Failed BIOS flash

[Jailer]

I pretty confident I already know the answer to this question but is there any way to recover a bricked motherboard with a soldered BIOS chip from a failed BIOS flash?

I was looking to upgrade the CPU and memory in jr's computer since it was choking on the Adobe suite products she uses for class. It's a low spec AM4, cheap as heck build that I put together 4 years ago for next to nothing. To upgrade the CPU required a BIOS flash. The motherboard is a Gigabyte A320M-S2H so it doesn't have the "dual BIOS" feature that their premium offerings have. I've recovered failed BIOS flashes in the past on motherboards that had removable BIOS chips by hot swapping them but this is new territory for me.

I know the board is cheap and ebay can provide a replacement but is there anything I can do to recover this thing or am I chasing my tail here?

 

[jgreco]

I know the board is cheap and ebay can provide a replacement but is there anything I can do to recover this thing or am I chasing my tail here?

Well, first, let's burst your bubble. You're probably screwed. You knew that.

In looking at this eBay image:

There's an 8-pin chip labeled "M_BIOS". My first step would be to break out the magnifying glass and see if this is actually a ROM of some sort, and if so, what it takes to program it. Were this a typical socketed PLCC ROM, you would just remove it from the board, toss it in a programmer, and then burn the BIOS image into it, and it is even something you could do as a relative beginner, since eBay and Shenzhen make cheap programmers accessible to the general public. With a soldered 8-pin chip, if you can identify what it is, confirm that it actually holds the BIOS, and can get an appropriate programmer, an electronics shop with SMD rework capabilities could pull the chip, reprogram it, and then resolder it when done. However, I'm also tempted to say that an 8-pin chip almost certainly has in-circuit programming capabilities, and I would kinda expect that there is some (probably nonobvious) mechanism exposed to allow on-board reprogramming. Worth getting out a magnifying glass and the chip's spec sheet to trace that possibility out, because that would once again potentially be within the reach of a relative beginner if you only had to hook up a programmer to some unmarked test points on the mainboard.

If you consider the board bricked already, then there's really no harm in seeing if you can save yourself the replacement cost.

 

[jgreco]

Page 7 of your mainboard manual indicates that the BIOS ROM is a 1 x 128Mb affair, so that's interesting and consistent with the possibility that it actually is the 8-pin chip.

 

[Jailer]

It is indeed bricked so I'm not above some tinkering to see if I can get it going. Even if I screw something up I'm not any further behind than I am now.

I'll do some more research and see if I can come up with something to try. This thread on reddit seems to indicate a cheap programmer can fix it or if I can get the BIOS chip removed it can be replaced. I'm just not ready to give up on this yet, I'm kind of persistent when it comes to stuff like this.

 

[LarsR]

Do you still have access to the bios, or is it completely bricked?
The mainboard specifications list that the board supports Q-Flash. So if you still have access to the bios you could try and flash it from within the bricked bios using a usb stick with the bios files on it.

 

[jgreco]

This thread on reddit seems to indicate a cheap programmer can fix it or if I can get the BIOS chip removed it can be replaced.

The comment by abqnm666 is right on, but obviously there is also some additional useful information about stepping through update versions.

 

[Jailer]

Do you still have access to the bios, or is it completely bricked?

It is completely bricked as in no POST. If I had access to the BIOS I could use the qflash utility to re flash it.

The comment by abqnm666 is right on, but obviously there is also some additional useful information about stepping through update versions.

I saw those notes on Gigabytes BIOS download page. The F32 BIOS contains an update to the Qflash utility that is required before any newer BIOS can be flashed. I flashed it to the F32 BIOS which was successful and then flashed it again with the latest F56a BIOS and that's where it failed. The comment by Romkslrqusz on that thread is the one that piqued my interest. $10 for a programmer seems like a reasonable option but I'll have to figure out how to use it.

 

[Ericloewe]

Some boards, including all new AMD platforms, allow for the system firmware to be recovered from one of the USB ports in case something like this happens.
Not something I've ever tried, but worth looking trough the motherboard's manual looking for it.

 

[jgreco]

Some boards, including all new AMD platforms, allow for the system firmware to be recovered from one of the USB ports in case something like this happens.

What the hell drives THAT process, if the BIOS is toast? It's not like a USB stack is an inconsequential bit of code.

 

[jgreco]

$10 for a programmer seems like a reasonable option but I'll have to figure out how to use it.

So, desoldering an 8 pin surface mount chip isn't that rough. You'd need a low wattage soldering iron, some desoldering wick (to suck up the solder), and then also some flux and new solder to replace the component when done. The basic process is to use the wick to suck up as much of the old solder as possible from one side at a time, using a tool to lift the chip away from the board's solder pads. Then you reprogram the chip. Then you resolder the chip. There's excellent resources on YouTube for this; some of us learned the hard way back in the '80's.

 

[Ericloewe]

What the hell drives THAT process, if the BIOS is toast? It's not like a USB stack is an inconsequential bit of code.

Good question. On Intel, it must be the ME. On AMD, something to a similar effect.
I can also imagine a stub firmware of sorts that never gets overwritten, but it would need a separate EEPROM.

 

[LarsR]

Many am4 boards have a usb port in the back with a small button next to it. If you plug a usb in that port and press the button for x seconds the bios flash process starts.

 

[jgreco]

So, desoldering an 8 pin surface mount chip isn't that rough. You'd need a low wattage soldering iron, some desoldering wick (to suck up the solder), and then also some flux and new solder to replace the component when done. The basic process is to use the wick to suck up as much of the old solder as possible from one side at a time, using a tool to lift the chip away from the board's solder pads. Then you reprogram the chip. Then you resolder the chip. There's excellent resources on YouTube for this; some of us learned the hard way back in the '80's.

I found a really good YouTube video that uses a slightly different technique, the classic "thermal inertia with lots of solder" method, just to show you how frickin' simple this is.


I don't personally care for this method, but that doesn't make it bad.

People look at PCB's and get all weird about it. It's just parts and glue. Metal glue that melts.

It is sort of like lock picking. Most basic lock picking is relatively easy. It's mostly about technique, and there are multiple options available. Once you pick one lock, you realize it's not any big thing, and while not everyone is going to be able to be adept at it, I would say that almost anyone can learn to do a basic lock.

Soldering is very much like that. If you want some practice, go on eBay and look for "smd practice" and order a kit or two. Some actually do stuff, some just focus on large quantities of parts. My younger son was doing these at maybe age 8 or 9.

 

[Jailer]

Some boards, including all new AMD platforms, allow for the system firmware to be recovered from one of the USB ports in case something like this happens.
Not something I've ever tried, but worth looking trough the motherboard's manual looking for it.

Nothing in the motherboard or Qflash manuals about BIOS recovery. Since this motherboard doesn't have the dual BIOS option that's likely not an option.

So, desoldering an 8 pin surface mount chip isn't that rough. You'd need a low wattage soldering iron, some desoldering wick (to suck up the solder), and then also some flux and new solder to replace the component when done. The basic process is to use the wick to suck up as much of the old solder as possible from one side at a time, using a tool to lift the chip away from the board's solder pads. Then you reprogram the chip. Then you resolder the chip. There's excellent resources on YouTube for this; some of us learned the hard way back in the '80's.

I'm no stranger to soldering. Started when I was young with car stereo stuff and eventually I graduated to xbox and ps2 modding. I've got everything I need to de solder the chip if needed.

Many am4 boards have a usb port in the back with a small button next to it. If you plug a usb in that port and press the button for x seconds the bios flash process starts.

Not this one, but thanks for the tip.

 

[joeschmuck]

I don't want to assume anything but did you Unplug, Remove the CMOS/RTC Battery, Clear the CMOS using jumper, power on the machine, grab you rosery beads and pray to Mary, see if POST occurs? This is the only thing I can think of but I was searching for a serial connection with the M_BIOS chip as I have seen a serial port (solder pads) on several computers over the years. I've only needed to use a serial port recovery on a router a few times before, not a computer motherboard.

While I'm typing this up I thought of a question... Why do you think the Flash failed? A bad firmware image? Power interruption? BIOS flash failures are not that common these days unless you screwed up. I always use an UPS now when updating a BIOS, or any firmware. Even my TV has an UPS for when it gets updates. I trust nothing. Bad firmware, but then I'd verify the checksum before doing it again, well I'd grab a new copy and then verify the checksum value. Possibly the wrong BIOS image? What version of the motherboard do you have?

Well I hope clearing the CMOS works, it would be a nice outcome.

Good luck!

 

[joeschmuck]

I assume you have a Rev 1 motherboard based on the BIOS firmware you listed.

What CPU do you have? Right now I'm thinking you have a BIOS that doesn't support the CPU you have installed, but that will depend on what you report. But you are no stranger to BIOS upgrades so maybe this isn't the case.

 

[Davvo]

How did you brick it? Asking for science.

 

[Jailer]

I don't want to assume anything but did you Unplug, Remove the CMOS/RTC Battery, Clear the CMOS using jumper, power on the machine, grab you rosery beads and pray to Mary, see if POST occurs? This is the only thing I can think of but I was searching for a serial connection with the M_BIOS chip as I have seen a serial port (solder pads) on several computers over the years. I've only needed to use a serial port recovery on a router a few times before, not a computer motherboard.

While I'm typing this up I thought of a question... Why do you think the Flash failed? A bad firmware image? Power interruption? BIOS flash failures are not that common these days unless you screwed up. I always use an UPS now when updating a BIOS, or any firmware. Even my TV has an UPS for when it gets updates. I trust nothing. Bad firmware, but then I'd verify the checksum before doing it again, well I'd grab a new copy and then verify the checksum value. Possibly the wrong BIOS image? What version of the motherboard do you have?

Well I hope clearing the CMOS works, it would be a nice outcome.

Good luck!

I did attempt to clear the CMOS with the battery removed and it didn't work. As to why it failed, that I'm not entirely sure of. On Gigabytes website under the downloads section it lists a warning that you have to flash to BIOS version F32 before you can flash the next newer version. Specifically it states:

1. If you are using Q-Flash Utility to update BIOS, make sure you have updated BIOS to F32 before F40

For every BIOS version after F40 up to F50 there is this note listed:

Note: Before update BIOS to F40 or later version, make sure you have prior updated to F32.

From version F51 to the latest which is F56a there is no warning listed. The flash to F32 completed successfully so I returned to the BIOS and attempted to flash F56a. It seemed to go well, rebooted and it was dead from that point on. Only thing I can figure is the F56a BIOS is corrupt. I did email Gigabyte support and asked them to remove F56a from their site since I'm not the only one that has ended up with a bricked motherboard after attempting to flash this BIOS.

If I can get this recovered my plan is to flash the F32 BIOS since that worked and then upgrade successively from F40 to F50 and then F55. F55 is needed to support the CPU that I intend to install.

I assume you have a Rev 1 motherboard based on the BIOS firmware you listed.

What CPU do you have? Right now I'm thinking you have a BIOS that doesn't support the CPU you have installed, but that will depend on what you report. But you are no stranger to BIOS upgrades so maybe this isn't the case.

The motherboard is rev 1.1. The CPU currently installed is a Athlon 200GE. It has been in the motherboard since I put it together 4 years ago.

 

[Jailer]

How did you brick it? Asking for science.

BIOS updated gone bad.

 

[Davvo]

BIOS updated gone bad.

Power loss?