BIOS Hot-Flashing

[bkehoe]

Hi,

I desperatly need to re-program a BIOS chip using hot-flashing - i.e. booting up a good mobo with BIOS chip, removing chip with computer switched on, putting in bad chip and then flashing the bad chip with a flashing program.

I get to the part where I go to flash the BIOS. When I start the award BIOS flasher, give it the BIOS file name, it then screams "Uunknown Flash Type!" at me. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif Does anyone know of a flasher that will work?

BTW, I'm using a BP-6 for flashing the bad BIOS.

Thanks,
Brendan.

[Mntsnow]

Brendan, The only way I have ever done it is to use the SAME type of motherboard to do the bios flash. I might be misunderstanding your question. please clarify for me. Are you trying to fix a bad BP6 bios with your BP6 motherboard or a different BIOS make?

Mntsnow

[Nathan G]

I have a EEPROM/ PAL programmer at work... Is it possible to load file from Internet and burn a eprom for him ??? I have never tried this... how would i know checksum ?
Copying a known good BIOS EPROM would be easier, i think i can do that easily, a copy (as long it isnt "protecetd")....
but load bios file from internet and then flash a blank EEPROM hmmm errr i dunno
(we woud make sure chip cross-ref the same)
hmmm just an idea......anyone here done this?


[This message has been edited by Nathan G (edited 03-15-2000).]

[BBA]

Nathan, yes it will work, but you might not have a way to input the flash bin file to the burner.

The burner is actually the device used to program the chips in the first place.

[dkozloski]

I have done the hot swap BIOS flash several times. The motherboards do not have to be identical as long as they are compatible with the flash memory chip. What you are doing is using an alternate motherboard as a flash chip programmer. Of course nothing is bootable until the chips are put back in the right boards. The complications arise because there are a bunch of flashing programs out there, all different. I have found a couple of generics that are very powerful but dangerous as well. The best I have seen is called Uniflash. There are several good BIOS pages on the web. A thorough search should turn them up.
Good luck!

[This message has been edited by dkozloski (edited 03-16-2000).]

[bkehoe]

dkozloski, you told mne exactly what I want to know.

I think I already found it (just did a quick search on Lycos).

For anyone that wants to know, something went wrong when I was flashing a BIOS on a Shuttle VIA based board, making it unbootable, so I am using my BP6 as the eprom burner - boot up to command propmt, revove working BP-6 BIOS chip, and put in the bad chip. Then run a flash program and burn the good Old BIOS to teh chip.

Brendan

[Nathan G]

If you wish for me to try & burn you one:
Please Provide me the exact markings on the eeprom chip (probably have to pull back BIOS label) and the BIOS file you want put on it.
I will see if i can find eeprom here. Heck, I may have a suitable EEprom here allready. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
I think i will try this with an old MB to see if i can do this trick ...
BBA: In my programmer application under "load" is a selection called "Binary" in file types(among others) so I guess it can deal with BIN files.

[bkehoe]

I coudn't get it to work in the BP6, so I thought that maybe the Shuttle was 5V. The BP6 has a 12Volt chip.

So, I decided to install the Shuttle AI61 (AMD 751/756 Athlon board) which I have for testing purposes and hot-flash it using the same voltage (P.S. don't tell them that I used a testboard for this http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif )

Started up the Award flashing program, soecified the BIOS file, and off it went with no problem. Now my board is back working. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

Brendan

[This message has been edited by bkehoe (edited 03-16-2000).]

[This message has been edited by bkehoe (edited 03-16-2000).]

[Wiz]

WORD OF WARNING:

DO NOT put the chip in backwards. A friend and i were flashing his BIOS after a pwoer surge knocked him outta comission during a flash, he put my BIOOS in backwards, and KAPUT, bye bye BIOS

[alpha]

I'd doubt that a BX based SMP board and a VIA based board would have the same flash memory chip.