compal cl50 unable to update bios

[csn_0]

Hi all

i am a new newbie and just inherited a compal cl50 laptop and am trying to update its bios and install xp pro but to no avail.

i installed xp several times but each time, it hangs with 35 mins or 9 mins remaining. i was advised to update the bios. i created a bootable cd - with lots of guidance - but there is an error message when i flashed it with its flash016.exe file. the error message is:-

insyde dos flash update utility v0.16 (06/12/2003)
chipset: intel 855pm
opening rom image file: CL50200A.rom
Error -- Bios File Is Incorrect

but i downloaded the bios file from compal.com itself. so i am scratching my head and wonder where did i go wrong.

i need help desperately and would appreciate your guru's advice. tks.

sn

[NickS]

What is the current BIOS information?

[csn_0]

the info from the boot-up screen is:-

insyde software mobilepro bios version 4.00.00
copyright 1983-2002 insyde software corp. all rights reserved

BCL50 version 1.60

tks.
sn

[csn_0]

hi

i managed to install xp pro sp2 but still cannot update the bios.

during installation setup, xp asked to press F6 to use other devices, i was advised to press F5 instead. however, my cpu speed has dropped from 1.6G to 600MHZ after the successful installation.

this is really baffling and any advice/tips from you gurus will be deeply appreciated. tks.

[NickS]

during installation setup, xp asked to press F6 to use other devices, i was advised to press F5 instead. however, my cpu speed has dropped from 1.6G to 600MHZ after the successful installation.

I would suggest a utility like Notebook Hardware Control (NHC) to see whether you can vary the CPU speed.
It would be good to know what BIOS chip you have, but I can't remember which tool tells you.

[csn_0]

hi nicks, many thanks for introducing NHC which is very interesting to say the least.

NHC makes the following observations:-
1. no system battery [the latop has a battery]
2. acpi not configurated
3. many items cannot be selected
4. when i mark the selectable items, the laptop reboots itself

using pc wizard 2006, it reveals:-
1. bios is "compal" [is this what you are after?]
2. cpu multiplier is x6 i/o x16
3. cpu frequency is 598M i/o 1600M
4. video gpu 249 i/o 200
5. video memory gpu 200 i/o 250

i could dump the system bios and hardware registers details into a txt file if you like to investigate a bit further for me. many thanks.

btw, there is one more strange thing i found. to successfully load xp, i must not plug in the ac power. if i do that, the laptop keeps re-booting. but it doesn't make any difference once xp is running.

it is just weird if you ask me.

[NickS]

It sounds as though the ACPI is not well supported in the current BIOS, so I can understand your desire to update.

What I meant by BIOS chip type was 29F004 or similar. BIOS EEPROM chips have a signature that identifies the chip type so that BIOS flash programs (e.g. Uniflash) can handle them correctly.

If you can save your BIOS, does the flasher let you flash it back again? What size is the saved BIOS file?

[csn_0]

hi nicks

i am in deeper trouble now.

i managed to download the bios from another site. after burning it into a botable cd, i updated the bios. unfortunately, the laptop doesn't boot up now.

as it is a cd, i don't think the old bios can be saved.

is there anything else i can try or can i buy another eprom? what a bad day for me ...

sn

[csn_0]

hi nicks

you wouldn't believe what happensd! i just booted the laptop but only once. it is getting weirder by the minute!

would you have any idea what's going on? many thanks

[edwin]

How old is this laptop exactly? It might be suffering from http://www.badcaps.net as this sounds like the symptoms...

[csn_0]

hi edwin
i bought it new and have it for over 2 years. i hope dissembling it will not lead me to more trouble. tks anyway.

[csn_0]

hi nicks

is this the info you wanted?

when i flashed back the bios ie from v2 to 1.6, i managed to note these:-

CL5016B.rom file is 524,288 bytes
flash device = SST 39VF040

is this of any use? tks

[NickS]

Sorry for the delay, I've been on a couple of courses. I was wondering whether there was a mismatch between the BIOS file size and the device size, but they are both 4 Mbits. So that's not the reason.

The fact that you have managed to boot it once makes me think that it is not a BIOS problem and you should perhaps be thinking of hardware problems as Edwin suggests.

[csn_0]

thanks nicks.

i suppose i have to bite the bullet, get the necessary tools and dissemble the laptop. i shall report how i get along with it.

meanwhile, seasonal greetings to one and all. have a jolly good one. don't drive if you drink. cheers.

[Ripa Rapa]

One thing you should consider:

If you have added any memory to your laptop, that might explain your symptoms. Sometimes the memory seems to work but when you try to install windows or linux the problems starts.