have remained completely usable for a while. Even if I hadn't intended using Windows, it was a nice suprise to see the PC up and running straight out of the box and it made it easy for me to check that everything worked properly. A simple thing but a nice touch.

 

[yifeipei]

Unactivated windows can be used for one month. (So called free trial if I didnot remember wrong that's one month)
Actually you can apply 11 times for the free trial, which means you can use windows 7 free for one year. I don't know if they cancelled this trial. I tried this method last year for several days until I got a key.

 

[pengipete]

That doesn't always apply. System builders like PCS have their own, non-activatable product key and their copies of Windows are hard-linked to that key so Microsoft's checks will know that this is not a standard OEM copy.

 

[Gorman]

The way we image and deploy the OS means that there is technically no key on the machine when its deployed (well there is but its not a key that can be activated). It will then be sent out with the out of box experience giving the option of entering a key or going for the 30 day trial.

 

[Randomthom]

In answer to the earlier question though, the Enigma i7 is the Compal NBLB2 chassis.