Won't boot after BIOS was flashed

An old PCChips M747 motherboard won't boot after the BIOS was updated.

Before the flash, the BIOS ID was:
61-1208-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 12/01/1998S

After the update, it was:
61-0525-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 05/25/1999S

I used the aminf332.exe flash utility. Before flashing, the utility
said the flash part was Winbond 29C020-V2, and it said the newer BIOS
tag, M747V3.0-H, matched the currently installed BIOS tag. After
running, it said it was successful and automatically restarted the system.

It lists the hard drive and CD drives, but then hangs.

Clearing CMOS settings with the board jumper doesn't help.

I can enter BIOS setup and change settings, but the system always hangs
when trying to boot. I have changed the boot order; to boot floppy
first, boot hard drive first, and boot CD first. It still hangs. I have
also tried disabling each of the drives in BIOS setup and physically
disconnecting each of the drives. And either way, the floppy light
doesn't come on, and it doesn't try to read the floppy.

The BIOS recovery procedure for this board, is to use a floppy with the
BIOS ROM file renamed to AMIBOOT.ROM, and start the system while
depressing CTRL-HOME. I did this with the old BIOS--1208s.ROM. It read
the floppy for a while, the drive stopped, and the system beeped 4 times
to indicate success, and then automatically restarted the system. The
BIOS ID string is now back to what it was before. But the system still
hangs at the same spot.

After clearing CMOS using the jumper, it says the battery is low. I
checked it, and it is low--about 2V. I have heard that some systems
won't boot with a weak battery. Even though the system was working just
before I flashed the BIOS, with the same battery, is there a chance the
weak battery could now be causing the problem. The system was sitting
unused and unplugged for several months before I tried to update BIOS.

"Joe" <> wrote in message
news:%yLel.429$...
>
> An old PCChips M747 motherboard won't boot after the BIOS was updated.
>
> Before the flash, the BIOS ID was:
> 61-1208-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 12/01/1998S
>
> After the update, it was:
> 61-0525-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 05/25/1999S
>
> I used the aminf332.exe flash utility. Before flashing, the utility
> said the flash part was Winbond 29C020-V2, and it said the newer BIOS
> tag, M747V3.0-H, matched the currently installed BIOS tag. After
> running, it said it was successful and automatically restarted the system.
>
> It lists the hard drive and CD drives, but then hangs.
>
> Clearing CMOS settings with the board jumper doesn't help.
>
> I can enter BIOS setup and change settings, but the system always hangs
> when trying to boot. I have changed the boot order; to boot floppy
> first, boot hard drive first, and boot CD first. It still hangs. I have
> also tried disabling each of the drives in BIOS setup and physically
> disconnecting each of the drives. And either way, the floppy light
> doesn't come on, and it doesn't try to read the floppy.
>
> The BIOS recovery procedure for this board, is to use a floppy with the
> BIOS ROM file renamed to AMIBOOT.ROM, and start the system while
> depressing CTRL-HOME. I did this with the old BIOS--1208s.ROM. It read
> the floppy for a while, the drive stopped, and the system beeped 4 times
> to indicate success, and then automatically restarted the system. The
> BIOS ID string is now back to what it was before. But the system still
> hangs at the same spot.
>
> After clearing CMOS using the jumper, it says the battery is low. I
> checked it, and it is low--about 2V. I have heard that some systems
> won't boot with a weak battery. Even though the system was working just
> before I flashed the BIOS, with the same battery, is there a chance the
> weak battery could now be causing the problem. The system was sitting
> unused and unplugged for several months before I tried to update BIOS.
>
>

It's possible that the low battery is causing a boot issue. More likely, a
low battery would cause an error, like keyboard not found or hard drive not
found. Even then, you should be able to hit a key to continue, and then the
computer should boot fine.

Having said that, it won't hurt anything to replace the battery that you
know is bad. It will only cost a couple of bucks at any walmart or radio
shack.

To me, your symptom seems to point to a bad power supply, though. If the
system hangs predictably, right around the point where the hard drive would
start spinning up, that points to a bad power supply.

But obviously try replacing the battery first. Oh, and after replacing the
battery, you will need to clear the CMOS AGAIN. -Dave

Dave wrote:
> "Joe" <> wrote in message
> news:%yLel.429$...
>> An old PCChips M747 motherboard won't boot after the BIOS was updated.
>>
>> Before the flash, the BIOS ID was:
>> 61-1208-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 12/01/1998S
>>
>> After the update, it was:
>> 61-0525-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 05/25/1999S
>>
>> I used the aminf332.exe flash utility. Before flashing, the utility
>> said the flash part was Winbond 29C020-V2, and it said the newer BIOS
>> tag, M747V3.0-H, matched the currently installed BIOS tag. After
>> running, it said it was successful and automatically restarted the system.
>>
>> It lists the hard drive and CD drives, but then hangs.
>>
>> Clearing CMOS settings with the board jumper doesn't help.
>>
>> I can enter BIOS setup and change settings, but the system always hangs
>> when trying to boot. I have changed the boot order; to boot floppy
>> first, boot hard drive first, and boot CD first. It still hangs. I have
>> also tried disabling each of the drives in BIOS setup and physically
>> disconnecting each of the drives. And either way, the floppy light
>> doesn't come on, and it doesn't try to read the floppy.
>>
>> The BIOS recovery procedure for this board, is to use a floppy with the
>> BIOS ROM file renamed to AMIBOOT.ROM, and start the system while
>> depressing CTRL-HOME. I did this with the old BIOS--1208s.ROM. It read
>> the floppy for a while, the drive stopped, and the system beeped 4 times
>> to indicate success, and then automatically restarted the system. The
>> BIOS ID string is now back to what it was before. But the system still
>> hangs at the same spot.
>>
>> After clearing CMOS using the jumper, it says the battery is low. I
>> checked it, and it is low--about 2V. I have heard that some systems
>> won't boot with a weak battery. Even though the system was working just
>> before I flashed the BIOS, with the same battery, is there a chance the
>> weak battery could now be causing the problem. The system was sitting
>> unused and unplugged for several months before I tried to update BIOS.
>>
>>
>
> It's possible that the low battery is causing a boot issue. More likely, a
> low battery would cause an error, like keyboard not found or hard drive not
> found. Even then, you should be able to hit a key to continue, and then the
> computer should boot fine.
>
> Having said that, it won't hurt anything to replace the battery that you
> know is bad. It will only cost a couple of bucks at any walmart or radio
> shack.
>
> To me, your symptom seems to point to a bad power supply, though. If the
> system hangs predictably, right around the point where the hard drive would
> start spinning up, that points to a bad power supply.
>
> But obviously try replacing the battery first. Oh, and after replacing the
> battery, you will need to clear the CMOS AGAIN. -Dave

Just to add to what Dave has said: I would also pull any cards that are
in the system, with the exception of the video card if you don't have
integrated video. It's possible one of the default settings is present
a conflict, and that was exposed by your initial flash of the BIOS.
Reversion to your original BIOS would produce the same effect as well.

Simplify your system. Replace what parts you can with known good
components.

Joe wrote:
>
> An old PCChips M747 motherboard won't boot after the BIOS was updated.
>
> Before the flash, the BIOS ID was:
> 61-1208-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 12/01/1998S
>
> After the update, it was:
> 61-0525-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 05/25/1999S
>
> I used the aminf332.exe flash utility. Before flashing, the utility
> said the flash part was Winbond 29C020-V2, and it said the newer BIOS
> tag, M747V3.0-H, matched the currently installed BIOS tag. After
> running, it said it was successful and automatically restarted the system.
>
> It lists the hard drive and CD drives, but then hangs.
>
> Clearing CMOS settings with the board jumper doesn't help.
>
> I can enter BIOS setup and change settings, but the system always hangs
> when trying to boot. I have changed the boot order; to boot floppy
> first, boot hard drive first, and boot CD first. It still hangs. I have
> also tried disabling each of the drives in BIOS setup and physically
> disconnecting each of the drives. And either way, the floppy light
> doesn't come on, and it doesn't try to read the floppy.
>
> The BIOS recovery procedure for this board, is to use a floppy with the
> BIOS ROM file renamed to AMIBOOT.ROM, and start the system while
> depressing CTRL-HOME. I did this with the old BIOS--1208s.ROM. It read
> the floppy for a while, the drive stopped, and the system beeped 4 times
> to indicate success, and then automatically restarted the system. The
> BIOS ID string is now back to what it was before. But the system still
> hangs at the same spot.
>
> After clearing CMOS using the jumper, it says the battery is low. I
> checked it, and it is low--about 2V. I have heard that some systems
> won't boot with a weak battery. Even though the system was working just
> before I flashed the BIOS, with the same battery, is there a chance the
> weak battery could now be causing the problem. The system was sitting
> unused and unplugged for several months before I tried to update BIOS.

The battery is an obvious thing to fix, and you're going to need
one anyway, if you expect your settings to be preserved, or the
RTC clock to work properly, when the computer is not powered.

If you wanted more evidence, as to where it is getting stuck,
a PCI Port 80 card stuffed in the PCI slot nearest the processor,
can be used to get POST codes. A POST code is a "progress indicator"
and not an error code. I haven't run into a case yet, where the output
from such a card, helped someone with a problem, but it remains
as another place you can get information about what is happening.

(Some of these, also have small LEDs for power monitoring...
This one can be plugged in an ISA port or a PCI port, which
is why it has two edge connectors on the card.)

http://www.elstonsystems.com/prod/pc...stic_card.html

The price on cards like that, varies wildly. Some people try to
sell them for $100.00, while the Ebay/Hong Kong route might
give you a card for $20.00. A local computer store is not likely
to give you a good price on one.

Paul

"Grinder" <> wrote in message
news:MXOel.542240$yE1.268337@attbi_s21...
> Dave wrote:
>> "Joe" <> wrote in message
>> news:%yLel.429$...
>>> An old PCChips M747 motherboard won't boot after the BIOS was updated.
>>>
>>> Before the flash, the BIOS ID was:
>>> 61-1208-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 12/01/1998S
>>>
>>> After the update, it was:
>>> 61-0525-000747-00101111-071595-M747-M747V3.0-H Release 05/25/1999S
>>>
>>> I used the aminf332.exe flash utility. Before flashing, the utility
>>> said the flash part was Winbond 29C020-V2, and it said the newer BIOS
>>> tag, M747V3.0-H, matched the currently installed BIOS tag. After
>>> running, it said it was successful and automatically restarted the
>>> system.
>>>
>>> It lists the hard drive and CD drives, but then hangs.
>>>
>>> Clearing CMOS settings with the board jumper doesn't help.
>>>
>>> I can enter BIOS setup and change settings, but the system always hangs
>>> when trying to boot. I have changed the boot order; to boot floppy
>>> first, boot hard drive first, and boot CD first. It still hangs. I have
>>> also tried disabling each of the drives in BIOS setup and physically
>>> disconnecting each of the drives. And either way, the floppy light
>>> doesn't come on, and it doesn't try to read the floppy.
>>>
>>> The BIOS recovery procedure for this board, is to use a floppy with the
>>> BIOS ROM file renamed to AMIBOOT.ROM, and start the system while
>>> depressing CTRL-HOME. I did this with the old BIOS--1208s.ROM. It read
>>> the floppy for a while, the drive stopped, and the system beeped 4 times
>>> to indicate success, and then automatically restarted the system. The
>>> BIOS ID string is now back to what it was before. But the system still
>>> hangs at the same spot.
>>>
>>> After clearing CMOS using the jumper, it says the battery is low. I
>>> checked it, and it is low--about 2V. I have heard that some systems
>>> won't boot with a weak battery. Even though the system was working just
>>> before I flashed the BIOS, with the same battery, is there a chance the
>>> weak battery could now be causing the problem. The system was sitting
>>> unused and unplugged for several months before I tried to update BIOS.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> It's possible that the low battery is causing a boot issue. More likely,
>> a
>> low battery would cause an error, like keyboard not found or hard drive
>> not
>> found. Even then, you should be able to hit a key to continue, and then
>> the
>> computer should boot fine.
>>
>> Having said that, it won't hurt anything to replace the battery that you
>> know is bad. It will only cost a couple of bucks at any walmart or radio
>> shack.
>>
>> To me, your symptom seems to point to a bad power supply, though. If the
>> system hangs predictably, right around the point where the hard drive
>> would
>> start spinning up, that points to a bad power supply.
>>
>> But obviously try replacing the battery first. Oh, and after replacing
>> the
>> battery, you will need to clear the CMOS AGAIN. -Dave
>
> Just to add to what Dave has said: I would also pull any cards that are in
> the system, with the exception of the video card if you don't have
> integrated video. It's possible one of the default settings is present a
> conflict, and that was exposed by your initial flash of the BIOS.
> Reversion to your original BIOS would produce the same effect as well.
>
> Simplify your system. Replace what parts you can with known good
> components.

I agree with he battery needing to be replaced at this time.

As for the boot problems, Paul has alluded to removing all but the totally
required cards for a boot. If it has internal video use that and have just
the memory, motherboard, and power supply as part of the equation. Yes
keyboards can cause a problem, especially if the motherboard is looking for
a PS2 style as a factory default with no bios setting turned on to assist in
the use of a USB keyboard.

You might want to try to boot a stand-alone Linux disk and see if it can
bring up the system.. If the Linux comes up it usually rules out the power
supply, keyboard, and mouse, as physical problems. Then your back to
looking at a BIOS setting blocking the use of the hard drive, keyboard, or
possibly a damaged or corrupted hard drive.

Not the first time I've had a hard drive cable give up the ghost after it
was moved or reseated. Try another hard drive cable too.

In article <%yLel.429$>, Joe
<> writes

>After clearing CMOS using the jumper, it says the battery is low. I
>checked it, and it is low--about 2V. I have heard that some systems
>won't boot with a weak battery. Even though the system was working just
>before I flashed the BIOS, with the same battery, is there a chance the
>weak battery could now be causing the problem.

Unlikely.

> The system was sitting
>unused and unplugged for several months before I tried to update BIOS.

Is there a BIOS option to clear Extended CMOS data or ESCD? Try that.

--
(\__/)
(='.'=) Bunny says Windows 7 is Vi$ta reloaded.
(")_(") http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/windows_7.png

Mike Tomlinson wrote:
>
> In article <%yLel.429$>, Joe
> <> writes
>
> >After clearing CMOS using the jumper, it says the battery is low. I
> >checked it, and it is low--about 2V. I have heard that some systems
> >won't boot with a weak battery. Even though the system was working just
> >before I flashed the BIOS, with the same battery, is there a chance the
> >weak battery could now be causing the problem.
>
> Unlikely.
>
> > The system was sitting
> >unused and unplugged for several months before I tried to update BIOS.
>
> Is there a BIOS option to clear Extended CMOS data or ESCD? Try that.

Also - Reset Configuration Data

> --
> (\__/)
> (='.'=) Bunny says Windows 7 is Vi$ta reloaded.
> (")_(") http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/windows_7.png

--
Mike Walsh