123Jim said:
HP Compaq laptop Windows Vista 32 bit
This computer had many problems including the 'Serial number not found'
message on boot. I reset it back to factory condition and all is well
apart from the continued message on boot about the missing serial number.
The serial number is missing in the BIOS along with some other numbers
which are particular to this Laptop but those are not reported on boot
or at any other time as far as I can tell.
The InsydeH2O BIOS can't be edited, except possibly with some BIOS
editing software from somewhere out there.
However I am not inclined to bother, as this message on boot is not
particularly annoying, it's only a few words on one corner of the screen
for a short time during boot. Additionally I'm aware that there are
risks involved in editing the BIOS.
If I leave it as it is Will it be a problem sometime in the future?
That's not necessarily true. Not in the way you're thinking.
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebo...IAL-NUMBER-NOT-FOUND-ERROR/td-p/332699/page/2
"SERIAL NUMBER NOT FOUND ERROR
‎10-30-2010 04:13 AM
This issue is only take 3 minutes to be done, so sad to
read no free service from HP. No need to purchase new motherboard,
you just need HP DMI tool to write serial and product number.
I'm guessing the previous technician forgot to do it since
PN and SN only can be altered by HP DMI tool. Only a nerd one
(like me) that always checking everything after the notebook
has been repaired"
The thing is, the BIOS chip is actually split into a number of
storage areas. Now, this is just my mental picture of it - this
is not something you'll find on Wikipedia
Main BIOS code block <--- Actually a miniature file system
Gets updated when you flash the BIOS.
DMI <--- Segment can be updated, independent of others
ESCD <--- Segment can be updated, independent of others
Microcode Cache <--- Ditto
Boot Block <--- Updated by BIOS flash (for poorly written
BIOS, that is). The boot block is supposed
to be immutable, so as to guarantee it would
always be possible to recover from a BIOS
updating mishap. Sadly, seldom true.
DMI has room for a few fields, and serial number is one of them.
Originally, a tool called "DMI Explorer" from Intel might have
been used for this. I think Asus Probe provides read-only
access to DMI, so you can see how it's constructed. DMI
is used partially for asset management.
In Linux, this tools allows readout.
http://linux.die.net/man/8/dmidecode
And apparently, there is a Windows port of that tool.
Download the bin archive. Extract the archive (I use 7ZIP).
In SBIN folder, you want "dmidecode.exe".
http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/dmidecode.htm
http://superb-dca3.dl.sourceforge.net/project/gnuwin32/dmidecode/2.10/dmidecode-2.10-bin.zip
In Command Prompt, cd to the folder holding dmidecode.exe
and run it by typing "dmidecode". A bunch of text is output
into the command prompt window. Next, run it again,
only this time, redirect the output.
dmidecode > output.txt
Using notepad, open the new output.txt file. In there, I
can find stuff like this from my computer...
Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Product Name: P5E Deluxe
Version: Rev 1.xx
Serial Number: MS1C... <--- mine has an actual serial number,
but it doesn't match the number
on the cardboard box ???
Asset Tag: Asset-1234567890 <--- there is much sliced baloney
stored in the DMI... A big
company, the IT department
writes the asset tag here.
I can tell this field was
never programmed.
So this isn't a heavyweight tech issue. The issue
will be two-fold:
1) Is the "serial number" available in the existing
documentation, or on a plate on the machine ? A good tech,
would have dumped the DMI, before discarding the old hardware.
Even if the twit pulled the BIOS chip and inserted it into
your replacement motherboard, you'd get to keep the info.
(Because it's stored inside the BIOS chip, and the BIOS chip
could be pulled from its socket, and moved to the new mobo.)
So to have a serial number (one that matches stuff already
written to the hard drive perhaps), you'll need the actual
serial number. Look for a plate, on the computer case.
2) Will Tech Support give you a copy of a tool
suited to setting the serial number ? This will involve
the tool reading out the entire DMI segment, changing
the serial number field, and writing it back. Even if
the update attempt fails (say, the segment is write
protected), this will have no impact on the main
BIOS code block, or on the boot block. It's because
the areas in the BIOS, align with separate segments
in the BIOS chip, that it is "reasonably safe" to
reprogram a separate area in the chip.
This is also why, if you program a BIOS chip, then
make an archival copy after the machine has booted
just once, the checksum of the BIOS image will have
changed. Since some areas of the BIOS chip are
non-volatile and others are volatile, the checksum
cannot be trusted once the machine boots once. And
every time you pull a DIMM or add a DIMM, the BIOS
self-updates the appropriate structure in the appropriate
asset management area.
*******
So what I want you to do right now, is run "dmidecode",
redirect the output, then look at the fields. If the
serial number field is "1234567890", then it would
mean the tech who worked on the system, didn't update
it or make provision for your serial number. If the
serial number is present and accounted for, then
the issue could be something completely different,
in which case, the tech did a good job ?
If you're on an OS that needs permission for everything,
then you would right click on "cmd.exe" and select
Run As Administrator, to "elevate" the Command Prompt
window. When dmidecode runs in that case, it will
be running as administrator, which is typically
necessary to access low level hardware (the DMI
segment in this case). If dmidecode is not elevated,
it may be refused access to the hardware, by your
OS. Even Linux would do that. So if you're seeing
something like "Error 5", that means you need to
elevate the command like administrator was running it.
In a Google search, look for "Run As Administrator".
and how to "launch an elevated command prompt".
*******
One other note. There are other ways to customize
parts in a computer. For example, you can "tattoo a
hard drive". I don't know what that means, but it's
a way to validate a hard drive, in a pre-built
computer. So there are other voodoo procedures
out there. There were even a few computers, where
you bought your hard drives from the computer maker,
because "they were special". You know the drill.
Somebody needs to make a buck
I'm hoping in
this case, that your serial number error message,
is just a DMI issue.
HTH,
Paul
