BIOS Hell

I hope everyone's having a better day than I am - My computer committed BIOS-cide.

The BIOS was being updated with a fix for a watchdog timer issue that would cause the computer to power off even if the watchdog timer was set to "disabled". Obviously the fix didn't come soon enough, and now I'm stuck.

Since the BIOS chip is in a socket instead of being soldered onto the motherboard, I'm considering yanking the cadaver out and replacing it. Does this sound like a good idea, or is the computer 100% FUBAR?
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I hope everyone's having a better day than I am - My computer committed BIOS-cide.

The BIOS was being updated with a fix for a watchdog timer issue that would cause the computer to power off even if the watchdog timer was set to "disabled". Obviously the fix didn't come soon enough, and now I'm stuck.

Since the BIOS chip is in a socket instead of being soldered onto the motherboard, I'm considering yanking the cadaver out and replacing it. Does this sound like a good idea, or is the computer 100% FUBAR?

Commell LV-670. The chip reads...

It's a P4 box, though I can't remember if it's Northwood or Wilamette or Wocka-Wocka-Wocka.

BOINC lists it as "GenuineIntel
x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9 2398MHz [x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 9] [fpu mmx]" but because it was running Windows NT 4 Service Pack 6 it omits SSE among other features.
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i guess, you already tried this: phoenix

this guy has similar problem

on P4 based, most of the time, you got to remove the CMOS jumper, and boot on a recovery disk.
usually, you ll find this recover disk at the PC vendor web site.

Here is a link to Commell's update site for that board, you can download the bios and the Award bios flash tool. If the flash tool will boot and run off of the floppy, you may have a chance.
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"Ask not, what your kitty can do for you. Ask what you can do for your kitty."

As it is kitten, so shall it be done.

Sorry about the crossed-wires earlier, but I discovered the beep codes while you were replying. It's long-short-short (morse code "D"), followed by an unending series of higher-pitched short beeps. From what I have read it means that BIOS can't start the video routine(s).

I'll reconnect the floppy with the jumper absent to see if the safeties are gone.
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I've got the disk already made, but unless it'll boot from the floppy there's little use for it.
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Sorry about the crossed-wires earlier, but I discovered the beep codes while you were replying. It's long-short-short (morse code "D"), followed by an unending series of higher-pitched short beeps. From what I have read it means that BIOS can't start the video routine(s).

I'll reconnect the floppy with the jumper absent to see if the safeties are gone.

Well, at least I now know what the beep tone is for a floppy drive who's cable has been plugged in the wrong way 'round (reminds me of my 8-bit days).

I'll try to reseat the RAM next, but so far the floppy is making its usual grinding sounds. I'm about to plug the VGA into the box to see what's going on.

Addendum: Video-out is not working, but it seems that the computer is booting (or at least attempting to from an internal floppy drive. I'm setting up a disk image in VirtualPC that will call the flashing tool from AUTOEXEC.BAT (so I have have some sort of a clue as to what'll be happening).
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It's a P4 box, though I can't remember if it's Northwood or Wilamette or Wocka-Wocka-Wocka.

It's a P4 box, though I can't remember if it's Northwood or Wilamette or Wocka-Wocka-Wocka.

I had a soda in my hand when I read this and almost dropped it on my computer, LOL.

Well, at least I now know what the beep tone is for a floppy drive who's cable has been plugged in the wrong way 'round (reminds me of my 8-bit days).

I'll try to reseat the RAM next, but so far the floppy is making its usual grinding sounds. I'm about to plug the VGA into the box to see what's going on.

Addendum: Video-out is not working, but it seems that the computer is booting (or at least attempting to from an internal floppy drive. I'm setting up a disk image in VirtualPC that will call the flashing tool from AUTOEXEC.BAT (so I have have some sort of a clue as to what'll be happening).

It's a P4 box, though I can't remember if it's Northwood or Wilamette or Wocka-Wocka-Wocka.

I had a soda in my hand when I read this and almost dropped it on my computer, LOL.

Heaven knows I wouldn't mind a Brambleweeny 57 and a really hot cup of tea!

It looks like I can't coax VirtualPC to write directly to the USB floppy drive, and Disk Utility on OS X doesn't want to either, but yes indeed the floppy drive LED on the P4 is doing the five-second-long blink mentioned earlier.

I'm going to break out my older, floppy-savvy computer and try to get that to write the disk image.
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You won't believe how convoluted the process was (I had to start with VirtualPC and MS-DOS 6.22, make a disk image, copied the BIOS flashing tool and new BIOS to the disk image, copy that into a subdirectory on the virtual DOS computer, format the disk image from within DOS with format a: /s, copy the flash stuff back onto the disk image, write AUTOEXEC, mount the disk image in the Finder, tweak Disk Utility to support the (old) NDIF format, pass that disk image onto a USB thumb-drive, and crank up my laptop (which fortunately still has a bootable Mac OS 9 partition)), but I finally got to print the disk image to a floppy.

So... I turn on the power, I get the beep (morse code "D"), the floppy comes to life, and then... well... without video-out I haven't a clue. I'm hoping that it's booting, but when I boot from the disk image in the Virtual DOS environment, everything grinds to a halt once "Starting MS-DOS..." comes on the screen... very frustrating...

I'm re-titling the thread "BIOS Hell" since "mayday" no longer applies.

All of you have been very helpful - thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction.
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