After BIOS upgrade system will not start

[xGJBx]

Hi, I upgraded BIOS to newest F12o from (old F8). First only the
main, worked OK, sometimes it would start on backup BIOS (old F8), so I
upgraded backup BIOS to new F12o. Now will not start at all. Lights and
fans come on but NO BIOS start-up. No POST, no H/Drive, no Sounds, no
Display at all. I have reset CMOS, removed battery, tried to boot from a floppy disc and USB drive.
How can I fix or reverse BIOS upgrade. I hope you can help.
PS: I downloaded the BIOS upgrade from the GIGABYTE AU web site.

*Motherboard* : GA-K8NXP-SLI
--------------------------
*M/B Rev* : rev 1.0
*BIOS Ver* : F12o
*Serial No.* : 501556 01347
*CPU* : AMD 3700 socket 939

Thankyou for looking.

[RicheemxX]

Well hate to be the bearer of bad news but if you flashed both your bios' with the new bios and erased the back-up (for whatever reason ) then sadly there isn't much you can do. Bios flashing is typically a very easy process, however if it goes wrong it goes wrong in a very bad way!!

[Chuckiechan]

Have you tried resetting bios with the computer unplugged from the wall?

You have done all the right things... I think you may have to send it back for a bios reprogramming.

[xGJBx]

Thanks for your reply's, I think I am buggered !
I will keep trying to contact Gigabyte Au to see if they can re-flash my BIOS.

[ShyguyXPC]

the fact it was switching from the Main Bios to the backup should of been a sign the new update wasn't working, rather than update the old backup to the new update, now your pretty much screwed, as the others have stated.

Whether the board is still under warranty, which being a Socket 939 board, I very much doubt, it could end up costing you extra to have Gigabyte send you a new bios, or send the board in, get it reprogrammed, and sent back.

IF it does cost you, and depending on how much they ask, it may be worth while looking for a new board, or a used one that works...

[xGJBx]

Hi, The fact is that I am stupid (just ask my wife - her PC)
No w;nty, 4-5 yrs old but at the time a top line M/Board.
I am expecting to pay for my mistake (fixed or not)
I am having trouble contacting Gigabyte here, they don't have a phone number, only email. Have been waiting since Monday for a reply.
I hope someone has a RE-FLASH service.
Thanks.

[Chuckiechan]

Award 6.0 BIOS - BootBlock Recovery

Maybe you can get lucky... but I doubt it.

Probably will work on a flash drive if you don't have a floppy drive.

[RicheemxX]

Well there was a suggestion made earlier that was a viable option. It may be a bit late since this thread is a few weeks old but here goes.

Should you be able to get your hands on a PC with the same exact board you have you could attempt what is called hot flashing the bios chip. The idea has been around for years and does work but its very risky and not for the average user.

Essentially you pull out the bios eprom from the working computer while its booted, put your bios chip in and then flash your chip with a working bios. As mentioned this is a very risky move, you could short the board while messing with it, short the old bios chip or just about anything and it could potentially kill both boards, but it can be done.

Here's a bit more info on what hot flashing is.

[JasmineTF]

Should you be able to get your hands on a PC with the same exact board you have you could attempt what is called hot flashing the bios chip.

Wow, I didn't even know about this! Since I work in an environment where there are numerous computers of the same model (and BIOS), this information could really be useful.

[stroyal]

There are a few companies that sell, and reprogram BIOS.

:: BIOSMAN :: BIOS Updates : BIOS chips : BIOS recovery : AWARD : PHOENIX : AMI : BIOS replacement : Thumb Drives : Minoru 3D Webcam

Another reason I miss Abit, I messed up my BIOS once with the wrong BIOS, and Abit had a new chip in my hands in 2 days, for 5 Bucks.

[elroy]

I also had a buggered bios chip from a failed attempt to flash the bios.

I bought a new bios chip from an online source. [just run some google searches] Mine cost about $15

I then used the new bios chip to hot swap and re-flash the damaged bios.

I now have 2 good bios chips.

Tips for hot flash: pull both chips out and only insert the bios chip enough for the prongs to make contact, do not fully insert the chip until you are done

I used a straightened out paper clip to pull the chips, use needle nose pliers to bend the end of the paper clip so that it forms a very short small hook, then insert the "hook" under the corner of the chip to pull it up

[xGJBx]

Hi, Thankyou to all who replyed. I have ordered a new BIOS chip from biosdepot $9.98 It should do the trick. Thanks again, Garth.