BIOS problem

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Brian Gotjunk - 17 Mar 2005 17:16 GMT

I am going to ask this question, and then duck so that I don't get hit by
all the stuff that is about to be thrown at me.

Machine specs - Gateway 1ghz - Win98SE

I was updating my BIOS and did a Ctrl-Break in the middle of the update (hey
that old shoe just missed me)

I know, I know STUPID - but it was late and it was an accident

Now my machine is dead - lights come on but no one is home

Is there a way I can get this machine to run again, or should I throw it off
a cliff (or maybe jump off a cliff with it)

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Ron Martell - 17 Mar 2005 18:29 GMT

>I am going to ask this question, and then duck so that I don't get hit by
>all the stuff that is about to be thrown at me.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>Is there a way I can get this machine to run again, or should I throw it off
>a cliff (or maybe jump off a cliff with it)

Have you contacted Gateway?

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada

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Mikhail Zhilin - 17 Mar 2005 18:54 GMT

Brian,

Read carefully manual to motherboards: many of BIOS contain a
non-erasable boot block, that helps to reprogram the main part of BIOS.
If so -- there has to be also an instruction: how to create a bootable
diskette at the other computer with the image of BIOS (this image has to
be on CDROM for motherboard then, too).

You can estimate the presence of such boot block yourself: if, when you
turn the computer on, its floppy drive blinks for a few seconds -- most
likely you are lucky.

In my similar case a problem was in the defective EPROM (a chip, that
holds BIOS), so the presence of the boot block didn't help -- and this
chip was replaced and reprogrammed in the repair shop.

--
Mikhail Zhilin
http://www.aha.ru/~mwz
Sorry, no technical support by e-mail.
Please reply to the newsgroups only.
======

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Brian Gotjunk - 17 Mar 2005 20:16 GMT

> Brian,
>
[quoted text clipped - 33 lines]
> >Is there a way I can get this machine to run again, or should I throw it off
> >a cliff (or maybe jump off a cliff with it)

My cd-rom light flashes when I turn the power on, but not the floppy

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Mikhail Zhilin - 17 Mar 2005 20:48 GMT

Then you should follow Ron Martell's advice...

--
Mikhail Zhilin
http://www.aha.ru/~mwz
Sorry, no technical support by e-mail.
Please reply to the newsgroups only.
======

>> Brian,
>>
>> Read carefully manual to motherboards: many of BIOS contain a
>> non-erasable boot block, that helps to reprogram the main part of BIOS.

<..>

>> You can estimate the presence of such boot block yourself: if, when you
>> turn the computer on, its floppy drive blinks for a few seconds -- most
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>> holds BIOS), so the presence of the boot block didn't help -- and this
>> chip was replaced and reprogrammed in the repair shop.

<...>

>> >I am going to ask this question, and then duck so that I don't get hit by
>> >all the stuff that is about to be thrown at me.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>> >Is there a way I can get this machine to run again, or should I throw it off
>> >a cliff (or maybe jump off a cliff with it)

<..>

>My cd-rom light flashes when I turn the power on, but not the floppy

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Spajky - 17 Mar 2005 21:28 GMT

>Read carefully manual to motherboards: many of BIOS contain a
>non-erasable boot block, that helps to reprogram the main part of BIOS.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>turn the computer on, its floppy drive blinks for a few seconds -- most
>likely you are lucky.

if so this may help:
http://users.volja.net/jerman55/FlashBiosFD.zip

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Brian Gotjunk - 18 Mar 2005 00:06 GMT

> >Read carefully manual to motherboards: many of BIOS contain a
> >non-erasable boot block, that helps to reprogram the main part of BIOS.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> if so this may help:
> http://users.volja.net/jerman55/FlashBiosFD.zip

I will try the program, but my cd-rom light flashes but not my floppy
drive - will it still work?

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Spajky - 18 Mar 2005 02:55 GMT

>> if so this may help:
>> http://users.volja.net/jerman55/FlashBiosFD.zip

>I will try the program, but my cd-rom light flashes but not my floppy
>drive - will it still work?

cd-rom light flashes always when gets electricity .. :-(

FD not ? IMHO you are toasted! will not work!

search info for
- hot flash bios
- replacement bios chips

on google for your MoBo ..

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Lil' Dave - 18 Mar 2005 15:33 GMT

http://www.amptron.com/documents/Recover.pdf

> >> if so this may help:
> >> http://users.volja.net/jerman55/FlashBiosFD.zip
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> on google for your MoBo ..

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John Dulak - 18 Mar 2005 14:47 GMT

> > >Read carefully manual to motherboards: many of BIOS contain a
> > >non-erasable boot block, that helps to reprogram the main part of BIOS.
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> I will try the program, but my cd-rom light flashes but not my floppy
> drive - will it still work?

Brian:

Try removing all cards except for the video card. Better yet install a
PCI or ISA video card. you may also want to search sor a program called
"Uniflash" ( uf132.zip ).

http://www.uniflash.org/

http://www.wimsbios.com/

http://www.rainbow-software.org/hardware/hotflash.html

I went through a simular situation a few years ago and ended up "Hot
Swapping" the BIOS chip on another MB. Hey I had nothing to loose!!

John

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Ben Myers - 18 Mar 2005 07:31 GMT

Some computers have a jumper that can be repositioned to allow the BIOS to be
flashed from a floppy. You may have to download the user's manual to see if this
is the case.

http://support.gateway.com/support/supinfo/index.asp?pg=2&file=dt.html

Ben

> I am going to ask this question, and then duck so that I don't get hit by
> all the stuff that is about to be thrown at me.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Is there a way I can get this machine to run again, or should I throw it off
> a cliff (or maybe jump off a cliff with it)

Reply to this Message

Lil' Dave - 18 Mar 2005 15:43 GMT

The simplest solution is to purchase a pre-programmed eeprom chip.
http://www.biosman.com/
These usually come with the latest bios verion. You iwll need a chip puller
avoid damaging the pins. Don't use your fingers or tweezers. Replace the
cmos battery while you're under the hood.

A simultaneious ctrl-break is a one in a billion accident, given the
possible two key combinations there are on a keyboard. Understand your
concern during a bios update, but once started, you should never, ever
interfere with it. Start it and leave the room.

> I am going to ask this question, and then duck so that I don't get hit by
> all the stuff that is about to be thrown at me.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Is there a way I can get this machine to run again, or should I throw it off
> a cliff (or maybe jump off a cliff with it)

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If_Its_Junk - 18 Mar 2005 18:14 GMT

This looks like the best idea

I sent an e-mail to Gateway - "I was updating the BIOS from 08 to 13. In
doing so I accidentally stopped the process before it completed. Now when I
turn the computer on the cd-rom light flashes, but that is all. There is
nothing going to the monitor. How can I restore the system and complete the
BIOS update?"

Apparently the tech who read the e-mail only saw the words "system" and
"restore" because his reply was an article about using System Restore" in
Windows and from the Restore cd. Was I not clear that my system was dead?

> The simplest solution is to purchase a pre-programmed eeprom chip.
> http://www.biosman.com/
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> off
> > a cliff (or maybe jump off a cliff with it)

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Vic Dura - 18 Mar 2005 22:21 GMT

>I sent an e-mail to Gateway - "I was updating the BIOS from 08 to 13. In
>doing so I accidentally stopped the process before it completed. Now when I
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>"restore" because his reply was an article about using System Restore" in
>Windows and from the Restore cd. Was I not clear that my system was dead?

The reply you received was probably selected by a program that parsed
the body of the message. That's typical of the kind of support you get
from the big manufacturers these days.

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