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bios replacement

hey hey everyone, the bios chip in my older computer is completely gone, over-written somehow. When I start it up nothing happens excepts for the power coming on. This is an IBM Aptiva. I called IBM up and ask if i could just buy another bios chip, however I can't, I have to buy the whole motherboard which is over $400. So, i was wondering, if I could replace it with another bios chip or am I going to have to replace that motherboard?

Thanks,
Vable
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kahlean

replacement for a bios chip? IMHO i dont think this chip are available in store just like other component.

A few things that you can try before giving up. Try to clear off your cmos by searching for the jumper which enable you to do so.

or else nothing much you can do

Regards
Do you have a BIOS image file for this model?  If so, anyone with a EPROM programmer can program your chip for you.  
you can get one from www.badflash.com
Download the latest BIOS image from IBM, and like jhance said, take it to someone with EPROM programmer.  BIOS chips are usually placed in a socket, so you can remove it.  Some are soldered directly on the board, which would cause some problems removing it nicely.

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ASKER

well, there's a problem with some of the suggestions...I can't find the maker of the motherboard. It has SIS written all over it, but I believe they just make chips. On the bios chip itself it said it's by acer. I called them up and looked on their web site, no help anywhere. IBM doesn't have any bios images. I have no idea where I can get a bios image for this computer.
IBM has bios images just like any other computer company.  There is a number on the back called a machine type with 4 digits that is the easiest way to find the bios.  Tell me your machine type and I will give you a link for your bios.  Then go to badflash and get a new chip.  IBM may well make their own motherboard, since they make a lot of other peoples motherboards too.

I gained new respect for IBM after I bought a batch of used ones for cheap.  They are pretty nice machines.


try this link:

http://www.pc.ibm.com/support?lang=en_US&doctype=Downloadable+files&subtype=Cat&page=brand&up=%3Flang%3Den_US%3Flang%3Den_US&menu=subtype&brand=IBM+Aptiva&family=IBM+Aptiva%7CAptiva&machineType=&subtype=BIOS

Don't you hate links like that?
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ASKER

yeah i do hate those mile-long links :). However that is a good link. There it has all bios updates. Will an update work or do I need the orignal image? The machine type is 2170, model number is 190.
An update should work fine.
Now that you can download the BIOS file, you need to get it burned.

To find someone with an EEPROM burner, go to your local electronics store.  NOT a computer store!  The place with the cranky old guy with the long grey beard who is selling electrical wiring, capacitors, and assorted logic gates.  Be very nice and maybe he won't even charge you for programming it.  

Take the BIOS file on a floppy and the ROM chip from out of the machine.  The cranky old bearded guy will know exactly what to do with them.
Now that we have established how to get a new bios, I re-read your question and I wonder if you don't have some other problem.  You might want to troubleshoot a little further before you bother with the bios chip.  I take it you get no beeps?  Obviously you weren't flashing a new bios, which is really the only way to know that you have a bad bios.  

You may just want to disconnect all the drive cables and see if there are any beeps.  Does this computer have a speaker, or a buzzer on the mainboard?  Did you do anything to the computer, or one day did it just stop working?
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ASKER

To go into further detail about this: i was programming a few things, messing around with pointers, with NULL and pointers after that. Everything seemed alright after that. But when it came time to reboot, nothing happened. No beeps no nothing. I unplugged all ide devices and extra hardware. But still nothing, no beeps of any sort. I even took out the bios chip and started it up, and it seems like if there was no bios chip in the first place. So, I must have re-written my bios by using those pointers. Before I figure all of this out, i went to another computer and tried my programming there and thats when an anti-virus program came up and say that my program was a virus. Luckily that anti-virus program stop me from re-writting that bios chip. So, looks like i'm going to have to find that EPROM guy and fix this chip up.
you haven't mentioned, whether the machine was conked because of faulty Flashing. if yes, I am not required here, my work is already done.
you haven't mentioned, whether the machine was conked because of faulty Flashing. if yes, I am not required here, my work is already done.
you could try removing the battery in your motherboard for a while (try 15 minutes) and then replace it so that all bios settings revert back to default. Not sure if this will help.
cheers, Pete
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ASKER

I didn't try any sort of flashing techniques on my bios. I just tried taking the battery out for 15 minutes then putting it back in, still nothing.
I was going to tell you how to do a boot block recovery, but this is much better:

http://www.sysopt.com/articles/recoverbios/index.html
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ASKER

eek105 - I can't find anything about a boot block recovery on that web site. Is it named something else?

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