Problem Flashing BIOS

[morphinapg]

I downloaded the newest BIOS because I was having a "error loading operating system" error and Microsoft KB said to update to the latest BIOS.

 

I downloaded WinFlash 1.76 and loaded up my BIOS. I clicked update and it went through DMI Block. Then it went on, cleared the main block, and proceeded to program the main block. It programmed all the way to 100% then it went on to verify. It stopped at about 1 or 2 % and gave me a "flash block verify error".

 

I have tried redownloading the BIOS, downloading other versions, other versions of WinFlash etc. What can I do? Is there any other program that will flash my BIOS within Windows? Will my computer still boot if I restart or no? I am scared to restart right now because I am afraid it won't boot. Help!

[Voltes-5]

Flashing bios within Widows is kind a risky, never used it before myself. I always used the Diamond Flash method from DFI. D'load the bios from DFI, the Diamond Flash, then when you click on it on windows it will do its job to write itself on a floppy. Just boot off of that floppy and you're good to go. Never failed me yet. Oh by the way, do you another system where you can make that floppy? Welcome to the streets.

[morphinapg]

I can make the floppy just fine, but I'm not sure whether or not the computer would be in a usable state to be able to boot the floppy and flash the BIOS or not. What if I restart my computer and the flashed BIOS is all screwed up and my computer can't load? I'm not so sure I want to try that just yet. Is there any other program I can use to flash the BIOS within Windows?

[Robc1880]

I downloaded WinFlash 1.76 and loaded up my BIOS. I clicked update and it went through DMI Block. Then it went on, cleared the main block, and proceeded to program the main block. It programmed all the way to 100% then it went on to verify. It stopped at about 1 or 2 % and gave me a "flash block verify error".

 

 

Downloading and using Winflash was a big mistake. always flash your bios either with TMODS Cd or with a floppy. I understand your fear for rebooting the computer, but that is the best way to update the BIOS properly. I would suggest doing a long CMOS clear and then when you boot up, just make sure to flash the bios with either the Cd or the Floppy.

 

Just as a long shot I would maybe try doing another bios flash with WinFlash either with the same BIOS or a little earlier bios. Maybe you would get lucky and it could rewrite it properly.

 

I wouldn't always trust M$ when they say to update the bios...that is their clever way of saying (Our software screwed up, but we will blame it on the hardware).

 

 

 

What was the issue you were having when you decided to update the BIOS?

[Voltes-5]

Yeah, like rob said, which I forgot to mention. Do a cmos clear, the long one just to be safe.

[thefabe]

winflash most peole here use Tmods bootable cd. If your unsure of the stabulity of your system then don't attempt to Flash your bios this should only be done with a stable system. Run memtest from your bios at least 10 error free passess and an additional 5 passes with #5 and #8. the error loading the operating system has NOTHING to do with your bios and everything to do with your way under powered non recommended power supply. DFI requires a native 24 pin PSU and 480W with 34a on the 12v rail or if their are 2 12v rails then 18A each. et a proper power supply before you try to go any further. You have a dual core cpu = more power + a7950 GPU and Several hard drives http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread...ed+power+supply you'll never get the system srable enough to load windows without it

[thefabe]

Guys look at the system specs thermaltake TR2 430 w Power supply! Thos os the poster child of power supplies to avoid.

[thefabe]

If you were having a problem loading the OS. it would be due to system instability caused by your 430w power supply. DfI requires a native 24 pin 480w 34a PSU. This is for a minimum system not one with a dual core. And espescialy not a Thermaltake 430w Power supply. If your flash is bad do a long CMOS Clear as putlined here. You should never attemot to flash your bios with an unstable system. And gerneral speaking a bios flash should only be done when their is a particular fix in the bios for your system or for say memory compatiability. http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showpost.p...16&postcount=19 If your sytem will no longer boot you after the long CMOS clear you may need to buy a new bios chip from Tmod at biosmedic.com he can sell you one preloaded with the bios of your choice for around 15 dollars.

[morphinapg]

I think I should say my whole story. I bought this motherboard a few days ago off of newegg.com. I bought it because I wanted a little more control to overclock than my current motherboard was giving me. I had also just bought the Dual Core Opteron and I figured putting that one in a brand new motherboard would be a lot easier than taking one processor out and swapping.

 

My power supply does have the 24 pin connector. I connected all of the power connectors (24 pin, 4 pin, and standard power connector) to the system board. I connected all of the wires from the front panel and I installed the CPU and Stock Fan/Heatsink. I also installed my new OCZ 1 GB RAM (I plan on buying another stick soon). I installed my 2 month old GeForce 7950 GT 512 MB PCI-E x16 card. I powered the system on. The system seemed to come on just fine and I could navigate BIOS perfectly. So I turn off the computer. Then The computer would not power back on (maybe PSU related?)

After a long time of complaining and getting mad I learned that if I use the switch on the PSU, and flip it back and forth until a LED next to the RAM lights up fully, I would be able to power up the PC, but if that RAM LED was not fully lit, my PC would not turn on. This is also an issue I figured would be fixed through BIOS update.

 

Next, Windows XP would not load from the hard drive it was already installed on. Windows Vista could load. I went into Windows Vista and installed all of my new drivers for that. Then, after some research, I figured out that I needed to repair install XP. I tried that but it would not detect my XP install (Probably because the vista disk was still plugged in) At the time, I thought it was because it couldn't see the ntldr XP uses because Vista overwrites it with its own code. I booted into vista and got a program (can't remember the name) that disabled Vista's boot loader (big mistake). I still didn't have the option to repair install, and now I couldn't get back to vista.

 

I unplugged the Vista HDD and I was able to choose repair install. So I did. But then, after it had copied all of the files to the HDD and restarted, I got a error loading operating system error, (which I figured was because there was no boot loader) I tried fixmbr and fixboot from the XP CD but those didn't seem to do anything. I used my mom's computer to find a XP quick boot floppy from bootdisk.com. This was able to boot me into the repair install GUI and finish the repair install and boot back into Windows. After Windows was finally all set up, updated, and all drivers installed, I rebooted again without the floppy, and I was unable to access XP without the floppy. I tried running the vista install disc to repair the bot loader. It tried, but nothing happened. So after a long frustration, I used the XP floppy once again to boot to XP. This is when I found the Microsoft KB article that told me to try to flash my BIOS to fix the error loading operating system problem.

 

I went to the DFI website for my motherboard and the first link I saw was NF4LD406.ZIP and WinFlash. I had flashed my other motherboard's BIOS through Windows once before and it worked fine, and only took a matter of seconds, so I wasn't scared to do this. But when I used WinFlash the problem happened and I got the "flash block verify error".

 

I have since tried other versions of WinFlash (1.84 seemed to do nothing but use a lot of CPU resources, maybe you can suggest a better version) redownloaing the BIOS, downloading other versions of BIOS etc, andI keep getting that error. I recently just tried setting the CPU Affinity in Task Manager (I'm new to Dual Core, so I don't think I understand it fully) to see if when it was run on both cores or 1 core if it would do better. It seemed to do the same either way.

 

For the CMOS clear, should I restart to see if my system is working at all or simply shut down and do the CMOS clear (for up to 8 hours?) I don't see how doing it for longer makes any difference, but I don't know.

 

Also, for the PSU, what would you suggest for my specs? I bought the 430W Thermaltake PSU last year around this time and it has worked really nice for the last year. How many watts and what brands should I look at? Thank you for all of your help. I'm also waiting on the technical support email from DFI, as I sent them an email detailing my problems as well.

 

UPDATE: looking at that link from thefabe, I noticed that I may not have hooked up the "floppy drive style power connector located under the CPU socket" could this also be causing problems? Thanks.

[thefabe]

Well you have all kinda of things going on that are No No's when it comes to these DFI boards. First off you must Always do a fresh install. You can't expect this board to function properly off an installed OS for a different board. The power supply issue isn't an isssue either get a proper power supply or suffer the consequences. this has been debated to death and the final word is get one or don't expect much help. Flashi9ng your bios shoulld oly be done with a stable system and only if the bios your flashing to has a specific fix or purpose you need a newer bios is not a cure all. The recommended way in this site for flashing your bios is to download Tmods bios cd and burn the ISO image and boot from cd to flash winflash has always been problematic. The proper CMOS clear. You should do this now 8 to 10 hr minimum some people have only had luck with this after a full 24 hr. If your bios flash is bad nad the CMOS clear won't work then you can buy a preloaded bios chip with the bios of your choice from Tmodd for 15.00 at biosmedic.com. PSU either the OCz gamextreme 600w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16817341001 or corsair 620 modular http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16817139002 All of the power connectors must be plugged in for system stability and yes not having the floppy connector plugged in contributes to your problem

[thefabe]

Once you have cleared your cmos. Do yourself a favor and follow this guide and do a minimal build Cpu, 1 stick of ram orange slot nearest the edge of the board. Video card, ps2 keyboard. post into the bios and load optimised defaults. memtest your memory 1 stick at a time minimum of 10 passes memtest is in the bios, once it has passed then install 1 hard drive and 1 optical drive. Load windows. Then proceed to add hardware. http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread...ial+build+guide

[morphinapg]

"First off you must Always do a fresh install. You can't expect this board to function properly off an installed OS for a different board"

 

I can't do a fresh install because I have a 2 year project I've been working on as well as a lot of programs I don't have the install media for anymore.

 

"Flashi9ng your bios shoulld oly be done with a stable system and only if the bios your flashing to has a specific fix or purpose you need a newer bios is not a cure all."

 

I was told before that you should only flash your BIOS if you were having a problem, and I was, as well as Microsoft recommending it.

 

I am not building a new computer here I am trying to upgrade the motherboard, processor and ram.

 

Now for the CMOS clearing, no one has yet answered my main question, should I restart to see if the BIOS I have is actually usable first? Or should I just shut down and clear the CMOS first? If the BIOS is not working properly, would I still be able to flash it through the floppy or not? Why doesn't DFI provide any warning about flashing the BIOS through Windows if it's so risky? They should have something along the lines of "Warning, use at your own risk, use floppy method if possible" or something like that.