BIOS Misflash **Urgent**

[Gamingphreek]

Well guys im always responding to misflash threads and now it has happened to me.

MOBO: A7N8X-E Deluxe.

I was in the middle of flashing the BIOS and suddenly it came up with the error msg "ROM is write protected" and just sat there. I was like "OH S***!!", and so i restarted. Sure enough i have Award Bootblock coming up. I have the BIN and the AWD Flash utility already on the floppy however when i try to flash it i get the error msg "Source File Not Found". I dont know how fix this. Can anyone help?

-Kevin

 

[Gamingphreek]

Come on someone.... its not looking good for me, everyone else who has had this problem has had to RMA their board :-( i do not want to nor do i think that Asus will let me as it has "half" a modded BIOS from in the Nforcers HQ forums.

-Kevin

 

[MainframeGuy]

you're right - it's not looking good for you! Do you know anyone who has killed a matching BIOS board? then you could swap BIOS chips and achieve your RMA OK?

 

[Gamingphreek]

Unfortunately no i don't know anyone who has this board so i cant do a hotswap :-( . Is there ANYTHING i can do.

-Kevin

 

[Gamingphreek]

COME ON ANYONE!!!

 

[o1die]

Reboot, and press the "del" key to enter the bios. Then disable the boot block. Somewhere in your bios, you have the feature enabled to prevent any tampering with the bios. Then try flashing again. I doubt any damage was done. Usually, boot block prevents any writing to the bios. I've used msi's bios flashing program for windows, but don't know how well the asus program works. Msi has a warranty disclaimer before you use the program, which shows you just how risky flashing the bios can be. If you can't get the board to work, I would rma the board to asus, and simply state that it won't post. Don't admit to a bios flashing mistake. You don't have to.

 

[Peter]

"boot block" is just the block of ROM storage that doesn't get erased during a BIOS flash, containing the emergency boot procedure. This is absolutely nothing to do with blocking anything.

If it still boots into DOS and lets you invoke the flash utility, it's just a matter of having an undamaged BIOS file that is actually correct for the board you have ... and then not making any typos in the command line.

 

[Subhuman25]

Make sure you have "Virus Protection" turned OFF in your bios.

 

[DJMiX]

I can re-flash your existing chip for $8

look at my sig.

 

[o1die]

It seems to me that asus has a recovery program for bad flashes. The asus forum is down, so they are temporarily accepting questions directly. I wrote them about your problem. Will get back to you when they answer.

 

[Concillian]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
I have the BIN and the AWD Flash utility already on the floppy however when i try to flash it i get the error msg "Source File Not Found". I dont know how fix this. Can anyone help?

So you're able to try to flash?
That means you're booting somehow, which indicates your BIOS is okay, at least to some extent.
If you just need a .bin, I can email you one.

To me, flashing with a floppy is kinda dangerous, I mean, when was the last time you had a floppy go bad on you? Now when was the last time you had a CDROM go bad on you? I bet more floppies have gone bad on you than CDROMs, yes?

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Well guys im always responding to misflash threads and now it has happened to me.

MOBO: A7N8X-E Deluxe.

I was in the middle of flashing the BIOS and suddenly it came up with the error msg "ROM is write protected" and just sat there. I was like "OH S***!!", and so i restarted. Sure enough i have Award Bootblock coming up. I have the BIN and the AWD Flash utility already on the floppy however when i try to flash it i get the error msg "Source File Not Found". I dont know how fix this. Can anyone help?

-Kevin

What is the bin file named? I think it needs to be called bios.bin for the flash program to find it.

 

[ruefy13]

I got your solution.......i've had this problem a couple tiimes before and you don't have to RMA your board.
Just create a floppy disk with the *.bin file and like you did the AWDFLASH.exe file, but the IMPORTANT part is to use the AWDFLASH.exe file from the CD that came with your Mobo......don't ask me why it has to be that one but it does......if you use the one from the ASUS website or anywhere else you will get the Source file not found error when it starts to flash like you said. Trust me i had this prob with my mobo and it took me forever to learn this. It really does work but you have to use the file from the CD that came with your mobo!!!!!!

Try it......everyone i have told said it worked for them!!

 

[Gamingphreek]

Ok (im at school right now im my C++ class) so i will try it when i get home. THX for all the suggestions and replies, i will have a response around 2:30. If anyone else can think of anything else its welcome.

One question is though, in the manual it says to rename the .bin file A7N8X-E.ROM!? Im not sure what it is diong there but anyone know what to name the file.

THanks,

-Kevin

Edit: Thanks o1die for E-Mailing Asus... hope they respond

 

[ruefy13]

I don't know what the manual means with renaming the bin file......i'm actually speaking from experience with the A7N8X Deluxe but i've heard flashing it works the same as the -E. All you need to do is put the AWDFLASH.exe on the file and whatever *.bin file you want to use......it will then detect the file, but only if you use the AWDFLASH from your CD.

Anyone know why this is?? It took me two weeks to find that answer the first time i had the prob.....but it's a known solution.

 

[Gamingphreek]

So HAVE to use the AWDFlash from my M/B CD? Sounds good, im praying it works. What should i name the .bin file though, anything in particular? (No im not home yet im still at school :-( :-( )

-Kevin

 

[ruefy13]

i had just downloaded the bios from the ASUS website that i wanted and took the *.bin file that was with it. You shouldn't have to rename it, AWDFLASH should recognize the .bin file and use it.

 

[Gamingphreek]

HELL YEAH!!!! Got it working. Had to use the Asus CD AWDFLASH just like ruefy12 said.

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP EVERYONE!!!

-Kevin

 

[Childs]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
One question is though, in the manual it says to rename the .bin file A7N8X-E.ROM!? Im not sure what it is diong there but anyone know what to name the file.

This might be for a force flash recovery method. AMI bioses have this, where you rename the bios to AMIBOOT.BIN, put it on a floppy, then when the POST screen comes up hit F-10 or CTRL-HOME and the bios gets pulled off the floppy.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Oh... so if it posts but it wont let you flash you can force it to flash? THat is a useful feature.. thanks for clearing that up.

-Kevin

 

[Ben Dover]

Originally posted by: ruefy13
I got your solution.......i've had this problem a couple tiimes before and you don't have to RMA your board.
Just create a floppy disk with the *.bin file and like you did the AWDFLASH.exe file, but the IMPORTANT part is to use the AWDFLASH.exe file from the CD that came with your Mobo......don't ask me why it has to be that one but it does......if you use the one from the ASUS website or anywhere else you will get the Source file not found error when it starts to flash like you said. Trust me i had this prob with my mobo and it took me forever to learn this. It really does work but you have to use the file from the CD that came with your mobo!!!!!!

Try it......everyone i have told said it worked for them!!

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks.
Dude, I was ready to deep six this board (no RMA for bad flashes). I read your post and thought 'yeah right, it can't be that simple'. To my surprise it worked! The board finally booted without error, the flash was accepted and now I'm back in the saddle. Question is: how come ASUS isn't aware of this?????

 

[Gamingphreek]

Lol thats what i thought. Never again will i flash with a floppy disk i will use an Autoupdater and specify the file. Much faster better, and safer

-Kevin

 

[Kricket]

I'm having a similar problem and was hoping someone could help me, I'm going maaaad!

Motherboard: Asus a7n8x-deluxe

Last night I was playing a game and my system suddenly restarted itself. When it did I got the message

Award Bootblock v1.0

BIOS ROM Checksum Error

Insert Floppy Disk and Press ENTER..

I went to Asus's site with a 2nd comp and downloaded a .BIN compatible with my mobo rev. (1.04) I was getting the "source not found" error and fixed that with the CD-Rom's awdflash.exe thanks to Ruefy's tip.

So now I drop the floppy in, AWDFLASH starts up and detects the bin. It actually starts the process of flashing the ROM. But when it reaches (sometimes before then too) the end the computer just beeps a couple times, resets and I'm back to the BootBlock! AWDFLash loads back up and tries to re-flash, an endless loop.

I'd like to mention I have NO access to the BIOS, I cant hit Delete and change any options. Placing an AUTOEXEC.BAT on the floppy does nothing, it doesnt even look for it or process it, it goes straight to the AWDFLASH.EXE.

Also sometimes when I boot up I get nothing. Just a black screen. My CD-Rom lights go on but my monitor shuts itself off. When I reset a couple times I get back to the BootBlock.

I've tried removing the battery and resetting the CMOS but that does no good.

Help me Obi-Wan, you're my only hope! I've only got enough cash for Half-Life 2 or a new mobo. No man should be forced to make that choice!!

 

[Gamingphreek]

We just told you how to fix it. You need the BIOS updater from your M/B CD, otherwise it will not work.

-Kevin

 

[Kricket]

I stated above that I got the updater to recognize the .BIN because I *am* using the updater from my CD. But afterwards when it actually starts flashing it resets and starts the entire process over.