I do it 5-10 times a day)

Yes. If you will use Uniflash and flash chips are the same or similiar or at least size is the same and pinout is compatible...
Did this many times successfully.

However, if the board is not completely dead (it seems that it isn't - beeps suggest that at least the code from the bootsector was executed) you may try "blind flashing" using floppy drive:
1) Prepare bootable floppy: format a: /s
2) Copy flashing program on it (i.e. awdflash)
3) Prepare autoexec.bat with only one line: awdlash.exe bios.bin /sn /py
(where /sn means "save ? - no", /py means "program ? - yes)
3) start computer with floppy in drive, and wait for result...

dont you need to short some bios pins to trigger CRC error and failsafe bootblock?

I can thoroughly recommend a TL866 programmer for this kind of situation, but before then, yes, Uniflash was the way to go.

Things to bear in mind:
- it's possible the flash failed because your EEPROM is dead, it could be useful to have a similar-sized spare just in case.
- be sure the flashing motherboard supports the size of EEPROM that your bricked board has.
- be sure the flashing motherboard works with Uniflash (most do, but a lot of Intel and Asus boards do 'creative' stuff with BIOS flashing and won't work) by trying to flash the flashing board's BIOS with Uniflash first.
- make sure to loosen the EEPROM in the flashing motherboard before starting so you don't need to exert force when it's turned on.
- boot without memory managers and have the ROM image file on a hard disk (or at the very least CF), not floppy.

rasz_pl wrote on 2024-12-04, 09:41:

dont you need to short some bios pins to trigger CRC error and failsafe bootblock?

I hadn't heard of that before. That's interesting...
Where can I read about it?

dionb wrote on 2024-12-04, 10:58:

I can thoroughly recommend a TL866 programmer for this kind of situation, but before then, yes, Uniflash was the way to go. […]
Show full quote

I can thoroughly recommend a TL866 programmer for this kind of situation, but before then, yes, Uniflash was the way to go.

Things to bear in mind:
- it's possible the flash failed because your EEPROM is dead, it could be useful to have a similar-sized spare just in case.
- be sure the flashing motherboard supports the size of EEPROM that your bricked board has.
- be sure the flashing motherboard works with Uniflash (most do, but a lot of Intel and Asus boards do 'creative' stuff with BIOS flashing and won't work) by trying to flash the flashing board's BIOS with Uniflash first.
- make sure to loosen the EEPROM in the flashing motherboard before starting so you don't need to exert force when it's turned on.
- boot without memory managers and have the ROM image file on a hard disk (or at the very least CF), not floppy.

I flashed this board before without problems, I brickedit with Bios Patcher mod bios.
I checked all my other boards, non have the same style bios chip. I also ordered an SPI 25xx from AliExpress, but this will take some time to arrive. The still tries to access the floppy, I will prepare a disk for blind flashing.

/MZ wrote on 2024-12-04, 11:51:

I flashed this board before without problems, I brickedit with Bios Patcher mod bios.
I checked all my other boards, non have the same style bios chip. I also ordered an SPI 25xx from AliExpress, but this will take some time to arrive. The still tries to access the floppy, I will prepare a disk for blind flashing.

Did you tried pressing "-" key while booting ?

Quote from Bios patcher readme (About_BP.TXT)

1HOW SAFE IS IT? 
2
3Patcher has several features against failures.
4
51. Virtual "DUAL-BIOS"
6
7Because of keeping changes in one file patcher can load both BIOSes - original
8and fixed. This Roll Back starts if you'll press "-" on keyboard during BOOT.
9Module of changes reads pressed key and in case of minus simply skips fixed
10BIOS and loads old BIOS.
11
122. Roll Back without keyboard.
13
14Unfortunately, there is no universal initialization of keyboard controller for
15all motherboards, that is why sometimes doesn't work read of pressed key. In
16this case BIOS uses absence of keyboard. If module of changes can't get signal
17from keyboard (DIN or PS/2) it should load old BIOS. Afterwards you can
18connect keyboard and flash your old BIOS. But I think that you shouldn't use
19this case.
20
21As I count minimal reliabity of patcher is about 95%. IMHO this figure shows
22reliability and a question about reliability solved (for people who has little
23practise in flashing BIOSes).

I tried, but it does not care.

zyga64 wrote on 2024-12-04, 11:05:

rasz_pl wrote on 2024-12-04, 09:41:

dont you need to short some bios pins to trigger CRC error and failsafe bootblock?

I hadn't heard of that before. That's interesting...
Where can I read about it?

That's mostly if it does not know it's BIOS is pooched and you are trying to force it to go "Doh, I need to do bootblock recovery" by bridging some data pins so you're basically going "HELLOOOO? big block of data missing!"

If with only vid card, base RAM and floppy hooked up, you get a flashing cursor and the floppy light blinks right after power up, it's usually ready for a boot block recovery then. In which case, power off, insert prepped floppy and power back on. Sometimes it will work from reset, but sometimes it's confused enough not to.

I recently repaired one motherboard this way. I launched Award Flash, replaced the BIOS chip and entered the file with the new BIOS for flashing. It worked without any problems.

The board is alive ! A bootdisk with uniflash did the trick.
I tried it before with the Award flash tool, but I think it was waiting for some kind of user input, but the keyboard was not working.