BIOS update gone wrong?

[CPL]

Hello,

I tried updating the BIOS of my Gigabyte motherboard, GA-G33M-DS2R, and something must have gone wrong..
The current BIOS version was F7 and I downloaded F9a from the Gigabyte website. I then used the Q-Flash application, accessable through pressing "END" during start up. The BIOS file was located on a USB-stick and every step of the process was according to the Q-Flash instruction. The BIOS file was identified, read and successfully updated by Q-Flash. Once completed the instruction manual informed me to exit the program and wait for the computer to reboot.

However, this is were the problems start. When the computer starts up, the power supply, fans and the white front LED all starts up just to completely die 3-4 seconds later. The computer remains dead for some seconds just to automatically initiate the same sequence some 5 seconds later, over and over again. I have to use the main power switch on the back of the computer to kill the power and therefore stop the sequence from recurring.

Can somebody please tell me what I did wrong and, even more importantly, how can I fix this? I would be extremely thankful..

Small remark, I have currently no OS installed since I was just about to perform a fresh Win 7 installation. I have previously had some problems with keyboard inputs during start up not being registred. Therefore I wanted to upgrade the BIOS. Not sure if any of this matter but just in case..

Using this configuration:
Antec Fusion 430 V2
Asus Radeon EAH4350 Silent/DI/512MD2 512MB
Corsair XMS2 DHX TwinX DDR2 PC6400/800MHz CL5 2x2GB DDR2
Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3,16GHz Socket 775 Box
Noctua NF-P12 120mm
Samsung SH-S223F
Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD252HJ 16MB 250GB 3,5 tum S-ATA
Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD753LJ 32MB 750GB 3,5 tum S-ATA
Scythe Ninja Mini

[Chike]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

@CPL
Maybe you didn't clear DMI data?
Anyway try clearing CMOS as explained in "Clearing the CMOS" part of this post. If 20 minutes are not enough, try a few hours/over night.

[CPL]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

Thanks for the tip.

I tried now for the +20mins but without any result.
I try for the full night and see if that makes any difference.

Is this a classic symptom of bad flashing? Or are there still hope..?

[Chike]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

Removing the battery and placing a jumper on CLR_CMOS is probably the best way to go.

[profJim]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

After your overnight CMOS clear, try booting with a minimal hardware setup, only using:
PS2 keyboard
1 Memory module
Monitor hooked up using your integrated graphics

If you are able to enter the bios, immediately load optimized bios settings then save settings and exit.
Re-enter the bios and enter the appropriate memory voltages for both memory sticks and MCH Core voltage.
Save settings and exit, power down your system, and unplug the AC power cord from the psu.
Re-install the second memory module and any other hardware.
Plug in the power cord and you should be ready to go.

Do you have a mobo speaker connected the speaker pins so that you can hear any error beep codes?

Good luck!

[CPL]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

I removed the battery for 24hours but no result when booting up. Is is sufficient to remove battery or is the "Clear CMOS-jumper" mandatory as well?

I will retry with battery removal again and the minimum hardware set up as prfJim

[profJim]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

With "problem" setups, I recommend removing the battery and to jumper the CLR_CMOS pins.
Some have found that they need to let their system repeat the boot loop dance 5 or more times before their system will allow them to enter the bios.
Check out this post for additional suggestions.

[man00]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

If 10 minutes doesn't do it, then its not gonna happen, you can pull the power cord, pull battery, set jumper to clear cmos, hit power button a few times to clear
caps.

[gasan]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

some update bios screwed the whole motherboard i think your mobo is gone

[profJim]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

If 10 minutes doesn't do it, then its not gonna happen....

Not necessarily true.
Several have posted that they couldn't clear the bios until they removed the battery and jumpered the CLR_CMOS pins for several hours or longer. Some only had success when their systems used this approach for 12 - 24 hours.

Try the procedure in post #7.

It's a long shot, but you might be able to perform a "blind flash" using a bootable floppy drive. This could also work with a bootable usb drive, but only if your bios was configured with a usb drive as one of the boot options. Check out Lsdme's BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide" thread for more information.

You can search the forum threads for
blind+flash
to see what others have tried.

Your mobo has "virtual dual bios" so you don't have the option of jumpering your main bios chip to copy the backup bios on to the main bios chip.

You should be able to RMA your mobo to Gigabyte for repair or replacement. The warranty covers parts for three years and labor for two years. You can also contact GB tech support for assistance, being sure to detail all the steps that you've taken so far.

Good luck!

[CPL]

[profJim]

Re: BIOS update gone wrong?

I'm not familiar with micro-ATX mobos.
You should check out user's recommendations or motherboard reviews from reputable websites.

Here's a list from Newegg.com, Intel micro atx motherboards, where you can read the user reviews for each product.
Using Newegg's Power Search, you could also check out AMD m-atx mobo's.
When I did this search, I included all mobo brands. You can refine the search criteria any number of ways.
Keep in mind that some reviewers don't really know what they're talking about.

There are probably some excellent European websites that off similar features.
You might get more responses if you create a new thread with a title like Micro-ATX Motherboard Recommendations Needed.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.