Bios Not Posting (D900T)

I recently got my clevo back from planet micro in the uk with a not saying needs new mobo but spoke to the techie who looked it it an he told me that it wasnt postin an to try a bios flash on the bios first as this may be the problem. does anyone know where i can find the the stuff i need? or give me a step by step guide on how to do this. the laptop is starting like normal the screen is working the vid card has been checked an is fully operational.
regards kudro

 

which model?

why was it sent into repairs in the first place?

 

Its a clevo d900t, i was given it as it wouldnt boot up just had a light grey screen when i powered it up, so took in in for for a diagnostics 1 guy at planet micro just wiped it off as new mobo but my father inlaw nows a techi that use to work there who he got to come to my house last nite an have a look at it an he said it mite be because it aint posting on start up i think i pmd you yesterday

 

Yes, you did PM me.

Sorry didnt get a chance to reply back to you... along with other people's PMs.

from your PM:

I think you are looking for the same motherboard, when you can really find any D900T motherboard version, since the ATI X800 and Nvidia 6800 were support by even the first revisions.

 

You cannot do a BIOS flash if your system does not boot, you can buy a new BIOS chip and solder on to the motherboard, but that is the only way.

Are you sure everything is connected properly, like the video card, LCD ribbon cable, and ports underneath the plastic bezel by the keyboard?

If the screen is coming up but all gray, try plugging in an external screen through the DVI port. If any image shows than there is a connection issue with your LCD
If nothing posts and all of the cables are connected your graphics card needs to be replaced.

K-TRON

 

Katron thanks for the post but the graphics cards has been tested in another computer and is workin fine all connections are fully connected doesnt have a screw missing anywhere it look like its brand new its that good condition i beleive the mobo is also in full workin order so only leaves 1 thing the bios which could mean why its not posting. how hard is to solder a new chip on. by ports underneat the bezal by the keyboard what do u mean?

 

I meant the LCD connectors. You need to remove the keyboard to get to it. Once the keyboard is removed, you need to remove the metal plate underneath it. It takes 5 screws to remove it. Once the metal plate is removed, you can remove the black plastic piece which is sandwiched between the keyboard and the LCD. Underneath on the left side are the video connectors. Make sure they are seated correctly.

When removed you see the motherboard. The Bios is in the bottom left, corner. The BIOS chip is a 32pin bios chip made by EON
I had a hard time removing my BIOS via soldering iron, because you need to heat all pins in order to get the BIOS chip off. I ended up using a heat gun, but the motherboard heated up quite a bit and went soft, I hope it still works.

If you take the time you can remove it with a soldering iron but it will take a while.

Have you made sure the memory is working?
If one memory card is corrupt the system will not boot. Try one card at a time in either slot to see if it is a memory problem

K-TRON

 

Actually, it may be possible to flash a bad BIOS on-board if the motherboard contains what is called an SPI header. There's a short discussion, along with some pictures of exactly what an SPI header is, in this thread from the Mcumall EPROM BIOS Chipburner forums.

 

There is no SPI header on the D900T or D900K motherboards.

You can buy a new BIOS chip from BIOSMAN, but its a bit expensive, like $50 or so

If you are going to solder it off get a good soldering iron and a solder sucker. You may want to get ChipQuick solder for installing the new BIOS chip

K-TRON

 

cheers katron ur being a big help. would u surgest trying to mend the bios chip by removing an replaceing with new. before i buy a new mobo. could save me alot ov money if it will fix it, makes things harder that i live in the uk. i have mailed clevo but they want exstortionate money for me to send it in for repair so thats my very last option. also memory is good as its brand new.

 

I would still check the memory, you never know when one memory card is dead. It could be dead on arrival, or die in 10 years, you never know.
After you have ruled memory out, i think the next step is to change the BIOS. You can order a coded Bios through BIOSMAN, I do not know if they ship to the UK, but I am sure you can find out.
The Bios can be $40-50 whereas a new motherboard is 10x that amount

Have you tried installing a new Bios battery?
The battery is a CR2032 bubble cell, which can be bought for around $3 or so
The battery is located under the keyboard, so you can easily gain access to it

K-TRON

 

kudro: i think that you have ti explore every option first before go for new bios chip maybe the new memory dont pass with this mobo you never know try everything that K-TRON tell you and then you can think for new bios chip

 

yeah katron changed the battery under the keyboard when it was in at planet micro, ive tried everything i can think ov an also tryed everything i found on this forum nothing seems to get me any further than where iam at now with it. the only thing i havent tryed, tested,or even looked at is the bios i have changed the memory numerous time to no avail. striped it down an troubleshooted to see if its a hardware problem. still no change lol. i have even benchtested it when striped down with just the mobo on its own an everthing it need to boot still no change (no post) so everthing seems to be pointing towards the bios. but would rather see an fix the bios chip before i cash out for new mobo wrst that can happen is knackering it more than it is then haveing to cash out for new lol

 

Interesting

Do one thing for me.
Flip your laptop over and remove the heatsink for the processor
Also remove the main battery.

Hold one finger to the top of your processor (Pentium 4) and use your other hand on the power button.
Does the processor get hot?

It is very easy to notice when the cpu gets hot. Its instantaneous.
If it gets hot, and you know when it will unplug the system and it will shut off (you need to remove the main battery for this reason)
If the processor does not get hot, than the problem is with the motherboard.

If the processor gets hot, and all of your other components work than replacing the problem could be with the motherboard, unrelated to the BIOS. This could be from a surface scratch on the motherboard, to a short, etc.

If the processor does not get hot, test the processor in another system to verify that it works. If it still does not power up, than changing the bios is a good step in the right direction.

K-TRON

 

Well, if nothing else, K-TRON wins first prize in the ballsiest-way-to-check-CPU category!

 

hi katron just tryed what you wanted me to do processor get hot lol very hot very quick lol think i just about got a finger print left haha also tried it it in my desktop its all working fine.

 

Have you examined the motherboard for any fried components, cuts in the PCB, loose chips?

If the board looks fine than changing the BIOS should resurrect your system.

Do you know how this problem started?
Was it because of a failed Bios flash? or did it just happen out of the blue?

K-TRON

 

couldnt tell you got the comp given to me off a friend in this state cant get in touch with him now as hes on tour in afgan with the armed forces.

 

It was probably improperly flashed
I have never tried powering it up without a bios chip installed. I think it wouldnt even turn on because a circuit would be flagged as open. I am not sure how Bios chips die other than improper flashing. Contact BIOSMAN and see what they say. They usually take 2 days to respond.

K-TRON

 

no probs katron thanks for the help its been very helpfull an much appreciated i will post back when biosman gets back to me oh before i go what the exact spec bios chip i need? as ive just built up the laptop an dont want to start taking it apart again cheers

 

The Bios file you need is 1.00.12 for the D900T

If I remember correctly BIOSMAN asks you for an image of the BIOS chip in your laptop. It is located underneath the keyboard. Remove the keyboard and the metal panel and the BIOS is in the lower left. My bios is made by EON and has a part number: EN29F040A (4 MBIT BIOS - 512KB x 8 bit)
Please note that is the BIOS spec for my D900K. The D900T may use a different physical BIOS chip

K-TRON

 

mine is identical to yours k, also i just been reading this post on another thead http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=348865&page=3 sounds like the exact problem i have but on a differant laptop what are the chances ov u beeing able to guide me on a blind flash an also being able to help me make or make for me a bootable iso bios flash just want to exhaust every opition before i remove the bios from the mobo an replace

 

I cant guide you blind, because it is not a good idea. If you make a mistake you could destroy the BIOS even more.
Now that the screen is flashing, does the external screen work?

I do not recommend flashing a BIOS when you cant see what is going on. It is a mixture for disaster

K-TRON