How do I update bios?!?!?!

enwar3

Golden Member
Jun 26, 2005
1,086
0
0
So at boot i get the message:

Verifying DMI Pool Data....

A disk read error occurred
Pres Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart

I read somewhere you need to update bios because it might be a problem regarding larger disk sizes, but i don't know how.

I have an Epox 9NPA+Ultra and i downloaded the bios, but i don't know how to update it.
 

enwar3

Golden Member
Jun 26, 2005
1,086
0
0
No, I just started it up this morning and it won't work. It's been working fine for the last two months or so..

I have XP Pro, service pack 2.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Does your HD show up in BIOS? Do you see it listed there, or does it not get that far?

Regardless, I would first power down the system and unplug and replug your data cable and power connector. Do the data cable on both ends. Report back.

To save a little time here;

If the drive shows up in BIOS, download the diagnostic utility from the drive manufacturers site and run it. Double clicking the file will prompt you for a floppy and copy what you need to it. You boot off the floppy to run the utility.

 

enwar3

Golden Member
Jun 26, 2005
1,086
0
0
All the drives show up in BIOS, and nothing is out of the ordinary.

The Hitachi Drive Fitness Test reports no errors.

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/19004/?o=220
The website above outlines a problem very similar to the one I'm having, and it suggests updating BIOS, but I can't figure out how. Epox doesn't give very good instructions on how to update, and I've followed what I can but am still unsuccessful =(
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Reset the CMOS. I would suggest following the directions in the manual as just moving a jumper is not always the proper procedure anymore.

If you double click the file you downloaded and unzip the files to a folder of your choosing, there is a README.TXT file. If you have questions, post back.

I would reset the CMOS first.
 

enwar3

Golden Member
Jun 26, 2005
1,086
0
0
Alright- Cleared CMOS (took a while cuz i dropped the jumper and lost it)

The Epox bios update package only has a .bin and a .exe in it. I followed the instructions (it says press Alt+F2 at startup and it will automatically flash bios) and it comes to the screen where it flashes bios and the words "Please Wait!" keep flashing. Unfortunately, I've waited for 20 minutes and nothing has happened. It's supposed to automatically update then reboot.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
Here's the latest file I saw;

9npa5c06.exe

Here's the contents of the README file;

README.TXT File for BIOS Flash Updating

Bios filename: 9npa5c06.bin
Bios date: 12/06/05
Bios size: 512KB (For 4Mb BIOS EEPROM)
Bios checksum: 4500
Model support: EP-9NPA+Ultra & EP-9NPAJ

!!!WARNING!!!
Never attempt to Flash your BIOS from a hard disk, DOS Window, DOS
shell, or in Windows NT. If your system is working without problems
or conflicts, then it is not recommended that you flash your BIOS.
Improper flashing procedures may result in a dead system! Follow the
these instructions carefully.

Files included in this download:
README.TXT Text file with BIOS Release & Application Notes.
UPDATE.BAT Batch file for the Flash BIOS update process.
RESTORE.BAT Batch file for the Flash BIOS restore process.
xxxxxxxx.BIN BIOS binary file used by UPDATE.BAT.
AWDFLASH.EXE Program used to Flash BIOS code to the EEPROM.

Enhancements & Fixes for this beta BIOS release:
1. Added Speical I/O and USB park mode item.
2. Fixed boot block code overwrite.
3. Added 'DRAM Bank Interleaving' and 'Burst Length' item.






----------------------------------------------------------------------

BIOS Update Instructions

There are two ways in which we recommend to flash the BIOS.
They will be termed as follows:

. The ALT+F2 Method
. The Boot Disk Method

The ALT+F2 method may not be available on older mainboards with older
BIOS, in such cases it is necessary to carry out the Boot Disk Method.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The ALT+F2 Method

1. Download the required BIOS image file from the EPoX website.

2. Copy or extract the BIOS image file (named xxxxxxxx.bin) to a blank
floppy disk with no bad sectors on it.

3. Restart the machine with the floppy disk in the floppy drive
When prompted at machine initialization, press ALT+F2 to begin
performing the flashing of the BIOS.

4. The BIOS will automatically flash and reboot the machine.

5. After this, press DEL to enter the BIOS setup and select to "LOAD
OPTIMIZED DEFAULTS". After doing this select to "SAVE & EXIT."

6. Please note that this does not create a backup of the BIOS binary file.

7. This does not require you to have a bootable floppy disk.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Boot Disk Method

1. Create a bootable floppy disk in accordance with the instructions
laid out in the manual of your particular operating system. This
bootable floppy needs to be able to boot to a DOS console capable of
executing normal MS-DOS batch and executable files.

2. Download and extract the xxxxxxxx.EXE file corresponding to your
model from the EPoX website to the floppy. It will self extract into
the above listed files.

3. Boot using your DOS floppy disk to the ?A:\>? command prompt. At the
DOS command prompt type: UPDATE

4. The BIOS will automatically flash.

5. Reboot the machine.

6. After this, press DEL to enter the BIOS setup and select to "LOAD
OPTIMIZED DEFAULTS". After doing this select to "SAVE & EXIT."

Note: During the use of UPDATE a backup of your original BIOS
date/code will be saved in the same directory as the UPDATE file. It
will be called ?OLD.BIN? and can be used with the restore
instructions below in case you need to revert back to the original
BIOS date/code.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

BIOS Restore Instructions

Use of the restore procedure requires the OLD.BIN file created in the
Boot Disk method procedure above!

1. Boot using your DOS floppy disk to the ?A:\>? command prompt. At
the DOS command prompt type: RESTORE

2. The BIOS will automatically flash.

3. Reboot the machine.

4. After this, press DEL to enter the BIOS setup and select to "LOAD
OPTIMIZED DEFAULTS". After doing this select to "SAVE & EXIT."

5. The system flash is now completed and should now be reverted back
to the original BIOS date/code.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

BIOS flash failed

If you have access to an old un-accelerated ISA video card, you might
be able to recover your BIOS. Remove all cards and drives from your
system, except for the ISA video card and the floppy drive. Then try
to boot from a system disk (a bootable floppy with only the flash
programs and corresponding BIOS binary). If you are able to boot to
the floppy, flash your BIOS according to the directions above.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I get out of memory errors when I flash my BIOS!

On some system configurations, even with a clean boot disk, you will
get an out of memory error (insufficient memory) when you try to
flash your BIOS. The solution is simple: Try bypassing the startup
files by pressing the following keys during startup using you
bootable floppy disk. Attempt the FLASH again.

DOS 6.2x boot disks - press F5 to bypass.
WINDOWS 95/98 boot disks - press F8 and select "Safe command prompt."
Lastly try using a MS-DOS 6.x boot disk.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Manual use of the AWDFLASH Utility

Most users will find that our UPDATE and RESTORE batch files can
accomplish the BIOS flash with the majority of configurations. But if
you wish to manually use the AWDFLASH utility, below are the most
common command line usages and parameters.

Awdflash 7.87d (C)Award Software 2000 All Rights Reserved

Usage: AWDFLASH [FileName1] [FileName2] [/<sw>[/<sw>...]]
FileName1 : New BIOS Name For Flash Programming
FileName2 : BIOS File For Backing-up the Original BIOS
<Swtches>
?: Show Help Messages
py: Program Flash Memory pn: No Flash Programming
sy: Backup Original BIOS To Disk File sn: No Original BIOS Backup
Sb: Skip BootBlock programming sd: Save DMI data to file
cp: Clear PnP(ESCD) Data After Programming
cd: Clear DMI Data After Programming
cc: Clear CMOS Data After Programming
R: RESET System After Programming cks: Show update Bin chksum
Tiny: Occupy lesser memory
E: Return to DOS When Programming is done
F: Use Flash Routines in Original BIOS For Flash Programming
LD: Destroy CMOS Checksum And No System Halt For First Reboot
After Programming
cksXXXX: Compare Binfile CheckSum with XXXX

Example: AWDFLASH 2a59i000.bin /py/sn/cd/cp/cks2635

----------------------------------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER

THE SOFTWARE AND BIOS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED WARRANTY OF ANY KIND INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
NONINFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, OR FITNESS FOR ANY
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL EPOX OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES
FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION)
ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE AND BIOS,
EVEN IF EPOX HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS PROHIBIT THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF
LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE
LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. EPoX and its suppliers further do
not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text,
graphics, links or other items contained within these materials.
EPoX reserves the right to change specifications or discontinue
products at any time with no prior warning. EPoX makes no commitment
to update any BIOS.

v1.2 03082002 JRH
 

enwar3

Golden Member
Jun 26, 2005
1,086
0
0
Where did you find that?

I tried the Alt+F2 method, but it hangs where it says it will automatically flash BIOS and reboot. On my comp it says "Please Wait" and doesn't do anything (I've waited for 20 min).

EDIT: I really cannot find the Readme. Did you find it on Epox's website?
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
You should end up with 4 files;

awdflash.exe
README.TXT
9npa5c06.bin
UPDATE.BAT

At least I do.

I usually put the files on a different floppy as frequently there is not enough room on a boot floppy. Especially as their process states that a copy of your old BIOS will be made. Boot from a boot floppy and switch to the floppy with the 4 files on it.
 

enwar3

Golden Member
Jun 26, 2005
1,086
0
0
Ok...

I updated BIOS to the 3/2/06 version, finally.

I restarted it and it froze and said something like "checksum error"

I set BIOS to halt on no errors, and restarted. Then it loaded, and it got to "Verifying DMI Pool Data.... Update Success!"

And then I got the "A disk read error occurred" again.

I restarted it again, and this time it said "Verifying DMI Pool Data........... A disk read error occurred."

Dang it, I thought i fixed it. But apparently its not the BIOS. Now what?