Attempted Bios Update & System Froze 4

[rars222]

I was doing a bios update and everything was fine until my system tried to restart. It's stuck on the P4 Intel Desktop screen.

It hung on that screen for at least 15 minutes. I tried to restart and now it won't boot.

Any help?

Windows XP Pro SP1

 

[eyec]

a bios update takes longer than you think. if it was still in process you just lost your bios completely.

on some PCs there is a jumper switch to reset the bios on others you can call the manufacturer and they can tell you how to recover but not every PC has this ability.

flashing a bios is not for the faint of heart and never for someone that has not done it under the watchfull eye of another that has successfully flashed a bios.

it does not matter what OS you have because you are fooling with the bios.

good luck.

 

[rars222]

I had done it before successfully...

In my defense...I was in the middle of it and my cat decided to do a lap around my desktop and knocked the mouse. At that point it just seemed to go awry.

So am I looking at a new mobo? and that means new processor and ram?

 

[Mike2287]

Check the manufacturer's web site. I went through this with an intel mb last week and they had a repair disk I downloaded and just had to remove a jumper and it fixed it.

 

[rars222]

ok..just for clarification...manufacturer of the mobo? It's an Intel and I think they retired it...

I will check it out, just wondered if you had any experience with the Intel 845 WN mobo??

 

[Mike2287]

download the Manual and look up recovering Bios

http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d845wn/sb/CS-008937.htm

 

[eyec]

thank goodness you have one of the major players mobos

 

[rars222]

i was just thinking that too

 

[Mike2287]

Sometimes it worth it to pay a few bucks more for a brand name

 

[rars222]

Ok so I had to drive to my office to make a floppy of the Bios update. I followed the instructions and removed the jumper. I also detached all the peripherals with the exception of the speaker.

I powered up with the Bios floppy in the drive and the led on the floppy briefly comes on. I don't hear any beeps at all.

I tried it several times with no change.

Now what?

 

[Mike2287]

Mine was a little different. I did it to a 865 and when it was done it powered down by itself. but i also didn't hear any beeps like the instructions said. I put the jumper back on and all booted up ok. Are you letting it run long enough? If takes a few Min.

 

[rars222]

good question. Did you have extended activity from the floppy? Mine is very brief

Did you use a file with the "bio" extension? There isn't one available at intel.com for my board. It's been "retired".

The only file I can find is one with an "exe" extension and that is the bios update file

 

[Mike2287]

This file is self extracting and has the .bio on it.

http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/download.asp?url=/5225/eng/HVAP14IB.exe&ProductID=664

 

[Mike2287]

Extract it and copy the files to a bootable floppy.

 

[rars222]

That's the same file I downloaded. I will try it again. So you say you had no beeps? How long did you let it run. It doesn't seem to be doing much. The floppy only initial runs when the power is turned on. It is pretty quick. I would think it would take a little longer to extract the file???

 

[bcastner]

If the BIOS is so trashed that it will not even allow a floppy boot, I think you have to get on the phone and talk to the system vendor. Either they replace the EEPROM with a preloaded one, or they remove it and use a burner. But you are not going to get there unless there is a magic jumper setting that you do not know about.

It is not at all unusual anymore to see motherboards with duplicate BIOS EPROMs, to ensure against exactly this sort of flash failure.

 

[Mike2287]

Run the exe on another computer, it will extract the files. Then copy the files that were extracted to a bootable disk.

 

[rars222]

It doesn't seem to be reading the floppy. I think I am in the market for a new mobo?

what do you think?

 

[rars222]

bcastner...when you reference vendor are you referring to the manufacturer of the board, or where the board was purchased?

I had a local shop build this system 3 yrs ago. I've called them and they basically tell me I need to replace the mobo. Are they just trying the easy $$ fix? I am all for investigating. I have nothing to lose. I can get a new mobo, cpu, ram and install it myself. I am just not so versed on trouble-shooting and I tend to leave that to the experts

If I say "Either they replace the EEPROM with a preloaded one, or they remove it and use a burner. But you are not going to get there unless there is a magic jumper setting that you do not know about."

Will that get me somewhere...?

out of curiosity, what is an EEPROM? I gotta bone up on my lingo It's like going to get your car fixed....

Also, Mike...thank you...I will try that. One question?? if I pop that floppy into another computer and double click that "exe" file...it won't just start running the bios update on the computer I am on will it??? I can't afford anymore "downed" systems!

 

[Mike2287]

Rars you said " I would think it would take a little longer to extract the file???"

Have you extracted the file? It won't read the exe file when booting with the jumper removed. It needs to be extracted. Run the exe file on another computer that will extract them, there will be 11 files when this is done. Then copy it to the floppy.