Attempted BIOS upgrade = catastrophe

[dkh]

In trying to upgrade the BIOS on my Dell Dimmension 4300 today I have created problems. I downloaded the file from Dell's site to upgrade to BIOS A06 from A04 and made a bootable floppy as instructed. I booted off the floppy, got the DOS window which said "erasing BIOS A04..." then "flashing in BIOS A06..." then "all completed correctly". Computer then shut down and cannot be restarted. The only thing I get from it is the fans turning on when I press the power button on the front of the case.

I took the wrsitwatch battery out of the mobo after unplugging the 20-pin and 4-pin power connectors from the mobo. I let it sit for 2 hours JUST TO BE SURE. Upon re-assembly, I get the same result - nothing. I've tried to start the computer up holding down the F2, F8, F10, F12, Delete, and Insert keys. I still get nothing.

So, what should I attempt now? Another tech site suggested that I get another BIOS chip if my mobo has a detachable one. I checked and the only removable chip I see is the CPU.

Any help at all is appreciated.

 

[jdhore1]

basically, i believe, you computer is dead and the only way to fix it is to 1. replace the motherboard
2. Send it back to Dell and have them fix it
3. If you're REALLY lucky, you MIGHT have a PC repair shop in your area that can either replace the BIOS or reflash it...Basically, there's nothing YOU can do because you can't turn on the system.

 

[jeremy]

a longshot but worth a try , reset the cmos with the jumper

usally bioses that are soldered have a boot block (a recovery feature) you might be able to reflash it , when you power up after a few moments,the floppy drive light turns on? if so see this page http://www.biosman.com/biosrecovery.html and better use this bootdisk http://www.abitfaq.it/Files/drdflash.exe , before tryin better test the files cuz floppy's are unreliable , after you got all the files in the bootdisk select all and click ctrl+c after the light will turn off get it out then goto some folder and re-insert the floppy then click ctrl+v to paste it

see these pages to know for sure if the bios chip is removable or not
http://www.badflash.com/findbios.htm
http://www.badflash.com/removbio.htm

if the chip isnt removable , the boot block aint working , then youll have to get a new mobo or to rma if you still have warranty

 

[dkh]

My CMOS clear jumper is a 2-pin, not a 3-pin. I've already tried using a jumper at least half a dozen times. Sounds like I'm screwed.