Averatec 3250 BIOS - HELP PLEASE !

Don't ask how to hack password. (BIOS Passwords)
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dareway
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Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 10:16 pm

Hello,
I have averatec 3250 laptop/amd2200+/ with killed bios.
The chip is SMD type 39sf040 - i.e. 512kB.
Pulled from mobo and programed with willem
programer with propper AMIBOOT.ROM from
www.averatec.com - tested twice - programed ok,
heat soldering back on mobo - but NOTHING -the same
thing - powers up, vent's up, hdd's up, flashing 2-3 sec DVD
and scereen still blank.
AMI BIOS boot block recovery procedure fail with cd
/laptop have not floppy/.
I have found small 24c68 memory on mobo - read
with programer - empty.
CAN some one HELP ?
Sharedoc
Notebook Genius
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2003 8:46 pm
Location: Finland

Questions:

Are you sure the root cause of the problems is the bios flash that went wrong? Did you flash it yourself?

Did you flash original or the "killer version" when you took the chip off and programmed it with external programmer?

I was not able to find memory component matching type 24c68, are you sure you got it right?

Possible answers:

(1) "Killer bios" version just does not work in your laptop
(2) When you soldered back the 39sf040 chip, you have created a short or open circuit in some of the pins.
(3) there is some other hardware fault in your laptop. Symptoms are exactly the same as with a dead processor

Did you check how much a new motherboard would cost?
dareway
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Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 10:16 pm

Thank you for comment, here is real situation :

I try to update my averatec 3250 laptop with
propper bios upgrade from mnf.cite ver.1.04
Everything fine until last reboot.
Dark screen, vent ok at full speed, atx switch ok.
So I open my notebook and find that
bios type is smd chip PMC flash PM49FL004T
I have Willem programer and air smd rework station.
When first read the chip it was full with FF - i.e. cleared !
After programing few times smd chip with again
say - propper bios from mnf.cite, and change
also few time chip with new one, and with new type
3V EEPROM 512k/4Mb/ like SST 39VF/LF040 -
situation is the same - NOTHING change !
Trying with different bios from sotec /similar amd platform/
again nothing !
The strange thing is that AMIBOOT.ROM begining
with many FF's -i.e. may be boot block /only boot block is
not compressed/ is a part from WinSFI /winflash/ procedure.
BTW i check everything separately on other laptop platform
- processor, ddr mem, hdd, dvdrw - etc.
On my practice i have simillar symptoms with DELL laptop
again with FWH/LPC flash memory and again similar/exacly same/
symptops.
May be the kay is small 24c08 memory, may be boot block ?
I try to find.
Thanks.
Sharedoc
Notebook Genius
Posts: 679
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2003 8:46 pm
Location: Finland

Ok, it was 24c08. It is 1kx8 serial eeprom. I wonder if it is the "CMOS", ie data for the bios? Can you follow if there is bios CMOS battery in the laptop? If not, they may be using this small flash instead of battery backed CMOS.

Can you "borrow" a working motherboard and to read the contents of both the flash memories as binary files and then make clones?

---

One more thing. Did you think of possibility that you have a CIF virus on our computer harddisk that wipes out bios code? Could this explain why you got to this mess, or did you get there by trying to flash the bios first?
taquinvol
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Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:05 pm

Sorry for reviving this thread but since I likely have the exact same notebook (3250HX1) I thought creating a new thread would be redundant but I doubt the original poster would like to share his further exploits with us since this was more than 2 years ago.

I killed the BIOS by flashing it with the 1.04 BIOS given by Averatec on their site. Flashing procedure completed, notebook rebooted and I got the blank screen award. Is this notebook normally able to do the standard AMI boot block procedure or is the AMIBIOS it uses too old for that? I tried using a CD with only AMIBOOT.ROM in it, the machine appears to scan the drive then stops.

Would using a USB floppy possibly work? Somehow I'd think that if the notebook won't read from CD it won't care much to scan the USB ports for a floppy. Any ideas, since the BIOS appears to be soldered on the motherboard?
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