bios failure? 1

[biostarbill]

I have an older PC that all of a sudden won't boot up.
It never seems to start into the windows load, just displays:
Award BootBlock Bios V1.0
copyright (c)2000, Award Software, Inc
Bios ROM checksum error
Detecting floppy drive A media
insert system disk & press Enter.

The first time it failed like this, I didn't have a boot disk, so simply
tried
Reset (several times)---same result. Tried forced power down, then turn
on again,
same result. Then I left it on, went on to set up another PC to try to
do
some productive work. After several minutes, the unit started up
voluntarily.

This happened another time, after letting the machine set off for several
days.

Now I can't get it to boot at all.

I tried to boot from a 3 1/2 floppy, after the initial failure.
Failed with new message: AWDFlash.Exe not found.
I don't know where to go with this either.

I do not know the motherboard manufacturer. The PC was built originally
by a local
company named Computer Peripherals Unlimited Inc.

I am running MS Windows XP Home Edition.

There is a label on a mobo connector that reads as follows:

AWARD 1998
pci pnp 686
265067673

I don't know whether to suspect hard drive failure, BIOS failure, or
what.

I am also interested in learning how to identify the MOBO and BIOS, in case I decide to try and reflash bios.

Any Ideas?
Thanks in advance, Bill Linhardt

 

[burtsbees]

AWDFlash is the BIOS flash disk. You need this to reflash the BIOS, as it is corrupt. The CMOS chip may be bad, and it couold be the CMOS battery as well (unlikely, but worth a try). There should be jumpers or pins to short on the MoBo to reset the BIOS, too.

Burt

 

[biostarbill]

Thanks Burt,
I hadn't considered the battery. Good idea! I'll try that.
Bill

 

[biostarbill]

Burt,
New battery didn't help. When you talk about resetting the BIOS, what does shorting w/jumper reset? Does it clear the entire flash "ram", requiring a complete new flash of the BIOS? I've read some on this in various MOBO publications, but it isn't clear to me. I have another problem in that I haven't been able to determine the bios identity to the extent that I can request a flash download. I got the machine up once, long enough to use biosagentplus to check the bios identity. It got to within about one screen from the point where the identity would have been revealed, then the web hookup crashed. I think me or the machine is jinxed!
Thanks Bill

 

[burtsbees]

No---the jumper or pins to short should just clear the config in the CMOS. You will have a BIOS, but with the default config.

Burt