Fixing my V1Jp blindfolded

Ok, here is what happened. I recieve my Vista upgrade, I pop in the driver CD that has you update your BIOS before you use the Vista upgrade. After Bios update, I preform a reboot. The screen is now pitch black!!! I can hear windows load, I can here programs load, but I can't see a thing! I've tried using an external monitor and that screen is blank as well. Sooo.... Is this because of the new bios? If so, can someone please write my a step-by-step method of installing a different bios that I could do without seeing the screen? I think I will require using the dos based bios flash as my old bios still stated my lappy as being V1J instead of V1Jp. The bios that the driver CD installed was 305 and it used V1J model as well. I called tech support and they want me to send the lappy in. I really need it for summer classes, so if we can find a way to get it fixed without sending it in, that would be great. Thanks.

 

This is very weird. The same thing JUST happened to me (about 30 mins ago). I just e-mailed Asus Support on their website and I really hope I do not have to send in my notebook to get it fixed.

I hope someone does know a fix! Please let us know

 

both you guys have the v1jp? try this
enter bios by tapping f2
hit right key 6 times
hit down key 4 times
press enter
press enter again
press enter
press enter again
should restart now
any change?

 

No change, I tried the process about 10 times. Did you take into note that our Bios have changed? Do the steps take into account our newly Bios Flash?

 

i cant really thinkl of anything else. try pressing ctrl+f8 to switch display?
kind of odd actually. I cant imagine how qc can make a bios that ruins your system however i have seen the same on other unrelated models

 

No luck. I don't even get into the BIOS. I keep on tapping F2, but lappy still boots to windows (I can tell my startup sound and program popup sounds).

 

Sounds like a a buggy BIOS. I think for some models and especially business ones there is a hotkey-accessible (Fsomething) EasyFlash utility. But that requires you to navigate to the BIOS file on a USB drive, and there are some Yes/No choices to be made... very difficult without a display. Unless you have another notebook nearby and replicate the exact same conditions, including the exact filenames on the USB key...

 

Exactly. That is what I am requesting help with. If someone has the good bios, could they send it to me and whoever else has this problem and write out a step by step method of flashing a new bios?

 

About the BIOS file: is there a BIOS file for V1Jp, rather than V1J, on the support/download website? If so, try that one. It could have something to do with that, i.e. the BIOS file being really for the V1J and the V1Jp being different in the hardware.

Otherwise, somebody with a V1Jp with a "working" BIOS should save their BIOS (using the Easy Flash utility, there is an option) and then do the step-by-step hotkey-flashing BIOS for you. Even so it's going to be a long number of steps, so he'd have to be veery careful in writing them down.

Usually, the USB key is denoted A: so it's before C:., D: so the number of partitions doesn't matter; that's good news. Additionally, it's best if there are no other files on the USB key except the BIOS file; then you don't need much navigation.

I could help with the step by step guide tomorrow evening (evening in EU) but I'm not sure the EasyFlash utility works in the same way, i.e. requires the same keystrokes; it might even be that the V1 doesn't have one although that'd be strange since it's a new business notebook.

So, in summary:
Somebody backup a working V1JP bios file using the easy flash utility; not one downloaded from the web, this is safer.
Somebody do a step-by-step guide of using easy flash with the BIOS file being the single file on a single inserted USB key. Preferably also someone with the V1Jp.

I've just thought of smth else: it might be that your BIOS has become somehow corrupted; I'm saying this because F2 doesn't take you into BIOS. If it is corrupted, and in such a way that it doesn't detect hotkeys anymore, there's no other chance but to RMA...

 

Hey, maybe it's bad RAM flaring up--only half kidding!

 

Heheh Experience pearls?

Yeah, you could try w/ 1 out of 2 RAM chips, or switching the only RAM chip if you have another.

 

That can be half true, a bios revision can change the way the mobo handles the ram. Thus ram thats good on one bios revision may not work on another and vice versa.

A desktop would beep at you tho (atleat with a DFI mobo) and the number of beeps would tell you its a ram issue.

 

I don't see how that would solve the problem as the computer does boot up to windows. I can even shutdown by pressing "windows" key, up, enter, and enter. During boot, if I hit the esc key, it takes me to the menu where I can select what device to boot pc from. So the keyboard and hotkeys work, but I still can't get into bios through f2.

 

Given all of that there is still no reason why ext mon would not work. when you connected external display you did press the switch fn+f7 to switch display right?

 

I did that and external never turned on. It did have a little box popup stating that the monitor was in power saving mode and that I needed to activate it using PC.

 

Coming from the official Asus Forums, this is a common problem with the new Vista Bios. Now I'm questioning my own purpose of buying the V1Jp. Yes it is a very sexy business notebook, but how can Asus release Bios that can turn notebooks into expensive paperweighs...

 

Twinkiez: The V1Jp is an EXCELLENT notebook. The main problem is the battery power that many are complaining about (look at the other threads) and now this BIOS issue. Hopefully there is an easy fix before my notebook gets RMA'd (already called, waiting for instructions).

EDIT: Actually, wait for the V1Js, as it is SantaRosa

 

I assume the BIOS issue won't be too much a problem for the V1Js--they can't ship out a machine with a blank screen after all.

It would be very nice if they could fix the battery problem for the V1Js though.

 

Ummm... what version of the BIOS was that so that I know NOT to flash to that version?

 

AlexF, the Bios we are talking about is the Bios that come with the Windows Vista Business Express Upgrade. The Bios is actually FOR the V1j, not the V1Jp, which is why we now have dead notebooks. I had a techie look at my notebook from my company...he smiled and said "Get ready to ship it off".

Honestly, I love my V1jp. Again, it is a very sexy (and powerful) notebook. I added another gig of ram to it and it pretty much handles anything I can throw at it. I didn't even have the battery problems most have, my notebook still last about 3 hours...even after 5 months of heavy use.

I just hope when I RMA, I get the same notebook and not a refubish one.

 

Well, I thought the biggest BIOS blunder of ASUS was the ACPI bug in the V6J BIOS that rendered the notebook unusable on 30 August (and ONLY then).

But this is way better.

Is anyone actually testing this stuff before they ship it out to the customers? Are they at least checking that all the installations discs are in the envelope?

Jesus...

 

They'll probably flash your laptop and send it back.

It's strange, since I had an older V1J BIOS (0303?) in mine when I received it. Maybe they had a special version or the video BIOS was separate.

AFAIK, the main difference between V1J and V1Jp is the video card being an X1600 instead of an X1700. The BIOS bin file contains the video BIOS as well. Maybe the BIOS in it isn't exactly 100% compatible with the X1700 (explains why you hear the Windows startup process).

If you have a USB floppy drive or a USB flash key that you know will boot on the V1Jp (I know mine doesn't ), you can probably make a boot disk that has an AUTOEXEC.BAT that will force flashing of the BIOS. It's kinda handy to have a floppy drive every so often. It actually reads and writes better than most of the cheap floppy drives they put in desktops these days...

 

How about a video out via usb? i ve seen those adapters before. i think? isnt that possible?