Do you have another CPU you can try? Many years ago I was given a Cybermax computer that had a Biostar VX chipset motherboard and a Cyrix CPU. I needed a PCI video card, and bought one from a nearby shop. That video card (I don't know what it was, I only remember that it had 16 megs of memory) wouldn't work with the Cyrix with the drivers provided - installing them ended in an error much like what you're describing. I ended up returning it an buying a used PCI video card that only had one meg of memory (some model of Trident I suspect).

Uniflash may do the trick for the BIOS.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-25, 20:01:

Do you have another CPU you can try? Many years ago I was given a Cybermax computer that had a Biostar VX chipset motherboard and a Cyrix CPU. I needed a PCI video card, and bought one from a nearby shop. That video card (I don't know what it was, I only remember that it had 16 megs of memory) wouldn't work with the Cyrix with the drivers provided - installing them ended in an error much like what you're describing. I ended up returning it an buying a used PCI video card that only had one meg of memory (some model of Trident I suspect).

Uniflash may do the trick for the BIOS.

Thanks for the suggestion, and the utility!

I'll try out a K6-2 and a Pentium 75.

Heh, I too am tempted to just throw in a cheap PCI card and call it quits 😁

My experience with IGP, especially earlier IGP like this is that they are super ram sensitive.

I'm assuming you are using SDRAM. Was it single rank? Dual rank? etc?

I would still run memtest86+ on it for a few hours despite trying another ram stick.

kingcake wrote on 2024-05-25, 21:17:

My experience with IGP, especially earlier IGP like this is that they are super ram sensitive.

I'm assuming you are using SDRAM. Was it single rank? Dual rank? etc?

I would still run memtest86+ on it for a few hours despite trying another ram stick.

Thanks for the tip, yes single rank SDRAM. I will experiment with others when I can get the system running again; flashing to the last BIOS from 2000 appears to have bricked it; the actual flash went well, but now it reports CMOS checksum bad, and gets stuck trying to enter the BIOS. CMOS clear does nothing, battery is brand new.

Damn PCChips.

Dan386DX wrote on 2024-05-25, 23:29:

Damn PCChips.

This sums up my experience with them 🤣

I'm assuming that "Version number" is PCChips speak for revision number? They list three BIOS for that board: https://web.archive.org/web/20061020193248fw_ … ios.asp#M598LMR

Edit: I read your initial post more closely so there is actually only one BIOS for the 5.0. Easily fixed if you have a programmer, next up would be doing a hot swap BIOS flash. IIRC you said that you picked up more than one of these motherboards? If so, you could just borrow the BIOS chip from another one and use this board for the hot swap.

I don't think the Retro Web has that version/BIOS information so one of us should be sure to email them and let them know.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-26, 03:28:

I don't think the Retro Web has that version/BIOS information so one of us should be sure to email them and let them know.

You're absolutely right, it looks like the retroweb BIOS downloads sections for that board a has a mixture of roms, some of which are there erroneously as they're intended for different variants of the board. I really should have checked first, looks like I've probably flashed a ROM intended for a different board version, compatible enough to POST, but boots no further.

Sadly the only programmer I own is a modern CH341A, and the other PCChips boards I have are both M571LMRs which are slightly different.

Probably I will sell this system on cheap, and just be honest that the BIOS needs fixing.

If you want you could mail the BIOS chip to me and I could program it for you no charge. I got tired of doing hot swap BIOS flashes and bought a programmer a little over a year ago.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-26, 21:02:

If you want you could mail the BIOS chip to me and I could program it for you no charge. I got tired of doing hot swap BIOS flashes and bought a programmer a little over a year ago.

That is amazingly kind of you man, thank you! In this case I'll decline, because mailing from UK > USA then back again is probably too much work for a motherboard that has a potentially failing chipset IGP, but I appreciate the offer and I'll keep you in mind if I screw up another BIOS 😁

Dan386DX wrote on 2024-05-26, 21:54:

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-26, 21:02:

If you want you could mail the BIOS chip to me and I could program it for you no charge. I got tired of doing hot swap BIOS flashes and bought a programmer a little over a year ago.

That is amazingly kind of you man, thank you! In this case I'll decline, because mailing from UK > USA then back again is probably too much work for a motherboard that has a potentially failing chipset IGP, but I appreciate the offer and I'll keep you in mind if I screw up another BIOS 😁

What type of EEPROM is it? I probably have one in stock I can burn. I have access to commercial shipping. Sending a tiny EEPROM to the UK will cost me little. No round trip required.

I wonder if this (probable) BIOS mismatch was the reason why you were having an issue with the AMI flash utility? Or was the issue something else?

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-27, 03:43:

I wonder if this (probable) BIOS mismatch was the reason why you were having an issue with the AMI flash utility? Or was the issue something else?

Sorry I didn't mean to step on your offer. I just want to see the mobo revived 🤣

kingcake wrote on 2024-05-27, 04:52:

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-27, 03:43:

I wonder if this (probable) BIOS mismatch was the reason why you were having an issue with the AMI flash utility? Or was the issue something else?

Sorry I didn't mean to step on your offer. I just want to see the mobo revived 🤣

No, that's fine, I'm just wondering out loud if the reason he had to use Uniflash was that the AMI flash was detecting a mismatch?

kingcake wrote on 2024-05-26, 22:38:

Dan386DX wrote on 2024-05-26, 21:54:

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-26, 21:02:

If you want you could mail the BIOS chip to me and I could program it for you no charge. I got tired of doing hot swap BIOS flashes and bought a programmer a little over a year ago.

That is amazingly kind of you man, thank you! In this case I'll decline, because mailing from UK > USA then back again is probably too much work for a motherboard that has a potentially failing chipset IGP, but I appreciate the offer and I'll keep you in mind if I screw up another BIOS 😁

What type of EEPROM is it? I probably have one in stock I can burn. I have access to commercial shipping. Sending a tiny EEPROM to the UK will cost me little. No round trip required.

My goodness, I'm so sorry - I didn't mean to shun this offer. Didn't get notified. In the end I listed it cheap on eBay - surely nobody would buy it unless they had the knowledge to replace the EEPROM! It's otherwise in excellent condition so I'm sure will live on.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-27, 04:54:

kingcake wrote on 2024-05-27, 04:52:

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-05-27, 03:43:

I wonder if this (probable) BIOS mismatch was the reason why you were having an issue with the AMI flash utility? Or was the issue something else?

Sorry I didn't mean to step on your offer. I just want to see the mobo revived 🤣

No, that's fine, I'm just wondering out loud if the reason he had to use Uniflash was that the AMI flash was detecting a mismatch?

Good point, could well have been that. I don't know how 'brute force' uniflash is, but it didn't prompt me that it might be a bad fit.