dead motherboard

Recommended by Wim's BIOS...

Dear Everybody,
I ruined my computer. I wonder if there's something I can do to solve it.
This is what I did. I had a 80gb hd I wanted to install, then I found out I had an award 4.51pg bios that needed upgrading. The string at the bottom of the screen said, i440BX-W977TF-ATC-6220C-00 I did search this forum and decided to upgrade the bios using uniflash and a 6220118a.bin file, i did backup the current bios in the floppy though. It gave me a couple of errors but I insisted. Now the pc seems dead. The only thing that seems alive is the processor fan (tis pII-350mhz). So I cannot try a floppy with an autoexec. I tried to clear the cmos to no avail. My assumption is that I'll have to buy another motherboard, (hot swapping its not an option, i dont know anybody with a similar pc). As you see im at the end of my rope. Is there anything else I could try. I regret having tried on my own before asking for help.
Thanks

[NickS]

1. Did you clear the CMOS after flashing ? A newer BIOS may put parameters in different places to the old BIOS, and if it tries to use the old ones it can appear dead.
2. The board you use for hot-flash does not need to be identical, it just needs to have the right shape socket, the right voltages and a chipset that Uniflash will support.
3. An alternative to a new motherboard can be a programming service, or a replacement chip (e.g. www.badflash.com)

[Rainbow]

I hope you did not flash 256KB BIOS on a board with 128KB BIOS chip...

Hello Rainwob,
As a matter of fact the program said that the file size didnt match the rom size, so I guess I ruined my chances of making it work.

[Rainbow]

Remove the chip and either hot-flash or have it flashed somewhere. With 6220109A.BIN file.

Dear Rainbow,
Thank you very much for the advice. I will try to hot-swapping the bios chip. I have checked the procedure in the FAQ and hope that if I get a similiar system I coud success.
Thanks.

Dear Group,
I have tried unsuccessfully to hot swap the flash bios. I guess the problem is the bios chip I got is from another motherboard and in this motherboard the chipset version is different.
In the first system, the one non-working the chipset was 440bx and in the new one was 440LX, when I tried to boot the machine with the new working bios chip, all I got was a repeatin long beep. Then I removed it and place again in the second system and it seems to be working fine.
I will try technicall schools or the university and see if anyone has a eprom programer I could use.
Regards,

[Denniss]

Sounds like some small error in Hot-Swap

Boot the good system with the good Flashrom then exchange chips and try to flash the bad one

[NickS]

Gonzalo wrote:

In the first system, the one non-working the chipset was 440bx and in the new one was 440LX, when I tried to boot the machine with the new working bios chip, all I got was a repeatin long beep. Then I removed it and place again in the second system and it seems to be working fine.

Let me confirm:
1. You booted the 440LX with a diskette containing the BX BIOS and the flash utility.
2. With the power on, you removed the 440LX BIOS ROM and inserted the BX BIOS ROM into the LX board.
3. You ran the flash utility and apparently succeeded in flashing the BX BIOS into the BX ROM in the LX board.
4. You powered off the LX, removed the BX BIOS ROM and installed it in the BX board.
5. You tried to boot the BX board with the updated BX BIOS ROM and got a repeating long beep.
6. You tried the BX BIOS ROM in the LX board and it worked fine.

Is that a correct description ?

[edwin]

Looks like he tried to boot the 440BX board with the 440LX bios. Not going to work that way... Gonzalo: follow NickS's step-by-step guide.

Dear Group,
After I read the messages I saw that I made again a mistake. I got for a few days my brothers computer that happened to have a 440lx chipset , what I did was to remove the bios chip from that system and try to boot my old system (the one with the 440bx) with it, it did not work as wisely said you all. Unfortunately I had to return the pc to my brother. Now Im trying the electronics stores in my city to have the chip reprogrammed with the correct bios version which I assume is 6220109a.bin file. I hope that in some of these stores I will succedd in having it reprogrammed. I will let you know. And I think I have learn quite a few things from you and next time I have a problem like this I think I will do it better.
Thanks to all.
Regards,

Dear Everybody,
I got it I found an electronics workshop and for just 6 euros (about six bucks) got me motherboard in working order again. I made them apply the rom suggested by rainbow and not I have computer up and running again. Besides it recognizes the full 80Gb. I had to use another chip though because the original one gave back an error message in a memory postition.
Thanks again to all of you

[NickS]

That sounds like good value ! Did €6 include the chip ?

Hi Nick,
Yeah, the new chip included. The recording service is 3 euros plus v.a.t
I think Ive been very lucky.
Regards.

[ajzchips]

Hmmmm.... Gonzalo.... I'm from Spain too, and am quite interested in that shop