'fail safe' after bios flash - Abit AB9 PRO

Hi

I have recently tried to flash my Abit AB9 PRO mobo with the latest
bios version (15), mainly to get the following improvements (from the
bios download page):

7. Audio now works as intended after resuming from S3.
8. The function "wake on LAN" now works as intemded.

Now I get the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message that many before me have
encountered. I have followed all the advice I have found that did not
involve changing the hardware.

The process was the following:
As I don't have a floppydrive, I used the FreeDOS OEM CD-ROM disc
builder assistant to create a bootable CD with the bios update, and set
it to automatically run the cmdline:

abitfae.bat AB9_15.BIN

It seemed to work allright, the flash utility finished and I rebooted.
I then cleared the CMOS and set it up again with the old settings after
checking that the version was correct.
I had no problems bootoing into Windows (I'm running MCE). The machine
has been running for a few days without problems. The issues I had with
sound before flashing were gone, so I was happy. After some days I
wanted to change a simple BIOS setting, so I restarted the mashine,
which until then had been either running or in standby. When I got to
the POST screen, I got the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message again. It was a
little suspicious, so I pressed F1 to see if I could boot to Windows.
No problem.
I restarted the machine again, and this time there was nothing...not
even the POST screen.

The current status is that after manually clearing the CMOS using
ccmos1 jumper, I can boot the machine and get to POST the CHECKSUM
ERROR message. But no matter what I do, I can't boot the machine again
until I have manually cleared the CMOS once more.

Any ideas?

CMOS checksum errors

Explanation: A checksum is computed as an error-detecting code, to protect
the BIOS settings stored in the CMOS memory. Each time the system is booted
this number is recomputed and checked against the stored value. If they do
not match, an error message is generated to tell you that the CMOS memory
contents may have been corrupted and therefore some settings may be wrong.
BIOSes react in different ways to encountering this sort of error. Some will
warn the user and then continue on with whatever settings were in the CMOS.
Others will assume that the settings that were in the CMOS were corrupted
and will load default values stored in the BIOS chip "for safety reasons".
The error message will indicate which your system is doing.

Diagnosis: The most common cause of checksum errors in CMOS is a battery
that is losing power. Viruses can also affect CMOS settings, and motherboard
problems can also affect the stored values.

Recommendation: Follow the instructions in this section to address the CMOS
corruption. You should make sure that all of the BIOS settings in the system
are correct, by rebooting the system, going into BIOS setup and
double-checking all the values (hopefully against a recent BIOS settings
backup).



peter

"Michael Ingeman-Nielsen" <> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
> Hi
>
> I have recently tried to flash my Abit AB9 PRO mobo with the latest
> bios version (15), mainly to get the following improvements (from the
> bios download page):
>
> 7. Audio now works as intended after resuming from S3.
> 8. The function "wake on LAN" now works as intemded.
>
> Now I get the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message that many before me have
> encountered. I have followed all the advice I have found that did not
> involve changing the hardware.
>
> The process was the following:
> As I don't have a floppydrive, I used the FreeDOS OEM CD-ROM disc
> builder assistant to create a bootable CD with the bios update, and set
> it to automatically run the cmdline:
>
> abitfae.bat AB9_15.BIN
>
> It seemed to work allright, the flash utility finished and I rebooted.
> I then cleared the CMOS and set it up again with the old settings after
> checking that the version was correct.
> I had no problems bootoing into Windows (I'm running MCE). The machine
> has been running for a few days without problems. The issues I had with
> sound before flashing were gone, so I was happy. After some days I
> wanted to change a simple BIOS setting, so I restarted the mashine,
> which until then had been either running or in standby. When I got to
> the POST screen, I got the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message again. It was a
> little suspicious, so I pressed F1 to see if I could boot to Windows.
> No problem.
> I restarted the machine again, and this time there was nothing...not
> even the POST screen.
>
> The current status is that after manually clearing the CMOS using
> ccmos1 jumper, I can boot the machine and get to POST the CHECKSUM
> ERROR message. But no matter what I do, I can't boot the machine again
> until I have manually cleared the CMOS once more.
>
> Any ideas?
>

Michael Ingeman-Nielsen wrote:
|
| Hi
|
| I have recently tried to flash my Abit AB9 PRO mobo with the
| latest bios version (15), mainly to get the following improvements
| (from the bios download page):
|
| 7. Audio now works as intended after resuming from S3.
| 8. The function "wake on LAN" now works as intemded.
|
| Now I get the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message that many before
| me have encountered. I have followed all the advice I have found that
| did not involve changing the hardware.
|
| The process was the following:
| As I don't have a floppydrive, I used the FreeDOS OEM CD-ROM
| disc builder assistant to create a bootable CD with the bios update,
| and set it to automatically run the cmdline:
|
| abitfae.bat AB9_15.BIN
|
| It seemed to work allright, the flash utility finished and I rebooted.
| I then cleared the CMOS and set it up again with the old settings
| after checking that the version was correct.
| I had no problems bootoing into Windows (I'm running MCE). The
| machine has been running for a few days without problems. The
| issues I had with sound before flashing were gone, so I was happy.
| After some days I wanted to change a simple BIOS setting, so I
| restarted the mashine, which until then had been either running or in
| standby. When I got to the POST screen, I got the CMOS CHECKSUM
| ERROR message again. It was a little suspicious, so I pressed F1 to
| see if I could boot to Windows.
| No problem.
| I restarted the machine again, and this time there was nothing...not
| even the POST screen.
|
| The current status is that after manually clearing the CMOS using
| ccmos1 jumper, I can boot the machine and get to POST the CHECKSUM
| ERROR message. But no matter what I do, I can't boot the machine again
| until I have manually cleared the CMOS once more.
|
| Any ideas?
|

Hi Michael -

The switches in Abitfae.bat are set to clear the CMOS to Failsafe Defaults.
Clearing the CMOS manually with the CCMOS1 jumper does the same thing.

Pressing F1 does nothing to correct the BIOS running the computer at
Failsafe Defaults.

Instead you need to press DEL at the POST screen to get into the BIOS setup
screens. Once there first choose the option to Load Optimized Defaults.
This will set your front side bus and CPU to the correct settings and will
detect your memory timing defaults.

From there you'll need to re-establish your boot devices and make any other
customizations you made to the CMOS when you first set the BIOS up .. these
will also be reset to defaults.

After you've made your changes, choose Save and Exit Setup. Allow the
computer to reboot (saving your changes to CMOS memory). The CMOS Checksum
Error will be gone and, if you've set up your boot devices correctly, you
should have no problems booting into your OS.

Jef

Hi.

Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately it is still not working for
me. Having restored the bios settings as you describe, I pressed F10 to
save and exit. After the reboot, I got a blanck screen. I could hear
the HD spin up, spin down and up again as if the machine rebooted once
more, and then...nothing. Dead computer. I have to reset the CMOS to
get it to POST again.

Any more advise?

thanks
Michael


Bird Janitor® skrev:
> Michael Ingeman-Nielsen wrote:
> |
> | Hi
> |
> | I have recently tried to flash my Abit AB9 PRO mobo with the
> | latest bios version (15), mainly to get the following improvements
> | (from the bios download page):
> |
> | 7. Audio now works as intended after resuming from S3.
> | 8. The function "wake on LAN" now works as intemded.
> |
> | Now I get the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message that many before
> | me have encountered. I have followed all the advice I have found that
> | did not involve changing the hardware.
> |
> | The process was the following:
> | As I don't have a floppydrive, I used the FreeDOS OEM CD-ROM
> | disc builder assistant to create a bootable CD with the bios update,
> | and set it to automatically run the cmdline:
> |
> | abitfae.bat AB9_15.BIN
> |
> | It seemed to work allright, the flash utility finished and I rebooted.
> | I then cleared the CMOS and set it up again with the old settings
> | after checking that the version was correct.
> | I had no problems bootoing into Windows (I'm running MCE). The
> | machine has been running for a few days without problems. The
> | issues I had with sound before flashing were gone, so I was happy.
> | After some days I wanted to change a simple BIOS setting, so I
> | restarted the mashine, which until then had been either running or in
> | standby. When I got to the POST screen, I got the CMOS CHECKSUM
> | ERROR message again. It was a little suspicious, so I pressed F1 to
> | see if I could boot to Windows.
> | No problem.
> | I restarted the machine again, and this time there was nothing...not
> | even the POST screen.
> |
> | The current status is that after manually clearing the CMOS using
> | ccmos1 jumper, I can boot the machine and get to POST the CHECKSUM
> | ERROR message. But no matter what I do, I can't boot the machine again
> | until I have manually cleared the CMOS once more.
> |
> | Any ideas?
> |
>
> Hi Michael -
>
> The switches in Abitfae.bat are set to clear the CMOS to Failsafe Defaults.
> Clearing the CMOS manually with the CCMOS1 jumper does the same thing.
>
> Pressing F1 does nothing to correct the BIOS running the computer at
> Failsafe Defaults.
>
> Instead you need to press DEL at the POST screen to get into the BIOS setup
> screens. Once there first choose the option to Load Optimized Defaults.
> This will set your front side bus and CPU to the correct settings and will
> detect your memory timing defaults.
>
> From there you'll need to re-establish your boot devices and make any other
> customizations you made to the CMOS when you first set the BIOS up .. these
> will also be reset to defaults.
>
> After you've made your changes, choose Save and Exit Setup. Allow the
> computer to reboot (saving your changes to CMOS memory). The CMOS Checksum
> Error will be gone and, if you've set up your boot devices correctly, you
> should have no problems booting into your OS.
>
> Jef

Hi

Thank you for your response.
I'm quite sure it is not the CMOS battery, as the motherboard is brand
new, and the clock is not reset when the power is cut.

If you have any other suggestions, I would much apprechiate it.
Thanks
Michael

peter skrev:
> CMOS checksum errors
>
> Explanation: A checksum is computed as an error-detecting code, to protect
> the BIOS settings stored in the CMOS memory. Each time the system is booted
> this number is recomputed and checked against the stored value. If they do
> not match, an error message is generated to tell you that the CMOS memory
> contents may have been corrupted and therefore some settings may be wrong.
> BIOSes react in different ways to encountering this sort of error. Some will
> warn the user and then continue on with whatever settings were in the CMOS.
> Others will assume that the settings that were in the CMOS were corrupted
> and will load default values stored in the BIOS chip "for safety reasons".
> The error message will indicate which your system is doing.
>
> Diagnosis: The most common cause of checksum errors in CMOS is a battery
> that is losing power. Viruses can also affect CMOS settings, and motherboard
> problems can also affect the stored values.
>
> Recommendation: Follow the instructions in this section to address the CMOS
> corruption. You should make sure that all of the BIOS settings in the system
> are correct, by rebooting the system, going into BIOS setup and
> double-checking all the values (hopefully against a recent BIOS settings
> backup).
>
>
>
> peter
>
> "Michael Ingeman-Nielsen" <> wrote in message
> news: ups.com...
> > Hi
> >
> > I have recently tried to flash my Abit AB9 PRO mobo with the latest
> > bios version (15), mainly to get the following improvements (from the
> > bios download page):
> >
> > 7. Audio now works as intended after resuming from S3.
> > 8. The function "wake on LAN" now works as intemded.
> >
> > Now I get the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message that many before me have
> > encountered. I have followed all the advice I have found that did not
> > involve changing the hardware.
> >
> > The process was the following:
> > As I don't have a floppydrive, I used the FreeDOS OEM CD-ROM disc
> > builder assistant to create a bootable CD with the bios update, and set
> > it to automatically run the cmdline:
> >
> > abitfae.bat AB9_15.BIN
> >
> > It seemed to work allright, the flash utility finished and I rebooted.
> > I then cleared the CMOS and set it up again with the old settings after
> > checking that the version was correct.
> > I had no problems bootoing into Windows (I'm running MCE). The machine
> > has been running for a few days without problems. The issues I had with
> > sound before flashing were gone, so I was happy. After some days I
> > wanted to change a simple BIOS setting, so I restarted the mashine,
> > which until then had been either running or in standby. When I got to
> > the POST screen, I got the CMOS CHECKSUM ERROR message again. It was a
> > little suspicious, so I pressed F1 to see if I could boot to Windows.
> > No problem.
> > I restarted the machine again, and this time there was nothing...not
> > even the POST screen.
> >
> > The current status is that after manually clearing the CMOS using
> > ccmos1 jumper, I can boot the machine and get to POST the CHECKSUM
> > ERROR message. But no matter what I do, I can't boot the machine again
> > until I have manually cleared the CMOS once more.
> >
> > Any ideas?
> >

Michael Ingeman-Nielsen wrote:
|
| Hi.
|
| Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately it is still not working
| for me. Having restored the bios settings as you describe, I
| pressed F10 to save and exit. After the reboot, I got a blanck
| screen. I could hear the HD spin up, spin down and up again
| as if the machine rebooted once more, and then...nothing.
| Dead computer. I have to reset the CMOS to get it to POST
| again.
|
| Any more advise?
|
| thanks
| Michael

Hi Michael -

A weak or under-powered PSU can be the culprit for failure to retain your
BIOS settings.

You have a power-hungry board, which makes heavy demands on the +12v rail.

Please post back the make and maximum rated wattage of your PSU, along with
the ratings for the +12v, +5v and +3.3v rails. This information can usually
be found on the label on the side of the PSU itself.

Jef

I'm using the mCubed EF28 external fanless 280W for a hfx mini case.
you can find the
ratings for the PSU at
http://www.mcubed-store.com/catalog/...roducts_id=179

I'd be surprised if that is the problem though. The problem only
started after flashing the BIOS. Before I flashed it, I had no problems
at all with rebooting the computer.

/Michael

Bird Janitor® skrev:
> Michael Ingeman-Nielsen wrote:
> |
> | Hi.
> |
> | Thank you for your answer. Unfortunately it is still not working
> | for me. Having restored the bios settings as you describe, I
> | pressed F10 to save and exit. After the reboot, I got a blanck
> | screen. I could hear the HD spin up, spin down and up again
> | as if the machine rebooted once more, and then...nothing.
> | Dead computer. I have to reset the CMOS to get it to POST
> | again.
> |
> | Any more advise?
> |
> | thanks
> | Michael
>
> Hi Michael -
>
> A weak or under-powered PSU can be the culprit for failure to retain your
> BIOS settings.
>
> You have a power-hungry board, which makes heavy demands on the +12v rail.
>
> Please post back the make and maximum rated wattage of your PSU, along with
> the ratings for the +12v, +5v and +3.3v rails. This information can usually
> be found on the label on the side of the PSU itself.
>
> Jef

Michael Ingeman-Nielsen wrote:
|
| I'm using the mCubed EF28 external fanless 280W for a hfx
| mini case. you can find the ratings for the PSU at
| http://www.mcubed-store.com/catalog/...roducts_id=179
|
| I'd be surprised if that is the problem though. The problem only
| started after flashing the BIOS. Before I flashed it, I had no
| problems at all with rebooting the computer.
|
| /Michael

While I'm not personally familiar with either your motherboard or your PSU,
I'd have serious reservations about running any current motherboard with a
280W PSU with only 15A on the +12V rail .. ideally I'd look at something
like 24A+ on the +12V rail.

It could be coincidence that you've suddenly found issues with booting
reliably, but Abit does change timings, etc., from one BIOS to the next.
What may have worked with the last release may be tipping your rig over the
edge on the next.

You can test if your PSU is on its way out by flashing back to the previous
version, manually clearing then reprogramming the CMOS.

If flashing back solves your issues with the board not saving your settings
from one boot to the next, you've probably eliminated the PSU as an
immediate problem. I wouldn't rule it out long-term, however.

Have a look at the Socket T/LGA775 page at Abit's USA forum:
http://forum.abit-usa.com .. there are quite a few threads on your board
and, given that the forum gets more traffic than this NG, you're likely to
benefit from posting there for a solution as well.

Jef

I have actually tried to re-flash the bios with the original version,
but wasn't successful. Luckily the unsuccessfull flash didn't do any
harm.

I'll have a look at the abit forum. Thank you.
Michael

Bird Janitor® skrev:
> Michael Ingeman-Nielsen wrote:
> |
> | I'm using the mCubed EF28 external fanless 280W for a hfx
> | mini case. you can find the ratings for the PSU at
> | http://www.mcubed-store.com/catalog/...roducts_id=179
> |
> | I'd be surprised if that is the problem though. The problem only
> | started after flashing the BIOS. Before I flashed it, I had no
> | problems at all with rebooting the computer.
> |
> | /Michael
>
> While I'm not personally familiar with either your motherboard or your PSU,
> I'd have serious reservations about running any current motherboard with a
> 280W PSU with only 15A on the +12V rail .. ideally I'd look at something
> like 24A+ on the +12V rail.
>
> It could be coincidence that you've suddenly found issues with booting
> reliably, but Abit does change timings, etc., from one BIOS to the next.
> What may have worked with the last release may be tipping your rig over the
> edge on the next.
>
> You can test if your PSU is on its way out by flashing back to the previous
> version, manually clearing then reprogramming the CMOS.
>
> If flashing back solves your issues with the board not saving your settings
> from one boot to the next, you've probably eliminated the PSU as an
> immediate problem. I wouldn't rule it out long-term, however.
>
> Have a look at the Socket T/LGA775 page at Abit's USA forum:
> http://forum.abit-usa.com .. there are quite a few threads on your board
> and, given that the forum gets more traffic than this NG, you're likely to
> benefit from posting there for a solution as well.
>
> Jef