Flashed BIOS and can't boot

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R

Rogerm

Hello,
I flashed my BIOS and now can't even boot up to access "Setup" or "POST" CPU fan works,HDD works (I hear it spinning). Power LED stays on. HDD LED goes off in 20 seconds.FDD does not worK. No power to monitor. Gigabyte Motherboard # GA 8S650 GXM, 2.5MHz Intel P4CPU, Phoenix BIOS D888, 512 Mb Ram (400 Mhz Kingston), Integrated Video SIS 650G, Windows XP Home SP 2. I verified that RAM is ok. System bought 2004. Help Please. I am a new member today.
Hello all.
Roger
 
You either installed the incorrect BIOS, or did not give it adequate time to fully install.
read carefully the full description of how to install the BIOS at the website for your computer brand and model. Then attempt a removal, if allowed... usually that is not allowed.
Get advice from the tech support for your computer, as a great many computers are ruined by an incorrectly installed BIOS.
 
Flashed BIOS

Hi Raybay,
Thanks very much for your reply. Yes, you are correct, I did flash the incorrect version of my BIOS (I found out after I did it). Since I can't even access "SETUP" or "POST" now to do ANYTHING, does that mean that I am totally out of luck. I did contact GIGABYTE the MOBO manufacturer, and they were not helpful. I have the MB Manual and there aren't any jumper pins for CMOS or BIOS, and the Phoenix BIOS chip is soldered on to the MB.
Thanks very much for your help. Any suggestions?
Roger
 
I tried flashing my BIOS (on the mobo in my sig) about a year ago and promptly screwed everything up. MY HD was not even recognized. Somehow the BIOS flash corrupted a bunch of system files and I was totally out of luck. Asus rep was nice and shipped me a updated BIOS chip, which I popped in.

But my HD was still fried and I needed to recover some data, so I installed a brand new HD and loaded my OS onto that new HD. Once the comp was up and running properly, I connected the old HD as a slave. It still wasn't recognized, ugh, but I finally found a great recovery program which let me browse the corrupted HD and I recovered virtually every important file.

So, you still have options, but don't wipe your current HD unless you have all your data already backed up. If you need to recover data, then you may want to do something similar to what I did.

Keep us posted.

-
 
Flashed BIOS Can't Boot

Hi Dave 427SS,
Thanks for your reply. My BIOS seems to be soldered onto the MOBO (Phoenix BIOS - Gigabyte GA 8S650 GXM MOBO). I can't even boot up because the system will not access "setup" or POST". I contacted Gigabyte for a new BIOS, but they weren't helpful. No power to monitor, no HDD, no FDD - woe is me! I will try to see if I can access the HD in a friend's computer so as not to lose my data. Thanks again for your suggestions. Anything further to add to help?
Rogerm
 
Flashed BIOS - can't Boot

To Dave 427SS.

Hi Dave, I meant to ask you. Last year when you flashed the incorrect BIOS, apart from the loss of the HDD and FDD, did you also lose all power to your monitor, or could you still see the ATTEMPT to boot-up to POST and "setup" on the monitor?

Thanks,

Rogerm
 
Not a Dual BIOS board then I take it? You're probably out of luck.
 
Roger,

When I had all my problems flashing the BIOS, the monitor still worked fine. Not sure if all the drivers were actually still OK, but it came on. I'm not familiar with your mobo, so can't help about flashing the BIOS, other than to say it's more dangerous than many people think.

IMHO, I think you should "slave" your current HD to a working comp, such as your buddy's. Hopefully he has same OS, I'm assuming XP?

If you get stuck, lemme know and I'll dig up the name of that recovery program I used. It had a free trial evaluation, which was actually all I ever needed! So I got to use a terrific program for free. "Free" is my favorite word, lol..........

Dave
 
Flashed BIOS Can't boot

Hi Dave 427 SS

Thanks. I will let you know how I make out with data on my HD.

Thanks again
Roger
 
Flashed BIOS Can't boot

Hi Caravel.

No I guess it's not a dual boot board. It's a Gigabyte GA 8S650 GXM. I have the manual - no jumpers for BIOS/CMOS. (Phoenix BIOS). The BIOS is soldered onto the MOBO. Looks like curtains for my MOBO??? Any ideas??

Thanks

Roger
 
The board only seems to support @BIOS and doesn't have a Dual BIOS. Basically if you'd mucked up the primary BIOS by flashing it with the wrong file, the backup BIOS would kick in and the motherboard starts from that. The backup BIOS then overwrites the mucked up BIOS back to the factory installed version and you're up and running again. My board is pretty old - a GA-7VTXE+ and that has a dual BIOS so it seems strange that your GA-8S650GXM does not. You'll probably need a new board unfortunately.

I't s a bit late for this but perhaps next time: The first thing to check when updating the BIOS is the hardware revisions and different sub variants of the board. It is not enough to simply select the closest and hope for the best, as that board may use an entirely different flash rom.

If you do think your BIOS flash has gone wrong after flashing the BIOS whatever you do, do not cut power or reboot. Once you reboot you've got a dead board so don't do it. Leave the pc running (for days if necessary) and go to another PC to download the correct BIOS onto a floppy. Insert that floppy, again do not reboot, and reflash the BIOS again with this file. If that is a success then you can reboot.
 
Once the BIOS fails, it won't boot. What is your secret? Does Linux replace the BIOS as part of the install? If so, how does it get past a dead board?
 
That is superb advice... only on some computers, you need the BIOS update to use larger drives or other components.

A few companies have made it fool proof, but the risk is very high. We have seen 17 ruined desktops and laptops since the fall of 1999 brought to our shops that were damaged permanently by someone flashing the BIOS. That may not sound like a lot, but it was a tragedy for some of the computer owners.
 
pdyckman@comcas said:
One big thing I've learned here is if it is working, don't flash.
Click to expand...

Amen to this. Companies should post something to that effect in HUGE letters at their flash download sites. I've tried flashing 2 BIOS's and had problems both times. No more flashing for me. I'm just gonna purchase updated BIOS chips as needed, because, as raybay said, sometimes you got no choice and you gotta update the BIOS.

:cool:
 
you use a 286 said:
u could just get a new CPU
Click to expand...


Ummmm, how would that correct his problem? New CPU won't affect BIOS..........

A new mobo, on the other hand, would fix him right up.


-
 
Hi Caravel,

Thank you for the information.

I wish I had known what you have just explained to me before I flashed my BIOS (or just after). I made the big mistake of re-booting my system after I flashed the BIOS, because I thought it had "Hung"
In fact it was still "reconfiguring" the BIOS when I foolishly re-booted.

I just got confirmation from Gigabyte the my MOBO is not a "Dual BIOS" board.

Maybe your info will remind some other members NEVER TO REBOOT OR TURN OFF the computer until the flash is completed. As for me, I will never flash a BIOS again. I now have to buy a new MOBO.

Thanks heaps. I am sadder but wiser.

Roger
 
Hi Dave 427SS

Thanks for that Gigabyte BIOS site. I got lots of good information there, but alas my board won't even begin the booting process - everything's dead including the monitor, Floppy DD and my HDD.

Gigabyte just informed me that my MOBO is not a DUAL BIOS board, so I think I have no alternative but to purchase a new MOBO.

I also will NEVER flash my BIOS again.

Thanks so much for your time and help. (I will let you know if I can retrieve the HD on my friend's computer, but I think it should be ok (I hope).

Roger
 
Hi to "you use a 286"

Well everything's dead - no power to monitor, no floppy disk drive power, no HDD power, no boot, no access to "setup". So I can't do anything at all. Have you been able to recover from a situation like this, without buying a new motherboard???

Thanks

Roger
 
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