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How can one flash the A8N32-SLI BIOS chip ?

Hello,

I am more the kind of "do it yourself" type when it comes to computers :)

Flashing the (presumably) dead BIOS chip myself seems interesting.

So far I have learned of two options:

  1. Hot swapping the bios. (weir/unreliable and dangerous)

  1. Use an external device.

****************** *** Option 1 ***: ******************

I read about "hot swapping" the bios, but that seems way to dangerous.

And it's also weird I don't understand it, to help me understand it a little bit I need a history lesson and more ;):

Were interrupts handled by CPU or BIOS back in the old days ?

Nowadays some say the BIOS is loaded into RAM (shadowed), does that mean the CPU actually executes the BIOS code ?

Some say hot swapping works because of just that ! Since the BIOS is in RAM, the bios chip can be removed while the computer is ON !

And it will even continue functioning ?!?

Amazing... I never tried it... especially not with my motherboard... anybody tried it ?

Is it really true ??? How can that be ??? Does the CPU execute the bios code ???

Maybe the BIOS code is just like another piece of software/program/DLL library that gets sorta linked to programs... how all this works ??? hmm kinda strange...

Whatever the case may be, it's not recommended by others and I can sure understand why ;)

So that leads to option 2

****************** *** Option 2 ***: ******************

Use a device.

For that I have following questions:

What kind of chip is it ?

What kind of devices are available ?

How much do these devices cost ?

What's the cheapest device ? ;)

How much does such a bios chip cost ?

Where can I order one ?

Thanks for any answers.

I am totaly newb to this any help and/or info is greatly appreciated

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck
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Hey Skybuck,

I think I know what's wrong with your motherboard...

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I think Mike or Graham mentioned earlier this is really not the right forum for the types of questions you ask. I would add that it's not the right place to seek mental health assistance either.

Seriously, do you think any of us here give a damn about your broken motherboard theories at this point? Go get some electronics troubleshooting skills, or some lithium, or a new computer, or whatever. Just get off S.E.D.

Reply to
mpm

No, you're a total retard when it comes to computers.

You need a chip burner, and you need the chip OUT of the motherboard.

I think that you don't even know what the term "hot swapping" means.

You cannot program it while it is IN the MOBO with an "external device".

There are bootable CDs with BIOS fixer apps built into them for your MOBO, idiot.

You are in the dark. You tackling any task in electronics is a joke.

A LOT more. You need to take basic algebra, advanced algebra, trig, and THEN you need a basic electronics course, then some advanced electronics, and I think that you STILL wouldn't get it, because you lack the aptitude for electronics.

You're lost.

You're completely lost.

You are what they call on Saturday Night Live... and the film "All of Me"... a "big dope".

Big dope.

Didn't you already fry your motherboard?

Are you really human?

How can a human be so stupid?

It is an acronym for Central Processing Unit.

Yes, you are more than "kinda strange", boy.

What others have recommended to you is that you cease posting this CRAP that you keep posting.

You jumping off a tall bridge?

OK... Use a tall building instead.

One that is far beyond you capacity to understand.

You could use a big butcher knife and do it Japanese suicide style.

pretty cheap... Try the dollar store.

Try the dollar store. They have real cheap knives.

One fourth to one half the price of the MOBO.

If you know the brand, GOOGLE IT, idiot.

Take this tripe and shove it.

Bullshit. You pulled this same tired CRAP last year.

Please... make that a true remark of exodus.

Reply to
JackShephard

motherboard...

formatting link

Has it ever occured to you that this is a public newgroup which millions of people could read ?

Has it ever occured to you that by helping me you could help millions of others ?

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck

Please get off usenet dude.

I seek serious answers to my questions.

Not this garbished.

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck

motherboard...

formatting link

Probleem is dat jij niet te helpen bent terwijl je millions of others door je hersenloze gedachtenspinsels afschrikt.

--
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Ben Doedens
http://home.hetnet.nl/~vrouger
Reply to
Ben Doedens

Try some serious questions first, then you get serious answers automatically.

--
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Ben Doedens
http://home.hetnet.nl/~vrouger
Reply to
Ben Doedens

You give youreself WAY too much credit... There might be one or two people out there as retarded as you, but not a million.

And as I already said, the kind of help you need requires medication.

Reply to
mpm

The questions are serious, the problem is with the answer.

Nobody knows the answer.

The answer can't be found on asus website, nvidia website or google.

The information about the NFORCE chipset is quite lacking.

I also own an apollo pro chipset from via company.

The via company now seems to have specialized in mini motherboard.

They had some great documents online once !

With asus and nvidia that does not seem to be the case.

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck

And by castigating and ridiculing you we might get folks like you to avoid posting entirely. Now that really might help millions of people.

To be "helped" you have to be receptive to help - you aren't.

There are teachers and students in any exchange of ideas - and the roles change constantly during the exchange - - the thing to remember is that teaching is the passive role and learning is the active role.

S.E.D. is not about computers, it isn't about repairs, it certainly is not the place for your attempts to "easter egg" a problem

First learn what Usenet is and how to use it correctly.

"How can one flash the A8N32-SLI BIOS chip ?" Get on the asus website or bios website and read about it.

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Reply to
default

I suspect there's plenty of well-detailed dta sheets about them in existence, but obtaining them requires signing an NDA...

Of course, all the "basic" functionality is supposed to be the same as as generic PC chipset...

Reply to
Joel Kolstad

Wimsbios website says to disable shadow rom before flashing...

Why ?

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck

Probably because it's: A. Safer. B. A good reason, just because they say so. C. A return might be made to nonexistent memory after flashing.

I like 'B', the best myself. WAEFRTFM.

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Reply to
Frank McCoy

C is a strange answer here is way I think it is a strange answer:

The bios code is loaded into RAM and is still being executed.

Even after flashing the bios, the old bios code is still in RAM and being executed.

So there should be no danger what so ever ?

Also the correct procedure would be to:

Reboot after a flash, which would surely load the new bios code ?

What do you mean with non existing memory ?

Even if the flash is a downgrade and less memory is detected that won't occur until the reboot...

Is the BIOS always "shadowed" into the same RAM location or could it be different location ?

Even if it is a different location, no problem, since the computer is rebooting anyway...

So how can a return possibly be made to non existing memory ???

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck

Sorry. Should have been more explicit. I mean RAM that was used to shadow the ROM; but now no longer contains the contents of that ROM after the flashing process, but is still mapped into the same space. Or, worse yet, contains the data from the original ROM, which has since been *replaced* by the flashing process; but the code in RAM no longer reflects the contents of said ROM.

Is that a bit clearer?

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Reply to
Frank McCoy

Or a very fast moving piece of lead.

Reply to
JackShephard

No,

Here is what I would find logical what happens:

1=2E At boot time the bios code gets loaded into RAM.

2=2E The bios eeprom is not used anymore afterwards.

3=2E The flash happens and overwrites the eeprom.

The new bios code in the eeprom gets active when a reboot is done.

So what's the problem ?

Bye, Skybuck.

Reply to
Skybuck

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