How to find MXM info

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Upgrade your laptop's graphics card!

MXM Upgrade

Ice-Tea, interesting link in your signature :)

As you probably have noticed i made a thread about MXM upgrades HERE, maybe you could provide us with the latest news and updates :)

[Ice-Tea]

Ice-Tea, interesting link in your signature :(

As you probably have noticed i made a thread about MXM upgrades HERE, maybe you could provide us with the latest news and updates :(

I noticed that thread and got a few models there :P

It's pretty hard information to get. What's even harder to get is the actual modules. :)

But I can assure you, once I get my hands on them I'll be all over the internet :)

And if you haven't done so already, check the 'what about my laptop' tab. There's a table there with some laptops that I have confirmed for sure or, well, kinda sure :P

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Already checked your table ( :) ) hence i wouldn#t have written my remark. Keep up the great work!

I can confirm that it's almost an Impossible Mission to get details (DDR type, module Type, compatibilty etc.) about MXM modules used in Laptops. User input is needed here and the only way as manufacturer have no interest to give out details, that's why i opened up the thread.

Actually if you need more MXM info, have a search in the forum, which as of yet holds most of the currently available information of MXM in the net summarized in one place. Naturally, as over the years we built up to _the_ mobile NVIDIA information center :)

Any help needed, we try to provide it!

[Ice-Tea]

Already checked your table ( :( ) hence i wouldn#t have written my remark. Keep up the great work!

I can confirm that it's almost an Impossible Mission to get details (DDR type, module Type, compatibilty etc.) about MXM modules used in Laptops. User input is needed here and the only way as manufacturer have no interest to give out details, that's why i opened up the thread.

Actually if you need more MXM info, have a search in the forum, which as of yet holds most of the currently available information of MXM in the net summarized in one place. Naturally, as over the years we built up to _the_ mobile NVIDIA information center :)

Any help needed, we try to provide it!

Heheh... You huys have been bookmarked quite some time ago :)

Also: I'd love to search the forum for MXM. Then again, you try typing MXM and tell me what happens. I have that problem all over the internet. :P

[®®®]

the dreaded search function :)

Try this workaround

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:laptopvideo2go.com%20mxm

[Ice-Tea]

the dreaded search function :P

Try this workaround

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:laptopvideo2go.com%20mxm

Now that's cool! :)

Also: managed to get my first source for MXM cards: x700 now availble :)

[®®®]

Nsist on nVIDIA :)

[Ice-Tea]

Nsist on nVIDIA :)

Hmmm, can only het x700 now. Not much off an upgrade for a 6600, eh? :)

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Not really, but then again nsist on nvidia for the great and clean driver files structure compared to ati's weird driver packages.

Oh... this thread needs to be splitted by all means, i can't stand offtopic chat :)

Anyways: :)

[BOFH1971]

Tell me about it (wierd driver installs)

I have just got hold of an Acer 5672 with the ati X1400 (I was too impatient to wait for the nvidia 7600 version)

whats with .net installs with the drivers!!?!?!?

I really wanna play with the mxm however I have a years worth of warranty to wait before I dissect this lovely machine.

[®®®]

Look at the driver directory structure after extraction of an ATI driver with their hundreds of files and compare that to a clear 1 directory of NV drivers with a couple of actually driver files files :) , Control Panel, (if Multilanguage 4x27) some language files, plus nwizard.exe, nview.exe, some other .exe and 5 Application profile files. Done.

An english only NV driver consists of no more than ~40 files :)

[Guest Guest]

Ok. Here is the compatible way to find whether laptop has MXM compatible card:

http://www.nvidia.pl/pdf/MXM_Software_Spec-051804.pdf

It clearly states that MXM card MUST support 15h VIDEO BIOS intterupt and function specified as:

AX = 5F80h

BL = 00h

A simple ASM program can be:

mov ax, 5f80

mov bl, 00

int 15

ret

above program can be written from *any* advanced user, following next steps:

1. From Start menu -> Run and start "cmd"

2. On command prompt write: "debug"

3. In debug program write "a" and press enter

4. You'll see something like 0BA1:0100 and that is your initial program adress on which you need to write one single program line.

An example of what you need to type is here:

D:\WINDOWS>debug

-a

0BA1:0100 mov ax, 5f80

0BA1:0103 mov bl, 00

0BA1:0105 int 15

0BA1:0107 ret

0BA1:0108

-

when you write last command "ret" please hit enter twice.

5. You need to execute the program: you need to do it step by step using

"p" command and you'll see something like this:

-p

AX=5F80 BX=0000 CX=0000 DX=0000 SP=FFEE BP=0000 SI=0000 DI=0000

DS=0BA1 ES=0BA1 SS=0BA1 CS=0BA1 IP=0103 NV UP EI PL NZ NA PO NC

0BA1:0103 B300 MOV BL,00

-p

AX=5F80 BX=0000 CX=0000 DX=0000 SP=FFEE BP=0000 SI=0000 DI=0000

DS=0BA1 ES=0BA1 SS=0BA1 CS=0BA1 IP=0105 NV UP EI PL NZ NA PO NC

0BA1:0105 CD15 INT 15

-p

AX=8680 BX=0000 CX=0000 DX=0000 SP=FFEE BP=0000 SI=0000 DI=0000

DS=0BA1 ES=0BA1 SS=0BA1 CS=0BA1 IP=0107 OV UP EI NG NZ NA PO CY

0BA1:0107 C3 RET

-

If your video card is MXM compatible (i.e. to follow MXM specification) you should see in AX (register):

AX = 005F

in my case I have 8680, which means that my card is not MXM i.e. my video bios don't understand what I'm ask from it.

In case that value is 005F then in BX register you'll something like this:

BX = 0011 which mean: "Revision of the MXM software specification that is supported"

6. Write "q" to quit "debug" program.

Also another way to check MXM: Video BIOS *must*" have MXM header which means that you must have "MXM_" string in your VBIOS!! No exceptions!

[Guest Guest]

BX = 0011 which mean - i.e. 11 is equal to 1.1 version, if BX=0021 mean version 2.1, etc..

Also don't try to guess! Please verify your MXM list because in my case (Toshiba Tecra S3 with Go 6600) is not MXM as you guess!

Regards,

perlsite

[Teraphy]

:) :)

[Ice-Tea]

BX = 0011 which mean - i.e. 11 is equal to 1.1 version, if BX=0021 mean version 2.1, etc..

Also don't try to guess! Please verify your MXM list because in my case (Toshiba Tecra S3 with Go 6600) is not MXM as you guess!

Regards,

perlsite

Hi there 'Guest' :)

I heard that the S3 isn't MXM only this week at CEBIT and I haven't got round to update the list with the new CEBIT info. Been busy ordering my first batch of MXM's :)

Your contribution is highly appreciated. You will be credited on the site,along with Teraphy but if you want something else then 'Guest' showing up, I need a name. :P

Furthermore, there's one thing I don't agree with. I don't think that MXM systems MUST have the callback. It is my undersdtanding that if MXM info is stored in the Sbios, it must be supported, if it is stored on a EEPROM on the MoBo, there's no such obligation.

Just my 2 cents.

I will up the new .exe from Teraphy ASAP and drop a line to a few people to test it.

Ice-Tea

MXM Upgrade

[Guest perlsite]

Well, according specification there are different ways BIOS to setup 15h interrupt. When laptop is still in real mode (while it running BIOS routines) it relay to display information on video BIOS routines. Also according specification SBIOS can't hold VBIOS itself because that is the nature of MXM to be removable. If you are able to replace your module with MXM compatible then you will have two VBIOS: one from SBIOS and one from MXM card which seems very wrong.

So, I guess, if you have hardware "compatible" MXM module, but not software compatible with MXM standard then you will be able to use only "MXM" modules manufactured for your laptop only.

Regards,

perlsite

[Ice-Tea]

Also according specification SBIOS can't hold VBIOS itself because that is the nature of MXM to be removable. If you are able to replace your module with MXM compatible then you will have two VBIOS: one from SBIOS and one from MXM card which seems very wrong.

Heh.. I'm not knowledgeable enough to argue with you on this one. I can only state how I understand it.

The vBios itself is always stored on the MXM, for reasons outlined above.

But the information about the system surounding the MXM (how much electrical power there is, the thermal budget, the output configuration for LVDS/TV/CRT/DVI whatever) is stored either in the SBIOS or A EEPROM on the MoBo. This makes sense, as it is a system property, not a MXM property. It just tells it what environment it is in. It does so through a 15H callback when the info is stored in the sBios or through a direct I²C/DDC link to the EEPROM on the MoBo :)

Anyways, I uploaded the new nv_mxm tool to my website and have posted it. Let's see if this works out. Oh, and mattman needs to wake up :)

[Guest Guest]

Yes, I think that is correct. Maybe we need additional check through DDC port (ACh/ADh).

Can you tell me what exactly nv_mxm do? If it access ports on the system I think it will require pure DOS and not a windows command prompt!?

Can I get the source code for it?

[Ice-Tea]

I didn't write that, Teraphy did. He posted it in the SuperUser discussion. So I really can't give you the code unless he aproves.

Bit more info: the current code doesn't seem to work on uniwill ATI's.

And maybe i have something for the DDC link. I'll check it out tomorrow.

[Teraphy]

It's just a C implementation of the above using Watcom and compiled as a DOS 16bit executable.

It simply does the INT15 call and checks the return.

rr.x.ax=0x5F80;
rr.x.bx=0x0000;
int86(0x15,&rr,&rr);

I could never get a callback to the System BIOS to work properly. Therefore I must be missing something.

[Guest perlsite]

Yes, it I think this will work only under pure DOS (real mode). Command prompt (win console) do some kind of emulation and I'm not sure whether they are able to access the hardware. The reason for this is that you can broke the system without having the root/administration access. I think this will work only through driver/filer which run in Ring 0.. I think command prompt works in unprivileged Ring 3... or something like that. For example I'm absolutely sure that if you try to access some port.. (let say Serial port from command prompt) we will not be able to read/write anything.

You can try your program in pure DOS (MS DOS 6.22 for example).

[Guest perlsite]

My problem is that I don't have access to MXM based laptop to test otherwise I believe that I could help..

[Teraphy]

No MXM here either! I need some testing on this to know if this is the right track.

[Guest perlsite]

Ok, I've tried my Tecra S3 under DOS and 15 interrupt doesn't support MXM function. Also my VIDEO BIOS appear in regular address space 0C000h and there isn't any string MXM in both BIOS'. So I can confirm with 99.99999% that latest versions of Toshiba Tecra S3 doesn't use MXM. :)

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[box]we need Mattman for the final test[/box]