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ASUS A7N8X DELUXE HOTSWAP TUTORIAL

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DrCool

Senior member
Okay, well I took the advise of Mike1038 (nforcers forum) and had my buddy bring over his computer which is running off an ASUS A7V333.

-procedure done on an ASUS A7N8X DELUXE v1.04, using Asus Bios v1003
-should also work with A7N8X DELUXE v1.06 no changes needed
-A7N8X v1.04 & v1.06 should also work, just download the lastest Asus Bios and replace an8d1003.bin with it..
-A7N8X v2.0 UNKNOWN...

TIME LOST: ~30mins - 2hrs.
COST: *$10 for PLCC tool (optional)

Here are the steps I took:

-Created a custom boot disk for this procedure which can be downloaded here: http://www.p4u.biz/files/a7n8x

-Once I got to the A:/ prompt I removed the A7V333 bios and swaped it with the non-working A7N8X-Deluxe bios... using the PLCC removal tool, which can be purchased here for $10: RadioShack

-I then ran aflash.exe, which prompts for the bios name, which is an8d1003.bin, i was then prompted with - "the bios specified is not designed for this board, do you still wish to continue?" - select YES!

-Once you are prompted with "BIOS SUCCESSFULLY FLASHED", press ESC to exit back to the A:/ prompt

-Remove the newly flashed A7N8X-DELUXE bios and replace with the A7V333 bios.

I rebooted to ensure my friends system was still functional (and it was! phew!)

-Reinsert the newly flashed A7N8X-Deluxe bios into the board, and power on... Viola! everything should be back to normal..

*please refain from borking your bios, for no apparent reason! 😉*

Special Thanks:
Ninetysix (nForcers forum) - for telling me my options! =)
Mike (nForcers forum) - for his suggestion to use the A7V333 board
True (nForcers forum) - for his experience, and knowlege about the problem..
BadFlash - for thier installation and removal instructions, found here
Asus - for thier bios flashing programs (aflash.exe and awdflash.exe)
WinImage - for a great program that allows you to create custom boot disks
the inquirer - for the great HEADS up!

<<DISCLIAMER>>

Use of these files or any usage of this information is AT YOUR OWN RISK. Any and all problems caused by, associated with, or in lieu of the above are not the responsibility of the author, or any related companies, or entities. Unlawful Distribution of the above could lead to prosecution and is thus AT YOUR OWN RISK, copyrights of the respective owners are maintained, and all rights are reserved.

<<DISCLAIMER>>

I hope this short tutorial will be of benefit to others who have to deal with this, now, common problem..

ALTERNATIVES TO HOTSWAPING:

A) RMA the board to ASUS
TECH SUPPORT (502)995-0883, HOURS: M-F 9:00AM - 5:00PM PST
COST: $8-10 for shipping the board to them..
TIME LOST: ~1-2weeks..
B) Buy replacement bios chip from BadFlash
COST: $25 with 2-3day shipping
TIME LOST: ~2-3days
C) send in your chip for reflashing by BadFlash
COST: $5 shipping to, $12 to reflahs, $5 to ship back.. $22
TIME LOST: ~6-7days (3 to ship there, 3 back)
D) Give AgentSmiths #1 method a try! http://www3.telus.net/agentsmith/articles/article1.html
COST: $0
TIME LOST: ~a few minutes - hours

I'd also like to start a database of boards that can be used for this procedure.. let me know if you have any to add to the list..

WILL WORK: ASUS A7V333

WILLING TO TEST: ASUS P4PE (also has a PLCC 2MB bios)

Dr Cool - me@drcool.ws
😎

DrCool
 
This is an old problem with the A7N8X. It has been solved in the past. It has to do with the battery on the mobo being weak. People have been able to fix it by replacing the battery with a new one from radio shack. Check out nforcershq or amdmb.com forums on the A7N8X...although the threads might be too old at this point.
 
When I first saw the title of this thread, it make me think you're trying to swap motherboards without turning the computer off.
 
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