bios rom checksum error...HELP!!!

ive done a bit of research and had some help from folks over at hardwarecentral.com, but to no avail.

i own a Epox 8RDA motherboard and the other day i had rebooted my system and after it rebooted i got this message:

Bios Rom Checksum Error

Detecting A:\ drive

What i have tried:

-removed sound card/network card/1 dimm of memory (i have 2 1gig sticks)
-replaced the cmos battery
-tried inserting a system startup disc

none of these have worked.

apparently it specifically wants AWDFLASH.EXE, so i downloaded that from the Epox website and put it as well as the latest bios update (8rda4729.bin ) on a floppy and rebooted.

it automatically loaded the program, but the cursor is flashing in the bottom right of the screen instead of the box where i am supposed to type the bios file (8rda4729.bin).

is there any way you can help me get my system back up and running??

im in dire need of help!!!!!!!

please...anyone...

-Sin

 

I have offered this link, in case you did not have it.

http://support.asus.com/technicaldocuments/technicaldocuments_content.aspx?no=532&SLanguage=en-us
If you cannot type in the relevent place, I suggest you type n
and you should be able to reflash.
Do not shutdown, nor, restart.
Read the page fully, and print out , if you can, before doing anything.

 

im well aware how to flash, but thanx for the link neway.

like i said awdflash loads, but i cant type nething in.

this just sux....this is day 4 ive been at it...

-Sin

 

I assume you have shut down , if you've been at it 4 days ?
If you have, then you may be able to return to the original, by removing the motherboard cmos battery, and replacing to reset the bios, OR, move the motherboard jumpers over from 1-2 to 2-3, for about a minute, and replace- unless you have already done that, too.
Sometimes, you might have to remove the battery for 24 hours, then try again.
If you have not shut down, don't until you find out more.

 

Sme more help, here,?
http://www.bios-repair.co.uk/bios/bsrecover.htm

 

like i said in the original post, i already replaced the cmos battery, but i only left out the original for an hour or two while i went and bought a new one. so ill try leaving the battery out for 24 hours.

ive also moved the jumper over about a billion times.

i think maybe my next step is to just buy a new bios chip from Epox...and if that doesnt work...well...new motherboard...

-Sin

ps. btw, im using a roomates pc to post these messages. i cant use my pc whatsoever

 

Flashing the bios can fail if USB devices are left connected whilst attempting the process.

If you have interrupted the flashing part way you may be able to recover by booting with the bios unalterable 'core'.

Change the recovery jumper to the recovery position.
(Intel boards are labelled recover/normal)
put the bootable bios upgrade floppy into the A drive - it MUST be the A drive
Watch the floppy LED -nothing will happen onscreen
5 minutes after the floppy light goes out, power down the system
restore the flash recovery jumper to 'normal' position and reboot.

 

I will remember that one Studiot, thanks- hope you get lucky abominusrules

 

no usb devices are attached.

ill look in the manual for the recovery jumper...dunno where it is on this Epox board.

well see what this does...

UPDATE: the only jumper i have on my motherboard is the JCMOS Jumper right next to my cmos battery and bios chip. so is this the jumper i should be moving according to your advice? also, should i have the newest bios upgrade as well as awdflash.exe on the floppy? or just the bios update?

-Sin

 

Yes that's it, the bios reset jumper in common parlance.

If you think about it there must be a part of the bios which doesn't change to run things during alterations. This core only outputs to speaker and inputs from floppy. You do not actually need a screen connected, although you could watch progress with a POST card. It will simply load whatever full bios you have on the floppy. Once you have control back you can change things to suit.

 

get some rest and pick it up when you have a clear head.
some time ago i had just got up from a nice long nap one night, b/f had been fighting with something on his laptop, and couldnt for the life of him figure out what it was. went in and under 5 minutes i had solved his problem no thank you did i get and was called a bodget queen =) it could be just as simple as you over looking something

 

always good to do that..but im now on day 5 and ive tried just about everything....cept for what i was just told...the whole 5min jumper thing...which im about to go do right about....now.

-Sin

 

ok, well...it didnt work.

i moved my jumper from 1-2 to 2-3 and booted up with a floppy containing just my 8rda4729.bin file in the floppy drive, but the light on the floppy never even came on!

so i shut down, moved the jumper back to 1-2 and booted back up and bam...it wants awdflash.exe again...

man...i think im just gonna buy a new motherboard...this is just kicking my ***...

-Sin

 

Sorry we can't help.

One last thought, you have put the bios files onto a bootable floppy haven't you?
That is one formatted /s or with the 'create a system disk' box ticked in windows.

 

i tried that, yes...i can try again tho, as my roomate has Win98SE.

but my mobo doesnt want a system disk, it wants awdflash.exe specifically.

everytime i put a disk in, its like Bzzzzt!! incorrect! i want awdflash.exe, dumba$$!!!

-Sin

 

This is an excerpt from the manufacturers instructions that Baklogic gave you a while back.

It clearly tells you to copy awdflash.exe to a boot disk. It will not work properly otherwise.

 

heres what i tried so far:

created a Win98se startup disk. no go
formatted a disk and put awdflash.exe and my 8rda4729.bin file on it. no go
formatted a disk and put 8rda4729.bin file on it whilst booting with the cmos jumper on 2-3 per a reply a few posts up. no go

seems nothing is working.

im posting a video on youtube in a second so you all can see what the deal is. ill reply with the link.

-Sin

 

A windows98SE startup disk is NOT the same as a system disk!!!!!!!

(It creates a temporary drive in memory)

Did you follow the instructions and make a sytem disk and copy the flash files to it? Only then will it work.

 

i did that too. booted my roomates pc into dos mode

format a:/s

it did

i put awdflash.exe on it.

still having the cursor error.

here is the video on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUvu3zz_OTQ

hope this helps somewhat..

-Sin

 

btw..i just saw another post about a program called drdlash.

should i try that?

-Sin

 

So you have AWDflash working and asking for the binary flash file.

You either have the wrong one or a damaged rom/mobo. There are usually a range of bios upgrades available, have you tried an earlier one?

 

ill try an earlier one...

but i just formatted a disk with drdlash and im actually able now to type in the file, but after i type it in and hit enter, it freezes up!

im sooooo close...

-Sin

 

One other thought,

As you so you are so close and the bios clearly has some control over the system.

When you received the original error message, did you enter the bios and


1) check the date
2) check the memory total

These are the usual two sources of this error message, not the bios itself. Entering the bios and resettting the information will clear it.

It is possible that the original fault is now preventing you from proceeding, have you any way of testing (preferably by substitution) the RAM memory? At least take the module(s) out, clean the contacts and reseat.

 

what happened was last week, i installed Motorola Phone Tools for my cell phone and rebooted like it asked.

when the pc rebooted, it automatically came to that error.

no, i have no way to test my memory. my roommates pc is extremely old and slow.

but like i said, i took out one of the ram sticks (i have 2x1gig pc3200) and this still is happening.

but i took someones advice on another board:

last nite i unplugged the power supply as well as the 20 pinn atx connector off the motherboard and took out the battery and left them out.

he said leaving them out for a while should reset anything. and if it didnt, then nothing will.

so, ill plug everything in here in a bit. see what happens.

-Sin

 

Contrary to my earlier advice, plug the mobile phone back in and see if it reboots to the checksum error and if so can you get into the bios. Then save changes and exit bios.

 

ja..it didnt work.

like i said, left everything out over night, plugged everything back in, turned it on...nada. still problems.

my cord that hooks my cell phone up to my pc is usb, so, ill try that next...see what happens.

but as of this very moment, im just going to get a new/used mobo. and being its an older Epox model, im sure i can get one cheap.

-Sin

 

Good luck.