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Windows Forum / Windows Me / Hardware / March 2004Attachments to motherboard
Hi: My son installed my motherboard for me and I don't know what happened to the following attachments, which were not optional: 1. Flash Memory Writer for Bios Update. 2. Retention Kits for CPU. Could it be that he installed either one or both of them on the motherboard (if so, where), or did they 'get lost'? Sadly I cannot contact him about this and have to find out for myself.. If they got lost, how would I be able to get them? My motherboard is made by Biostar. Please, help. Harry. > Hi: > > My son installed my motherboard for me and I don't know > what happened to the following attachments, which were not optional: > 1. Flash Memory Writer for Bios Update. Dunno what that is > 2. Retention Kits for CPU. Err, so the CPU doesn't fall out? .... or so the fan/heatsink attaches firmly, more likely. > Could it be that he installed either one or both of them on the motherboard > (if so, where), or did they 'get lost'? > Sadly I cannot contact him about this and have to find out for myself.. Desert island eh? > If they got lost, how would I be able to get them? > My motherboard is made by Biostar. How do you know this stuff is missing? Rick Thanks Rick: Where the retention kit for the CPU is concerned, he probably used it when installing the CPU, if I remember correctly. But I don't have any idea what the flash memory writer is as an attachment. I thought someone might know. Instructions for my motherboard tell me, to use awdflash.exe in the \Flash directory to update my BIOS. I cannot find anyone of those two on my PC and therefore questioned whether the flash memory writer might have something to do with it. My problem really is, how to utilize an upgrade/update for the BIOS, delivered by Biostar in the form of a (system)file. What must be done in order to make it work? Surely could use a lifeline on this desert island. Harry. > > Hi: > > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Rick The flash memory writer is software used to update the BIOS - it should be on a floppy you got with the motherboard. Or a CD that has a bunch of drivers on it. > Thanks Rick: > [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > > > > Rick Install the free Belarc Advisor, which will inventory your machine and report the model of Biostar mainboard. Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit (version 6.0m) http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html When you have the model, navigate to the Biostar BIOS page, and get the flash utility, and the particular data file (binary), for upgrading the BIOS: http://www.biostar.com.tw/support/bios/index.php3 Follow the directions exactly.  SignatureJack E. Martinelli 2002-04 MVP for Win9X / DTS Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/ Your cooperation is very appreciated. ____ > The flash memory writer is software used to update the BIOS - it should be > on a floppy you got with the motherboard. Or a CD that has a bunch of [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > > > > > > Rick I have the Belarc Advisor installed. The only reference it shows, is "Main Circuit Board" as item b. with BIOS: Award Software 6.00 PG 10/06/03, which is the date and description of my recent "SureFlash" upgrade. Does that mean I can use this floppy disk for upgrade purposes now? In answer to all responses I received for this subject I would like to let everyone know, I received an answer from Biostar. They tell me to "make a bootable floppy disk, copy the awdflash utility program to the disk and then copy one of the two files we sent you (vkb1006f.bin-the original- or vkb1031b.bin-the latest bios update). Now run the awdflash program and type in the name of the update file." All of that sounds easy enough if one knows how, but I don't know half of it. 1. How do you make a bootable disk? 2. What awdflash utility program? Is it the SureFlash Upgrade I received from Phoenix Technologies?. (They are talking about possibly having to extract it first.) 3. If that should be the case, I don't have a problem with this whole thing anymore. They also advise me not to flash the bios, unless I experience issues, because it can cause problems (don't I know it). Thanks, Jack. Harry. > Install the free Belarc Advisor, which will inventory your machine and > report the model of Biostar mainboard. [quoted text clipped - 66 lines] > > > > > > > > Rick I am surprised that Belarc Advisor does not find some firmware on the Biostar m/b which reports the model number, esp., as the Award BIOS is as recent as 10/06/03. Perhaps you haven't looked at all the pages of the Belarc report. Anyway, the link I previously sent you at the Biostar site has rather explicit instructions for flashing the Award BIOS. If they are not clear to you, I stongly urge you to find someone who can safely execute the upgrade. You can render the m/b / BIOS unusable if you err in the upgrade. This is not a place for solo on-the-job training! SignatureJack E. Martinelli 2002-04 MVP for Win9X / DTS Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/ Your cooperation is very appreciated. ____ > > I have the Belarc Advisor installed. The only reference it shows, is "Main [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > http://www.biostar.com.tw/support/bios/index.php3 > > Follow the directions exactly. http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/ > > Your cooperation is very appreciated. > > ____ [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > > > > > > > > > > Rick I have only one page of Belarc Advisor, vers. 6.0c. They have a newer version available (6.1 I believe), which I downloaded but not yet installed, because I don't know if the old version has to be uninstalled first. 'Am waiting for instructions. Appreciate your advice about upgrading the BIOS. It definitely is good adcice and I would be wise to heed it. The smartest thing would have been not to mess with the BIOS at all. But that's 'water down the drain'. They do provide explicit instructions with the upgrade and I had followed them, step by step, as I went along. Later on I made a couple of mistakes on my own, but everything seems to be working allright now. Your input is very much appreciated, Jack. Harry. > I am surprised that Belarc Advisor does not find some firmware on the > Biostar m/b which reports the model number, esp., as the Award BIOS is [quoted text clipped - 128 lines] > > > > > > > > > > > > Rick Uninstall the old Belarc version and install the new one. I wish you well with your BIOS issue. I think you understand that you are doing "open heart surgery", and even a small mistake can turn the mainboard into a doorstop. SignatureJack E. Martinelli 2002-04 MVP for Win9X / DTS Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/ Your cooperation is very appreciated. ____ > > I have only one page of Belarc Advisor, vers. 6.0c. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Harry. Being under the impression that I now fully understand the implications of updating/upgrading the BIOS, I intend to be a lot more careful in the future, especially since "the operation" was fairly successful. Things are working fine for me, the way it looks. When installing the newer version of BelArc, the older version gets deleted automatically - thank goodness. Many, many thanks for your and everyone's help, Jack. Harry. > Uninstall the old Belarc version and install the new one. > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > > > Harry. And see if Aida32 can detect your mainboard. Aida32 http://aumha.org/freeware.htm [ http://www.aida32.hu/aida-download.php?bit=32 ] SignatureJack E. Martinelli 2002-04 MVP for Win9X / DTS Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/ Your cooperation is very appreciated. ____ > > Being under the impression that I now fully understand the implications of [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Harry. <snip> If it's on a floppy, I don't have it and will be trying to get it. It definitely is not on the CD for the motherboard. There it tells me to use awdflash.exe which is supposed to be located in \Flash directory, but not to be found on my computer. Can that be obtained somehow? Thanks for your input, Jerry. Harry. > The flash memory writer is software used to update the BIOS - it should be > on a floppy you got with the motherboard. Or a CD that has a bunch of [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > > > > > > Rick > Thanks Rick: > > Where the retention kit for the CPU is concerned, he probably used it when > installing the CPU, if I remember correctly. I think it's the strap that clips to the heatsink/fan which presses the cpu firmly into the mb and the heatsink to the cpu... if you don't have one (on a new Pentium or Athlon) I think the heatsink might get a bit loose and your cpu blows up (fries actually). >But I don't have any idea what > the flash memory writer is as an attachment. I thought someone might know. > Instructions for my motherboard tell me, to use awdflash.exe in the \Flash > directory to update my BIOS. <shrug> check the mb mfr's User Guide or website for instructions: some can be upgraded from Windows directly, others from DOS only (requires a floppy disk). Rick I am going to wait and see what Biostar has to say on the update file issue. I will let you know. And my CPU is allright, I think. My son must have used the items in question when he installed it. Thank you, Rick. Harry. > > Thanks Rick: > > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Rick > I am going to wait and see what Biostar has to say on the > update file issue. I will let you know. > And my CPU is allright, I think. My son must have used the items in question > when he installed it. ahhhh, you mean you checked the packing slip against the case... well then the retention strap is that 1/4" piece of aluminum that goes across the cpu heatsink and holds it to the MB. And the BIOS flasher is a software program that you have to download from Biostar. Rick Thanks, Rick. > > I am going to wait and see what Biostar has to say on the > > update file issue. I will let you know. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Rick |
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