Gigabyte GA-EP31-DS3L rev 1.0 - dead BIOS

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criss_x

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2017
5
0
1
Hi all

I am asking your help!
Is there someone who knows how to recover my mobo's BIOS code?

This motherboard has a soldered chip on it.

It was working fine till I tried to overclock a Intel E8400.
After I changed some parameters (vcore voltage +0,1 Volts and the FSB 333 to 400) I saved the settings and restarted the system. When it stared back, I received the message

"Award BootBlock v1.0"
Scanning for a BIOS Image in HDD drive!

Note that this system has not installed previously any OS...
Also I never used the Express recovery that makes a HPA (hostr protect area) on HDD and keeps a copy/image of the (single) BIOS.

I tried all the basic ways to clear CMOS (removed the BIOS battery, unplugging the main power cord, and short the jumper CLEAR CMOS).

It's obvious that the firmware is wipped or corrupted!

Does anyone know any trick to reflash my BIOS chip???
I know that the simplest way is to but a new preprogramed chip but I will give a last shot to do it before I but the new one!

Thanks for your time to ream me
 
Burpo

Burpo

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2013
4,223
473
126
Unplug the pc, remove the cmos battery and let it sit for awhile (more than an hour).

Also, found this..
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/278362-30-bios-update-ep31-ds3l

I've read about a possible solution:
shorting pins 5 and 6 (SI - Serial Data Input and SCLK - Clock Input... haven't checked the datasheet of this motherboard/bios yet to see if the pins are different) helps to bypass the first BIOS on the DualBIOS chip and boot the 2nd one
(short the pins and hold it that way until pc restarts 2-3 times and you see your computer boot,
then immediately let go and press End to start QFlash or Del for BIOS),
 
C

criss_x

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2017
5
0
1
Burpo said:
Unplug the pc, remove the cmos battery and let it sit for awhile (more than an hour).

Also, found this..
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/278362-30-bios-update-ep31-ds3l

I've read about a possible solution:
shorting pins 5 and 6 (SI - Serial Data Input and SCLK - Clock Input... haven't checked the datasheet of this motherboard/bios yet to see if the pins are different) helps to bypass the first BIOS on the DualBIOS chip and boot the 2nd one
(short the pins and hold it that way until pc restarts 2-3 times and you see your computer boot,
then immediately let go and press End to start QFlash or Del for BIOS),
Click to expand...

Dear Burpo

This board has NOT dual BIOS!!! It has a virtual dual BIOS using the Express recovery function and saving a BIOS image on the HDD. That's why it says "Award BootBlock v1.0"
Scanning for a BIOS Image in HDD drive!

In my case (building the system from the scratch) I did not use the Express recovery (not installed at all a HDD). Also I have not the motherboard software disk!

I don't know if it has access to ANY drive (because it DOES NOT loads the BIOS code)!!!

If you are sure that shoting the 5&6 pins will bring a result, I am whiling to try it out!!!
 
vailr

vailr

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,365
54
91
The P31 chipset is almost ancient by now. I'd suggest looking for a used P45 chipset board on eBay, which should still be able to use the E8400 CPU. Combined with an SSD instead of a spinning hard drive, should make for a halfway decent web browser system.
 
C

criss_x

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2017
5
0
1
Burpo said:
I have no experience with that board, but a google search turned up this recovery utility. I'd try it since it came with the board on a cd.

"GIGABYTE Virtual Dual BIOS Technology and GIGABYTE BIOS Setting Recovery Technology, Unique system software Xpress Recovery2"

http://drivers.softpedia.com/dyn-po...baa387c64197b971695d6/58dd3306/9baf/4/2?tsf=0
Click to expand...

I know dear Burpo and thanks for your interest to help my find a solution!!!

The #1 issue here is that I need to find the way to get access in the BIOS chip (if it does not be already wipped) or even to reflash it by another one from a working SAME board!

If I 'd not make it, I am going to buy a pre-programmed BIOS chip and I will replace the old one!
This is the last chance for the best result!!!

I am a very experinced electronic technician! So the replacement of the chip is pretty easy for me!!!

So finaly, before I will order to buy (for $ 16.50 from ebay the new chip) is to try to recovery the old one!

Thanks again!
 
Burpo

Burpo

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2013
4,223
473
126
I don't see how changing the settings could have corrupted or wiped the chip. I'd unplug it & pull the battery for a long period of time. After some hours, plug it back in and it should let you into bios again during POST.
 
C

criss_x

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2017
5
0
1
vailr said:
The P31 chipset is almost ancient by now. I'd suggest looking for a used P45 chipset board on eBay, which should still be able to use the E8400 CPU. Combined with an SSD instead of a spinning hard drive, should make for a halfway decent web browser system.
Click to expand...


Dear vailr

Believe me I know very well the potentions of this system I am going to build!

1) I already have a modded Xeon E5450 to put on this system, 8 GB (2 X 4 GB @ 1200 MHz) and a SSD 256 GB SATA III. I was planning to setup the system first and then to upgrade the hardware step buy step!

This Gigabyte board is absolutely fine for the use I am going to run!!!
I am planning to use it for a web radio proadcasting!!! I don't need to setup a gamers PC!!!
I already have another one (powerful) desktop for heavier works!

Also, I already visit the eBay almost daily for a lot of things I am buying!
I am working on PCs, tablets, smartphones and more electronic devices!

The prices I have found on eBay are crazily high for such kind of boards!

So thanks for your advices but I am not going to pay a lot of money to setup a PC just for web proadcasting!!!

Have a good day!
 
C

criss_x

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2017
5
0
1
Burpo said:
I don't see how changing the settings could have corrupted or wiped the chip. I'd unplug it & pull the battery for a long period of time. After some hours, plug it back in and it should let you into bios again during POST.
Click to expand...

I did not just changed the settings on BIOS!!!

I made a risky overVOLTAGE on the CPU, on the RAM, on timming PLL etc!!!

If you google about the same problem, you will find out that more than 8-10 people had the same symptom-damage with the combination of GA-EP31-DS3L rev (1.0) & Intel CDC 2 E8400!!!
Many of them thay told that this (same) problem happened by a failed (or incomplete) update of the BIOS version!!!

All the other people thay had a (rev 2.0 or (rev 3.1) with dual BIOS thay easily recovered the BIOS using the backup BIOS!!!!

I already did all the known steps and I used al the known methods (like to remove the power cables, the battery, the clearing of CMOS etc, etc, etc!!!

Why do you find strange or weird the case of corrupting the BIOS code or even been completely wipped??? Its very often happened a BIOS code to be corrupted if the procedure of saving the settings is not complete or the board get a crash while the saving (at the save and exit stage)!!!

Anyway I am going to order another preprogrammed chip!!! This is the only way to fix it up!
Its not the first or the last case of a board reparing!!! I already have repaired some others.

Thanks very much for your help!!!
 
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