Updated bios-no display

[bryjo]

Help! My computer wont display anything after I updated bios.
I just recently acquired a HP Compaq presario sr2034nx computer with these specs: A8m2n-la motherboard, 2.4 Ghz amd processes, 1 gig of ram, geoforce 6150 Le onboard graphics card, and a windows xp operating system

After I ran the Hp recovery program to set it back to factory default, I proceeded to update the bios through windows with this update:http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericSoftwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=pv-56155-1&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en

After the about 3 minutes, the bios update process gave a message requiring to restart the computer. After I restarted the computer, the monitor started to display fuzzy lines. Two minutes later, the fuzzy lines disappeared and the monitor went blank. Even though there was no display, it appeared that the computer booted up because the hard drive light kept flashing. Also when i clicked my mouse or keyboard, the hard drive light blinked( might be at the welcome screen?). When I shut down the computer by holding the power button, the green light on the power button starts flashing after the computer shuts down.

Did I corrupt my Bios? If so, is there a way to reset it?

Thanks!

 

[Emperus]

Must be a display error.. Check settings related to video in the bios.. The only way to reset a bios to its old config is possible if your mobo supports dual bios.. Sorry but i couldn't gather any info related to your mobo on that..

 

[pjmelect]

After installing an updated BIOS you may need to reset the CMOS memory.

 

[bryjo]

Well, I reset the CMOS memory but still got no display on the monitor. I know the monitor is working because I hooked it up to a working computer. If the bios is corrupted, what do you guys think of hot swapping the bios chip? I have some other old computers lying around..

 

[pinkeyes]

Are you getting POST beeps?

It sounds to me like you misflashed your BIOS. BIOS chips from other motherboards will not work. Your best bet would be to call ASUS and ask for a replacement BIOS chip. It should only cost a couple dollars + shipping. Installing the chip is as easy as popping the old one off and putting the new one on, just make sure that it's installed in the right direction.

It also looks like your motherboard has 2 variants: "NodusM" and "Naos" I'd be sure to specify which you have.

Here are URL's which contain specifications for the two variants so you can determine which is yours.

NodusM: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00714578&dlc=en&lc=en&cc=us

Naos: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c00757470

 

[pinkeyes]

You know... I wouldn't be surprised if you actually flashed a "NodusM" BIOS onto your "Naos" motherboard, or vice versa, and that's what caused it to brick.

Why ASUS would name two different motherboards with the exact same combination of characters is beyond me...

Again, be sure to specify, when you call ASUS, which variant you actually have.

 

[bryjo]

You know... I wouldn't be surprised if you actually flashed a "NodusM" BIOS onto your "Naos" motherboard, or vice versa, and that's what caused it to brick.

Why ASUS would name two different motherboards with the exact same combination of characters is beyond me...

Again, be sure to specify, when you call ASUS, which variant you actually have.

So I looked up the two motherboards and I found out that I have the Naos motherboard. What I dont get is why the bios update that I found did not specify whether it was for the NodusM or the Naos motherboard. Anyway, I tried looking for a bios update(for future bios chip) for the Naos motherboard and I couldn't find anything. Is there no longer a bios update for the motherboard??

 

[pinkeyes]

To be honest I'd just get the new chip from ASUS and call it a wrap on updating the BIOS ever on that board.

 

[pjmelect]

You can still reflash the BIOS from a bootable floppy disk even if you can’t see the screen, if you can get the correct BIOS for your motherboard.

 

[pinkeyes]

You can still reflash the BIOS from a bootable floppy disk even if you can’t see the screen, if you can get the correct BIOS for your motherboard.

If the machine won't even POST, I don't see how you could boot to anything.

 

[pjmelect]

If the machine won't even POST, I don't see how you could boot to anything.

How do you know that the computer did not post? Bryjo states that the hard drive is working as though it was booting up the computer and that the problem was no display. The chances are that it may be possible to configure a bootable floppy disk to reprogram the BIOS. However as he reprogrammed the BIOS through Windows then the BIOS may not be set to boot from a floppy disk first, so he should disconnect the hard disk before doing this.

 

[pinkeyes]

Definitely worth trying!

Some instruction on configuring the bootable floppy to automatically flash the BIOS would surely be a help.

 

[jitpublisher]

Did you reset the BIOS? Take the battery out for a couple of minutes. If that does not do the trick, yes, you most likely either flashed the wrong BIOS, or messed up flashing the correct one. (Why on earth you would need to flash a BIOS on a prebuild HP is beyond my reasoning).
But if indeed the BIOS is toast, there is nothing you can do, save send the board back in and have the BIOS reflashed, or if it is an older board with a removable chip, have them send you a new chip.
The drive lights will flash when you power the system on. That does not in it's self tell you anything.

 

[bryjo]

Did you reset the BIOS? Take the battery out for a couple of minutes. If that does not do the trick, yes, you most likely either flashed the wrong BIOS, or messed up flashing the correct one. (Why on earth you would need to flash a BIOS on a prebuild HP is beyond my reasoning).
But if indeed the BIOS is toast, there is nothing you can do, save send the board back in and have the BIOS reflashed, or if it is an older board with a removable chip, have them send you a new chip.
The drive lights will flash when you power the system on. That does not in it's self tell you anything.

From what I remember, the old bios was a 2006 version. I guess I just figured on updating it since I found a 2009 bios version. The power light actually blinks at intervals of 1 second after the pc completely shuts down.

 

[pinkeyes]

But if indeed the BIOS is toast, there is nothing you can do, save send the board back in and have the BIOS reflashed, or if it is an older board with a removable chip, have them send you a new chip.

You mean to make it sound like only older boards have removable chips?

As far as I know most (the vast majority of) boards have a removable chip.

 

[pjmelect]

Did you reset the BIOS? Take the battery out for a couple of minutes

I all ready said to reset the CMOS RAM, taking out the battery for a few minutes does not necessarily clear the CMOS, the only way to be sure is to move the CMOS clear jumper.

 

[jitpublisher]

You mean to make it sound like only older boards have removable chips?

As far as I know most (the vast majority of) boards have a removable chip.

Most boards made in the past 4-5 years do not have removable BIOS chips. (Well, you can remove them, but you have to unsolder them!)
The style where the chip was actually in a tiny socket on the board is not common today.

 

[pinkeyes]

Ugh I don't want to jack this thread but...

The ASUS m3a79-t i'm looking at on my desk right now has one, and so does the biostar ta790GX in my machine.

Both of these boards have an 8pin PDIP which is what stores the BIOS memory.

It is certainly not an "older" feature:

In an Anandtech review of H55/57 (thats about as new as you can get) chipsets:
"The boards from ASRock and ASUS all have BIOS chips mounted in sockets, which can be swapped out without having to ship the whole board for BIOS recovery."

They go on to say that the MSI boards do not have socket mounted chips, which is a drawback.

Another anandtech review about the ASUS M4A89GTD Pro which is a 890gx part:

Underneath the lone DIL socket-mounted BIOS chip, four SATA ports are placed “head-on” in the bottom right corner of the board

The evga p55 classified board has a removable chip, as does the x58. The ASUS p6t does. I could go on and on; lots of boards have them.

You know what it seems to be... certain manufacturers put removable chips on all of their products while others like, possibly, MSI and Gigabyte seem not to.

See for yourself!

 

[pjmelect]

Another idea I have just had, have you tried fitting a cheap graphics card into your computer, the BIOS problem may only be affecting the onboard graphics.

 

[jitpublisher]

Ugh I don't want to jack this thread but...

The ASUS m3a79-t i'm looking at on my desk right now has one, and so does the biostar ta790GX in my machine.

Both of these boards have an 8pin PDIP which is what stores the BIOS memory.

It is certainly not an "older" feature:

In an Anandtech review of H55/57 (thats about as new as you can get) chipsets:
"The boards from ASRock and ASUS all have BIOS chips mounted in sockets, which can be swapped out without having to ship the whole board for BIOS recovery."

They go on to say that the MSI boards do not have socket mounted chips, which is a drawback.

Another anandtech review about the ASUS M4A89GTD Pro which is a 890gx part:

Underneath the lone DIL socket-mounted BIOS chip, four SATA ports are placed “head-on” in the bottom right corner of the board

The evga p55 classified board has a removable chip, as does the x58. The ASUS p6t does. I could go on and on; lots of boards have them.

You know what it seems to be... certain manufacturers put removable chips on all of their products while others like, possibly, MSI and Gigabyte seem not to.

See for yourself!

It does seem that there are a lot of boards available that do still have a removable BIOS, but none of the boards I have had in the past several years did. DFI, Albatron, MSI, Gigabyte. Many ASUS and EVGA boards do not have a removable BIOS as well. It seems to be limited not the to manufacture, but only to specific models of each manufacturer. If you look, and I have spent a lot of time last night and this morning, while there are a lot of boards with the socketed BIOS still available, it is hit and miss, only on certain models. I thought maybe high end was the key, but that really doesn't seem to matter either.

 

[pinkeyes]

My point that it's not an "older" feature stands.

Pretty interesting though eh?

 

[bryjo]

Another idea I have just had, have you tried fitting a cheap graphics card into your computer, the BIOS problem may only be affecting the onboard graphics.

That sounds like a good idea! I wish I could do that but the only card I have is a radeon 4850(pci express 2.0 x16) and a older 32mb agp card. The motherboard with the corrupted bios would require a pci express x16 video card Unless, could you put a pci express 2.0 x16 card into a pci express x16 slot?

 

[bryjo]

Did you reset the BIOS? Take the battery out for a couple of minutes

I all ready said to reset the CMOS RAM, taking out the battery for a few minutes does not necessarily clear the CMOS, the only way to be sure is to move the CMOS clear jumper.

Well I did all of that and it still doesn't work

 

[bryjo]

It does seem that there are a lot of boards available that do still have a removable BIOS, but none of the boards I have had in the past several years did. DFI, Albatron, MSI, Gigabyte. Many ASUS and EVGA boards do not have a removable BIOS as well. It seems to be limited not the to manufacture, but only to specific models of each manufacturer. If you look, and I have spent a lot of time last night and this morning, while there are a lot of boards with the socketed BIOS still available, it is hit and miss, only on certain models. I thought maybe high end was the key, but that really doesn't seem to matter either.

Okay, so I looked through my motherboard and I think I found the bios chip. I used this link to look for the LPC Flash Rom (am I right??).
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&docname=c00757470#N1236]
Anyway, looking at the chip, It is not removable as it is soldered to the motherboard. I'll post a picture of it for you guys later on...

 

[pinkeyes]

Just get on the phone and call ASUS, like I suggested, and ask if them if your BIOS chip is replaceable and if they can send you a new BIOS chip.

As noted numerous times in this thread, it really sounds like you misflashed the BIOS.

Besides getting a new BIOS chip, or if that isn't possible, sending your motherboard out to have the BIOS reflashed on it, nothing is going to work.