need help with BIOS update

[Herman]

I want to update a BIOS chip in an old motherboard, but I find I have an
option for a 1Mb chip or a 2Mb chip. I don't know how to tell if my chip
is 1 or 2Mb, and if I flash it with the wrong size my board will be dead.

The board is a Lucky Star 6ABX2V - manufacturer no longer exists as a
hardware manufacturer.

These are the details given by the BIOS ident utility from
www.esupport.com -

BIOS Date: 08/21/98
BIOS Type: Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG
BIOS ID: 08/21/1998-i440BX-W977TF-2A69KL1AC
OEM Sign-On: #AD3-05
Chipset: Intel 440BX/ZX rev 2
Superio: Winbond 977TF rev 0 found at port 3F0h
OS: Win98
CPU: Pentium® II (0.25 µm) 400 MHz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Unknown
BIOS ROM Size: Unknown
Memory Installed: 319 MB
Memory Maximum: Unknown

As you can see the identification utility can't determine the ROM size
either.

The reason I want to try to update this BIOS is because since this
machine was updated from Windows 98 fisrt edition to Windows 98 Second
Edition it has been impossible to shut down the computer - it just hangs
with a blank screen and blinking cursor before it gets to the "Windows
is shutting down" screen.
The computer will only shutdown correctly if I start Windows in safe mode.

I have exhausted all other hardware/software update avenues, and BIOS
update is only option left I haven't tried.

Windows Update has been run and everything is current.
All add-in PCI cards have had their drivers updated to the current
version. These cards are Dlink DWL-G510 wireless card, Silicon Image Sil
0680 Ultra-133 Medley ATA Raid card, Creative Sound Blaster PCI64, and a
32Mb nVidia Riva TNT2 model 64.
The chipset drivers for the motherboard are updated and current.

I'm hoping that upgrading the BIOS will fix the shutdown problem as I
have run out of other things to try - unless someone has any other ideas?

Herman Munster

 

[George Macdonald]

I want to update a BIOS chip in an old motherboard, but I find I have an
option for a 1Mb chip or a 2Mb chip. I don't know how to tell if my chip
is 1 or 2Mb, and if I flash it with the wrong size my board will be dead.

The board is a Lucky Star 6ABX2V - manufacturer no longer exists as a
hardware manufacturer.

These are the details given by the BIOS ident utility from
www.esupport.com -

BIOS Date: 08/21/98
BIOS Type: Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG
BIOS ID: 08/21/1998-i440BX-W977TF-2A69KL1AC
OEM Sign-On: #AD3-05
Chipset: Intel 440BX/ZX rev 2
Superio: Winbond 977TF rev 0 found at port 3F0h
OS: Win98
CPU: Pentium® II (0.25 µm) 400 MHz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Unknown
BIOS ROM Size: Unknown
Memory Installed: 319 MB
Memory Maximum: Unknown

As you can see the identification utility can't determine the ROM size
either.

Doesn't the flash utility tell the part number of the chip it finds on the
mbrd? Can't you read the mfr and part data from the top of the chip?

The reason I want to try to update this BIOS is because since this
machine was updated from Windows 98 fisrt edition to Windows 98 Second
Edition it has been impossible to shut down the computer - it just hangs
with a blank screen and blinking cursor before it gets to the "Windows
is shutting down" screen.
The computer will only shutdown correctly if I start Windows in safe mode.

I have exhausted all other hardware/software update avenues, and BIOS
update is only option left I haven't tried.

Windows Update has been run and everything is current.
All add-in PCI cards have had their drivers updated to the current
version. These cards are Dlink DWL-G510 wireless card, Silicon Image Sil
0680 Ultra-133 Medley ATA Raid card, Creative Sound Blaster PCI64, and a
32Mb nVidia Riva TNT2 model 64.
The chipset drivers for the motherboard are updated and current.

I'm hoping that upgrading the BIOS will fix the shutdown problem as I
have run out of other things to try - unless someone has any other ideas?

Do you have mapped drives? Have you already applied the 260067 update?
This was never made generally available - it was made available for DL to
people who complained about the hang on Shutdown who were using the Novell
Client, but for everyone else, you had to make a 'phone call to support.
The KB article is here http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=260067.
Fortunately I was able to get the download address -- don't rememnber where
-- but you can still get it here
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/WURecommended/q260067/Default.asp
though the file name has USA in it which may make it unique to US
versions??

Note that after the update there is also a Registry value which allows
tuning the wait time for a response to the broadcast. This update fixed
the shutdown hang on all the Win98SE systems I've seen... mapped drives or
not.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

I want to update a BIOS chip in an old motherboard, but I find I have an
option for a 1Mb chip or a 2Mb chip. I don't know how to tell if my chip
is 1 or 2Mb, and if I flash it with the wrong size my board will be dead.

Peel the label off the BIOS chip and post the part number, eg 29Fxxx,
28Fxxx, 27Cxxx.

The board is a Lucky Star 6ABX2V - manufacturer no longer exists as a
hardware manufacturer.

These are the details given by the BIOS ident utility from
www.esupport.com -

BIOS Date: 08/21/98
BIOS Type: Award Modular BIOS v4.51PG
BIOS ID: 08/21/1998-i440BX-W977TF-2A69KL1AC
OEM Sign-On: #AD3-05
Chipset: Intel 440BX/ZX rev 2
Superio: Winbond 977TF rev 0 found at port 3F0h
OS: Win98
CPU: Pentium® II (0.25 µm) 400 MHz
BIOS ROM In Socket: Unknown
BIOS ROM Size: Unknown
Memory Installed: 319 MB

^^^
This seems strange.

Memory Maximum: Unknown

As you can see the identification utility can't determine the ROM size
either.

The reason I want to try to update this BIOS is because since this
machine was updated from Windows 98 fisrt edition to Windows 98 Second
Edition it has been impossible to shut down the computer - it just hangs
with a blank screen and blinking cursor before it gets to the "Windows
is shutting down" screen.
The computer will only shutdown correctly if I start Windows in safe mode.

I have exhausted all other hardware/software update avenues, and BIOS
update is only option left I haven't tried.

Windows Update has been run and everything is current.
All add-in PCI cards have had their drivers updated to the current
version. These cards are Dlink DWL-G510 wireless card, Silicon Image Sil
0680 Ultra-133 Medley ATA Raid card, Creative Sound Blaster PCI64, and a
32Mb nVidia Riva TNT2 model 64.
The chipset drivers for the motherboard are updated and current.

I'm hoping that upgrading the BIOS will fix the shutdown problem as I
have run out of other things to try - unless someone has any other ideas?

Herman Munster

It's unlikely to be a firmware issue.

Have you tried the shutdown troubleshooter?

How to troubleshoot Windows 98 shutdown problems:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=202633

Problems Shutting Down Windows 98 Second Edition:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q238096/

Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/wurecommended/s_wufeatured/win98se/

You might have better luck reposting your question to
microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion. This problem is often discussed
there.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[Herman]

Peel the label off the BIOS chip and post the part number, eg 29Fxxx,
28Fxxx, 27Cxxx.

OK, under the sticker it says
ATMEL
AT29C010A
12PC
9820

^^^
This seems strange.

Not really... 128Mb + 128Mb + 64Mb = 320Mb

It's unlikely to be a firmware issue.

Have you tried the shutdown troubleshooter?

The one built into Windows Help? For some reason this is just gives me a
blank page as soon as I get to the point where you click "next"

How to troubleshoot Windows 98 shutdown problems:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=202633

Problems Shutting Down Windows 98 Second Edition:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q238096/

Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/wurecommended/s_wufeatured/win98se/

Been through all of those already.
The only thing which gave any hope was disabling bios.vxd so it wouldn't
load. This just had the same effect as starting in safe mode i.e. - none
of the add-in cards or USB mouse worked or could be detected, but the
comupter could be shut down. Wouldn't this suggest that the BIOS is the
most likely source of the problem?

You might have better luck reposting your question to
microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion. This problem is often discussed
there.

I have changed the Followup-To: field to point to that group in this post.

Thank you for your help.