Trying to update the AMI Bios on a fairly old pc?

[Dess_Salvatore]

HI, guys!

So, I've recently found my old PC and decided to try to fix it. I reinstalled Windows ( Ultimate 86x) and everything was fine up until 2 weeks ago when it started giving me Blue screens (of death) I did all the Windows suggested updates, but it still didn't fix anything.
I google-ed possible causes. There were several options, like new hardware that is not functioning properly, malware, viruses etc. and i ticked them off one by one. Then someone mentioned that it can actually have something to do with the Bios. So, I went to the setup menu on Start up and saw that my Bios was actually released in 2005..

the specifications are:

DMI BIOS
vendor American Megatrends Inc.
version 1006.002
date 09/07/2005
ROM size 512 KB

DMI System Information
manufacturer System manufacturer
product System Product Name
version System Version
serial System Serial Number
UUID {EABA4B3C-FE75-11D5-AA87-9E1A1E77A995}
SKU unknown
family unknown

My system is:

DMI Baseboard
vendor ASUSTeK Computer INC.
model P4S800-MX SE
revision Rev 1.xx
serial MB-1234567890

DMI System Enclosure
manufacturer Chassis Manufacture
chassis type Desktop
chassis serial Chassis Serial Number

DMI Processor
manufacturer Intel
model Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz
clock speed 3000.0 MHz
FSB speed 200.0 MHz
multiplier 15.0x


I'm aware that this is probably some ancient version of the Bios, considering the fact that it's a fairly old PC, LOL ,but i really want to try and update it. Since my laptop died, i can't afford a new one, and i have a dissertation to write *sigh*

My question is, is updating the BIOS possible? And if yes - what do i need to download and install, as a software?

p.s: I already tried to download the Motherboard ID Tool (MBID), from the American Megatrends website, and followed the instructions precisely, but it still gave me a an error" - "d7 system not supported"or something of that sort. So, i still don't know which firmware update tool to download,(seeing there are several in the site) and if there even are any of them compatible with my system.

I'd really appreciate it, if someone gives me some suggestions on what to do.
Thank you in advance, hope you all have a great day!

 

[GhislainG]

Is your motherboard an Asus P4S800-MX SE? The BIOS version doesn't match any version found here: https://www.asus.com/support/Download/1/15/29/2/8/ What version is displayed at POST or in CPU-Z?

 

[Dess_Salvatore]

Is your motherboard an Asus P4S800-MX SE? The BIOS version doesn't match any version found here: https://www.asus.com/support/Download/1/15/29/2/8/ What version is displayed at POST or in CPU-Z?

Yeah, i saw that they don't match. I have no idea what to do at this point.
Those specs that i already pasted were actually from CPU-Z.
When i open the BIOS menu however on the bottom of the screen i see the
"v.2.53 (C) Copyright 1985-2002 , American Megatrends Inc. " line so i'm guessing the BIOS version is 2.53?

it would have been a lot easier if i had the original support CD that comes with the motherboard, but i'm sure it has been lost long time ago :/

 

[GhislainG]

There should be other info at POST indicating the actual BIOS version. What's printed on the motherboard? P4S800-MX SE? If it ran fine until 2 weeks ago, then I'd presume something is failing; a BIOS update probably won't help if it ran fine for several years. Did you check for bulged or leaking capacitors? This is a possibility with a motherboard that was manufactured in 2005 or 2006.

 

[Dess_Salvatore]

There should be other info at POST indicating the actual BIOS version. What's printed on the motherboard? P4S800-MX SE? If it ran fine until 2 weeks ago, then I'd presume something is failing; a BIOS update probably won't help if it ran fine for several years. Did you check for bulged or leaking capacitors? This is a possibility with a motherboard that was manufactured in 2005 or 2006.

The POST says:
AMIBIOS (C) 2005 American Megatrends, Inc.
ASUS P4S800-MX SE ACPI BIOS Revision 0602

I already tried the AMIBIOS firmware update utility, but it gives an error message: BIOS does not support AFU .. whatever that means

I must mention that it worked fine on windows XP though. I tried to install Windows 7 on it and it all went downhill from there. So, i'm gonna take a "wild guess" and say that i probably screwed it up myself (?)
Maybe the Motherboard doesn't support Win7

I also increased the RAM memory form 2x512MB Kingston 184pin DDR PC3200 400MHz to 2x 1GB Samsung with the same specs. ( The manual said the RAM could go up to 2GB ) That could have also gone wrong somehow

Maybe in the worst case scenario i could put the old RAM back i reinstall Windows XP :/

Update: i ran some BIOS agent tool on my PC and those were the results:

BIOS Type:AMI
BIOS Date:September 7th, 2005
BIOS ID:63-0602-000001-00101111-090705-SIS661FX
BIOS OEM:BIOS Date: 09/07/05 09:39:51 Ver: 08.00.10 - 1006.002
Chipset:SiS 661 rev 17
SuperIO:Unknown
Make/Model:Chassis Manufacture P4S800-MX SE

Chassis ? Does that mean it's some sort of a custom made motherboard or... an OEM or.. idk
But at least now we know the BIOS version - 8.00.10

 

[DSzymborski]

As Ghislain notes, it's extremely unlikely that this is a BIOS problem. The BIOS of a PC is just a program that enables the motherboard to communicate with the other components. If this PC had been working fine since 2005 with the same hardware, there's almost no chance that there's a BIOS problem here. Something else has failed, most likely the RAM, either defective or incompatible. Given you're getting constant BSoDs, putting your old RAM back in shouldn't be your last resort, it shoudl basically be your *first* resort.

 

[GhislainG]

"ASUS P4S800-MX SE ACPI BIOS Revision 0602" at POST shows that the BIOS revision is 0602. The last 4 digits of Ver: 08.00.10 - 1006.002 also indicate it's 0602.

XP or Linux may be the best that you can run on it. Several years ago I had a P4 531 running Windows 2003 Server x86 with 4 GB of memory; I didn't try a newer OS because the BIOS wasn't compatible with any 64-bit OS.