Asus PC Probe (2nd post, more detail)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ralph2
  • Start date Start date
R

Ralph2

Asus makes a very nice little utility that allows checking and
monitoring various element of their mother boards. Probe v.2.24.02

WHERE .........can one find information on how / where to fill in
those missing elements..... Information > DMI Explorer > System
Manufacturer To be filled by O.E.M
Product Name To be filled by O.E.M
Version To be filled by O.E.M
Serial Number To be filled by O.E.M
Information > DMI Explorer >Chassis also has a number of items that
need filling in.

A search on the Asus web site turns up nothing.. Surely someone must
know. Not a big deal but the little details count too

Thanks for any advice
 
Ralph2 said:
Asus makes a very nice little utility that allows checking and
monitoring various element of their mother boards. Probe v.2.24.02

WHERE .........can one find information on how / where to fill in
those missing elements..... Information > DMI Explorer > System
Manufacturer To be filled by O.E.M
Product Name To be filled by O.E.M
Version To be filled by O.E.M
Serial Number To be filled by O.E.M
Information > DMI Explorer >Chassis also has a number of items that
need filling in.

A search on the Asus web site turns up nothing.. Surely someone must
know. Not a big deal but the little details count too

Thanks for any advice
Click to expand...

My suspicion is, you'll find all links to utilities dead.
But since you are motivated, give it a go anyway. If you
do find something, post the details, as this question
(DMI) comes up occasionally.

http://www.techweb.com/winmag/fixes/bioslies.htm
http://www.techweb.com/winmag/fixes/biosutil.htm

The following link isn't going to help you. This is
just a reference to the organization that made a standard
for holding info about the computer. Originally I think it
was called DMI, and in the standard I was looking at, it
is mentioned they changed the name to SMBIOS. DMI could
stand for something like Desktop Management Interface.
This site is likely a giant waste of time.

http://www.dmtf.org/standards/smbios

I have my doubts you'll find a utility to do what you want.
Asus had two utilities - dmi.exe and dmicfg2.exe, but they
aren't on the FTP server any more. They should have been in
misc/utils but they are not there.

You will notice on the spec page for a motherboard, that
"DMI 2.0" and "SMBIOS 2.3" are features of a board, but it
doesn't look like Asus gives out utilities to access/control
that stuff any more. Maybe if you phone tech support, you'll
run into an honest tech support person who can explain
what Asus policy is on supporting DMI. (Maybe there are some
commercial applications that OEM/system builders use.
Perhaps more Googling will dig up some suggestions as to
what pros use for utilities.)

On my old P2B-S motherboard CD, there is Intel Landesk
Client Manager, and it has an interface to read the
information in the BIOS. There is a copy of dmicfg2.exe
on the CD as well, but that version would likely be too
old to interface to a modern BIOS. You can see, even back
in the day it was current, there were problems with it:

http://groups.google.ca/[email protected]

HTH,
Paul
 
My suspicion is, you'll find all links to utilities dead.
But since you are motivated, give it a go anyway. If you
do find something, post the details, as this question
(DMI) comes up occasionally.

http://www.techweb.com/winmag/fixes/bioslies.htm
http://www.techweb.com/winmag/fixes/biosutil.htm

The following link isn't going to help you. This is
just a reference to the organization that made a standard
for holding info about the computer. Originally I think it
was called DMI, and in the standard I was looking at, it
is mentioned they changed the name to SMBIOS. DMI could
stand for something like Desktop Management Interface.
This site is likely a giant waste of time.

http://www.dmtf.org/standards/smbios

I have my doubts you'll find a utility to do what you want.
Asus had two utilities - dmi.exe and dmicfg2.exe, but they
aren't on the FTP server any more. They should have been in
misc/utils but they are not there.

You will notice on the spec page for a motherboard, that
"DMI 2.0" and "SMBIOS 2.3" are features of a board, but it
doesn't look like Asus gives out utilities to access/control
that stuff any more. Maybe if you phone tech support, you'll
run into an honest tech support person who can explain
what Asus policy is on supporting DMI. (Maybe there are some
commercial applications that OEM/system builders use.
Perhaps more Googling will dig up some suggestions as to
what pros use for utilities.)

On my old P2B-S motherboard CD, there is Intel Landesk
Client Manager, and it has an interface to read the
information in the BIOS. There is a copy of dmicfg2.exe
on the CD as well, but that version would likely be too
old to interface to a modern BIOS. You can see, even back
in the day it was current, there were problems with it:

http://groups.google.ca/[email protected]

HTH,
Paul
Click to expand...
Thank you Paul for an excellent and concise answer. I have an email
out to Asus Tech support but I doubt I will get a reply.
It surprises me that Asus, which obviously paid some one to make this
utility (and keeps updating it) does not have instructions on its use.

The search goes on...............
Thanks again
 
WHY ask again if you were told what to regarding the OEM.INI file in another
post??

Are ya deef, dumb, thick, stupid or fekkin what???
 
Ralph2 said:
Asus makes a very nice little utility that allows checking and
monitoring various element of their mother boards. Probe v.2.24.02

WHERE .........can one find information on how / where to fill in
those missing elements..... Information > DMI Explorer > System
Manufacturer To be filled by O.E.M
Product Name To be filled by O.E.M
Version To be filled by O.E.M
Serial Number To be filled by O.E.M
Information > DMI Explorer >Chassis also has a number of items that
need filling in.

A search on the Asus web site turns up nothing.. Surely someone must
know. Not a big deal but the little details count too

Thanks for any advice
Click to expand...
I was looking for this some time ago, for my a7n8x-x, and found
dmicfg.exe within dmi230u.exe at :
http://www.chaintech.de/DRIVER/utility.htm

Still there, as "DMI Configuration Utility 2.30u"
It works fine with this a7n8x-x from a W98 DOS box, even though it's
supposed to be used from a proper Command prompt.

Have fun!
 
WHY ask again if you were told what to regarding the OEM.INI file in another
post??
Click to expand...

BECAUSE the stuff in the OEMINFO.INI post fill in the blanks in the
dialog box that you get when you press the window key and the pause
key. Or, Start > Settings > Control Panel > System. The ASUS PC PROBE
seems to get its information from some place else.
And THAT is what I hope to find.. But thanks for responding
 
Roger Hunt said:
I was looking for this some time ago, for my a7n8x-x, and found
dmicfg.exe within dmi230u.exe at :
http://www.chaintech.de/DRIVER/utility.htm

Still there, as "DMI Configuration Utility 2.30u"
It works fine with this a7n8x-x from a W98 DOS box, even though it's
supposed to be used from a proper Command prompt.

Have fun!
Click to expand...

And, now that there is a utility to play with, here are the instructions
that accompany the Asus version of this Award tool. This document is
from late 1996, so likely doesn't describe all the features in the
Chaintech version.

*******
Desktop Management Interface (DMI) Utility Rev 1.2

Introducing the DMI Configuration Utility

This motherboard supports DMI within the BIOS level and provides a
DMI Configuration Utility to maintain the Management Information
Format Database (MIFD). DMI is able to auto-detect and record
information pertinent to a computer's system such as the CPU
type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies, and memory
size. The onboard BIOS will detect as many system information as
possible and store those collected information in a 4KB block in
the motherboard's Flash EPROM and allow the DMI to retrieve data from
this database. Unlike other BIOS vendors, the BIOS on this motherboard
uses the same technology implemented for Plug and Play to allow
dynamic real-time updating of DMI information versus creating a new
BIOS image file and requiring the user to update the whole BIOS.
This DMI Configuration Utility also allows the system integrator
or end user to add additional information into the MIFD such as
serial numbers, housing configurations, and vendor information.
Those information not detected by the motherboard BIOS and has to
manually entered through the DMI Configuration Utility and updated
into the MIFD. This DMI Configuration Utility provides the same
reliability as PnP updating and will prevent the refreshing failures
associated with updating the entire BIOS.

System Requirements

The motherboard BIOS must support DMI. The following motherboards
do not support DMI:
· P/I-P6RP4 (not supported)
· PCI/E-P54NP4 (not supported)
· PCI/I-P54NP4D (not supported)

Running Environment

The DMI Configuration Utility (DMICFG.EXE) must be ran in real mode
in order for the program to run, the base memory must be at least
180K. Memory managers like HIMEM.SYS (required by windows) must not
be installed. You can boot up from a system diskette without
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, "REM" HIMEM.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS,
or press <F5> during boot-up to bypass your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files.

Version description

DMICFG.EXE contains two versions
- V1.2 Manufacturing use (all components)
- V1.3 End Users (minus the ADD_DMI function)

Using the DMI Configuration Utility

Edit DMI (or delete)

Use the (left-right) cursors to move the top menu items and the
(up-down) cursor to move between the left hand menu items. The bottom
of the screen will show the available keys for each screen. Press enter
at the menu item to enter the right hand screen for editing.
³Edit component² appears on top. The reversed color field is the
current cursor position and the blue text are available for editing.
The orange text shows auto-detected information and are not available
for editing. The blue text "Press [ENTER] for detail" contains a second
pop-up menu is available, use the + - (plus-minus) keys to change the
settings. Enter to exit and save, ESC to exit and not save.

If the user has made changes, ESC will prompt you to answer Y or N.
Enter Y to go back to the left-hand screen and save, enter N to go
back to left-hand screen and not save. If editing has not been made,
ESC will send you back to the left hand menu without any messages.

A heading, *** BIOS Auto Detect *** appears on the right for each menu
item on the left that has not been modified by the user
A heading, *** User Modified *** will appear on the right for menu items
that has been modified by the user.

Save MIFD

You can save the MIFD (normally only saved to flash ROM) to a file by
entering the drive and path here. If you want to cancel save, you may
press ESC and a message ³Bad File Name² appears here to show it was not
saved.

Load MIFD

You can load the disk file to memory by entering a drive and path and
filename. Here.

Load BIOS Defaults

You can load the BIOS defaults from a MIFD file and can clear all user
modified and added data. You must reboot your computer in order for the
defaults to be saved back into the Flash BIOS.
DMIUTIL.DOC 10/8/96
*******

Paul
 
Roger Hunt said:
I was looking for this some time ago, for my a7n8x-x, and found
dmicfg.exe within dmi230u.exe at :
http://www.chaintech.de/DRIVER/utility.htm

Still there, as "DMI Configuration Utility 2.30u"
It works fine with this a7n8x-x from a W98 DOS box, even though it's
supposed to be used from a proper Command prompt.

Have fun!
Click to expand...

And, now that there is a utility to play with, here are the instructions
that accompany the Asus version of this Award tool. This document is
from late 1996, so likely doesn't describe all the features in the
Chaintech version.

*******
Desktop Management Interface (DMI) Utility Rev 1.2

Introducing the DMI Configuration Utility

This motherboard supports DMI within the BIOS level and provides a
DMI Configuration Utility to maintain the Management Information
Format Database (MIFD). DMI is able to auto-detect and record
information pertinent to a computer's system such as the CPU
type, CPU speed, and internal/external frequencies, and memory
size. The onboard BIOS will detect as many system information as
possible and store those collected information in a 4KB block in
the motherboard's Flash EPROM and allow the DMI to retrieve data from
this database. Unlike other BIOS vendors, the BIOS on this motherboard
uses the same technology implemented for Plug and Play to allow
dynamic real-time updating of DMI information versus creating a new
BIOS image file and requiring the user to update the whole BIOS.
This DMI Configuration Utility also allows the system integrator
or end user to add additional information into the MIFD such as
serial numbers, housing configurations, and vendor information.
Those information not detected by the motherboard BIOS and has to
manually entered through the DMI Configuration Utility and updated
into the MIFD. This DMI Configuration Utility provides the same
reliability as PnP updating and will prevent the refreshing failures
associated with updating the entire BIOS.

System Requirements

The motherboard BIOS must support DMI. The following motherboards
do not support DMI:
· P/I-P6RP4 (not supported)
· PCI/E-P54NP4 (not supported)
· PCI/I-P54NP4D (not supported)

Running Environment

The DMI Configuration Utility (DMICFG.EXE) must be ran in real mode
in order for the program to run, the base memory must be at least
180K. Memory managers like HIMEM.SYS (required by windows) must not
be installed. You can boot up from a system diskette without
AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, "REM" HIMEM.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS,
or press <F5> during boot-up to bypass your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
CONFIG.SYS files.

Version description

DMICFG.EXE contains two versions
- V1.2 Manufacturing use (all components)
- V1.3 End Users (minus the ADD_DMI function)

Using the DMI Configuration Utility

Edit DMI (or delete)

Use the (left-right) cursors to move the top menu items and the
(up-down) cursor to move between the left hand menu items. The bottom
of the screen will show the available keys for each screen. Press enter
at the menu item to enter the right hand screen for editing.
³Edit component² appears on top. The reversed color field is the
current cursor position and the blue text are available for editing.
The orange text shows auto-detected information and are not available
for editing. The blue text "Press [ENTER] for detail" contains a second
pop-up menu is available, use the + - (plus-minus) keys to change the
settings. Enter to exit and save, ESC to exit and not save.

If the user has made changes, ESC will prompt you to answer Y or N.
Enter Y to go back to the left-hand screen and save, enter N to go
back to left-hand screen and not save. If editing has not been made,
ESC will send you back to the left hand menu without any messages.

A heading, *** BIOS Auto Detect *** appears on the right for each menu
item on the left that has not been modified by the user
A heading, *** User Modified *** will appear on the right for menu items
that has been modified by the user.

Save MIFD

You can save the MIFD (normally only saved to flash ROM) to a file by
entering the drive and path here. If you want to cancel save, you may
press ESC and a message ³Bad File Name² appears here to show it was not
saved.

Load MIFD

You can load the disk file to memory by entering a drive and path and
filename. Here.

Load BIOS Defaults

You can load the BIOS defaults from a MIFD file and can clear all user
modified and added data. You must reboot your computer in order for the
defaults to be saved back into the Flash BIOS.
DMIUTIL.DOC 10/8/96
*******

Paul
Click to expand...
Thanks Paul.. Where did you find the extra info you posted. The
enclosed http://www.chaintech.de/DRIVER/UTILITY/dmi230u.exe only has a
small readme with it. In any case I can not seem to save my edits.
Once in the edit section F10 just exits; ESC makes me loose all my
edits and returns to the left side tree..
I have not yet screwed up my system so will persevere...
Thanks again.
 
They say a picture is worth a thousand word.. Here are two screen
shots. Assuming I can attach a picture, never tried it with Agent...
System Information has fields that are filled in by a file called
OEMINFO.INI. PC Probe on the other hand has some entries that are
eluding me.. So far, have a utility (thanks to Paul) that "may" work
if I can figure it out before I wreck my BIOS..
 
Ralph2 said:
Thanks Paul.. Where did you find the extra info you posted. The
enclosed http://www.chaintech.de/DRIVER/UTILITY/dmi230u.exe only has a
small readme with it. In any case I can not seem to save my edits.
Once in the edit section F10 just exits; ESC makes me loose all my
edits and returns to the left side tree..
I have not yet screwed up my system so will persevere...
Thanks again.
Click to expand...

The instructions came with the dmicfg2 that came on my P2B-S
motherboard CD. There was a word document and I just copied the
text portion of the document.

I tried the Chaintech utility on my P4B motherboard. When I
went to update the serial number on the machine (change from
EVAL to something real) I got a flashing red text message
saying "DMI update not supported". That means the BIOS hook
for the DMI function is not there. It could be that the P4B
is more modern than the Chaintech utility, and the definition
of the DMI BIOS call has changed. I'm not sufficiently gifted
at analysing software, to be able to say just what exactly is
wrong with it.

Keep looking. Try searching with keywords DMI, SMBIOS, and the
like and maybe you can find some commercial software that knows
how to handle this function. While, on the one hand, it is
easy to believe, that only Award/AMI/Phoenix have utilities to
handle their own BIOS chips, this function is enough of a
nuisance that maybe someone made a super-duper tool that works
with many different BIOS manufacturers stuff. (So far in my
experiments, I've been surprised to find that so-called standard
BIOS functions are not done the same way on an Award and an AMI
BIOS. The microcode update function was specified by Intel, for
example, but software that uses the function on an Award BIOS,
doesn't work with an AMI BIOS. I guess the BIOS designers
don't care about standards.)

Paul
 
Back
Top