Trying to Update BIOS

[hennessy1]

I have an older gatewat e4100 desktop. The motherboard in it is an intel d865glc desktop board. Now i have tried the bios updates and utilities from gateway.com with no luck. I then used the first set of numbers from the bios string and found updates on intels site with no luck. I have tried the. Exe file from within windows and the iflash util from a bootable floppy and usb stick. It would either freeze once i got into the utility and point it to the file or just restart with no update. I have also tried putting the bios into recovery mode with the jumper and tried getting it to update from a floppy with no luck.

I can not for the life of me get this to work if anyone can provide some help i would greatly appreciate it.

 

[bankster55]

I would use flashrom from any installed Linux distro
Its a live in system flasher
Of course then you would need to know a little Linux - lol

You also might get more help if you mentioned what bios type it is.

 

[hennessy1]

I would love to use it to update the bios im at my wits end here with it. I do not no the bios maker so i went to use a utility called uniflasher i dont know if youve heard of it but even that didnt work.

The extension of the file is .bio if that helps.

There is no bios manufacturer splash screen besides gateway.

 

[hennessy1]

Is there a linux iso I can download and use specifically just for this task?

 

[bankster55]

Will be sending you a tut for your issue, tho I am bit puzzled why a bios update is so deperately critical for an older machine like yours.

Thats why I only gave vague advice for your situation.
Obviously if you brick the bios I will be blamed, even tho you are doing something using a software/op sys you are unfamiliar with.

 

[Iron Woode]

check the BIOS to see if there is a setting that prevents updating the BIOS.

 

[hennessy1]

@bankster55-I had a bunch of parts laying around going to waste so I told my brother in law that I'd look at his computer to see what I can do. put some new memory in and a hard drive and gpu and it runs windows 7 beautifully if only I could fix the issues it has with ram which was resolved in a BIOS update.

TBH I am not going to blame you if something goes wrong I will just make sure I follow directions down to a T. If something goes right no offense but I'd kiss you if I could considering I have been at this for days.

@iron woode-I looked at the gateway manual there is nothing that mentions anything being place to prevent a BIOS update.

 

[hennessy1]

@bankster55- I tried what you sent me verbatim and I am getting a hang up once I reach the booting to USB. These are the settings I tried along with the last message displayed before it stopped responding. The one that I seem to get the farthest with is the "Failsafe" mode.

Failsafe stops at

"creating /ect/fstab"

Thank you for any guidance.

 

[bankster55]

Maybe your mobo wont boot to USB?
Only read.
Maybe floppy boot only?
Floppy flash only?
After all this is live Linux
Just looked it up, some drivers 2005 2006 - 6 or 7 year old mobo. With all that proprietary Gateway crappola.
Make sure bios name is 8 or less characters

Try this as a basic test:
Download ASUS bupdater 1.3
Make USB bootable with HP tool HP27608.exe, use the Win version, make FAT32 and point to some Win 98 setup files for I/O.sys and MSDOS.sys and cmd.com, put bupdater and file on stick, boot to it(?) and then type bupdater

Not knowing what bios is the big hangup here - AMI AWARD PHOENIX etc. If its AMI you could use an older AFUDOS on a floppy, like 2.12ES (engineering sample). SW like AIDA64 or PC Wizard will tell you all the bios info.

 

[vailr]

Check the motherboard manual & the area near the bios chip. There could be a jumper that's preventing bios flashing. In which case, you'd need to re-locate the jumper in order to allow bios flashing.
Also: check the menu within the bios setup. There may(?) be a flash utility located within the bios itself. Depending on the version, may require that the update file be located on a floppy disk ONLY, for proper operation.

 

[hennessy1]

I was determined to find out the manufacturer of the bios to provide that information to you guys to better help me. I used utilities and even the system information and dxdiag windows utilities to find but they all said intel bios. I knew that was not correct so I tried everest. That listed AMI. I went there and tried there utility which also did not work. I then read back on my note and that said in order to flash the BIOS the BIOS jumper switch had to be in the recover mode or basically not be on the pins at all.

After reading that I found an AMI utility that identifies your AMI BIOS. I ran that but it ended up only telling me the same info that the others that it was a gateway BIOS. Also in that utility it lists a quick fact about quick flashing which relates to the gateway manual about the BIOS recovery jumper option. Here is what it said:

Quick Flash Instructions For AMI Motherboards:
(FLASH UTILITY NOT REQUIRED)


- Unzip file, copy the "ROM" file to a diskette in "A" drive.
(Diskette does not have to be bootable).

- Make sure you are using the on board floppy controller.

- With system powered off and diskette with "ROM" file in "A" drive.

- Hold down on the "CTRL & HOME" keys and then power on system.

- There will be no video and notice floppy drive being accessed.

- You should hear 1 beep let go of keys.

- Then you will hear 2 beeps and then 3 beeps.

- System should reset and notice new BIOS release date at top of screen.

- Enter BIOS SETUP run the OPTIMAL SETINGS OPTION.

- Change BIOS SETTINGS for your configuration.


"WARNING"
If you are using the "password" option in the BIOS, you must DISABLE the
Password BEFORE you flashes the BIOS. This BIOS uses a new core and saves the
Password at a different location.

If you flash the BIOS without disabling the password, you may not be able
To get into the setup. If this happens, you must drain the CMOS first.


**November 9, 2000**

So I tried it with just the BIOS on a floppy and no luck. Then I went back and remembered about the DOS files gateway provides. I loaded all those onto a floppy and then help the control and home keys down and BAM!!! worked like a charm updated the BIOS to the latest intel offers and it works wonderful. This may have seemed like a trivial task or to much effort on my part for such an old machine but I just if anything wanted to be able to figure out how to even if I couldn't get it to work.

Thank you all very much for your help I really appreciate it.

 

[bankster55]

just curious, what DOS files were they?
sounds like they lied - did have to be bootable

 

[hennessy1]

Those were the files but the thing it what made it work was the key combo control and home. I had tried those files with a bootable disc and non. It seems that the intel iflash util does not work when the BIOS is in normal mode for these boards only in the recovery mode. The floppy did not have to be bootable just had to have those exact files on it with the BIOS that you want. The BIOS listed there is one from gateway there is a newer one from intels site that I actually used the 2nd flash. I did that one just to make sure I can update it though.

 

[bankster55]

actually if you look at my screenie thats the same thing
IO.sys cmd.com and MSDOS.sys for DOS boot
You have autoexec.bat which is prob tied to hotkeys
(you can open in notepad)
Now knowing its AMI you could use any older AFUDOS with a bootable floppy. Looks like you would be flashing blind - all you have to do is watch the floppy light, type afudos - enter
Put in an old AGP 16MB vidcard in PCI slot and you could prob see, I've done that before. ($14 from geeks.com)
But I dont mean to drag this on any more - lol

Seriously, you need to find a girlfriend

 

[hennessy1]

Ya like i said it must of just been the key commands that made it work because i tried everyway you mentioned as well and it just didnt work it would not flash with the bios jumper in normal only the recovery mode with the key commands.