PCG-FX220 BIOS flash screw up and how i recovered it.
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:16 am
Problem: i installed the BIOS update (PHA3U0XNG4.EXE version. WXP03U0 1.64 MB
08/05/2002) from the following location (
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-do ... 87&os_id=7 )
because i was trying to update the laptop to Windows XP. After i flashed the BIOS
exactly as the Sony website said, on reboot there was no video. I was able to see the
Sony "Splash" screen and hitting F2 got me into the BIOS. I could see that the BIOS was
updated properly, the new BIOS just didnt work properly with whatver video card is in
the laptop (how can Sony realese a BIOS like this is beyond me). The BIOS obviosly was
not compatible with the laptop even though it is on the Sony esupport website. Doing the
online Sony Esupport chat was totally useless.
Fix: To fix the problem I used some help from qn's post above. using the document Phlash_SC_E113.pdf(http://emea.kontron.com/downloads/appli ... C_E113.pdf) and the LPT Update key. Once this was set up the laptop was trying to access the floppy drive, now all i needed was a BIOS update disk with the proper BIOS on it.
i downloaded the original BIOS for the laptop R0232U0 from her:
http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp/download/PK-000085-00.html (website is in japanese, just scroll down and click the green button)
I had to find the original BIOS elsewhere because stupid Sony doesn't allow you to make a BIOS boot disk without being able to make it from the laptop. If your laptop is unuseable because of their stupid BIOS updates, how the heck can you make a BIOS boot disk?! idiots.
... anyway I right clicked the file i downloaded called PK-000085-00.exe and extracted it, i double clicked CRISDISK.BAT and it creates a boot disk that will flash the BIOS.
After it was created, inserted it in the drive, and the system accesses the floppy and starts to flash the BIOS back to the original. Once it finishes the system shuts off. remove the wires from the LPT update key that you made above and reboot the machine. the BIOS is back to the original BIOS and the machine is useable
Im not going to attempt to update the BIOS again because of the lack of Sony support. I will try to install windows XP without updating the BIOS.
Thanks for the help.
08/05/2002) from the following location (
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-do ... 87&os_id=7 )
because i was trying to update the laptop to Windows XP. After i flashed the BIOS
exactly as the Sony website said, on reboot there was no video. I was able to see the
Sony "Splash" screen and hitting F2 got me into the BIOS. I could see that the BIOS was
updated properly, the new BIOS just didnt work properly with whatver video card is in
the laptop (how can Sony realese a BIOS like this is beyond me). The BIOS obviosly was
not compatible with the laptop even though it is on the Sony esupport website. Doing the
online Sony Esupport chat was totally useless.
Fix: To fix the problem I used some help from qn's post above. using the document Phlash_SC_E113.pdf(http://emea.kontron.com/downloads/appli ... C_E113.pdf) and the LPT Update key. Once this was set up the laptop was trying to access the floppy drive, now all i needed was a BIOS update disk with the proper BIOS on it.
i downloaded the original BIOS for the laptop R0232U0 from her:
http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp/download/PK-000085-00.html (website is in japanese, just scroll down and click the green button)
I had to find the original BIOS elsewhere because stupid Sony doesn't allow you to make a BIOS boot disk without being able to make it from the laptop. If your laptop is unuseable because of their stupid BIOS updates, how the heck can you make a BIOS boot disk?! idiots.
... anyway I right clicked the file i downloaded called PK-000085-00.exe and extracted it, i double clicked CRISDISK.BAT and it creates a boot disk that will flash the BIOS.
After it was created, inserted it in the drive, and the system accesses the floppy and starts to flash the BIOS back to the original. Once it finishes the system shuts off. remove the wires from the LPT update key that you made above and reboot the machine. the BIOS is back to the original BIOS and the machine is useable
Im not going to attempt to update the BIOS again because of the lack of Sony support. I will try to install windows XP without updating the BIOS.
Thanks for the help.