Award boot block from nowhere(?)

[steltk]

Anyone seen this:

Award Boot Block Bios V1.0
BIOS Rom Checksum error
Detecting Floppy Drive A Media
Drive A error. System Halt.

How about when you're not overclocking or flashing bios? And the best part is that i can't get past it too easily. (CMOS clearing or BIOS flashing won't do squat) i've seen the same problem on a few threads on other forums too, in all cases unsolved. I got that error message on my brand new 8RDA3G (first boot), sent it to the store where they either changed the bios chip or managed to flash it properly. They couldn't find any other faults in the mobo or CPU. The same error made comeback 3 days after the repair and now i'm waiting for the third time... Anyone got any clues what might cause this?

Temperatures all nominal, BIOS has "optimized defaults", no overclocking.

8RDA3G/Athlon xp 2600+/Club3D Radeon 9000/512MB Kingston/40G Maxtor/

[Veky]

Umm, try disabling floppy drive A: in the first menu of BIOS?

[nfrenay]

I think you need to make a bootable disk with a BIOS rom (from Epox site), the awdflash software and probably an autoexec.bat file "calling" the awdflash with the correct options.

But someone else will probably be able to explain this better then me, I've never done it . (Never corrupted award bios).

Maybe you can find some info @ www.epox.org (Epox UK website).

[SDBear]

Steltk,
I just discovered the same message earlier. Check the SDRAM memory module that you have installed, it may be calling this message.. here is what happens to me.

Current configuration: three 168pin SDRAM slots
slot1: 256MB, 133MHz, SDR- (Sync Data Ram)
slot2: 256MB, 133MHz, SDR- (Sync Data Ram)
slot3: open

I have a 128MB memory SDRAM module, and was going to upgrade my system with it from 512MB to 640MB, but I decided to test the 128MB module first by installing it into slot 1, with no other memory.



Guess what!!!
Award Boot Block BIOS, v1.0
BIOS ROM CHECKSUM ERROR
Detecting Floppy Drive A: Media...
INSERT DISK IN DRIVE A AND PRESS ENTER

I can put in a bootable diskette and press ENTER and it will boot the disk,
imagine that.

With your system saying "Drive A error. System Halt." I am guessing that you do not have a floppy drive or it is disabled in some way.

I know that a lot of the DELL systems will let you order them without a floppy drive.... which makes no sense???

Anyway...
I removed the 128MB ram and put my original 256MB ram in and the system boots normal... Also another interesting this is, that I can install the 128MB ram in the second slot with my and the system sees it as any other ram.

The 128MB SDRAM module in question, has the following markings on a white label:

MT8LSDT1664AG-133B1 PC133U-333-541-A
SG CBNAC3204 200039
128MB, SYNC, 133MHZ, CL3

There is also what appears to be a large M on the left side of the label.
This module is made up of 8 chips on one side, each of p/n: MT 48LC16M8A2.

My original memory is also made with the same chips however they are 256MB modules have 8 chips on each side.


Suggestion, if you have more than one module installed, try reversing their locations, if you only have 1 module I would try getting some new ram, just be sure to take the old module with you, and make sure not to buy the same one. (IE: with the M on the label.) 168 pin SDRAM is fairly cheap right now.

Good Luck!! by all means let me know the result!

[EPoX Tech]

You may want to check the dates that the other POSTS were made.

This is most likely caused by BIOS corruption from non ACPI compliant windows installation / shutdown.

[jimbobaggies]

Originally Posted by EPoX Tech

You may want to check the dates that the other POSTS were made.

rofl return of the living thread