BIOS Trashed - Please help - I'm desperate!

[gazskeltz]

Hi,

Although I have a couple of PC Specialist boxes, this is a problem with another box I have and I hope that someone can help me.

I've managed to trash the BIOS in an Acer Aspire X3300 pc. With my pc specialist boxes I've updated the BIOS with no problems, but this one didn't work.

The system just starts up now with a fast fan, no screen start and no beeps.

I've tried taking the battery out for a while and changing the cmos jumper to reset.

I managed to get hold of the motherboard documentation and it has a paragraph that says:

BIOS Recovery
AMIBIOS8 supports a "recovery flash" mode, which can be used to flash update a BIOS from the boot block.
This is used to update a BIOS image without the need to boot to an operating system. The following is the
process that user should follow to flash BIOS ROM.
1. Prepare a Disk on Key (DOK) and keep it ready in hand.
(1). Connect the USB storage device to a USB port on your computer.
(2). Save the AMIBoot.ROM to the USB storage device.
(3). After saving the file, unplug the USB storage device.
2. Connect the USB storage device containing the DOK to a USB port on the system.
3. Press the power button to boot the system, then press Ctrl + Home.
The system initializes the BIOS recovery process. The failed BIOS code will be restored from the DOK.
4. Once the process is completed, the system will restart.


Firslty, I don't know how to make a Disk on Key (DOK) .

I've got the BIOS files, but the ROM file is called P01-B3.ROM

Could anyone help,

Please?

Regards

Gary

 

[mantadog]

Updating the BIOS can go wrong so easily I never even bother. The only time you should update your BIOS is if you encounter a problem that will be solved by an update. it seems like you do BIOS updates like any other kind of update, this is not advisable.

Even though the motherboard supports this form of recovery it is not a guaranteed fix, all you need to do is make a bootable USB that you have renamed the BIOS files to AMIBOOT.ROM (all upper case) then follow the procedure laid out in the instructions you posted.

 

[gazskeltz]

Cheers Mantadog.

Funnily enough whilst waiting for a reply on this thread I went googlemeistering and saw exactly what you've advised.

I have a formatted USB stick with just the ROM file renamed to AMIBOOT.ROM on it - nothing else.

I'll try it as soon as I get home.

Yes - I've learnt a valuable lesson!



Thanks again

Gaz

 

[mantadog]

It is one of only a handful of ways to truly brick a PC, hope it works for you. Let me know how you get on.