Tried to overclock system again, and now can't even get into BIOS

[LABachlr]

I have a system that has a ABIT NF7-S REV 2.0 mobo with a AMD ATHLON XP MOBILE 2600+ processor.

I overclocked the system when I first built it two years ago. I needed to set the settings back to optimal default to perform some procedures. So, when I tried to overclock it again, it went to a black screen with a blinking gree light on the monitor.

Original overclock settings:

200MHz
11X

Tried to set them to the following settings today from the optimal factory default settings:

200MHz
10X

After I reset it, it came up with a warning not to power off while it was saving the settings to the BIOS. After about 30 seconds, I noticed the monitor was at a black screen and had a green blinking green light. So, I hit the reset the button and tried to enter the BIOS by hitting "delete." To no avail. Tried many times.

So, what do I do now? Is the mobo toast, or can I enter the BIOS somehow?

Could I try reflashing the BIOS?

Please advise.

[LABachlr]

Is it possible to make a bootable MS-DOS CD to flash to BIOS? It won't boot to the floppy.

[bushmaster]

Go to http://www.abit-usa.com/abitparts/bios_chip_4.php and buy a new one.

[Rocketmech]

Press the reset button while keeping pressed the "insert" key , this will load the failsafe settings and allow you back into the bios , hopefully .

[LABachlr]

How do you install it? Solder?

[Rocketmech]

Use a PLCC extraction tool to remove the old .

http://www.biosflash.com/e/bios-chip-removal.htm .

Press in the new chip by hand .

[BipolarBill]

Why is no one suggesting simply clearing the CMOS?

[LABachlr]

Tried the reset/insert combo. Didn't work. However, when I first turned on the computer this morning, it posted somewhat. It listed the 1st two lines of the post, and then stopped, and I could not get into BIOS. However, it was like that for a while before I tried hitting delete, as I was on the phone in the other room.

Should I try flashing the BIOS first with a bootable CD before I replace it?

[LABachlr]

I'll try that. Thanks, Bill.

[Sterling_Aug]

Try the BIOS reset that Rocket said above.

Turn off the PC. Press and hold in the Insert key. Turn on the PC and wait until the PC boots up. Then release the Insert key.

[LABachlr]

Clearing the CMOS fixed it. Thanks, Bill!

The reason this happened in the first place is that I did not set all of the parameters when I tried overclocking it again, including not enabling the CPU Interface, which allows the mobo to use the user settings vs. the default settings. It's been a while since I have overclocked a system.

Now, the problem is still not being able to install updates from Windows Update, which is the reason why I tried to repair the OS in the first place. The file that it is failing to install now is "Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1". Any ideas?

Another immediate issue is finding the ethernet driver for this mobo, NF7-S 2.0. It's not listed on ABIT's website. I tried installing the generic nVidia drivers, which was supposed to include the ethernet driver, but no driver was installed:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce_udp_winxp_3.13

I got the link from a forum whose posts were from 2003, and I bought the board in 2004, so maybe it needs a new version. If anyone knows where I can find the LAN driver for this mobo, please do tell. Thanks.

[LABachlr]

Just got a reply on the ABIT forum. The LAN driver is in the chipset download for the mobo on their site.

[LABachlr]

The LAN was not enabled in the BIOS. That's why it wasn' t working. Guess it got disabled with all of the changes made.

I was also able to get Windows Update to work. Not sure how. Persistence, I guess.

[BipolarBill]

The wrong system date/time can kill Windows Update. The sync feature probably fixed it.