Member Avatar for giantspider

Hi,
I,ve been trying to upgrade the BIOS - because my m/c keeps hanging, fail to start, even froze when reinstalling XP on to formatted drive.
I went to the m/b site and found the latest download for the bios. When I run it eventually I get a message "The program's file's part number does not match with your system". I exit the upgrade.
When checking the data the only difference I can find is that my current BIOS specifies a flash type WINBOND /5v wheras the download I believe offers a /3v file.
Even more detail: m/b Winfast K7NCR18D PRO.

I have the awdflash prog for dos and winflash for windows - but they are the same essentially.
Yet my bios chip is Phoenix Bios D686BIOS 1998.

Any advice gratefully received. Thanks.

Edited by giantspider because: PUSHED TAB KEY BT MISTAKE AND THERE IT WAS
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Dani AI

Generated

A short expert addendum tying the replies together and suggesting safe next steps.

The flasher refusing to write when the part number or board ID doesn't match is a deliberate protection: BIOS images are keyed to a particular PCB revision and flash-chip type (package, size, voltage and ID). A mismatch normally means the downloaded image is the wrong SKU or revision. Forcing a write can permanently brick the board; the correct remedy is to obtain the exact image for the board revision (or a vendor-provided recovery image) and verify checksums before flashing. As noted, the vendor later supplied an update that flashed successfully, which confirms the mismatch was a file/ID issue rather than a flasher bug.

Intermittent hangs that continue after flashing are more often hardware or driver related, as implied. Useful diagnostic steps include: run a full memory test (Memtest86+), inspect the board for bulging/leaking capacitors, test the power supply rails or swap to a known-good PSU, and monitor CPU temperatures under load. Booting with minimal devices and into Safe Mode will help separate driver/software problems from failing hardware. SMART and surface tests on the hard drive are also worthwhile.

A safe pre-flash routine that reduces risk: identify the exact board revision printed on the PCB; back up the current ROM (read-back); download the vendor image and confirm its checksum; prepare a bootable DOS/USB flasher; document CMOS jumper positions and BIOS settings; and only proceed with the vendor-matching file. If an updater still refuses or the board becomes unbootable, recovery normally requires an external EEPROM programmer or a vendor RMA.

Given the reported final result (stable after reinstall and omitting a third‑party driver), the most likely cause for the original crashes was driver or software conflict — hardware checks listed above should be performed to rule out failing components.

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Member Avatar for Rik_

I doubt that your bios is the root cause of your problem. The first thing I would do is give the computer a good clean and check the condition of the thermal paste between the heatsink and the CPU!

Member Avatar for giantspider

I doubt that your bios is the root cause of your problem. The first thing I would do is give the computer a good clean and check the condition of the thermal paste between the heatsink and the CPU!

Thanks for response.
I've given mb a reasonable clean/hoover. Unfortunately the socketA processor can only be fully "cleaned" by removeing various components around. Unfortunately I don't have small. dainty paws!
I'm also pursuing the issue with Leadtek who made the m/b.
Assuming I fail to resolve the problem I'll look at removing the fan/heatsink and examining the thermal paste - although I'm not too sure that I'd recognise good or bad condition paste.
Why do you think it's not the bios? I tend to blame Microsoft but have failed to get any consistent pattern of cause and effect.

Member Avatar for Rik_

It's not common for the bios to cause problems! The only time I have seen a bios related issue was when a customer had overclocked his system too far and the bios had to be blanked in order to get the PC running again!

Member Avatar for giantspider

The m/b manufacturer has now provided a link to update the bios - which has now been completed. In that sense the thread has been answered - but as Rik indicated the problem of crashing was not resolved by the flashing.
However, I now have stable computer (but I don't know for how long) by reloading windows xp and leaving off the Creative S/B files.
I've also not loaded .NETframeworks, not anything above XP SP2. I'd rather have a stable m/c that doesn't crash than one that, with all the XP updates loaded was becoming impossible even to start.
Thanks for thoughts.

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