Biostar M7MIA Bios upgrade problem

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NJKEV4FUN
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Hi all,
Yeah....I know this is an old Mobo...but I am setting it up for my young kids. It is the Biostar M7IA REV 1.1 MoBo. I won't go into WHY I wanted to upgrade the BIOS..I just would like to know WHY when upgrading from the MIA1228F.BIN to the (Biostar recommended) MIA1101F.BIN using their FLASHER, the board POSTS but then hangs.....loss of keyboard....no boot off drives possible.... etc. I tried the clear CMOS too...with no luck. Interestingly, the .BIN is obviously "good", and therefore prevents any attempt of resroring the original BIOS. However, I am an engineer...and have a BP programmer...and was able program the origninal BIOS. I also did a HEX-compare of the MIA1101F.BIN file to what I wrote to it with the FLASHER...and the contents of the BOOT BLOCK did not match...(and of course they may not)....but the sector ahead of the BOOT BLOCK did not match either.
Is it possible that I have to simply re-program the MIA1101F.BIN using my BP programmer, or is this newer BIOS simply not compatible with my REV 1.1 Mobo (Biostar says it is!!)?? Anyone have knowledge on this matter?
Any HELPFUL comments are welcome...
Thanks,
Kevin
KURIAKI
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NJKEV4FUN wrote:I just would like to know WHY when upgrading from the MIA1228F.BIN to the (Biostar recommended) MIA1101F.BIN using their FLASHER, the board POSTS but then hangs.....loss of keyboard....no boot off drives possible.... etc.
Your old BIOS MIA1228F.BIN looks like an OEM BIOS for other vendor.
It's a brand system?
More than 100,000 BIOS strings in my database just now!
http:/ /www.kuriaki.has.it/
http:/ /www.supportbios.info
------------------------------------------
Saludos desde Cancun, Mexico
KURIAKI
NJKEV4FUN
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Hi KURIAKI,
This is an orignal Award Bios for the Biostar M7MIA MoBo. The bios has never been updated since original OEM purchase. The bios string reported at "post" with the MIA1228F.BIN matches the MoBo (and it boots the PC!).
I used the Award Editor to look at the structure of the bios...and I did notice that the file size and CRC of the BOOT BLOCK is different when comparing the MIA1228F.BIN and MIA1101F.BIN files...but this should be a non-issue...correct? The bios should not care what the BOOT BLOCK content IS...unless the run-time bios fails CRC OR does not match the Mobo, in which case it is used to recover original bios! THAT is the reason why MY system does NOT attempt to recover with the BOOT BLOCK.....the CRC and MoBO ID ARE indeed good!
Kevin
Denniss
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Please post the full Bios-ID of your 1228F Bios including the Bios OEM message.

Use the Bios Agent or CTBIOS for this
http://www.unicore.com/biosagent/

Do you have USB keyboard or standard PS2 ?
Did the Flashprog show some non-updated areas either red or light blue) ?
NJKEV4FUN
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Hi Denniss,
The Bios ID string is "12/28/2000-761-686B-6A6S6B09C-00"

I have a standard PS2 Keyboard. I do have a USB mouse though. I have tried to set up a very basic system though....ISA video, a keyboard, and floppy...and still no boot.
Yes, I recall a blue (non-written) sector at the upper address range of Flash. I believe this would be the "boot block".

BTW....on the AMD website (do a search for 686B) They list MIA0806F as the version to use for M7MIA REV 1.1 MoBo....and a later version MIA0907F for the REV2.2. Interesting....
Denniss
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Blue sector may also be ESCD/DMI section, usually at the end of the blocks shown. Bootblock should be at the beginning.

It may be possible the bootblock is not updated although different in the latest Bios.

I have some Bios files for Kuriaki to check:
http://web.archive.org/web/200111012045 ... /m7mia.htm
(Please do not use them unless they are verified to be good)

Is there M7MIA Rev 1.1 written onto your board ?
NJKEV4FUN
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Hi Denniss,
Yes....there is a Rev 1.1 printed right on my MoBo.
BTW....Kuriaki asked me to send him the MIA1228F.BIN backup. I hope he will come up with something regading a possible change in BIOS format preventing a normal "flash" upgrade.
Hey..I see you are located in Germany....I've spent many of my summers in Stuttgart. My mom and Oma are German. I love it there...and hope to bring my family (wife and 3 sons) to meet my family still over there...

I do appreciate your help into this issue.

Kevin
New Jersey, USA
KURIAKI
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Denniss wrote:I have some Bios files for Kuriaki to check:
http://web.archive.org/web/200111012045 ... /m7mia.htm
Thanks Denniss.
These BIOS files are older than mines.
More than 100,000 BIOS strings in my database just now!
http:/ /www.kuriaki.has.it/
http:/ /www.supportbios.info
------------------------------------------
Saludos desde Cancun, Mexico
KURIAKI
Denniss
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Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2002 8:16 pm
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KURIAKI
Moderator
Posts: 1037
Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2004 9:37 pm
Location: Cancun, Mexico

NJKEV4FUN wrote:I just would like to know WHY when upgrading from the MIA1228F.BIN to the (Biostar recommended) MIA1101F.BIN using their FLASHER.
There are two flashers:
ftp://ftp.biostar-usa.com/drivers/utili ... 23_DOS.exe
ftp://ftp.biostar-usa.com/drivers/utili ... 6G_DOS.exe
More than 100,000 BIOS strings in my database just now!
http:/ /www.kuriaki.has.it/
http:/ /www.supportbios.info
------------------------------------------
Saludos desde Cancun, Mexico
KURIAKI
NJKEV4FUN
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Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:46 pm

Hi,
I have used the correct FLASHER (AWARDFLASH_823_DOS.EXE) when I upgraded the bios.
I was able to find the MIA0806F.BIN (08.06.2001) that AMD recommends on their site. As I had mentioned earlier, I cannot re-flash my bios chip with a dos boot-disk and flasher program since the system does not "detect" there is a problem with the bios...so it never tries to recover boot-block. Therefore, I decided to re-flash my bios with my BP1200 ROM/Flash programmer instead.
It booted my system.

BTW....the size of the ACPI Table within the binary is very similar when comparing the MIA1228F and MIA0806F; only 4 bytes difference in size;9384 and 8388 bytes respectively. However, the MIA1101F (11.02.2001), MIA0803F (08.03.2002) and MIA1003F (10.03.2003) all have the EXACT same size ACPI table of 9268 bytes; significantly smaller in size when compared to the earler bios versions. I did a bit of research regarding the southbridge and northbridge chipsets, and have found that there were a few critical hardware changes due to timing incompatabilities with one another, and the AMD CPU. I am beginning to think perhaps that the newer REV Mobo have these AMD recommended hardware changes (including newer rev of chipsets). This could explain why the there is a significant change to the ACPI Tables, and why the newer bios versions simply will NOT work on my MoBo.

I do have one more thing I will try in a day or so...when I have time. I will burn the latest bios that I have (MIA1003.BIN) directly to the flash with my BP programmer. Perhaps the bios will work, and I will learn something new about these so called "FLASHER" programs!!! LOL Perhaps E-Support.Com is looking to screw people into having to fork out $60 bucks on the "unwitty" bios upgrader!!? Hope it was "OK" for me to say that!!???? Not really sure why I even bothered with the FLASHER programs. I am a Sr. Electronic Engineer....I should know better than to trust SOFTWARE!! :-)

I'll keep you guys posted.
Thanks,
kevin
NJKEV4FUN
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Hi all,
I have found that all versions of BIOS upto and including MIA0806.BIN(08.06.2001) DO WORK with my Rev 1.1 Mobo.....and all later versions MIA1101F (11.02.2001), MIA0803F (08.03.2002) and MIA1003F (10.03.2003) DO NOT WORK with my Mobo. These do POST (most of the time)....but then the screen freezes and lose keyboard either on the POST screen or shortly after entering the BIOS menu. There must be someone out there with the same MoBo that has experienced the same thing!!??? Or one would think that there would be a newer modified BIOS for it?? E-SUPPORT claims they have a bios for my Mobo that will work....but I am not very confident considering the bios versions that I have tried are also "supposedly" for my MoBo! I don't want to shell out $30-$60 bucks for another version that won't boot my machine!! LOL
I don't believe I ever stated WHY I wish to update the BIOS. The reason is that I believe that the ACPI is not 100% compatible with the standard because I constantly get "ACPI:AMLI" bios write attempts which (I believe)causes my Windows 98ME and Windows XP (SP2) to "Freeze" randomly. It can happen when playing games....or simply going to the "control panel".....or even just sitting idle on the desktop. It is NOT heat related....or an IRQ sharing issue. I DO have an SB Live and VIA-686 MoBo Chipset...BOTH with up-to-date drivers. I am fairly certain from reading the numerous similar accounts within the forums that my issue IS indeed the bios!
Is is possible to "hack" my bios to correctly support ACPI?? Is is possible to fix this issue by removing the old ACPITBL.BIN and then importing a new one???
I am considering to disable the ACPI in my bios permanently....and then re-load Windows as "STANDARD PC" if I am unable to resolve this freezing problem.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Kevin
Denniss
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Have you tried to mail Biostar support ?
If these new version do not work with your older revision motherboard then you have to either live with that error or you have to get a new board.
NJKEV4FUN
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Hi Denniss,
Yes...I have contacted Biostar...and they claim the version (11.01.2001) posted on their site SHOULD work for all MoBO revisions.

There must be someone with the SAME Rev 1.1 Mobo! Even if they respond that I am "full of SH*T"...and that they have updated theirs WITHOUT any problems.
Thanks,
kev
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