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I think I fried my BIOS

SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGamingRegistered User regular
edited April 2007 in Games and Technology
Son of a BITCH. All of you in vent, feel free to laugh at me now. So I have a VNF4 mobo, just got an X2 3800+ toledo. my mobo wasn't detecting the 2nd core and just listed the processor as an unknown AMD Hammer type. Doing some searching and getting some advice, I discovered I needed a BIOS update. Went to chaintech's ungodly slow website, got the file, got Winflash, checked "Clear CMOS" and then told it to only update the bottom portion. Seemed to go ok, it told me to reboot, and upon reboot?

My PC gives me no screen at all, and I just get really long repeating beeps from the PC. Oh god, how the hell can I fix it?!

SniperGuy on

Posts

  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Call tech support?

    Daedalus on
  • CarnivoreCarnivore Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Sounds like it is fucked. Sorry.

    Carnivore on
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  • Yossarian_Lives!Yossarian_Lives! Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    well, i wouldent give up yet, check your Mobo's owners manual for the POST codes. You can still flash your bios from a floppy if i'm not mistaken (in case you did hose your bios).

    Yossarian_Lives! on
  • GanluanGanluan Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    First, try resetting your CMOS using the CMOS jumper. Look it up in your MOBO manual for instructions on how to use it, but that can solve the problem based on whether your BIOS is fucked or just your CMOS settings are messed up.

    Ganluan on
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  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Yossarian_Lives! wrote: »
    well, i wouldent give up yet, check your Mobo's owners manual for the POST codes. You can still flash your bios from a floppy if i'm not mistaken (in case you did hose your bios).
    My monitor shows NOTHING. At ALL. The motherboard is a VNF4 Ultra. I have been completely unsuccessful in finding any details about it.

    SniperGuy on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    stryker116 wrote: »
    First, try resetting your CMOS using the CMOS jumper. Look it up in your MOBO manual for instructions on how to use it, but that can solve the problem based on whether your BIOS is fucked or just your CMOS settings are messed up.

    I don't have the manual.

    SniperGuy on
  • imbalancedimbalanced Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    stryker116 wrote: »
    First, try resetting your CMOS using the CMOS jumper. Look it up in your MOBO manual for instructions on how to use it, but that can solve the problem based on whether your BIOS is fucked or just your CMOS settings are messed up.

    I don't have the manual.

    Use the Internet?

    imbalanced on
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  • telcustelcus Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    A quick search on your problem yielded this:
    http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/t251655.html

    He is also getting the repeating long beeps, and is able to boot up by using 1 stick of memory in the blue slot.

    telcus on
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  • zilozilo Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Sometimes a BIOS flash requires you to boot in a "minimal" configuration- one stick of RAM, only essential peripherals, etc.

    zilo on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Didn't work. I can't find this CMOS jumper either.

    SniperGuy on
  • telcustelcus Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Judging from the amount of posts about this problem on various forums (which I see you know about as you signed up for that other forum to get your mobo hot-flashed) this seems to be a disturbingly common occurrence for this particular motherboard.

    Frankly, this has put me off ever using a Chaintech motherboard as their customer support and quality assurance seems dismal.

    telcus on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • supermauerbrossupermauerbros Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I've done a little more research and while I haven't been able to find a user manual or description of POST beeps.

    First, a person in this forum claims to have the manual. Sign up for an account and he/she will probably be more that happy to send it your way.

    http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=438018

    Second, searching the web for VNF4 post beeps reveals a lot of threads that have similar issues, unfortunately they don't provide answers that would directly help you. Have a look and do your own search for "VNF4 post beeps" or "VNF4 beeps"

    http://forums.pcper.com/showthread.php?t=436562
    http://forum.osnn.net/showthread.php?t=79575
    http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/f189.html

    In this thread someone claims long beeps are a RAM issue, I'm skeptical that this is your issue considering your situation:
    http://www.ocforums.com/archive/index.php/t-359107.html

    Note the post by Grimes in the following thread details how resetting the BIOS brought his board back to life. He references jumper 1. If you can't find that you can always pop out the CMOS battery and wait 30 minutes or so. Anyways:
    http://www.ocforums.com/archive/index.php/t-359107.html

    Having a computer die inexplicably like this fucking sucks, so I hope something in this post helps you figure it out. Good luck and let us know what happens.

    supermauerbros on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Yeah, I haven't really had problems with it before now, but this just seems terribly shoddy. Although I suppose there was that thing where you'd have to reinstall the mobo drivers every format to make the damn LAN work. I just found the jumper, resetting it now.

    SniperGuy on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Just reset the jumper, no luck. Still beeping. That's highly disheartening. I'm rather fed up with it. Is taking it to someplace like the best buy geek squad thing gonna be a horrible terrible idea?

    SniperGuy on
  • Magus`Magus` The fun has been DOUBLED! Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Yes, they won't be able to fix it most likely and still rape you with overcharging.

    Magus` on
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  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    They can't hot flash a BIOS? Surely there's a way to fix this that doesn't involve getting totally raped. I can't really afford a new motherboard, and I really don't want to install one.

    SniperGuy on
  • Yossarian_Lives!Yossarian_Lives! Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Try the minimal configuration, Remove your CMOS battery for a while. that should reset it. Interestingly enough i came across this guy http://www.ocforums.com/archive/index.php/t-359107.html (second post down) and is describing just about the exact same problem you have. I wonder if this is a known problem, i would hit Chaintech's Help and Support site.

    [H]ardforums has some sharp people on it too, worth a shot to post over there.

    Yossarian_Lives! on
  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    SniperGuy wrote: »
    They can't hot flash a BIOS? Surely there's a way to fix this that doesn't involve getting totally raped. I can't really afford a new motherboard, and I really don't want to install one.

    Look, if you don't want to get totally raped, anything involving Geek Squad is a bad move. They really can't do anything that you couldn't basically do at home with another computer around.

    The manufacturer, on the other hand, might have some service for this.

    Daedalus on
  • supermauerbrossupermauerbros Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    Geeksquad, if you're lucky will only charge you for looking at it for five minutes, pronouncing it dead, then proceed to upsell you to a new motherboard and install charge. Forget them. Keep trying to get in contact with Chaintech.

    supermauerbros on
  • ViscountalphaViscountalpha The pen is mightier than the sword http://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered User regular
    edited April 2007
    You could also upgrade. There is that C2D price drop on the 22nd. Just a thought.

    Viscountalpha on
  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    This WAS an upgrade. I got recommended to a small PC shop from a friend. I'll go take it up there tommorow.

    SniperGuy on
  • VeganVegan Registered User regular
    edited April 2007
    I've done this before, with a brand new computer. It really sucks. I got a new one from badflash.com, it was pretty quick and painless, it cost 10 or 15 bucks.

    Vegan on
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