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flash mobo BIOS to cure ALI USB problem (unknown flash type)
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:51 pm
by jarvster2000
My cheap USB card is having trouble being recognised on my PC. It finds it and installs it but if I stick, for example, my bluetooth adapter in there, nothing.
I download the correct ALI drivers from their site - the USB card updates itself but nothing changes function-wise. Today when I turned it on, it spontaneously started finding the proper drivers and installed it properly and it worked... briefly.
It found different software when I plugged my Bluetooth adapter in so I reinstalled my BT software and all of a sudden the USB card went back to it's previous non functioning state (ie not seeing anything any USB things that I plug in) not even a system restore got it functionality back.
To solve all this, Im trying to update my Matsonic MS8137C mobo with the newest BIOS (040506.bin). I am using the Award830 flash utility and did everything I was supposed to. When I rebooted with the disk and ran the program, it said "Unknown flash type" afte I had tried the flash.
What do I do?
Thaks for any help!
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:25 am
by KURIAKI
Try:
awd830 040506.bin /f
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 12:50 pm
by jarvster2000
Hi, I tried that but instead of running the award 830 flash utility it just said it couldn't read the sector or something and gave the old:
"Read, Ignore, Cancel, Fail" message.
I tried it with another disk and the same thing.
However. I am beginning to wonder if I am going for the wrong bios by getting the mobo model wrong.
I have a Matsonic MS8137C but I am beginning to wonder if it is the MS8137C+.
I noticed on startup the + in the startup spiel. Also on SiSoftware Sandra, it listed the mainboard system bios as 11/04/02-VT8366-8233-MS8137CC-00
Would the CC indicate C+? The sticker on the mobo (don't know whether this is the most accurate info being just a sticker) says MS8137C and underneath Rev. 2.0.
Any ideas?
PS Im pretty sure I have the jumper setting right. Even though the manual for the mobo posts conflicting info about where pin 1 of the 3 pins is located.
EDIT: Actually I think I may be wrong. Pictures of the + mobo show it to be purple and the ordinary one to be beige, like mine. Ah well back to square 1...
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:27 pm
by KURIAKI
jarvster2000 wrote:However. I am beginning to wonder if I am going for the wrong bios by getting the mobo model wrong.
I have a Matsonic MS8137C but I am beginning to wonder if it is the MS8137C+.
OEM Sign-On for:
MS8137C: MS8137C 10/07/2003
MS8137C+: MS8137C+ 10/07/2003
BIOS update for MS8137C+:
http://206.135.80.155/download/bios/ms8 ... 506%2B.zip
Can you backup your actual BIOS and send me the file please?
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:32 am
by jarvster2000
Ok I have emailed it you.
Im feelin sure I don't have the + version of the mobo so it's all the more confusing why it won't let me flash. The manual for the mobo doesn't have a + so I guess that's the best indication.
I hope the current bios may tell you something.
Thanks!
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 6:46 pm
by KURIAKI
Thanks a lot.
It's a MS8137C+ for sure:
MS8137C+ 11/04/2002
11/04/2002-VT8366-8233-MS8137CC-00
Manual:
http://206.135.80.155/download/manual/ms8137c%2B.zip
Latest BIOS update:
http://206.135.80.155/download/bios/ms8 ... 506%2B.zip
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 10:20 pm
by jarvster2000
Hey there Kuriaki.
Problem solved. It wasn't a MS8137+ after all. When I compared the manuals I saw that mine was the non + version. I also noticed that the jumper setting for bios flashing was different to mine...
On closer inspection my manual is incorrect - it has printed the jumper upside down! pin 1 is at the bottom and not the top.
I changed the jumper and voila, I managed to flash the mobo.
Sadly, this still hasn't helped me to properly install my USB card but at least I can rule this step out.
Cheers for your help though dude.
Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:53 pm
by edwin
You have not an option of trying a different USB card or this USB card in another motherboard? That could rule out a broken card. Not rare with these cheap cards to come broken out of the package...
Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2005 11:46 am
by jarvster2000
I splashed out on a Belkin one which worked perfectly. The cheapo one with the ALI chipset is apparantly notoriously hard to get working on some PC's with various conflicts to solve, etc.
Meh, it was only £4 so I don't feel too hard done by - and at least I got around to updating my mobo bios because of it!
