Motherboard BIOS failed to flash!

[talisman]

Today got my PSU and was assembling my PC together for the very first bootup. Too bad all the excitement was gone when the PC simply didn't POST. Removed the BIOS battery, cleared RTC and booted up. This time I got to POST, but then a CMOS checksum bad error came up and I had two options: F1 for entering SETUP and F2 for loading defaults. Either way once the PC gets shut down / rebooted the same starts from scratch: no POST. Tried flashing to the latest BIOS and still no go. Now something unexpected happened namely the PC went straight to some sort of recovery mode when I rebooted after clearing RTC and saving default BIOS settings. In here it asked for a P5EDLX.ROM file (motherboard is ASUS P5E Deluxe). Tried finding this file on the Internet, no go. Had a look at the motherboard CD on another PC and it did have such a file. So what I did was to put this CD in and watch what would happen next. With my fingers crossed it got only so far that it said the BIOS failed to flash!



Bad motherboard? Time for an RMA? I so hate this, been waiting literally for months to get all parts and now this. Any help appreciated!

- talisman

[RASHAD]

Hi
Search for Asustek Global
Intel Socket 775
Intel X48 ( Check that your motherboard chipset is X48)
P5E Deluxe

Go to Down page
Model : P5E Deluxe
OS DOS

Download Bios V 0405
Download any of Bios Utilities

Now :
Prepare a clean bootable DOS floppy ( Using another PC)
Copy both files to the floppy
Make autoexec.bat or run the utility after booting manually

If you can not boot from the floppy look for recovery tool at same location
Please check the manual, sometimes one of the sockets of the motherboard should be in a special position for recovery process

I hope it is not the time for RMA

Good luck

[Mistrel]

RMA. It sounds like you had a faulty BIOS chip from the start. Or maybe a faulty battery. A working battery may be necessary for a successful flash.

[talisman]

RASHAD, thank you for your advice, but there is one thing that keeps me from following your steps. Actually two. I don't have a floppy drive to start with and the motherboard BIOS is 2MB (and if 2.8MB floppies are as rare as they used to be a while back then I won't get hold of one). Also, I've got to the recovery mode, however the process failed when programming as you can see from the image above. No go

Mistel I do hope there was an easy fix, but it does seem like a need for RMA. Anyway the motherboard did bootup and load Linux succesfully if I chose F2 during POST after clearing RTC (and it says CMOS Checksum Bad). So maybe the motherboard is actually full of life, but something holds it back? I'll try another battery. Let's see how it works then.

Thank you for your help so far!
- talisman

[talisman]

Tried with another battery that for sure works. Now motherboard won't POST at all, even if I clear RTC. RMA time

[utopiomania]

Just tell your supplier the motherboard you paid good money for isn't working and get a new one.

[SFSxOI]

RASHAD, thank you for your advice, but there is one thing that keeps me from following your steps. Actually two. I don't have a floppy drive to start with and the motherboard BIOS is 2MB (and if 2.8MB floppies are as rare as they used to be a while back then I won't get hold of one).

This is an Asus P5 series board. Disconnect all drives (HD's, CD/DVD ROM, All floppy drives), plug in a USB thumb drive. The P5 series should boot on the USB thumb drive if no other drives are available for flashing the BIOS. Copy your BIOS .rom file over to the USB thumb drive. During the post press, I want to think its (i'll have to go look at another computer first to make sure), the F2 key (look at the post screen) to get to the USB drive and the BIOS Rom your going to flash. Don't use the disk based flash utility with the ASUS P5 series, use the built in flash utility (F2 key during Post).

Also, there was a known problem with the ASUS P5 series boards (certain serial number series/production date's) and some 1.4/2.8 MB floppies reported by some people which kept the board from posting properly, but I think it was fixed in a later BIOS update. Make sure you have the latest BIOS .rom to flash.

[talisman]

Motherboard now RMA'd. Tech Support was friendly and kindly noted that I should only mention the motherboard wouldn't work just to be sure it's all covered under warranty. The supplier even promised to even the shipment costs (I ordered from Germany). Let's hope all turns to the better, I've been computer-less now for like a month and a half

[Mistrel]

I've been computer-less now for like a month and a half

This is one of the reasons I have a laptop in addition to my desktop. I even have a laptop backup for my laptop.

[RASHAD]

talisman do not be sad
It could be intermittent defect after all
So it is better to live a few days without PC than to live with a PC you do not trust

Good luck man

[SFSxOI]

Motherboard now RMA'd. Tech Support was friendly and kindly noted that I should only mention the motherboard wouldn't work just to be sure it's all covered under warranty. The supplier even promised to even the shipment costs (I ordered from Germany). Let's hope all turns to the better, I've been computer-less now for like a month and a half

Thats one of the reasons I order all my personal stuff from NewEgg, they will take it back for any reason that it might not work.

[codewalker]

Hi

Download latest bios for your motherboard from manufacturer website.
Dont have a floppy or floppydrive ? Make a dos bootable cd yourself !

Download freedos or use windows xp on another computer to create a
dos bootable floppy. Copy flashprogram and your bios to the floppy.

Nero Burning Rom has the option to burn a floppy as an image to a cd
which will give you a dos bootable cd with everything on it that is on
the floppy. Easy way to upgrade or reflash your bios without floppy drive.
greetings
cw

[talisman]

After a good month and a few weeks I finally got a replacement motherboard. Guess what? Same symptoms as I described: no POST, fans spin. I'm so upset

I tried the RAM and graphics card in another PC, everything fine. I cleared the CMOS on this new board too, still nothing. I am certain the PSU is good (voltages OK), what is left is the CPU. Can't be I have bad luck enough to get two bad motherboards and the CPU is the only thing I couldn't try anywhere else.

I have no PC speaker though or PCI diagnostic card to find out the real problem, but the %#$&! thing just doesn't POST. I still don't have a working PC, someone help me

Thanks for any input!

[UserOfPure]

You've had two motherboards now with the same CPU? Surely the CPU is the problem then?

[talisman]

I suspect that too. However, how does one know the CPU is really the problem? Is there any common symptom for a bad CPU that occurs?