[vorius]

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one.

I've got a board from EPOX who apparently went bankrupt or something - as none of their BIOS downloads work. Some popup asking to log into their FTP comes up when I click the links! And I need a BIOS update so it can handle my new 1.5 Tb hard drive - right now if I leave that drive plugged in and try to boot it gets stuck on post code 75, never asble to complete it's post and continue normal bootup.

The closest I was able to get to finding a BIOS update on my own is from BiosAgentPlus.com but they demand a paid subscription in order to download!

Here is all the info I can gather that may help in finding the right BIOS:

BIOS Version/Date: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 10/5/2004
BIOS Type:Phoenix-AwardBIOS
Date:October 5th 2004
BIOS ID:10/05/2004-nVidia-nForce-6A61BPANC-00-None
BIOS OEM:10/05/2004 For nForce2-MCP2S Chipset - 6.00 PG
Chipset:VIA 82C3044 rev 128Super
IO:Unknown
Manufacturer:Unknown
Motherboard:nVidia-nForce
Motherboard: EPOX EP-8RDA3+ Pro

Also, can anyone help me flash this BIOS? I found one BIOS file from some random site named 8rd34729.bin and when I tried to flash it using this WINFLASH.EXE program and do File->Update BIOS and choose this bin file it fails, saying "This file is no support BIOS lock function" [sic]

[vorius]

As an update- I managed to find a way to connect to epox's ftp site while googling for a solution. It has a folder for every motherboard so I scroll down to mine (8RDA3+PRO) but unfortunately it had no BIOS updates in it. The 8RDA3 folder did have a BIOS update which seems to be the same 8rd34729.bin file mentioned above, and when attempting to flash this BIOS version I get that same weird "This file is no support BIOS lock function" error and I can't flash it.



I just want to get my system to use my new 1.5 Tb hard drive!

[Ouzappa]

Sorry vorious, I don't have any answers either because I am having similar problems with updating the BIOS. I have located the Mobo (asus a8ae-le) update on the hp website, however when I try to do the update, I get an "you must be logged in as administrator" error. I have administrative privileges so...not sure what's happening there. Any help would be MUCHO appreciated.

Here are some specs

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Compaq Presario 061
System Model EL426AA-ABA SR1710NX NA610
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 47 Stepping 2 AuthenticAMD ~1989 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 3.13, 11/15/2005
SMBIOS Version 2.4

not sure if this is what is needed to troubleshoot the problem

[Tyrsonswood]

A few things about BIOS flashing.......

the flash file needs to be the exact issue for the board in question, if it's an HP machine, even though it may be an ASUS board the bios is written by HP and you must use HP's flash file. (I used HP and ASUS here as an example only, this goes for everything I have seen) If there are a few different models (like the 8RDA3+PRO, vs a 8RDA3) you need to use the one that matches the part number/ model number exactly. If the wrong flash file is used and it does actually try to do the flash, more often than not you can kiss that motherboard good-by.

If your manufacturer is no longer writing bios flash files, or has gone out of business, you won't find a "generic" file anywhere...... (ie.... phoenix bios version X that works with all boards..... doesn't exist) *see above

Also, don't flash your board unless there is a reason to do so...... trying to use a 1.5TB drive, good reason (but may not be available in this case) Just because there is a newer version but your system is working fine.... not a good reason. Bios flashes CAN go wrong and recovery may not be possible........ It would be a shame to kill a working system just because you found a flash file on the internet somewhere.

@ Ouzappa............ is there a dos level bios flash tool available from HP for your board? If so use that........... it will run at boot, usually from floppy or USB flashdrive, not in windows so there won't be any need for administrative privileges. These tend to be safer tools to use if available.

[Ouzappa]

well, the real reason I'm wanting to update is because all my usb's are not working. I read somewhere that updating the BIOS can help solve this problem. Of course not everything read on the Internet is true... So the real issue is with the usb malfunction.

[Tyrsonswood]

Bios may be the issue, may not. If it's a known issue with your system then doing the flash would be worth the effort. Certainly can't flash via USB with this issue though. If HP has a DOS flash available do you have a working floppy drive? You need the flash utility and the bios file on a bootable floppy to do it this way.

[Ouzappa]

yes I have a floppy drive, i just hope the disks work. They're kind of old.
Anyways, yes, hp does have a BIOS update. So do I just format the floppy then put the update on it? I'm not quite sure how to do the whole thing. And thank you in advance for your help.

[vorius]

Thanks for the tips guys!

I was able to get a few BIOS updates for my board one of which is an official EPoX one and another which was partially modded by other people. Flashing them went smooth but neither of them solved my problem with the 1.5 Tb drive.

I have decided this is wasting too much time so I am going to give up and find a replacement motherboard preferably from a solid company like ASUS. This situation is hopeless.

[Tyrsonswood]

Originally Posted by Ouzappa

yes I have a floppy drive, i just hope the disks work. They're kind of old.
Anyways, yes, hp does have a BIOS update. So do I just format the floppy then put the update on it? I'm not quite sure how to do the whole thing. And thank you in advance for your help.

Okay...... you will have to format the disk and make it a bootable "system disk" and then copy the flash utility and the bios file to it. I do this with XP's standard format utility without issue....... I guess Vista guys have a harder time with this and need to use some utility to create a dos boot disk.

Next..... On reboot go into your bios setup and set the system to boot from floppy first. Then reboot and it should come up to an A: prompt

Then follow the instructions on the HP site for running the flash utility.... make sure you read these and understand the procedure before you start.

Typically you will type in the name of the flash utility at the A: prompt and it will find the correct bios file on the floppy.... some you have to type in the flash utility and the bios file name.... this should all be explained on the HP site or in a TXT file that comes with the flash utility. The actual flash utility will prompt you to proceed asking about the version of the bios file... it will also warn you about not turning off the system until the procedure is finished..... they are all a little different in the details but the basic premise is the same.

If your floppy drive and disks haven't been used for quite some time it may be a good idea to format several disks, or re-format the same one a few times and then test your floppy boot to make sure everything is working properly before attempting the actual flash procedure.... you know, dirt/dust in the drive, errors on the disk, etc. You don't want to be dealing with other issues like that during a flash, so make sure it's all working with a few test boots first.

If you need more specifics let us know before you start and link me to the flash file so I can go over the instructions.

[Tyrsonswood]

Originally Posted by vorius

Thanks for the tips guys!

I was able to get a few BIOS updates for my board one of which is an official EPoX one and another which was partially modded by other people. Flashing them went smooth but neither of them solved my problem with the 1.5 Tb drive.

I have decided this is wasting too much time so I am going to give up and find a replacement motherboard preferably from a solid company like ASUS. This situation is hopeless.

Sorry you couldn't find a bios that supported that new drive, this happens when systems reach "end of service life" and you try to upgrade further..... new mobo or a different system is sometimes the only way around this......

[Ouzappa]

Directions for "Download Only" option A8AE-LE Motherboard BIOS Update

above is the url for the hp download.
and with the formatting of the floppy, do I just do a "quick format" or "create a MS-DOS start up disk"?

[Tyrsonswood]

No on the quick format... full format and create dos startup disk..... I'll check the instructions shortly and get back to you on the rest

[Tyrsonswood]

Okay.............. that's not a DOS based flash and it seems there isn't one available. That flash on the link you provided may be the same as the one you tried before and needed "administrative privileges" for.....

Question.......... when did your USB problem start? From what I read this bios flash doesn't specificly address this issue but some Vista stuff........ this USB problem may not be a bios issue after all..... I guess we need more info about the specific problem, when it started, what you have tried/tested to fix it, etc.

You may want to start a new thread about this if it's not going to be BIOS related.....

[GigaWatt]

Originally Posted by Tyrsonswood

Okay.............. that's not a DOS based flash and it seems there isn't one available. That flash on the link you provided may be the same as the one you tried before and needed "administrative privileges" for.....

from what i've seen... i think that almost every Presario model of HP/Compaq doesn't have a DOS flash utility... every single one of them is either XP or Vista based... :S

[jumenwoke]

Thank you for the invitation. As you can see, I need help with this ASAP.
Phoenix-Award BIOS 6.00 PG upgrade request.