BIOS update impossible for my new (rubbish) Sapphire board

[Mr Muggles]

model PC-am3rs790g

It arrived today via ebay, went to Sapphire website to get the BIOS updates and other software (as my CD player isn't working, no power???) downloaded about 6 of them and the first 1 states

"If you want to update your BIOS, please execute the BAT file. Don't use awdflash directly.

When you execute the BAT file, it will automatic run the awdflash to update the new BIOS for your mainboard.

(Note: Before update BIOS please make sure already disabled Flash Part Protect function in BIOS Setup) Still haven't managed to find this in the BIOS..my bad

The new BIOS was modified for the following reason:

1.this bin file is first release.

So I double click the .bat file and get this "Unsupported 16-bit application" is the error heading......it goes on "the program or feature cannot run due to incompatability with 64-bit version of windows. pleasde contact vendor".......which I have but not much hope of getting a reply fromHong Kong anytime soon I reckon.

The CPU is running at 800 due to "coolnquiet" technology which I can live with but the RAM

DDR3 1333mhz C7 RAM running at 667mhz C9 ha ha

Fix the BIOS, fix the RAM is my approach.

 

[alienware]

*tries desperately not to say I told you so*

OK. There are a couple of ways around this. Be warned they all carry risks. The BAT file is a DOS executable. You CAN NOT execute it within a Windows enviroment as the later CMD shells ARE NOT DOS.

Here is what you need to do.

1. Obtain a Windows 98 SE CD (or boot from a usb, more on that later).

2. Start by booting your PC with CD rom support, make sure you have an IDE drive in there.

Get into DOS.

Find the CD rom drive ( E: or F: or whatnot).

To test you are on the right drive type

DIR

This will list the directory contents of the disc. Put in the bios one and do a DIR. Make sure your bat file is there. I would rename it bios.bat or whatever

Then, when you are sure you are in the correct directory type bios.bat. The program will run and follow the steps to update the bios.

OR.

Can make a bootable USB stick and whack command and himem ETC on it and run it from there.

If you want to post me the bat file I *may* be able to extract the bin file and then you can probably use Winflash (all manus allow the use of this now as it's piss easy). The only bios I have had to set up a dos thing for recently was the private Asrock bios I have as it's encrypted into an ISO so I can't distro the bios itself. I could dump it of course but I'm not that much of an Ahole.

BTW. Your ram is perfectly set. 667x2 (DDR or double data rate) - 1333.

 

[Mr Muggles]

*tries desperately not to say I told you so*

OK. There are a couple of ways around this. Be warned they all carry risks. The BAT file is a DOS executable. You CAN NOT execute it within a Windows enviroment as the later CMD shells ARE NOT DOS.

Here is what you need to do.

1. Obtain a Windows 98 SE CD (or boot from a usb, more on that later).

2. Start by booting your PC with CD rom support, make sure you have an IDE drive in there.

Get into DOS.

Find the CD rom drive ( E: or F: or whatnot).

To test you are on the right drive type

DIR

This will list the directory contents of the disc. Put in the bios one and do a DIR. Make sure your bat file is there. I would rename it bios.bat or whatever

Then, when you are sure you are in the correct directory type bios.bat. The program will run and follow the steps to update the bios.

OR.

Can make a bootable USB stick and whack command and himem ETC on it and run it from there.

If you want to post me the bat file I *may* be able to extract the bin file and then you can probably use Winflash (all manus allow the use of this now as it's piss easy). The only bios I have had to set up a dos thing for recently was the private Asrock bios I have as it's encrypted into an ISO so I can't distro the bios itself. I could dump it of course but I'm not that much of an Ahole.

BTW. Your ram is perfectly set. 667x2 (DDR or double data rate) - 1333.

Ah my man

I wasn't outbid for this board unfortunately so stuck with it. I forgot about winflash actually and I do have a USB stick which I could flash the BIOS with if there was only an option to do so, there was with the ASUS board I had previously...the manual says update BIOS by floppy but who the hell does that anymore?

during POST I would tap one of the Fkeys to get to flash menu. As yet, haven't sussed it but i might give winflash a go

thanks again mate

 

[alienware]

Yeah floppy FTL.

This is why (much to Tom's utter annoyance) I keep an IDE CDRW under my bed

 

[Mr Muggles]

Well, this turning into a bit of a nightmare now. The AMD spins up then idles then spins up to around 3000rpm's so Windows 7 is saying "your CPU fan doesn't work properly. you must turn off your system right now and check it! this message appears every 10 seconds on my screen and wont go away. btw ALX the BIOS is dated 23/09/09 so that's not too bad. I went to get winflash from phoenix and I kept getting sent to BIOSUPDATE AGENT every damn time..I assumed my browser was being hijacked? done some research on that program and they do seem to be affiliated with 'Award Phoenix'

What an epic fail this build has been so far lol

ps

that CPU error message has appeared at least 10 times while I've been writing this.

 

[alienware]

OK mate. Board has a cacky detection system.

Firstly if you are running fans from the 3 pin headers on the board? get them off at once. Get yourself some 3 pin fan to molex and run your fans at 12v.

Secondly if you go into bios you *should* be able to disable fan warnings. My Asus does that (beeps like a pig) so I disabled all of them considering I'm not using any. LOL Asus probe goes DAHH DAHH DAHH like a submarine

Hopefully you can get it settled in, but I *REALLY* hope you can see why I was being an a$$hole. It's tough love mate. That's what we do here.

 

[Mr Muggles]

Well i'm in two minds here. I got the board for £40 and for a crossfire board that is bloody good.

My question is.

What would make the fan rev up and down like this? The CPU or the board? Could it be a lack of power from the PSU?

My next step is to give it back to the seller on ebay who has been ok tbh

 

[alienware]

Where is the fan connected? the motherboard? And what fan do you mean? the CPU fan?

What sort of cooler ETC. Get it on a molex ETC.

 

[Mr Muggles]

Where is the fan connected? the motherboard? And what fan do you mean? the CPU fan?

What sort of cooler ETC. Get it on a molex ETC.

It's a stock AMD 965 cooler connected to the CPU fan header on the board, like it should be. The fan is very small I must say and that means noisy. I've got it under control now by changing the BIOS smartfan settings, but I shouldn't have to as default should be fine, but it's not. Like I say it just revs up and down up and down constantly at default.