Soyo Motherboard Bios Flash

[MrDiSante]

I'm having a problem with an old system: it's a Slot 1 Pentium III 550 MHz with a Soyo SY-6VBA133. I was recently reinstalling Windows when there was a fairly loud click, the system reset and failed to load properly. Now it gives the error message

Award BootBlock Bios V1.0
Copyright (c) 1998, Award Software Inc.
BIOS ROM checksum error.

And then some crap about not detecting a floppy and the system halting. I immediately tried to flash my BIOS using the awdflash.exe utility using the latest bios available from http://www.soyo.com/product/search/1/SY-6VBA133/36 in the Support section, however, for all of them it told me that the size of the BIOS update was wrong (the updates were 256KiB, or 2Mbit).

The manual said that in the event of such an error message it meant that I have a board with a different ROM size and that I should make sure to download the correct size update. It said that it is possible to check under the sticker of the IC - I'm going out on a limb here and assuming that by IC they mean integrated circuit, in which case it tells me nothing as to where I should look (there's a ton of chips on the mobo).

Any ideas?

 

[KGB]

LOOK HERE from pg 7 of the manual.
The BIOS IC is designated by the letter "U".
There should be a printed sticker on it with the original BIOS info (rev, date, etc.).

 

[KGB]

Before you get any deeper into this, try clearing the BIOS.

In the diagram above the correct header is letter "M".

Power down and remove the ATX connector from the PSU to the MB.
Move the jumper from pins 1-2 to pins 2-3 for at least 5 seconds.
Move the jumper back to pins 1-2 and reconnect the ATX connector.

Power up and "hit the deck".

 

[KGB]

One other thought: visually inspect the capacitors on the MB for ruptures or bulging.

Reference here and look at the photos on the right.

 

[MrDiSante]

Thanks for your help - unfortunately while the sticker is there, it doesn't say a BIOS version or anything: it's holographic, has the AwardBios logo on it, a long string of digits (not reminiscent of any bios version or anything) and that's about it. Under the sticker is another long string of digits and a part number that does not end in 10 100 20 or 200 - which means the CD manual guide to identifying the part doesn't work. As well, thanks for the tip about cycling the power, but it still doesn't seem to work.

Any other ideas?

EDIT: I also don't see any bulging or ruptured capacitors.

 

[KGB]

Originally posted by: MrDiSante
Thanks for your help - unfortunately while the sticker is there, it doesn't say a BIOS version or anything: it's holographic, has the AwardBios logo on it, a long string of digits (not reminiscent of any bios version or anything) and that's about it. Under the sticker is another long string of digits and a part number that does not end in 10 100 20 or 200 - which means the CD manual guide to identifying the part doesn't work. As well, thanks for the tip about cycling the power, but it still doesn't seem to work.

Any other ideas?

EDIT: I also don't see any bulging or ruptured capacitors.

Cycling the power isn't the same as clearing the BIOS.
Did you follow the procedure?

 

[MrDiSante]

Yes, I did. Sorry I didn't get the terminology right.

 

[KGB]

Originally posted by: MrDiSante
Yes, I did. Sorry I didn't get the terminology right.

Well, you'll know if it work by entering the BIOS and seeing the date/time is way off.

 

[MrDiSante]

It probably reset the BIOS, but the problem is still there: the error message "BIOS ROM checksum error" still appears, it still tries to go to the floppy for an OS (instead of C and I still can't get into the BIOS settings.

 

[KGB]

Okay, let's focus on the "loud click" you heard.

Do you have another power supply to try?
Does anything smell burnt?

 

[MrDiSante]

I do indeed have another power supply which I have already swapped - no dice. And nothing smells burnt. There doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with it (although clearly there must be, or at least must have been). I'm more concerned with the fact that the BIOS is corrupt at the moment really, because if that was just a one-off fluke or bad PSU, I still need to get the BIOS up before the computer becomes useable.

 

[KGB]

Have you looked here?

 

[MrDiSante]

Thanks for the help, but I'm probably just going to build a new one. New mobo, CPU and RAM and I've got a system that can go another 4-5 years.