Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)
On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 17:41:16 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
wrote:
>On both types.
Great!! Please fill us in on your use of awdflash.exe on the these
two boards. Any problems completing the flash using it? Did you have
to employ a workaround?
>
>"milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> a écrit dans le message de news:
>2qerb19oprgpqhp3j0apo5mnnj0tle1b0a@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 09:30:16 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>The reference was to A8N-SLI Deluxe's manual -
>>>but that page number also applies to A7N8X-E Deluxe.
>>
>> So I take it you have it installed in an A7N8X-E?
>>>
>>>"milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> a écrit dans le message de news:
>>>u7vpb19e9kfsp0l0vf201dtegsbl6pmgc5@4ax.com...
>>>> On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:40:49 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>True. But a floppy is easy to make.
>>>>>Page 4 - 2 of your motherboard manual.
>>>>>
>>>>>By the way, I have a Bios savior. It is much
>>>>>safer in that even if there is a ^pwer failure during the
>>>>>flashing process.
>>>>
>>>> What motherboard do you have it installed in?
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>"J&SB" <jandsb@cox.net> a écrit dans le message de news:
>>>>>nd0ve.51082$iU.24185@lakeread05...
>>>>>> Thanks for the detailed run-down. I'm going to get one of these for
>>>>>> my
>>>>>> A8N-SLI Deluxe. I think the price is a bargain for the peace of mind
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> you get. What other boot device would support this procedure? I'm
>>>>>> one
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> those guys with a relatively new rig, and they just don't put floppies
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> them any more.
>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>> Jim
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> wrote in message
>>>>>> news😱numb1ljq0iud8uh25r4tg8ege4eiljmfj@4ax.com...
>>>>>>> On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 20:09:00 -0400, "J&SB" <jandsb@cox.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Say Ron,
>>>>>>>>Now that you've identified the right BIOS Savior, would you mind
>>>>>>>>going
>>>>>>>>through your installation and flashing procedure step-by-step for us
>>>>>>>>who
>>>>>>>>walk with trepidation when it comes to this sort of thing? Thanks in
>>>>>>>>advance. I'd really like to get one of these and rest easier.
>>>>>>>>Jim
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sure.
>>>>>>> 1 -- Before I installed my motherboard, I used the neat little
>>>>>>> BIOS-chip extractor supplied by IOSS to remove the PLCC BIOS chip.
>>>>>>> Just like CPUs, these things go in only one way, and it's easy to
>>>>>>> tell
>>>>>>> because one corner of the chip and socket are not square. The
>>>>>>> instructions illustrate how to keep things in alignment.
>>>>>>> 2 -- plug the BIOS Savior into the motherboard socket vacated by the
>>>>>>> original BIOS.
>>>>>>> 3 -- keeping the alignment in mind plug the original BIOS chip into
>>>>>>> the identical socket on the top of the BIOS Savior. At this point,
>>>>>>> the original chip is plugged into the Savior, and the Savior is
>>>>>>> plugged into the mobo. There is NEVER an ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
>>>>>>> between the EPROM in the BIOS Savior and the original BIOS chip
>>>>>>> mounted in the BIOS Savior.
>>>>>>> 4 -- with the BIOS Savior switch set on ORG (for "original"), boot
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> machine with a bootable floppy containing awdflash.exe in the drive.
>>>>>>> 5 -- run awdflash.exe and elect to save the original BIOS to the
>>>>>>> floppy, giving it any name you wish.
>>>>>>> 6 -- flip the BIOS Savior switch to "RD1."
>>>>>>> 7 -- run awdflash again, this time telling it that you want to
>>>>>>> reprogram the BIOS. Type in the name you gave the SAVED original
>>>>>>> BIOS, and let it write that BIN file to the BIOS Savior's chip.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In my case, AWDFLASH gave a checksum error when trying to flash the
>>>>>>> BIOS Savior. I had saved the original BIOS as ORIGINAL.BIN, so I set
>>>>>>> the Savior to ORG, hit ALT-F2 during POST, and used Asus EZFlash
>>>>>>> instead of awdflash.exe. After EZFlash was running, I set the BIOS
>>>>>>> Savior to "RD1," and proceeded with the flash. EZFlash had no
>>>>>>> trouble
>>>>>>> flashing the BIOS Savior. Now I have the same version of the BIOS in
>>>>>>> both the Savior and the original chip. The data stored in CMOS is
>>>>>>> therefore appropriate for both, and I can POST with the switch set in
>>>>>>> either position.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> After you get this far, you can leave the switch on either setting:
>>>>>>> A -- you can leave it set on RD1. This leaves your pristine original
>>>>>>> BIOS sitting there unused, while you run day-to-day from the BIOS
>>>>>>> Savior's chip, keeping the original in reserve. You might even want
>>>>>>> to remove it and put it somewhere else for safekeeping.
>>>>>>> B -- you can set the switch back to ORG, running day-to-day from your
>>>>>>> original BIOS, and using the BIOS Savior as a backup. If you get a
>>>>>>> badflash, simply clear the CMOS, flip the BIOS Savior switch, and
>>>>>>> boot
>>>>>>> from the known good backup.
>>>>>>> C -- a development engineer could have different versions of the BIOS
>>>>>>> in the Savior and the original chip and switch back an forth from one
>>>>>>> boot to the next. I suspect that you'd have to clear CMOS to do
>>>>>>> that.
>>>>>>> Not sure.
>>>>>>> D -- you can use the BIOS Savior as a flashing device, something like
>>>>>>> they do at badflash.com. If a friend had a messed-up BIOS, you could
>>>>>>> extract the chip from his computer and then plug it into the BIOS
>>>>>>> Savior. You'd then simply boot to a floppy, flip the switch, and
>>>>>>> reflash his bad BIOS.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This really takes the fear and worry out of flash a BIOS. If it goes
>>>>>>> bad, just flip a switch, and you're back in business.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>"milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>news😛i5kb1tqrldgttk7bdkvrf416fm4sanuqq@4ax.com...
>>>>>>>>> On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 02:58:26 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>My advice : contact them by e-mail, stating the type and number of
>>>>>>>>>>your BIOS. They usually answer rapidly. My guess is that as long
>>>>>>>>>>as the BIOS is the same size it will work.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>As long as you disconnect your computer and proceed with care,
>>>>>>>>>>your board will not be damaged.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I'm still going to buy the only BIOS Savior that IOSS makes and
>>>>>>>>>>> see
>>>>>>>>>>> if
>>>>>>>>>>> it works. If it doesn't, then it should be a fairly simple
>>>>>>>>>>> matter
>>>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>>> remove it and plug the original BIOS back into its original slot.
>>>>>>>>>>> I've never done this before, though, so I'm wondering how great a
>>>>>>>>>>> likelihood there is of damaging the mobo or BIOS chip using the
>>>>>>>>>>> chip-extracting device supplied with the BIOS Savior. Anybody
>>>>>>>>>>> know?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Ron
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> FG,
>>>>>>>>> You were correct. The size of the RD1-PMC4 is the same size as the
>>>>>>>>> A8N-SLI BIOS, I did not damage anything, and it DOES WORK!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> The use of the included BIOS-chip extractor was not well
>>>>>>>>> documented,
>>>>>>>>> but once I figured it out, it popped the original BIOS out almost
>>>>>>>>> effortlessly. Installation was a breeze -- thirty seconds flat.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I am thrilled to finally have a computer with a working BIOS Savior
>>>>>>>>> installed. I can flash new BIOS versions at will without having to
>>>>>>>>> fear that I'll screw anything up.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> VERY, very importantly, I could not program the BIOS Savior with
>>>>>>>>> AWDFLASH.EXE, the newest version available for download at Asus,
>>>>>>>>> ver.
>>>>>>>>> 8.24, I believe. It gave a checksum error and refused to proceed.
>>>>>>>>> HOWEVER, I then tried the built-in Asus EZFlash (ALT-F2 during
>>>>>>>>> POST),
>>>>>>>>> and it copied the original BIOS file, 1004, to the BIOS Savior
>>>>>>>>> just
>>>>>>>>> as though it was writing to the regular BIOS chip. I could then
>>>>>>>>> leave
>>>>>>>>> the BIOS Savior set to RD1 and reboot. It's perfectly transparent.
>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>> cannot recommend the BIOS Savior highly enough. I'll report this
>>>>>>>>> success to IOSS, but it seems like they're no longer updating their
>>>>>>>>> compatibility pages. I deduce that they don't care if they sell
>>>>>>>>> this
>>>>>>>>> product any longer or else their marketing department should all be
>>>>>>>>> fired en masse.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Anyway, spread the gospel. BIOS Savior RD1-PMC4 is compatible with
>>>>>>>>> the A8N-SLI series.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Ron
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ron
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ron
>>>
>>
>> Ron
>
Ron
On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 17:41:16 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
wrote:
>On both types.
Great!! Please fill us in on your use of awdflash.exe on the these
two boards. Any problems completing the flash using it? Did you have
to employ a workaround?
>
>"milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> a écrit dans le message de news:
>2qerb19oprgpqhp3j0apo5mnnj0tle1b0a@4ax.com...
>> On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 09:30:16 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>The reference was to A8N-SLI Deluxe's manual -
>>>but that page number also applies to A7N8X-E Deluxe.
>>
>> So I take it you have it installed in an A7N8X-E?
>>>
>>>"milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> a écrit dans le message de news:
>>>u7vpb19e9kfsp0l0vf201dtegsbl6pmgc5@4ax.com...
>>>> On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 19:40:49 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>True. But a floppy is easy to make.
>>>>>Page 4 - 2 of your motherboard manual.
>>>>>
>>>>>By the way, I have a Bios savior. It is much
>>>>>safer in that even if there is a ^pwer failure during the
>>>>>flashing process.
>>>>
>>>> What motherboard do you have it installed in?
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>"J&SB" <jandsb@cox.net> a écrit dans le message de news:
>>>>>nd0ve.51082$iU.24185@lakeread05...
>>>>>> Thanks for the detailed run-down. I'm going to get one of these for
>>>>>> my
>>>>>> A8N-SLI Deluxe. I think the price is a bargain for the peace of mind
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> you get. What other boot device would support this procedure? I'm
>>>>>> one
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> those guys with a relatively new rig, and they just don't put floppies
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> them any more.
>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>> Jim
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> wrote in message
>>>>>> news😱numb1ljq0iud8uh25r4tg8ege4eiljmfj@4ax.com...
>>>>>>> On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 20:09:00 -0400, "J&SB" <jandsb@cox.net> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Say Ron,
>>>>>>>>Now that you've identified the right BIOS Savior, would you mind
>>>>>>>>going
>>>>>>>>through your installation and flashing procedure step-by-step for us
>>>>>>>>who
>>>>>>>>walk with trepidation when it comes to this sort of thing? Thanks in
>>>>>>>>advance. I'd really like to get one of these and rest easier.
>>>>>>>>Jim
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sure.
>>>>>>> 1 -- Before I installed my motherboard, I used the neat little
>>>>>>> BIOS-chip extractor supplied by IOSS to remove the PLCC BIOS chip.
>>>>>>> Just like CPUs, these things go in only one way, and it's easy to
>>>>>>> tell
>>>>>>> because one corner of the chip and socket are not square. The
>>>>>>> instructions illustrate how to keep things in alignment.
>>>>>>> 2 -- plug the BIOS Savior into the motherboard socket vacated by the
>>>>>>> original BIOS.
>>>>>>> 3 -- keeping the alignment in mind plug the original BIOS chip into
>>>>>>> the identical socket on the top of the BIOS Savior. At this point,
>>>>>>> the original chip is plugged into the Savior, and the Savior is
>>>>>>> plugged into the mobo. There is NEVER an ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
>>>>>>> between the EPROM in the BIOS Savior and the original BIOS chip
>>>>>>> mounted in the BIOS Savior.
>>>>>>> 4 -- with the BIOS Savior switch set on ORG (for "original"), boot
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> machine with a bootable floppy containing awdflash.exe in the drive.
>>>>>>> 5 -- run awdflash.exe and elect to save the original BIOS to the
>>>>>>> floppy, giving it any name you wish.
>>>>>>> 6 -- flip the BIOS Savior switch to "RD1."
>>>>>>> 7 -- run awdflash again, this time telling it that you want to
>>>>>>> reprogram the BIOS. Type in the name you gave the SAVED original
>>>>>>> BIOS, and let it write that BIN file to the BIOS Savior's chip.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In my case, AWDFLASH gave a checksum error when trying to flash the
>>>>>>> BIOS Savior. I had saved the original BIOS as ORIGINAL.BIN, so I set
>>>>>>> the Savior to ORG, hit ALT-F2 during POST, and used Asus EZFlash
>>>>>>> instead of awdflash.exe. After EZFlash was running, I set the BIOS
>>>>>>> Savior to "RD1," and proceeded with the flash. EZFlash had no
>>>>>>> trouble
>>>>>>> flashing the BIOS Savior. Now I have the same version of the BIOS in
>>>>>>> both the Savior and the original chip. The data stored in CMOS is
>>>>>>> therefore appropriate for both, and I can POST with the switch set in
>>>>>>> either position.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> After you get this far, you can leave the switch on either setting:
>>>>>>> A -- you can leave it set on RD1. This leaves your pristine original
>>>>>>> BIOS sitting there unused, while you run day-to-day from the BIOS
>>>>>>> Savior's chip, keeping the original in reserve. You might even want
>>>>>>> to remove it and put it somewhere else for safekeeping.
>>>>>>> B -- you can set the switch back to ORG, running day-to-day from your
>>>>>>> original BIOS, and using the BIOS Savior as a backup. If you get a
>>>>>>> badflash, simply clear the CMOS, flip the BIOS Savior switch, and
>>>>>>> boot
>>>>>>> from the known good backup.
>>>>>>> C -- a development engineer could have different versions of the BIOS
>>>>>>> in the Savior and the original chip and switch back an forth from one
>>>>>>> boot to the next. I suspect that you'd have to clear CMOS to do
>>>>>>> that.
>>>>>>> Not sure.
>>>>>>> D -- you can use the BIOS Savior as a flashing device, something like
>>>>>>> they do at badflash.com. If a friend had a messed-up BIOS, you could
>>>>>>> extract the chip from his computer and then plug it into the BIOS
>>>>>>> Savior. You'd then simply boot to a floppy, flip the switch, and
>>>>>>> reflash his bad BIOS.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This really takes the fear and worry out of flash a BIOS. If it goes
>>>>>>> bad, just flip a switch, and you're back in business.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>"milleron" <millerdot90@SPAMlessosu.edu> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>news😛i5kb1tqrldgttk7bdkvrf416fm4sanuqq@4ax.com...
>>>>>>>>> On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 02:58:26 -0400, "FG" <personne@videotron.cam>
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>My advice : contact them by e-mail, stating the type and number of
>>>>>>>>>>your BIOS. They usually answer rapidly. My guess is that as long
>>>>>>>>>>as the BIOS is the same size it will work.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>As long as you disconnect your computer and proceed with care,
>>>>>>>>>>your board will not be damaged.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I'm still going to buy the only BIOS Savior that IOSS makes and
>>>>>>>>>>> see
>>>>>>>>>>> if
>>>>>>>>>>> it works. If it doesn't, then it should be a fairly simple
>>>>>>>>>>> matter
>>>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>>> remove it and plug the original BIOS back into its original slot.
>>>>>>>>>>> I've never done this before, though, so I'm wondering how great a
>>>>>>>>>>> likelihood there is of damaging the mobo or BIOS chip using the
>>>>>>>>>>> chip-extracting device supplied with the BIOS Savior. Anybody
>>>>>>>>>>> know?
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Ron
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> FG,
>>>>>>>>> You were correct. The size of the RD1-PMC4 is the same size as the
>>>>>>>>> A8N-SLI BIOS, I did not damage anything, and it DOES WORK!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> The use of the included BIOS-chip extractor was not well
>>>>>>>>> documented,
>>>>>>>>> but once I figured it out, it popped the original BIOS out almost
>>>>>>>>> effortlessly. Installation was a breeze -- thirty seconds flat.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I am thrilled to finally have a computer with a working BIOS Savior
>>>>>>>>> installed. I can flash new BIOS versions at will without having to
>>>>>>>>> fear that I'll screw anything up.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> VERY, very importantly, I could not program the BIOS Savior with
>>>>>>>>> AWDFLASH.EXE, the newest version available for download at Asus,
>>>>>>>>> ver.
>>>>>>>>> 8.24, I believe. It gave a checksum error and refused to proceed.
>>>>>>>>> HOWEVER, I then tried the built-in Asus EZFlash (ALT-F2 during
>>>>>>>>> POST),
>>>>>>>>> and it copied the original BIOS file, 1004, to the BIOS Savior
>>>>>>>>> just
>>>>>>>>> as though it was writing to the regular BIOS chip. I could then
>>>>>>>>> leave
>>>>>>>>> the BIOS Savior set to RD1 and reboot. It's perfectly transparent.
>>>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>>> cannot recommend the BIOS Savior highly enough. I'll report this
>>>>>>>>> success to IOSS, but it seems like they're no longer updating their
>>>>>>>>> compatibility pages. I deduce that they don't care if they sell
>>>>>>>>> this
>>>>>>>>> product any longer or else their marketing department should all be
>>>>>>>>> fired en masse.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Anyway, spread the gospel. BIOS Savior RD1-PMC4 is compatible with
>>>>>>>>> the A8N-SLI series.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Ron
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ron
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ron
>>>
>>
>> Ron
>
Ron
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