New BIOS Chip after bad flash, still won't post.
OK, so I built my own computer in July.
About two weeks ago I flashed my BIOS like a jackass and my system never came back up.
The people at MSI assured me it was a BIOS chip problem and sent me a new chip.
I installed the new chip, and still nothing. All the lights come on, I can open and close the drives, but my moniter stays in standby, and I can tell there is nothing going on.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
About two weeks ago I flashed my BIOS like a jackass and my system never came back up.
The people at MSI assured me it was a BIOS chip problem and sent me a new chip.
I installed the new chip, and still nothing. All the lights come on, I can open and close the drives, but my moniter stays in standby, and I can tell there is nothing going on.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Comments
Replace the battery, move the jumper back to "Normal", plug it in, then see what happens.
If that doesn't help, remove the cables from all your drives and try the same process again.
Good luck!
If it stopped working after you flashed it(and it previously worked), i almost guarentee you messed up the flash, or else something crazy happened. but theres like a 99% chance its the chip, and you should reset the CMOS.
When you got the chip from MSI did they flash it? alot of times they will just send you a blank chip and expect that you will flash it, or they will charge a small fee. I had to do the same thing with my ASUS motherboard and i had to pay like $10 for the chip and like $3 or something for it to be flashed. This was a while ago so i forget hte prices, although its not too bad.
But for now reset the CMOS and see if that fixes it.
But on my Neo4 Platinum, there is a CMOS clear button. Am I safe to assume that serves the same purpose as messing with the jumpers?
I pressed the button and then removed the battery. im going to wait a bit and then see what happens.
Sound good?
Describe the other hardware you have, especially the MB, video card, PSU, and RAM. Give us the brand and model number.
If you have more than one memory module, have you tried it with just one stick? Are all the power connections to the MB and video card (if applicable) hooked up properly?
Radeon x800xl 256 MB
2 Gigs Corsair RAM (4x512)
MSI Neo4 Platinum Mobo
430 Watt PSU, dont know the brand off the top of my head but its a good one
Have you tried using just one stick of RAM?
Can you get the people who sold you the replacement BIOS chip to tell you which version is on the chip?
and I told the MSI guy what my motherboard and model were and he sent the chip. He never said anything about versions, but I would assume it was the same as the previous one.
Nobody said anything about me having to do any more than installing the chip
At this point I'd say your options are these:
1) Return the new BIOS chip and get a replacement.
2) RMA the whole MB.
3) Get a friend with a similar system who wouldn't mind letting you borrow parts to try out in order to isolate the problem.
4) Take it to a computer shop and pay them to do the same thing as in option #3
Grasping at straws here, but are you sure the replacement BIOS chip is seated properly and is oriented the right way?
1) Where is a good place to get a new BIOS chip? I mean it took MSI a week to get me the last one. Am I supposed to call them up again and say send me another one?
2) Im not sure what RMA means, my apologies.
4) Would this solve the problem?
The way this works is that they will charge your credit card for the replacement part, then refund the money once they receive your old MB. If you're in a hurry (and who wouldn't be) this might be your best option.
They may want to get weasel-ish about the fact that this all started with a bad BIOS flash. Stick to your guns and point out that if the board had a defect to begin with, that alone could have caused the flash to fail. If you are polite - and insistent - they will likely work with you.
One of our members offers a Bios Chip Replacement / Re-programming Service. A good local computer shop would also probably be able to help you.
Return Merchandise Authorization. It basically means that the company is aware that you are sending the item back for possible warranty replacement. It gets the paperwork started so the part doesn't just show up with no documentation. You get the number from the manufacturer.
Taking it to a computer shop and paying for a full checkup ought to find the problem; fixing it may cost you more. Some repair shops will give your computer a quick checkup for a reasonable fee. (Others will rip you off for every dime they can get - be sure you know what they're charging before you authorize any work.) If you go that route, I'd recommend that you print out this thread and take a copy with you. The technician will be grateful to have a list of what has already been tried, hopefully saving him time - and you money. If you brought your system to me the first thing I'd do is stick all your parts in a MB I knew to be good. If things fired up nicely I'd then stick good parts of my own in your MB. If nothing happened I'd know right away that it was the MB and/or BIOS. Since you just bought the board in July, I would then send you to MSI for a free replacement. A less-honest place might cheerfully sell you a new MB, most likely at a hefty markup.
EDIT: It took me forever to type all that - I didn't see Leonardo's post.
So I'm gonna plug it in and see what happens.
Thanks for your help, and I guess the moral of the story is, dont do anything stupid.
RMA the MSI board, then sell the replacement they send you. At least you'll recoup some of the money you've spent.