cannot write bios

[chadlebowski]

I have a bad BIOS and get bad checksum error. I cannot write the BIOS as award flash tells me it is write protected. Ive tried dos freaks awdblock utility but it causes a system hang. Any suggestions?

[edwin]

Sounds like a hardware problem, the first easy and cheap fix being replacing the cmos battery, if that one is too low you can have effects like this.

Next question, what board/system are we talking about? Make/model?

[chadlebowski]

Hi, thanks for the reply. Had all the details in another message but couldn't post it as it was apparently "too spammy".

I have an asus p5n-e sli, core2duo 6400 (I think), 4gb RAM DDR2, inno3d 8800gts.

I've been using the latest version of awdflash from the asus website, and was trying to flash to BIOS version 1406.

Let me know if you need to know anything else. I'll get on an order that new battery

[edwin]

Is it possible to boot the board with just one memory stick for flashing? I remember seeing some boards reacting weird with all memory slots filled.

[chadlebowski]

I was in the process of giving that a go... I've taken out all but one memory module but now get a blank screen and a continuous beeping.

[chadlebowski]

Tried flashing Rom with only one memory slot filled - same thing happens: awdflash gets halfway through then stops due to write-protection.

Thanks again for your tie with this one. I've been trawling the forums and quite a few people seem to be having this problem.

[edwin]

trying to remember if this board has flash write protection setting in the bios or on the board itself with a jumper near the bios chip...

[chadlebowski]

The only jumper is for clearing the CMOS. The BIOS utility does have a write protect setting, but I can't get into the setup program as a can't get passed awdflash boot block "bad checksum" sequence. Hence the dilemma. I hoped dos freak's awdblock utility would help but as I said this is causing a system freeze on "executing bootsector"

[edwin]

Column on the right
http://www.biosman.com/biosrecovery.html

If you only connect the floppy drive to the machine it should boot from there and force-flash

[chadlebowski]

I'm one step ahead of you - my PC doesn't have a 1.44 disk drive! I've managed to get a hold of one (plus the disks to go in it...) and am writing some flashing diskettes as we speak. I'll keep you posted but I'm having good feelings... Any reason why a floppy disk will boot when a CD wouldn't?

[chadlebowski]

I'm beginning to think its game over... the 1.44 boot disk got me to the holy.grail of a: prompt, but awdflash still says flashROM is write-protected. Tried with /py /sn /cc etc but same problem. However, when adding /f the flash utility freezes with a flashing "please wait" before its identified the BIOS chip and read/written anything.

[edwin]

two more options:

http://flashrom.org/Flashrom

http://www.rainbow-software.org/uniflash/
(flash including bootblock)

[chadlebowski]

Ok. So when I run flashrom the system gets as far as "calibrating delay loop...." and then it just stops.
With regards to uniflash, I can execute the program fine, although it doesn't seem to work properly: it cannot detect the flash Rom chip, and the all the options apart from "redetect flash Rom" (which does nothing) and the cmos submenu are greyed out.

[edwin]

if uniflash cannot detect the chip it means the chip is defective...

[chadlebowski]

Could there theoretically be a way to override the write-protection by shorting pins on the actual BIOS chip itself?