Possible BIOS

Hi...i have an advent t9100 (look at www.pcservicecall.co.uk for exact specs...) Anyways, i tried to update the BIOS yesterday but it crashed half way through and now my PC will turn on but i don't have a screen or the power light coming on although the LED light still does and also if i insert a cd, it still makes the running noise.

is there any BIOS recovery files i could get and if so where.

i would appreciate any help with this or otherwise looks like i need to take it to the repairers...any ideas how much that would cost in UK pounds including parts and labour.

Thank you in advance, 3lions

dont think theres much you can do personaly.
i think you have to remove your bios chip if its socket and get it sent for re-flashing. or send the whole board for re-flashing.
not sure how much it would cost, but may be aswell with a new motherboard.

I was hoping nobody would say that...ok...if i have to replace the motherboard, what am i after?

You could do a hot-swap-flash thingie, using another mobo, but 'tis tricky. And I wouldn't recommend it unless you've got some old stuff to practice on a lot, as it may lead to you messing up the other mobo as well.

Assuming you are up to the task of taking out your bios chip without damaging it or the socket, there are firms online that specialize in sorting out this kind of thing. It really isn't that expensive, but you do have to be able to do some work yourself.

(can't help you with links though as I only know of more local places)

If you think you are up to it, you need to have a look and see what kind of chip you have. There's usually a number under the label on the chip. You need to take note of that, and exactly what mobo you have and which bios you want them to flash it with. If you find a good place you should have the option of either ordering a new chip or having your old one flashed.

to be honest, i know more about the mating habit of satanic chipmunks than i do about BIOS stuff so i was kind of after a quick fix...

Help is just a click away...

clocker...(cake or death?....donuts...) anyways...thought i'd clear that up.

thank you for your suggestion but how do i know what to order and how long do these things take approximately b/c my gf is going to beat me because i am not sure if i have lost all and i mean all her college work...

i know it sounds crude but is it a one size fits all situation? i would be greatful for any help at all...and do i nned any tools to get the chip out and in etc...

ask me anything about red dwarf and i'm ya man but computers....nope


i looked on this site (http://www.sysopt.com/articles/recoverbios/) and it says to download a BIOS recovery thingy but would that even help? If you could skim this and tell me if any of this is useful, that would be great. It does give a further link to a download page but i still wouldn't know what i needed as there is a lot on there.

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Originally Posted by threelions00

... i am not sure if i have lost all and i mean all her college work...

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Nothing is lost. The data is still on the hard drive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by threelions00

clocker...(cake or death?....donuts...) anyways...thought i'd clear that up.

thank you for your suggestion but how do i know what to order and how long do these things take approximately b/c my gf is going to beat me because i am not sure if i have lost all and i mean all her college work...

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I haven't a clue, but I'll wager that a few mouse clicks on their website might unearth that info.
I just Googled "bad bios flash recovery" and they popped up as one of the first listings, I'm sure there are others.

Depending on the type of chip you have there may be special tools available, and indeed required. (have a look under the link called "bios chip extractors")

I think the site clocker posted had tools, so you can get what you need there, anyway.

And, like I posted, you will need to order the right chip for your mobo, however, you might not need to check out the chip-number yourself as that site seems to go by the model-number of your mobo. If that's the here you should look for whatever chip they have for your mobo.

But if they don't have a chip they've noted suits your mobo you'll need the number from your BIOS-chip, like I said.

it isn't one size fits all, but you should be able to get the right stuff fairly easily.

There's some more useful info here.

It also has a few useful links to other bios replacement providers.

i've been in contact with more of an expert and he seems to think my motherboard is gone and says i shuould expect to pay about 40-60 quid for a new one...is it possible he is telling me porkies and that i only really need a replacement bios?

Your "more of an expert" has a decided advantage here...it's much easier to diagnose a machine you can actually touch.

How much faith do you have in his expertise?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by clocker

Your "more of an expert" has a decided advantage here...it's much easier to diagnose a machine you can actually touch.

How much faith do you have in his expertise?

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fair point mate...he has not touched it yet but will be doing so tomorrow and then advising on price but i don't want him to come round, take a look, put his hands on his hips, take a deep breath and say its going to be like 200 quid...

i just wanted to get a rough idea for a price...e.g. how much a motherboard may be, how much a new bios would be etc and what sort of price is labour usually in anyone's experience?

If he hasn't toched it then he has the same information as us.

He cannot know if the motherboard is really faulty. He is only saying that because he doesn't want to deal with replacing the BIOS chip. It's easier for him to replace the whole board because he can use a similar board that isn't an exact relacement. The BIOS chip is harder to get because it requires the exact replacement part.