No, I'm afraid there's no beep ;( but I didn't hear one anyway when the computer was working correctly. So I'll wire it up and see. Ok, I'll try removing the CMOS battery for a few minutes. Thanks

0

"i can see a set of jumpers saying "clearrtc" is that the one that I use to clear the CMOS?" That's poor wording on their part but yes that's the same as a clear cmos jumper. RTC stands for Run Time Clock - that keeps track of and sets the time and date - but there's a lot more to the Bios and the CMOS portion of the bios than just that. When you get the Boot Block Bios or similar message that means the flash failed, but the part of the bios the boot block data is in on the bios chip is probably okay. Your mboard often doesn't beep if the bios is in boot block mode. However, it's possible the portion the rest of the bios data is supposed to be stored in is physically damaged. That's assuming the situation that most bios updates don't flash the boot block portion of the bios by default because normally it's data is not changed from the original version, and it's there to provide bare bones support so that you can attempt to Recover your bios using a procedure specific to your bios brand if a normal flash fails. However, if you deliberately selected flashing the boot block before you flashed, if something goes wrong while flashing or you use the wrong bios update which may have the wrong boot block portion for your mboard, you may have no boot block mode after you flash, or you may have a boot block mode that doesn't suit your mboard properly after you flash. Asus mboards normally use the Aflash flash utility of an appropriate version. On more recent Asus mboards it can flash Award or AMI bioses. The brand of bios should be stated in your mboard manual, and may be seen on the forstblack screen as you boot if that isn't obscured by a logo (graphical)screen. With older Aflash versions, it works fine with a normal flash, but it couldn't be used to do the Recovery procedure specific to the bios version - you had to get an Award or AMI, whichever you had, flash utility of an appropriate version to do the Recovery procedure with. I don't know if that still applies to newer Aflash versions. On older mboards, if the boot block portion of the bios is working correctly, the floppy led will come on again after the usual brief blink it normally does while booting - it is looking for a proper bios update on a floppy in the drive, or a proper bios update and flash utility on a floppy in the drive. I don't know if that still applies to recent mboards/bioses, but on older mboards if the floppy drive led doesn't come on again like that the bios chip must be replaced because it is physically damaged. Since you messed up the bios yourself the mboard doesn't qualify for you RMAing it and getting a free fix (except for one way shipping costs). If you can't find a solution that works, check the Asus web site to see whether can get a replacement bios chip (assuming it's in a socket and is removable; I doubt they have them) - if that yields nothing, if you are in the US or Canada see http://www.badflash.com or similar and order yourself an already flashed replacement bios chip. If you are in Europe or Aus, there are other links I can suggest for places you can get an already flashed bios chip.

0

"ASUS's site is extremely useless and always down and therefore I cannot retrieve the manual from there >:-(" If you are using another computer to access Asus web site that hasWindows on it but does not have IE 6 or greater on it, the Asus web site does not work properly on many pages if you use an older IE browser version. If you were using IE 6 or higher, you didn't try very hard. E.g. On the North America (US) Asus site, go to Download - type N4L in the Input Model to Search box - you will get the N4L VM DH support pages link. By the way, if you used a Beta bios update version to flash with, it is labelled Beta because it hasn't been fully tested and certified as a Final version yet. Don't use Beta versions unless you have no other choice - use the newest Final version instead.

0

yes thanks, I'm in Europe, UK. I've contacted ASUS, and I've got on to the ASUS site this time round. :) At the time, I was trying a CD bios restore, and nothing happened. Will try putting the BIOS on a floppy disk. urgh, I hate the word "beta" btw lol; I did try the latest final version Thanks again.

0

"No, I'm afraid there's no beep ;( but I didn't hear one anyway when the computer was working correctly." That might just be that there is no system speaker installed.

0

there is a speaker, it just never made any noise, unless I was in safe mode and that safemode popup came up lol. I have an idea about the no video display. I used a 3rd party video card while updating the bios, and while recovering it. No that the bios is reset, it no longer using the PCI-e slot, where the graphics card is? But then again, it's not using the onboard graphics card either... will keep experimenting.

0

From Badflash Recommends list at above (links) This one would probably cost you, in the UK, the least for shipping. http://www.flashbios.org/ The Netherlands (Holland) Ships worldwide Less explanatory text, pix of bios removal tools, common flashchips. The http://www.badflash.com has the most information of any site I have come across about replacing the bios chip with another one already flashed with a mboard manufacturer's update. There are also modern bios upgrade chip solutions available but that is a more expensive option - they have more possible features included, and support all or nearly all possible cpus, for the bios for your particular chipset, often much more than the newest update the mboard manufacturer provides. ..... What isn't clear from your descriptions..... Is your system presently doing anything at all? E.g. - are the drives and fans spinning? - is the hard drive led blinking like it normally should as if Windows is loading data from the hard drive? Obviously you don't have video. When your mboard has onboard video, when there is also a video card in the proper PCI-E slot, normally the onboard video is disabled automatically so there will be no output from the onboard video port, but there should be output from the video card's port, although if the card has two video ports you may get no display if the monitor is plugged into the secondary video port rather than the primary one. Taking that into account, you should get a basic VGA display from the mboard even if you have no hard drive attached, providing your bios is intact. You may or may not get a display if the bios is corrupted and/or is in boot block mode. Sometimes you will get a display when your bios is corrupted yet it's boot block portion is okay only if you install a PCI video card and connect the monitor to that, but that may not work when the mboard has onboard video and a dedicated video slot (AGP or PCI-E) even when there is no card in the dedicated video slot, because the onboard video may not be disabled in that case and it clashes with the PCI video card's requirements. Clearing the Cmos doesn't affect whether you have video while booting. Most of the time having no video is merely a symptom and there is nothing actually wrong with the video hardware - something else is wrong. - if you have flashed the bios, something went wrong with the flash or the bios chip physically failed while flashing. - a normal flash procedure won't work if the bios is in boot block mode - you have to do a specific bios Recovery procedure, which may or may not be supported by the Recovery procedure on the CD, or the particular Aflash flash utility version you are using. - this applies to older mboards - I don't know if it applies to yours - if you get no display at all, if your floppy led comes on after the usual brief blink it normally does while booting, the boot block is probably still there and you can attempt the proper bios Recovery procedure; if the floppy led does not come on at all while booting, or does not come on after the usual brief blink, the boot block is not there, and you must replace the bios chip with one already flashed. The most common causes of no video are: - an inadequate or defective or dead power supply. Since the computer was working till your first flash attempt that's probably not your case, but..... On the other hand, a failing power supply can fry the mboard or anything connected to it while failing. Failing power supplies are common and can cause your symptoms. Check your PS. See response 4 in this: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... - you are trying to use incompatible ram, or there is a poor connection between the ram module contacts and it's slot(s). If your ram were incompatible, you would have probably constantly have had problems since it was first installed. See response 5 in this for some info about ram compatibilty, and some places where you can find out what will work in your mboard for sure: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... Correction to that: Mushkin www.mushkin.com Specifically, the ID strings for the Corsair modules you are using should be in the Corsair list of modules for your mboard model. A common thing that can happen with ram, even ram that worked fine previously, is the ram has, or has developed, a poor connection in it's slot(s). This usually happens a long time after the ram was installed, but it can happen with new ram, or after moving the computer case from one place to another, and I've had even new modules that needed to have their contacts cleaned. See response 2 in this - try cleaning the contacts on the ram modules, and making sure the modules are properly seated: http://www.computing.net/hardware/w... If you do a ram test, do it AFTER cleaning the contacts on the ram modules, and making sure the modules are properly seated, otherwise any failures foundmay be INVALID. Ram that is incompatible with the mboard chipset will probably fail a ram test. - the cpu has been overheated to the point that it is damaged enough such that it won't work properly. It that case the cpu fan and heat sink are probably filthy, and/or the cpu fan is spinning too slowly or has stopped spinning. - much less likely - the mboard was defective in the first place and has failed, or has the bad capacitor problem in which case it worked fine for a long time then malfunctioned when one or more capacitors failed. This was the original bad capacitor problem - has some example pictures. History of why the exploding capacitors and which mboard makers were affected: http://members.datafast.net.au/~dft... What to look for, mboard symptoms, example pictures: http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=5 Home page that site - what the problem is caused by - he says there are STILL bad capacitors on more recent mboards. - links on left to economical available premade or custom capacitor kits, and/or you can ship the mboard to him and he will replace the capacitors for a flat $45 fee (including the capacitors) plus $15 shipping, and up (North America only). http://www.badcaps.net/ Pictures of blown capacitors, other components, power supplies, Athlon cpu's, etc.: http://www.halfdone.com/Personal/Jo...

0

Asus got back in contact with me. They said that the bios on the recovery CD that I used is older than my CPU, and therefore the board cannot recognize it. So they said I can use an older CPU and flash it up to the latest, or, send the motherboard to them and have them flash it up. They also said its unlikely the bios is damaged. Which is good. So I'm going to get started on looking for an old Socket 479 CPU... *packs bags and boots begins quest*

0

"They also said its unlikely the bios is damaged." As I said before: "You are taking a big risk when you flash your bios - if the flash fails, and/or the flash chip physically fails while flashing (this is COMMON - these cheap flash chips can only be flashed an unpredictable small number of times), you will have a mboard that will not boot." It's COMMON and quite possible the flash chip has physically failed. If it has, getting a cpu the Recovery procedure bios version will recognize won't help - you will still need to get a replacement bios chip, already flashed. If you want to assume the Recovery procedure was successful and the reason the computer doesn't boot is because the bios version is too old to recognize the cpu, you could go ahead and get a cpu the bios version does recognize. But if the flash chip has physically failed, or if the bios Recovery wasn't actually successful, or if the bios was corrupted for some other reason, you will still need to get a replacement bios chip, already flashed. You could do it that way but it may cost you as much or more than it would to get a replacement bios chip already flashed, if the chip is removable, though it might save you some time. Or you could phone local computer repair places and if they happen to have a suitable cpu laying around, they could run the Recovery procedure, then update the bios version, for you for a fee - that may cost less than you buying a cpu. However, if the bios chip is soldered to the mboard, that's a less expensive choice, assuming the flash chip is okay. Which cpu you need to use? Look at the cpu support info for your mboard model. Cpus listed as being supported by the original bios or all versions will be recognized by the Recovery procedure on the CD. Or you could perform a Recovery procedure with updated software components, and not have to spend any money at all. Does this situation apply to you? "...your floppy led comes on after the usual brief blink it normally does while booting...."

0