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    toshiba a200 bios flash - CRASHED

    Discussion in 'Toshiba' started by courtsjoe, Jan 11, 2008.

  1. courtsjoe

    courtsjoe Notebook Enthusiast

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    hey guys

    recently i bought a second hand a200 with vista on it.. its a good machine, nvidia card, and dual core. but it had vista on it..

    i reinstalled windows xp and downloaded all the driver updates etc for it off the toshiba site...

    when i flashed the bios it just crashed and froze half way thru this is where my problem starts..

    it wouldnt boot so i took it into a repair shop, the guy has told me that the "ic chip has been damaged" and is saying that the actual hardware is dmamged from the bios flashing program crashing

    now hes saying he has to replace the whole motherboard because he cant find these chips... now i dont now much about hardware but this does sound fishy. i mean how can a software program ruin the hardware? and on top of this hes saying he will buy it back off me for $400. Now thats strange..

    can anybody help me here? hes still got it as i havent picked it up yet, but i sure as hell dont want to sell it for a measly $400 when i think hes just going to fix it then resell it

    thanks
     
    courtsjoe, Jan 11, 2008
    #1
  2. notyou

    notyou Notebook Deity

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    The BIOS is the very basic software which interprets the hardware. For example, it's what tells your fan to start spinning when the temp gets too high.

    He is right about the MB needing replacing as on laptops the chip is usually built in which would require the replacement if it was damaged.

    Did you READ the instructions about BIOS flashing before you did it? That would have told you what to expect and why you should try NOT to do it (unless you have a major problem), especially on laptops. A quick google search says why your laptop is now bricked: http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/biosflash1.html

    If you want to keep the laptop you should pay the $400 but if you feel like it, you could take it apart and see if you can salvage anything (CPU, GPU [if MXM], hard drive, chassis, etc and sell it here or on ebay) since that you could likely sell for more than $400.
     
    notyou, Jan 11, 2008
    #2
  3. allan_huang

    allan_huang Notebook Deity

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    I don't know if the manufacturers warranty has expired yet, if it hasn't and if its transferable when a person sells it to another, try calling Toshiba.
     
    allan_huang, Jan 11, 2008
    #3