8kta3+pro and sort of dead bios

[ad47]

this may have been asked before, but I done a search and no joy

I got an Eopx 8kta3+pro, A mate of mine have borrowed it for a while and now have a problem.

The board was going fine, until he put a PCI EIDE extender board in and the computer came up with

Bios boot block v1.01

Insert system disk
Press any key to continue

Or something like that anyway, I do not think the problem was the card, it just was a thing that happens.

Now it seems like it wants to reprogram the bios using a floppy disk,
Now do anyone know what should be on this floppy disk and the command that is needed in the autoexec.bat file?

Or is my bios dead?

This is what you get by lending things out,

Anyway, please help

Adrian

[EPoX Tech]

Unfortunatley, it seems that your friend has killed your mainboard BIOS.

If clearing the mainboard CMOS does not bring it back to life, it will be necessary for you (or him perhaps) to purchase a new BIOS eeprom.

I quote from my website :-

A replacement eeprom BIOS chip (pre-programmed) can be purchased by sending a cheque for £9.95 made payable to "Actron Electronics Limited" to :-

EPoX UK
c/o Actron Electronics Limited
2 Cochran Close
Crownhill
Milton Keynes
MK8 0AJ



This service is available for all mainboards under 2 years old.

Please remember to include your mainboard model number and postal address when applying. THIS IS FOR UK RESIDENTS ONLY. BIOS eeproms are usually sent out with 72hours of cheque receipt. Please note that this does not include eeprom removal tool, although these are available from all good electronics outlets throughout the UK. BIOS eeproms will not always be flashed with the latest BIOS, they will be flashed with a BIOS of our choice that is deemed to offer maximum overall successful recovery. It is not possible to order these components by telephone.

[ad47]

Originally Posted by EPoX Tech

Unfortunatley, it seems that your friend has killed your mainboard BIOS.

If clearing the mainboard CMOS does not bring it back to life, it will be necessary for you (or him perhaps) to purchase a new BIOS eeprom.

I quote from my website :-

thanks, I thought because it is asking for a disk, it may have been looking for a floppy with a Bios image on.

It looks like it time for a new bios then, I presume you still do the bios for this board then? It is getting to be close to the 2 year old limit.

He will pay for it, he said he would, but it is money which he have not really got, but such is life.

[bigblue]

Any way to use another computer to get the BIOS bin (image) to a floppy, then program your mobo?

[ad47]

Originally Posted by bigblue

Any way to use another computer to get the BIOS bin (image) to a floppy, then program your mobo?

But that the same bin as i can get from Epox website is it not?
We tried to do all sorts of things, like make a floppy up with a autoexe.bat file with award flash and a bin file but it did not work.

Maybe we are doing it wrong or it is true and the bios is gone.

[bigblue]

Originally Posted by ad47

But that the same bin as i can get from Epox website is it not?
We tried to do all sorts of things, like make a floppy up with a autoexe.bat file with award flash and a bin file but it did not work.

Maybe we are doing it wrong or it is true and the bios is gone.

Yes, you are working too hard!
I am assuming that the computer boots and counts the memory, then the HD and stuff are detected. If this is true, and you can read that writing down below that says "ALT+F2 to enter Award Flash", then you should be able to flash your BIOS. All you need is a formatted floppy (nonbootable) inserted into the floppy drive that has nothing on it except the BIN file "8K202205.bin" - you do not need all those other files (Awardflash, Restore, Update, Readme). Once you press ALT+F2, just follow the bouncing ball and be VERY patient while the BIOS is flashed. DO NOT interrupt the process! Interrupting the process will hose your flash and BIOS. It will tell you when it is done.

If you can't see the "ALT+F2 to enter Award Flash" down below, or your computer hoses before the memory count and HD/IDE devices detection, well then you are probably out of luck.

[ad47]

I know how to flash a bios normally, I done it lots of times on different boards.

It do not count any memory or nthing, just come up with bios boot block, insert system disk and press any key.

As you said, it looks like I am out of luck.
The only thing I am wondering is why on earth the board started doing this?

To be honest, the board have not been that good since I got it, Voltages being wrong, computer losing the FSB and going back to 100 instead of 133. Then the Raid slots not working as they should.
Maybe it was a bios problem all along, I should have sent the board back to the retail store i got it from.
This is one of the reasons, I gone for an Abit and not another Epox.
I expect i will get another bios chip, as the computer is useful for certain things.

Thanks for your help anyway.