Does anyone have bios chip possibly with latest flash on it.Need one to boot this computer up.thanks Davidw

Using an old ISA video card *may* allow you to get a display, then you'll be able to reflash the BIOS Is this post related to the one below it? If it is, you need to get the model numbers right. Are you asking about a Compaq EVO D310V? And what makes you think the BIOS is bad? Did you attempt to update it? http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor... EDIT (again): apparently you're asking about 2 different systems. You've asked about the BIOS for the Abit board before & I provided some info. If you botched the flash, try the ISA card. http://www.computing.net/answers/ha... "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction

Flashing the bios by default usually does not flash the boot block part of the bios data. If the floppy led comes on for a while a second time after the usual brief flash you usually see while booting when it has no disk in it, the boot block part of the bios data is probably okay and you can use a special recovery procedure specific to the bios brand along with the RIGHT bios update to flash the bios successfully - you don't need video to do it, but you could try an ISA or PCI video card to see if you see an error message - "Cmos Checksum error, BOOT BLOCK BIOS...." or similar. If you don't see that led come on a second time, you won't see the message, because the flash chip has probably failed physically and it cannot be flashed anymore, even if you use the risky hot flash method to flash it. If the bios chip is removable, if you don't mind spending a reasonable amount of money, you can get a new bios chip sent to you that is already flashed with the latest available manufacturer's bios update from several places on the web. E.g. if you are in the US or Canada, go to http://www.badflash.com and check it out. He also has lots of info about what can go wrong with flashing a bios, and the specific recovery procedure for Award and AMI bioses, etc. Some older bioses will not flash successfully if you have a password enabled in the bios when you flash - for that reason, remove passwords there before you flash. Some mboards have a jumper that must be in the right position when you flash your bios. If you flash with it in the wrong position, your flash utility may refuse to flash the bios, or your flash will fail, and in some cases you can end up with an empty bios. Check your mboard manual to see if you have such a jumper!! Some mboards have a setting in the bios Setup that protects the bios from being flashed by default. If you have such a setting, you must disable that protection. ...... Why did you flash the bios? Probably no bios update for this mboard - will make this mboard recognize a hard drive larger than 128gb (in your bios and in Windows; 137gb manufacturer's size) - the main chipset is not capable of it. - will make the mboard recognize larger ram modules than the main chipset can recognize. A modern PCI hard drive controller card will support recognizing any hard drive size, available for as little as $30 or less, but you must be able to select SCSI in your boot order in the bios in order to be able to boot from a hard drive connected to it. If you were having problems with ram, you were probably trying to use ram that is incompatible with the main chipset. E.g. This chipset may not recognize 4 chip 128mb modules or 8 chip 256mb modules. The bios may subtract 640kb or 1 mb from the total amount of ram installed for the conventional memory amount that cannot be used for user data, and/or subtract the amount of ram shared with onboard video, if it's being used - the amount shared is usually stated and changable in the bios - the amount is ignored if a video card installed in a slot disables the onboard video, which is usually the case. If the bios only sees half of the amount of ram on the module, or if the amount of ram reported is otherwise not correct, or if the mboard will not boot when it is installed, it's incompatible.

There is bios flash i had version4.51 pg.Dodnt see a boot block in bios or a jumper protecting it.Or a bios pw.Tried removing bios chip and one leg broke off so i tried another bios chip from another board bur it didnt wotk either. Davidw

Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG is the BIOS type, not the BIOS version. You can't swap the CMOS chip from one board to another unless the boards are identical...you would have to do a "hot swap". But to do it, you would need the correct Abit BIOS file for your board, the appropriate Award flash utility & another working system to use to reprogram the CMOS chip. http://www.tokenasians.com/articles... "If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions" - Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction

What made you think there was something wrong with your bios? It's usually NOT the bios that's the problem when people think it is. What were you trying to accomplish by updating the bios? Bios software makers release a general or overall bios version, but it is only a software framework and has to be modified by, or for, the mboard maker to a specific bios version to be able to communicate properly with the particular chips on the mboard model - primarily the main chipset chips and the I/O chip, sometimes other chips as well. The general or overall bios version of your Award mboard bios software is v4.51PG, but that's the same over several years for many other mboard models too. You probably can't use a specific bios update that does not have the overall bios version v4.51PG with this mboard, if it was made by Award. ..... If you don't mind spending a reasonable amout of bucks, check out http://www.badflash.com He'll fix you up. ...... For next time.... You can probably get specific bios updates for your model somewhere on the web, even if they aren't available on the mboard maker's current web site. If you need help with that let us know. Many mboard model have two or more Versions or Revisions - often the bios updates are different depending on which mboard version, or version series (1.x, 2.x, etc.), you have - the version or revision number is usually printed in obvious larger characters on the mboard surface - if there are updates for different mboard versions, you must make sure you use the right updates - if you use the wrong one, your mboard may not boot after you flash, usually because the I/O chip or one or both main chipset chips is/are different. If you need help with that let us know. Some older Award specific bios versions cannot recognize hard drives above a certain size because of bugs in the bios code - e.g., 8gb, or 32gb, or 64gb. Either the bios starts counting the size of the drive over again after it exceeds a certain size (subtracts 8, or 32, or 64gb, or multiples of that), or the the bios stalls forever when a drive or a certain size is installed, or if the drive size exceeds the maxiumum all drives larger than that are seen as the maximum size. Those bugs were fixed later, and if you can get a new enough specific bios version, the bios will then be able to recognize larger hard drives. However, sometimes you can't get one new enough. There are third party modified bios versions available for a small number of popular models that have fixed some or all the bugs in the bios version, beyond what is available from the mboard maker. If you need help with that let us know. Your mboard chipset probably cannot recognize any drive larger than 128gb (in the bios or Windows; = 137gb manufacturer's size) properly in any case. All drives larger than that will probably be seen as 128mb. The specific bios version prently used on the mboard is indicated by the model's bios string, or sometimes, only by a bios version number. That changes slightly if you flash your bios to a newer or older specific update version. For a mboard that does not have a brand name system (HP, Compaq, etc.) bios version on it .... The bios string is usually a long string of numbers/letters at the bottom of the first black screen as you boot your computer - it often begins with a date - usually you can press the Pause key to read it and copy it down. Press any key but Pause to continue booting. It could also be higher up the screen under or beside the bios version line, e.g. under or beside Award or AMI or Pheonix... If Windows is working on the system, whether you have a brand name system bios version or not, you can usually determine the specific bios version the mboard currently has this way... Go here, download BIOS AGENT. Run BIOS AGENT to find your bios string. - here's the link that downloads Bios Agent http://download.esupport.com/biosag... The current Bios Agent calls the bios string the Bios ID. Tell us the Bios ID it finds, or everything Bios Agent finds, and include any dashes, etc.