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Compaq Ipaq 1801-Microcode Update Error

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NikeAjax

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Jan 30, 2024
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Howdy folks! I have a first model Compaq Ipaq desktop that I'm working on. I recently upgraded the CPU to a PIII 1Ghz, but now I'm getting, "1801-Microcode Update Error". It's fine with a 733 Mhz, but not the 1G. I need to update the BIOS, but am unable to find an update for it, as this is kind of a weird/rare little machine that not many people are interested in and or care about. I have included a Speccy snapshot of the CPU and MB. Yes, it does boot but it stops during the self-test process so I have to press F1 to proceed, which is a bit irritating--SIGH!

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance :)

JB
 

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That is a pretty weird/rare little machine that not many people are interested in. Just saying "Compaq" still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Still, it is worth restoring.

It looks like you are able to get all the way into windows with the 1ghz CPU in there - can you screenshot/take a picture of the screen where it gets stuck?
 
OK, here's an image of it...

JB
 

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Whats the actual model number of your system? I know you said it was a "first model", but I don't know compaq models well enough to translate that into something searchable :p
 
I thought wizzards wuz spozta know everything 😁 Hmmmm? Welll, supposedly it's an Ipaq C500... But most searches of that come up with a laptop--GRRRRR!

There are two types as well, "Legacy-Light", which is what I have, and "Legacy-Free". The Light has a Parallel I/F connector, Serial I/F connector and USB in the front. The Free has only USB ports both front and back. There's also a second version that uses a different motherboard.

Here are two pages that were a little help, but I couldn't figure out how to make them work for me:

h30434.www3.hp.com

How to fix "1801-Microcode Update Error" in HP Compaq dc7700p Convertible Minitower

Hello, i've been reading and reading this post for a several times and i'm not sure will this work on my PC so i must ask, how to fix "1801-Microcode Update Error" in HP Compaq dc7700p Convertible Minitower i've upgraded it with E7200 instead of the original E6300 here's Product Number: p/n...
h30434.www3.hp.com h30434.www3.hp.com


Thanks again,

JB
 
I have one of these machines that I long since gutted the logic board out of and shoehorned in an AMD quad core, and later gutted it again and now it sits as an empty shell.

Confusingly, Compaq used the "iPaq" branding for two entirely different devices. The first use was their ugly "legacy free" tower PC, which is what this thing is.
en.wikipedia.org

iPAQ (desktop computer) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

The second "iPaq" was a line of handheld PDAs that came out in mid 2000. Both products were a flop.

Anyway, HP amazingly still has a product page for this machine, and the BIOS updates for the machine.

I can confirm that a PIII 1000 with a 133 MHz bus does work in this machine, I just don't remember what sSpec the CPU was that I used. It also maxes out at 512 MB of RAM (i810E chipset limitation.)

I don't remember if I had to update the BIOS to install the PIII 1000 (it was originally a PIII 500), but I never got the microcode error on boot.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
I have one of these machines that I long since gutted the logic board out of and shoehorned in an AMD quad core, and later gutted it again and now it sits as an empty shell.
Click to expand...

That's quite the hat trick.

GiGaBiTe said:
I don't remember if I had to update the BIOS to install the PIII 1000 (it was originally a PIII 500), but I never got the microcode error on boot.
Click to expand...

Its really interesting that Compaq, in their race to the bottom, still fitted these machines with full-fledged Pentium IIIs instead of Celerons.
 
Unfortunately, none of the drivers I needed to fix this problem was there. Any other suggestions?

JB
 
hunterjwizzard said:
That's quite the hat trick.
Click to expand...

It was a ton of work. The two hardest bits were finding a motherboard that would fit, and what to do about the PSU.

FlexATX turned out to be the motherboard standard that would fit, though an ITX board would also likely work.

As for the PSU, I had to restuff the original 90W unit with a 300W unit. The PSU was proprietary, but it had the same overall space as a MicroATX PSU, so I used one of those as a donor.

I also got the internal speaker working with a custom amplifier I built with an LM386. The hilariously large giant inductor was to filter out transients from the power supply that caused buzzing, clicking and other random nonsense that was backfed from the motherboard.

FHbwEQih.jpg

JHMyFHth.jpg

BuDyM81h.jpg

TaQAp9Vh.jpg


The unit always had heat issues. I eventually had to cut a hole in one of the lids to add a fan, the APU just generated too much heat. One of the toroidal inductors in the PSU also burned up from inadequate cooling, and I had to re-wrap it. It's the one in the picture to the bottom left that looks darker than the others. It eventually turned black and smelled of death.

I may revisit it at some point in the future if I need another project.

NikeAjax said:
Unfortunately, none of the drivers I needed to fix this problem was there. Any other suggestions?

JB
Click to expand...

You need to update the microcode with a BIOS update, not a driver.

To see the BIOS updates, you have to select "Windows 98" as the OS.
 
It only has Win XP listed for the OS: please advise?

Again, thank you for your help :)

JB
 
NikeAjax said:
It only has Win XP listed for the OS: please advise?

Again, thank you for your help :)

JB
Click to expand...

Due to a bug on their site, you have to do an extra step to see the Windows 98 stuff.

You have to select Windows XP and then Windows XP 32 bit. Once you do that, click the "Choose a different OS" link, and it will bring up a new list that allows you to select Windows 98.

1.png2.png

Here's a direct link to I think the BIOS download, but I don't know if it works direct linking to it.
 
Hopefully one last thing--sorry! I looked at all of the BIOS options and they're all a variation of :


Fix and enhancements:
Revised Legacy power management.

Updated the Intel onboard video option ROM v2370 to correct an issue with Samsumg v710 monitors.

or

Fix and enhancements:
Corrected routine that adjusts the floppy drive numbers to support booting from internal/USB/Multibay floppy drives.

Corrected a long delay when coming out of S3 when a USB floppy drive is attached.

Revised Legacy power management.

Might it be this last one with the "power management"? I'm moderately dyslexic so I have problems reading at times 😕

Again, thank you! 🙂

JB
 
OEM firmware updates almost never mention new CPU support. Power management doesn't have anything to do with CPU microcode.
 
Sunnavabisquiteater! I finally found it, it was buried under"associated files" then "previous versions", in nondescript type, very easy to miss--GRRR!

Anyway, the name of the file is: SP16079.exe

Description:
This SoftPaq creates files that contain a binary image for the System ROM on the model listed below. It is used to flash the System ROM on target PCs on a network, and it requires System Software Manager (SSM) or Remote Management Setup.The ROM Family and ROM date can be determined by running the Setup Utility by pressing F10 on the target computer during system power on of the computer, and viewing File/System Information. This information can be saved into a text file by selecting File/Save to Diskette.

Fix and enhancements:
Added Coppermine D0 microcode patch for latest processor stepping.
 
Might want to archive all of the downloads on that page. Who knows when HP will delete them, they've already deleted hordes of files for their older machines.
 
I think there's a dump on archive.org somewhere, but I think it's just the raw SP123XYZ.exe files, there's nothing to say what they actually are.

Since nothing on the internet is guaranteed to be there forever, it's best if you store a local copy of all the files you need.
 
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