Dead CUV4X?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike Wynne
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike Wynne

I've been given a CUV4X board because it was supposedly dead.

Anyway, I power it up with a P3/733, 64Mb of RAM and an old PCI
graphics card but all it it displays is:

Award BootBlock Bios v1.0
Copyright (c) 1995, Award Software, Inc.

BIOS ROM checksum error

Detecting Floppy drive a media...
Drive A error. System halt

So, OK I think, I'll just download the BIOS image from the ASUS
website along with the AFLASH.EXE program, connect up a floppy drive
and away we go... not.

I've made a bootable floppy with the aflash.exe tool and the bios
image on it but the board doesn't even appear to look at the floppy
drive before comming up with the error.

Is there something I'm missing, or is the only way to revive the board
to flash the BIOS chip out of circuit?

Thanks,
MikeW
 
Hmm. What happens if you remove the floppy i/f cable, and set both floppy
drives to NONE in the BIOS? Also, just out of interest, are we certain that
the floppy drive works?

And -- although it is really un-related -- what is the revision level
stamped onto the board, please?

Ron
 
Hmm. What happens if you remove the floppy i/f cable,
and set both floppy drives to NONE in the BIOS? Also,
just out of interest, are we certain that the floppy
drive works?
Click to expand...

You can't get into the BIOS setup, what I previously wrote is all the
board ever displays. The floppy/cable was pulled from a working
system but just to be paranoid I've already tried 3 different
drives/cables.
And -- although it is really un-related -- what is the
revision level stamped onto the board, please?
Click to expand...

It says "Rev 1.03".

tia,
MikeW
 
"Mike Wynne" said:
I've been given a CUV4X board because it was supposedly dead.

Anyway, I power it up with a P3/733, 64Mb of RAM and an old PCI
graphics card but all it it displays is:

Award BootBlock Bios v1.0
Copyright (c) 1995, Award Software, Inc.

BIOS ROM checksum error

Detecting Floppy drive a media...
Drive A error. System halt

So, OK I think, I'll just download the BIOS image from the ASUS
website along with the AFLASH.EXE program, connect up a floppy drive
and away we go... not.

I've made a bootable floppy with the aflash.exe tool and the bios
image on it but the board doesn't even appear to look at the floppy
drive before comming up with the error.

Is there something I'm missing, or is the only way to revive the board
to flash the BIOS chip out of circuit?

Thanks,
MikeW
Click to expand...

I don't know how much money you want to sink into this project,
but you could contact badflash.com or you can phone Asus and
order another BIOS chip. Check the Asus contact page and talk
to tech support, and they can probably give you a phone number
of someone at Asus who can get you a BIOS chip. The difference
between Asus and a private BIOS chip company, could be the
shipping time.

Note that to swap chips, the chip cannot be soldered to the
board. The chip has to be in a socket, so that you can pry it
up with a staple remover or a slot head screwdriver. Make careful
note of the proper orientation of the chip, so you don't put the
new one in rotated 180 degrees (not good for the chip, you could
smoke it).

If you are born lucky, maybe you can find someone with an
EPROM programmer, and they can program it for you. I have
yet to run into someone in this news group who is that lucky.

HTH,
Paul
 
Yup - I agree with Paul. And, frankly, I wouldn't bother pursuing this
adventure. You initially indicated that this board had been given to you.
Presumably as a what-the-hell-it's-worth-a-try thing. So it sounds like it
won't cause anyone any hardship to give it a decent burial. Sorry.

FWIW, there are plenty of A7xxxx mobo's avail on eBay for really decent
prices, if you want/need to replace this board.

Best of luck.
Ron
 
If you are born lucky, maybe you can find someone
with an EPROM programmer, and they can program it
for you. I have yet to run into someone in this news
group who is that lucky.
Click to expand...

Actually I do own an EPROM programmer, but it's a simple one of my own
design and currently only handles 27xxx EPROMs (A degree in
electronics actually comes in useful for some things) not 29xxx flash
chips. I think an upgrade to my original design may be in order...

Thanks anyway,
MikeW
 
Sounds good, then when you have finished, we would all like a copy of the
design please.
....or should I beg?
- Tim
 
Mike Wynne said:
I've been given a CUV4X board because it was supposedly dead.

Anyway, I power it up with a P3/733, 64Mb of RAM and an old PCI
graphics card but all it it displays is:

Award BootBlock Bios v1.0
Copyright (c) 1995, Award Software, Inc.

BIOS ROM checksum error

Detecting Floppy drive a media...
Drive A error. System halt

So, OK I think, I'll just download the BIOS image from the ASUS
website along with the AFLASH.EXE program, connect up a floppy drive
and away we go... not.

I've made a bootable floppy with the aflash.exe tool and the bios
image on it but the board doesn't even appear to look at the floppy
drive before comming up with the error.

Is there something I'm missing, or is the only way to revive the board
to flash the BIOS chip out of circuit?

Thanks,
MikeW
Click to expand...

You are almost there.
now just add a text file called autoexec.bat
and put this line in it:

nameofflashprogram nameofbiosfile.bin /py

where nameofflashprogram is whatever the flashprogram is called
and.... well you get the idea.

if that doesn't work e-mail me and I'll give you an address you can
mail the chip and a couple bucks, whatever you think is fair, to and
I'll re-program it for you.
 
You are almost there.
now just add a text file called autoexec.bat
and put this line in it:

nameofflashprogram nameofbiosfile.bin /py
Click to expand...

I don't want to sound ungreatful, but how would putting an autoexec
file on the floppy help when the board isn't even checking the drive?

Incidently, I appear to have solved my immediate problem. I've found
one of my other boards (an Abit KT7a) uses the same flash chip. I
might try a hot flash later.

MikeW
 
Incidently, I appear to have solved my immediate problem.
I've found one of my other boards (an Abit KT7a) uses the
same flash chip. I might try a hot flash later.
Click to expand...

I finally got round the trying the hot flash, and... it worked! The
board is up and running again for a total investment of absolutely
nothing.

MikeW
 
Back
Top