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How can I get a bin version of the Sony BIOS to flash in a E

Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 9:01 am
by toosour
Hello,

After having failed in getting the Crisis Recovery to kick in for my Sony VAIO VGN FE31Z, I have got someone to remove the ROM and try to reflash in a EEPROM programmer. Unfortunately cant reflash using the Sony supplied exe. Doesnt work even after extracting the .wph or renaming the .wph as bios.wph. Need the bin version.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

Re: How can I get a bin version of the Sony BIOS to flash in a E

Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:15 pm
by drgn997
toosour wrote:Hello,

After having failed in getting the Crisis Recovery to kick in for my Sony VAIO VGN FE31Z, I have got someone to remove the ROM and try to reflash in a EEPROM programmer. Unfortunately cant reflash using the Sony supplied exe. Doesnt work even after extracting the .wph or renaming the .wph as bios.wph. Need the bin version.

Can anyone help?

Thanks
Hello,
you can use the .wph file that you already have extracted from the Sony .exe update file. For example I use Willem Enhanced Programmer, once I select the memory part number I want to Flash and open the .wph file, the program automatically deletes/ignores the additional bytes of information that exceeds the capacity of the Flash memory. If you want to make sure you use a BIOS file with the same size of the Flash Memory Chip, you can use an HEX file editor and delete the extra information at the end of the update. Use the next to examples as a guide:

For 1 Megabyte flash chip (00000-FFFFF hex) delete bytes from 100000 hex position all to the end, once you save the file it'll have a size of 1,048,576 bytes, nothing more or less than that.
For 512 Kilobyte flash chip (00000-7FFFF hex) delete bytes from 80000 hex position all to the end, once you save the file it'll have a size of 524,288 bytes, nothing more or less than that if done right.

The new file would be the .bin version of the update.


Simple, I've done it a few times and has always worked.

DRGN997

Re: How can I get a bin version of the Sony BIOS to flash in a E

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 12:36 pm
by toosour
Thank you drgn997

Seasons greetings to you and all the others.

My hardware chap has given up inspite of giving him the right bin file.

My only hope is to try and do it myself. (Totally green and trying to bite off something like this ) :)

My question is can I purchase something like Willem Enhanced Programmer, and the required PLCC or required Surface Mounted chip and do this myself ( with a lot of help from helpful and angelic folk like you :)

Thanks

Re: How can I get a bin version of the Sony BIOS to flash in a E

Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 8:23 pm
by drgn997
Hello,
first of all you need to provide the Flash memory part number, package (TSOP32/40, PLCC32, SOP-8, SOIC-8) and number of pins. Checked the specifications of your laptop and it has a Centrino/Core 2 Duo processor, so I'm thinking that it most likely have a SOP or SOIC package, but don't know. So based on the memory type installed in your motherboard we'll know the complexity of the procedure to reflash that chip. In which country are you located?

DRGN997

Re: How can I get a bin version of the Sony BIOS to flash in a E

Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 6:21 pm
by toosour
Thanks again!!

I too think you are right about the SOP or SOIC bit. Let me get back the notebook and check.

I am in India.

Grateful for all the help. :)