[GUIDE] NVIDIA VBIOS flashing

[svl7]

Instructions for flashing the VBIOS of a NVIDIA video card:

You'll need:

• A VBIOS file you want to flash
  
• The latest version of NVflash, a DOS utility to flash the VBIOS of Nvidia cards.
  
• A USB drive, formatted to boot DOS, in order to use NVflash
  

How to create a bootable USB flash drive:

Thanks @StamatisX for this nice guide!

This is a simple way to make a USB flash drive bootable (i.e. if you want to flash your VBIOS)

First download the attachment from below and extract it (i.e. on your Desktop)

[ATTACH]2741[/ATTACH]

Install the program and once done run it as administrator otherwise it will give you an error (right click on it and run as administrator)

Insert the USB flash disk you want to use as a bootable device

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4271[/ATTACH]

make sure you have the following selected

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4272[/ATTACH]

and press on the button with the 3 dots in order to define the location of the needed files (basically where you chose to unzip the file you downloaded)

Press start and after a while you are all set

The flashing procedure:

Put the NVflash files to the root of your prepared (DOS bootable) USB drive. Do the same with the Vbios you want to flash.

NOTE: DOS has a limit of 8 characters per file name (not counting the extension). So make sure to rename your files appropriately before putting them on the USB drive.

Make sure the USB drive is plugged into a port which is active at boot, reboot the system and go to the boot manager. Choose to boot from your prepared USB drive.

As soon as you see the command line you're ready to go, write

dir

and hit enter to display all the files on the USB drive.

Display all Nvidia adapters in the system:

nvflash -a

or alternatively the longer version of the command:

nvflash --list

This command will return you a list with all Nvidia adapters present in your system.

Here's an example output of this command run on my M15x with a 680m in it:

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.117)

NVIDIA display adapters present in system:
<0> N13E-GTX             (10DE,11A0,1028,02A2) H:--:NRM B:02,PCI,D:00,F:00

The number in the <> brackets is the index of the corresponding device. SLI users will have more than one entry and flash each card separately.

Backup your current VBIOS:

Never forget to keep a backup of your original VBIOS before you flash anything non-stock. Use this command to save a copy of the firmware to your USB drive:

nvflash -b filename.rom

or with

nvflash --save filename.rom

Flash the VBIOS to your card(s):

For a single card it's really straight forward, you don't need to worry about the adapter indices. Just use this command:

nvflash -6 vbiosname.rom

-6 will allow you to override mismatches of the PCI subsystem ID. In case of a mismatch you'll need to confirm the flash with 'y'. NOTE: Users with a non-US keyboard might need to press 'z' or similar, because the 'y' isn't at the same location for all keyboard layouts.

SLI users will need to flash each card separately. The concept stays the same, but you will need to use the corresponding adapter index to flash a card. How to figure out the adapter nr. is described above.

Flashing goes like this:

 nvflash -i[index] -6 vbios.rom

[index] represents a number, namely the index you found with the 'nvflash -a' command. So a command example to flash a card which has index 0 is: 'nvflash -i0 -6 vbios.rom'

When the flashing starts, just wait until it says that it's done. Then reboot with Ctrl+Alt+Del and remove your USB drive.

Pro tip:

Set USB to your boot priority nr. 1 before starting to mess with nvflash. Might help you a lot in case you ever need to perform a 'blind' flash.

Let me know if I missed anything important or if you have questions.

[svl7]

List of all nvflash (DOS) commands (as of version 5.117):

NVIDIA Firmware Update Utility (Version 5.117)

-- Primary Commands --
Update firmware:            nvflash [options] <filename>
Save firmware to file:      nvflash [options] --save <filename>
Compare adapter firmware:   nvflash [options] --compare <filename>
Verify adapter firmware:    nvflash [options] --verify <filename>
Update TV data:             nvflash [options] --tv <filename>
Display version:            nvflash [options] --version [<filename>]
Display firmware bytes:     nvflash [options] --display [bytes]
Check for supported EEPROM: nvflash [options] --check
Write protect EEPROM:       nvflash [options] --protecton
Remove write protect:       nvflash [options] --protectoff
Change soft straps:         nvflash [options] --straps=<straps>
Set IEEE 1394 GUID:         nvflash [options] --guid=<guid>
Set IEEE 1394 GUID source:  nvflash [options] --guidsource=<location>
List adapters:              nvflash [options] --list
List PCI firmware blocks:   nvflash [options] --pciblocks
List applied patches:       nvflash [options] --listpatches
Press 'Enter' to continue, or 'Q' to quit.

-- Commands and Options -- 
help         ?                  Display this screen.
save         b <filename>       Read EEPROM and save to <filename>.
compare      k <filename>       Read EEPROM and compare with <filename>.
verify       h <filename>       Verify <filename> matches EEPROM if flashed.
tv           x <filename>       Transfer TV data from file to EEPROM.
version      v <filename>       Display file version and ~CRC32
                                   (if no filename, acts on display adapter).
listpatches                        Display list of runtime ROM pack patches
                                   applied at boot (primary only).
display      d [bytes]          Display 256 the first bytes of the EEPROM
                                   (default is 256 bytes)
check        c                  Check for supported EEPROM.
protecton    w                  Write protect EEPROM (only on some EEPROM's).
protectoff   r                  Remove EEPROM write protect (only on some EEPROM's).
straps       m <straps>         Change soft straps.
   format is: AND Mask 0, OR Mask 0, AND Mask 1, OR Mask 1
Press 'Enter' to continue, or 'Q' to quit.
guid         q <guid>           Set the IEEE 1394 GUID in the firmware image
                                (GUID is in the form of 16 hex digits).
guidsource   1 <location>       Set the source of the IEEE 1394 GUID.
                                main       - main EEPROM image
                                dedicated  - separate serial EEPROM part
list         a                  List all NVIDIA display adapters found in the system.
pciblocks                          List all the PCI ROM Images stored in the EEPROM.
upgradeonly                        Only allow upgrading of firmware based on version.
overridetype 5                  Allow firmware and adapter PCI device ID mismatch.
overridesub  6                  Allow firmware and adapter PCI subsystem ID mismatch.
reboot       y                  Reboot the PC after other tasks completed.
keepstraps   g                  Keep the soft straps already present in the EEPROM
                                after flashing the new image.
romstrap     j                  Override the ROM strap setting to allow flashing an 
                                image when grounding the STRAP_SUB_VENDOR pin.
                                This allows flashing a corrupted or erased EEPROM.  
                                Note: Make sure there is a physical EEPROM present 
                                when using this option
index        i <index>          Force a specific device index.
filterdevid  f <value>[,<mask>] Filter device list by device ID and optional mask.
fwindex      F <fw index>       Index of which firmware image to use from a firmware 
                                bundle.
auto         A                  When possible, run without user intervention.
directpci    n                  Bypass the PCI BIOS.
Press 'Enter' to continue, or 'Q' to quit.
silence      s                  Silence all audio beeps.
beep         !                  Beep to signal updating progress.
nolight      l                  Do not light keyboard LEDs.
override     o <level>          Override safety check level:
   default  unknown EEPROM | NV adapter aborts application.
   level=1  unknown EEPROM acceptable for read operations.
   level=2  unknown NV adapter acceptable for read operations.
   level=3  Combined effect of 1,2 (cannot write to unknown EEPROM or adapter).
log          L <log file>       Create a log file.

Use a single dash ("-") to use the single letter version of a command.
Use a double dash ("--") to use the longer descriptive version of a command.
Use equals ("=") to specify parameters, with separating commas (",").

-- Sample Usage --
nvflash --index=1 nv30nz.rom
Press 'Enter' to continue, or 'Q' to quit.
-- Supported EEPROM's --
  AMD    AM29LV001B  128Kx8         2.7vV,   1B page, 16k blk, ID=(01,006D)
  AMD     AM29LV010  128Kx8         2.7vV,   1B page, 16k blk, ID=(01,006E)
  AMD    AM29LV001T  128Kx8         2.7vV,   1B page, 16k blk, ID=(01,00ED)
Atmel      AT49F512   64Kx8  5.0,3.0,2.7V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,0003)
Atmel     AT49F001T  128Kx8          5.0V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,0004)
Atmel      AT49F001  128Kx8          5.0V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,0005)
Atmel  AT49BV/LV010  128Kx8      2.7-3.6V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,0017)
Atmel AT29LV/BV010A  128Kx8          3.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,0035)
Atmel     AT29LV512   64Kx8          3.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,003D)
Atmel     AT25F1024 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page, 32k blk, ID=(1F,0040)
Atmel      AT29C512   64Kx8          5.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,005D)
Atmel     AT25F1024 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page, 32k blk, ID=(1F,0060)
Atmel     AT25F2048 2048Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page, 64k blk, ID=(1F,0063)
Atmel      AT25F512  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 128B page, 32k blk, ID=(1F,0065)
Atmel      AT49F010  128Kx8          5.0V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,0087)
Atmel     AT29C010A  128Kx8          5.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(1F,00D5)
Atmel     AT25DF021 2048Kx1S     2.3-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(1F,4300)
Atmel     AT25DF041 4096Kx1S     2.3-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(1F,4401)
Atmel     AT25FS010 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(1F,6601)
   ST        M25P05  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 128B page, 32k blk, ID=(20,0005)
   ST        M25P10 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 128B page, 32k blk, ID=(20,0010)
   ST      M29W512B   64Kx8      2.7-3.6V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(20,0027)
Press 'Enter' to continue, or 'Q' to quit.
  Num      M25P10-A 1024Kx1S     2.3-3.6V, 256B page, 32k blk, ID=(20,2011)
 AMIC       A25L512  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(37,3010)
 AMIC       A25L010 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(37,3011)
 AMIC       A25L020 2048Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(37,3012)
 XLNX XCF128XFTG64C 8192Kx16 9.5,8.5,2.0,1.7V,   8B page, 128k blk, ID=(49,016B)
 Tenx      ICE25P05  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 128B page, 32k blk, ID=(5E,0001)
  PMC     Pm25LD512  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(7F,9D20)
  PMC     Pm25LD010 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(7F,9D21)
  PMC     Pm25LD020 2024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(7F,9D22)
  PMC     Pm39LV512   64Kx8      3.0-3.6V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(9D,001B)
  PMC     Pm39LV010  128Kx8      3.0-3.6V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(9D,001C)
  PMC     Pm25LV512  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(9D,007B)
  PMC     Pm25LV010 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(9D,007C)
  SST    SST29EE010  128Kx8          5.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(BF,0007)
  SST SST29LE/VE010  128Kx8      2.9,2.7V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(BF,0008)
  SST SST29LE/VE512   64Kx8      2.9,2.7V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(BF,003D)
  SST    SST45VF010 1024Kx1S     3.0-3.6V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,0042)
  SST    SST25LF020 2048Kx1S     3.0-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,0043)
  SST    SST25LF040 4096Kx1S     3.0-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,0044)
  SST    SST25VF512  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,0048)
  SST    SST25VF010 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,0049)
  SST    SST29EE512   64Kx8          5.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(BF,005D)
  SST    SST39SF010  128Kx8          5.0V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,00B5)
  SST    SST39VF512   64Kx8      2.7-3.6V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,00D4)
Press 'Enter' to continue, or 'Q' to quit.
  SST    SST39VF010  128Kx8      2.7-3.6V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(BF,00D5)
   MX     MX29F001T  128Kx8          5.0V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(C2,0018)
   MX     MX29F001B  128Kx8          5.0V,   1B page,  0k blk, ID=(C2,0019)
   MX      MX25L512  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(C2,2010)
   MX     MX25L1005 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(C2,2011)
   MX     MX25L2005 2048Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(C2,2012)
   MX    MX25L4005A 4096Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(C2,2013)
   GD      GD25Q512  512Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page, 32k blk, ID=(C8,4010)
   GD       GD25Q10 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page, 64k blk, ID=(C8,4011)
   GD       GD25Q20 2048Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page, 64k blk, ID=(C8,4012)
   GD       GD25Q40 4096Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page, 64k blk, ID=(C8,4013)
WBond       W39L010  128Kx8          3.3V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(DA,0031)
WBond       W39L512   64Kx8          3.3V,   1B page,  4k blk, ID=(DA,0038)
WBond      W29C011A  128Kx8          5.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(DA,00C1)
WBond      W29EE512   64Kx8          5.0V, 128B page,  0k blk, ID=(DA,00C8)
WBond       W25X10A 1024Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(EF,3011)
WBond       W25X20A 2048Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(EF,3012)
WBond       W25X40A 4096Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(EF,3013)
WBond       W25X80A 8192Kx1S     2.7-3.6V, 256B page,  4k blk, ID=(EF,3014)

[YodaGoneMad]

Excellent guide, I might end up with a 680m soon and was planning to try some of your awesome vbioses for the Dell card. I have flashed my 580m before but this is a very handy guide since I don't flash often enough to remember.

[sirana]

Great guide, I did everything up to backing up my vbios. Next step would be flashing the new one (one of your's ) Is nvflash "-6" <name.rom> sufficiant? Why do some other users recommend "-4 -5 -6", what is the difference?

[svl7]

Check the second post, all commands can be found there. -5 allows to override the card type, which generally is a stupid idea. -4 isn't listed anymore, I'm not sure whether it's still valid, but I guess that was to force the flash.

[Luscious]

Downloaded nvflash_windows_5.118 a while ago just to do this. I used "nvflash -5 -6 filename.ROM" on my M18xR2 and it worked like a charm. Didn't even need the USB drive, just used CMD from the start menu and navigated to the folder on my C drive where my files were located. When it detects SLI the command will ask to confirm each card (0,1) and flashes the first card followed by the 2nd. Rebooted and all was well.

BTW: @svl7 - Any indication of when we can see a fresh vBIOS for the Dell 680M? Don't mean to rush you or anything, but I'm itching to find out what this beast is capable of.

[BillyXq]

Hi, Im using a clevo 680m on my m17x r2. I've tried flashing my card with one of the clevo vbios that you have provided in another thread. However i kept ending up with "I/O ERROR: Cannot open file: vbiosname.rom am i doing something wrong here?

[svl7]

Hi, and welcome to T|I!

In DOS there's an eight character file name limit, as stated in the first post. You mustn't use names which aren't longer than 8 characters (excluding the extension).

[BillyXq]

awesome! thanks mate got it to work

[OrigamiZor]

Hi all, i'm on a clevo p170Em trying to flash this in the dos envirement with a usb pen. It works if i flash a bios for the clevo or EC but not with nvflash i try the first command to list the adapters and does nothing, simply hungs up. For this i haven't risked to flash. Can someone help? Thx in advance

[svl7]

Did you use the latest version?

Clevo machines are weird, if I remember correctly you can't flash the 7970m either in this system. Ask your vendor about the reason for this... it definitely sucks.

[svl7]

svl7, why 630m gt is not recognized?

Because the card is soldered to the mobo, the vbios is part of the bios.

[TimeLord84]

I'm doing SLI and I could use a little help on the commands to do each card. Like first this command then this type of info. I'm sorry that I don't fully understand the directions

EDIT: Nevermind!! I'm just a little antsy and didn't read past the part I was unsure about until now Sorry moderator

[TimeLord84]

I love you guys!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!! Works perfect!!!! <3 <3 <3

[sh0gunshin]

Because the card is soldered to the mobo, the vbios is part of the bios.

does this mean the only method available is to flash with windows?

[svl7]

No, that means the only method that works is to flash the whole bios. You can't flash the vbios separately in your case. At least I don't know how to do this for Insyde firmware, for AMI bios there might be a way which could work, but this isn't relevant for you.

Your vbios is part of the bios, therefore you need to flash the whole bios. The windows version of Insydeflash which I included with my mod works fine. There's also a DOS version but I'd just go ahead and flash with the one I included.

[thop1544]

So since the G75 660m isn't soldered, this should work? Would it be possible to flash that modded Dell 1000MHz vBIOS?

[svl7]

So since the G75 660m isn't soldered, this should work? Would it be possible to flash that modded Dell 1000MHz vBIOS?

Nope, the vbios is part of the bios in the G75, I already modified it. It won't flash with the usual tools though, but I think I know a possible solution. If you're interested, let me know.

[thop1544]

Oh I'm very interested please! I bought a G75VW-BBK5 for college, and I'm dual-booting Kubuntu with W7, but there aren't any Nvidia overclocking utilities for Linux. The laptop works quite well because it doesn't have Optimus (so no Bumblebee craziness) but getting some better performance out of it would be great, as 1080p can be difficult to drive even with the binaries.

[svl7]

I see... I only removed the software OC limit if I remember correctly... won't help you in this case, at least not for Linux. I can set higher clocks when I find time.

Didn't know it doesn't come with Optimus... Asus finally did something good with their G series, hahaha.

Regarding overclocking per software, wasn't there nvclock (or whatever it was called)? Or doesn't this work anymore for Kepler?

[thop1544]

I've not been able to get it working, and it hasn't been updated in quite some time, so there wasn't even really support for Fermi.

[BAKED]

I'm on a gtx 570m 1,5gb and before I upgrade to a kepler card I was wondering the safest and most stable clocks for mine.

I've already modified the BIOS using Nibitor and flashed, my current settings are v0.9 core 800 and memory is set to deffault 1500. And temps are 36C idle and max load is 81isch.

So how much can I push this card?

[lonesyndal]

I have a GTX 680M 4GB on a P150EM. However, I'm not exactly sure which of the vBIOS to choose. I'm aiming for a nice mixture of decent temperatures with unlocked performance.

[teuing]

I'm on a gtx 570m 1,5gb and before I upgrade to a kepler card I was wondering the safest and most stable clocks for mine.

I've already modified the BIOS using Nibitor and flashed, my current settings are v0.9 core 800 and memory is set to deffault 1500. And temps are 36C idle and max load is 81isch.

So how much can I push this card?

We have the same card.

My current settings also 0.90v but with 825 core and 1800 memory. But I've seen other guy @ NBR forum with 0.90v, 840ish core and 1900 memory

[bobby7]

Will this work with the modded vbios for the g75vw?

Please respond, thx!!!