Award BootBlock issue

xerom · Sun Feb 02, 2003 2:42 pm

I updated my Epox 4G4A bios successully, then rebooted and all I see now is:
Award BootBlock Bios 1.0
Copyright (c) 2000

BIOS ROM checksum error

Detecting floppy drive A media..

Automatic Load AWDFLASH.EXE
!!ERROR -- LOAD AWDFLASH.EXE Failed!
Replace the disk and press enter.

Problem is that it automatically tries to load a awdflash.exe not autoexec.bat if there is even one on the disk.. And if I copy only the .bin file and awdflash.exe on to disk, then it says that: The program file's BIOS-Lock string does not match with your system!

Any ideas?

xerom · Mon Feb 03, 2003 11:01 pm

or what does that error mean: "The program file's BIOS-Lock string does not match with your system!" ???
now I figured out that I updated my 4G4A´'s bios to 4G4A+ bios.. actually it wasn't not only my fault: on the epox's my mobo site is newest bios to download the 4G4A+ 's bios.. but in that "newest bios for my mobo (version 2B04)" readme is not listed my mobo model - 4G4A ..
and I used Alt+F2 method to update my bios, so it didn't even ask me any parameters or smt, just automatically updated bios from disk..
now I'm in pretty big trouble..

Tue Feb 04, 2003 2:55 pm

xerom wrote:or what does that error mean: "The program file's BIOS-Lock string does not match with your system!" ???

The BIOS ID string in the BIOS on floppy does not match the BIOS ID string already on the board, which makes sense if you flashed the wrong BIOS into the board. Does this mean you can now load AWDFLASH ?

now I figured out that I updated my 4G4A´'s bios to 4G4A+ bios.. actually it wasn't not only my fault: on the epox's my mobo site is newest bios to download the 4G4A+ 's bios.. but in that "newest bios for my mobo (version 2B04)" readme is not listed my mobo model - 4G4A ..
and I used Alt+F2 method to update my bios, so it didn't even ask me any parameters or smt, just automatically updated bios from disk..
now I'm in pretty big trouble..

On their website http://www.epox.nl/english/support/bios/pentium4.htm the BIOS http://www.epox.nl/BIOS/4G4A2B04.zip is listed for 4G4A / 4G4A+ / 4G4AN / 4G4AI. Did you use this ? If you used it, try emailing to complain.

Do you have your original BIOS saved ?

xerom · Tue Feb 04, 2003 3:15 pm

NickS wrote:Does this mean you can now load AWDFLASH ?

Yes. Award BootBlock automatically loads the AWDFLASH.EXE from floppy and this loads automatically the first .bin from floppy, and then gives a error about bios id string.

On their website http://www.epox.nl/english/support/bios/pentium4.htm the BIOS http://www.epox.nl/BIOS/4G4A2B04.zip is listed for 4G4A / 4G4A+ / 4G4AN / 4G4AI. Did you use this ? If you used it, try emailing to complain.

Do you have your original BIOS saved ?

Yes, I used this 4G4A2B04.zip. It is said on their Euro HQ that it is for 4G4A, but if you download this same bios from their USA HQ, then you will get readme file in that packed .exe file. And in that readme there is not listed my mobo's (4G4A) model anymore

..

Quote from the readme.txt included in 4G4A2B04.exe downloaded from Epox USA HQ: wrote: Bios filename: 4G4A2B04.BIN
Bios date: 11/4/2000
Bios size: 512 KB (For 4Mb BIOS EEPROM)
Bios checksum: 4600
Model support: EP-4G4A+, EP-4G4AR

And I don't have the backup, because I used the Alt+F2 method to update my bios, it didn't even ask me any parameters or smt, just updated a bios from floppy.

Tue Feb 04, 2003 3:44 pm

Looks as though your options are:
1. Complain and ask for a replacement
2. Pay 17.5 euros for a replacement
3. "Hot-flash" (hot-swap flash) reprogramming in another board - see http://www.pppr.sk/rainbow/hardware/hotflash.html - with an older BIOS from the USA site.
4. Get someone with an EEPROM programmer to program the older BIOS into your chip.

Tue Feb 04, 2003 3:53 pm

The puzzling thing is that the AWDFLASH complains when the BIOS strings are identical for both the 2A31.bin which says it supports the 4G4A and the 2B04.bin which does not, i.e.:
i845G-W83627-6A69VPAKC-00.

Tue Feb 04, 2003 9:05 pm

Awdflash complains about BIOS-Lock string. That's some stupid crap found in some BIOSes for unknown reason.

Wed Feb 05, 2003 10:55 am

Rainbow wrote:Awdflash complains about BIOS-Lock string. That's some stupid crap found in some BIOSes for unknown reason.

@rainbow - any solution besides what I suggested ? Do all versions of Awdflash look for the lock string ?

Wed Feb 05, 2003 8:58 pm

Older versions do not support BIOS lock. v7.79 has BIOS lock, v7.63 does not.

xerom · Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:27 pm

Rainbow wrote:Older versions do not support BIOS lock. v7.79 has BIOS lock, v7.63 does not.

So you think that I might be able to update my bios with awardflash v7.63? Where can I download different versions of awdflash?

Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:48 pm

Try it http://cable.pchome.net/drv/others/bios/awdflash.zip

xerom · Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:55 pm

Rainbow wrote:Try it http://cable.pchome.net/drv/others/bios/awdflash.zip

Doesn't work. It gives me "Unknown Flash Type!" error..

xerom · Wed Feb 05, 2003 10:02 pm

on my bios chip on mobo, or whatever you call this, is said that i got: SST 49LF004A chip..

Wed Feb 05, 2003 11:20 pm

v7.63 does not support SST 49LF004A

v7.76 does but has BIOS lock...

xerom · Thu Feb 06, 2003 7:38 am

Rainbow wrote:v7.63 does not support SST 49LF004A
v7.76 does but has BIOS lock...

but there are still few versions of awdflash between v7.63 and v7.76.. v7.64 and v7.72 for example.. what about these versions? do they have bios lock or do they support SST 49LF004A ?