60GB: 05/07/1998-i440BX-W83977-P6BX-A+

its_red · Fri Jan 17, 2003 8:16 pm

60GB: 05/07/1998-i440BX-W83977-P6BX-A+

Have searched long and hard for bios patch as my bios does not recognize the HDD and hangs when trying

Please help. Red

Fri Jan 17, 2003 9:58 pm

Looks like ECS P6BX-A+ board with 128KB (1Mbit) BIOS. Patched BIOS sent.

its_red · Sat Jan 18, 2003 6:48 pm

Hi again, thanks for the help, unfortunatly it wasnt quite right..
The flasher told me that "the programs files part number did not match with your system" however I made a back up of original and tried it anyway. On first reboot I was prompted with a "memory test fail" message with the option to continue or not (this message did not appear on further reboots)....I did continue and windows proceeded to start up however it was at the pace of a very slow snail...windows also ran at the same snail pace. I rebooted but the speed was no better. I reinstalled my original bios and was again prompted with the same "the programs....." message but everything worked fine. So I'm back to square one. I would be most grateful for any more suggestions. Red

Sat Jan 18, 2003 8:24 pm

Did you clear CMOS after flashing ?

its_red · Sat Jan 18, 2003 8:51 pm

Hi, sorry for my ignorance I was unaware I had to clear the cmos afterwards as it is not listed in the "how to flash your bios" instructions I have. I'm not really clear on how to clear the cmos or why. Your input would be most appreciated. Thanks Red

Sat Jan 18, 2003 9:50 pm

With power off, typically use the "CMOS clear" jumper (check your motherboard manual) or remove the CMOS backup battery for period - Denniss has found that sometimes you even have to short out the battery contacts. Why ? Different versions of BIOS may use different layouts of the extended CMOS which can result in unexpected behaviour, even resulting in "Password protected" BIOS.

its_red · Sat Jan 18, 2003 10:04 pm

Thanks for the information Nicks, I will give your advice a go, but as I dont have the motherboard manual it will probably be a couple of days before I will be able to confirm if it worked due to waiting for the battery to discharge. Thanks again. Red

Sun Jan 19, 2003 8:01 pm

If it is ECS P6BX-A+, the manual can be downloaded from http://www.ecsusa.com/downloads/manual/p6batap30eng.zip
What is the BIOS OEM string which appears in the top left corner of the memory count screen under the Award logo ?

its_red · Sun Jan 19, 2003 9:25 pm

This is the only set of numbers that come under the logo:-
P6BX-A+ ver 2.4 05/07/1998
If this is the Bios OEM string though I'm unsure. If so does this make it ECS board?

Mon Jan 20, 2003 11:27 am

It sounds like it - download the manual and see if it looks like your board.

its_red · Tue Jan 21, 2003 12:41 pm

Ok, I give in, buying a new motherboard and processor now seem a far easier process. After flashing the bios, clearing the cmos, formatting new hard drive and installing o/s the system still ran slower than a 286 on a bad day, so I reflashed with original bios and went back to the old hard drive and now when it boots up it proudly tells me I have no keyboard and therefore I have no keyboard control, so I guess I lose. Oh well £100 to upgrade motherboard and processer doesnt seem to harsh. Thanks for all your help. God I hate computers.

Tue Jan 21, 2003 2:05 pm

Tell you what, as you have your original BIOS saved, zip and email it to me. I can patch that one if big HDD support is all you need.

its_red · Tue Jan 21, 2003 7:03 pm

I have emailed the bios to you, but I thought I would let everyone know what a star you are. Thanks man the help as been most appreciated. Red

Tue Jan 21, 2003 7:19 pm

It's taking a while to arrive...

its_red · Tue Jan 21, 2003 8:15 pm

Have you recieved it yet?, if not I will email it again.