Updating BIOS

[onn99]

Hi all,

I have been trying to update my BIOS, but I keep getting the error "unknown flash type" when i try to do it. I have checked that I have awardbios and I am using awardbios version 8 flash to try and update. I have no idea why it doesn't work.

I am running windows XP Pro if that helps, but since I am updating BIOS in DOS version 7.0, i figured what OS i am running should not matter.

Your advice would be much appreciated.

Onn99

 

[mainegeek]

What size power supply do you have? Here is a link where you can calculate your power consumption.

http://www.thetechboard.com/tutorials/atx.php

Your power supply may be faulty as well.

Also when you copy large files is it from drive to drive?
Try running a full surface scan on both drives. This will take a while.

When did you first notice this problem and what was the last harware upgrade you did.

How many USB ports on the USB card and are all of them being used?

 

[onn99]

Hi Maine,

I don't think it is the power supply although I can't completely rule that out, because there is also another problem that sometimes happens but not as lethal and that is the computer will sometimes just freeze, like it is in a complete forzen state, nothing moves and screen stays the same but it doesn't reset, it just freeze, so I have to resort to the reset button to start it up again. But I have noticed this only happens when I am on the internet.

I have a box with 300 watts and even counting all the high end wattages, I am still under by 50 watts, so I think that is ok.

When I say copy large files it is both drive to drive and also from CD to drive, i.e installing games like a recent one that reset it was SIM City 4. It reset after 75% pass the second cd and that really was annoying because it corrupted my NTUSER.DAT file and I had to format the hard-drive and do a new install.

On the USB 2.0 card only one port is being used, but I do have a hub running out of my MOBO's usb port which is linked up to another 2 usb 1.1 devices.

Now the problem started when I installed my 52x52x24 Burner, but it got progrssively worse when I installed my 80 GIG 7200RPM seagate HDD. So I was thinking why maybe I used the wrong IDE slots for them if it even matters.

I have my boot drive the 80 gig as my Primary master, my 20 gig as my secondary master and my burner as my secondary slave. The 80 gig has been split 50/30 gig with the 50 gig as my Windows drive.

 

[adkmom]

Hey-

May work or not- but won't hurt to try. This has saved me a few times- though I don't see it mentioned much:

In BIOS- "reset configuration data".

Believe me that what I've been up against should not have been affected by this "fix"= but it worked.

FYI,

Mom

 

[onn99]

Hi mom,

i'm not sure what you mean, are you taliking about the cmos??

 

[adkmom]

In my three desktops, all have this setting in the BIOS:

"reset configuration data" Y or N. It's been awhile so I can't recall if this requires a restart...?

Choose "Y"- exit & save. It'll resets itself back next restart so you don't have to go in & change it back again.

Mom