Before reprogramming the Chaintech 5TDM2 BIOS chip, I did some tests, to see if I could find a way to start it, despite some attempts, it remains stuck on the codes — —, as if there was no activity, in reality there is some sign of activity, but it is a continuous attempt to do something, maybe it could be an attempt at BIOS recovery (?), in any case by today I should remove the doubt, that the BIOS present in the chip is more or less good (?).

I checked the program, and the type of ATMEL chip is among those that can be read and written, so I would have to save the content, so that I can restore the content, in extreme cases of possible problems, although I imagine it is useless, in case updating it the card comes back to work, this means that the stored BIOS is damaged or defective.

If I succeed with Chaintech, I will try to recover other MBs, which are apparently broken, in fact in some I have not found anything that is broken, and therefore it could be a software defect rather than hardware.

Here I am, I thought I could recover some motherboard, rewriting the BIOS, and theoretically I could have recovered one or more than one, reality says something else, for the moment it was a failure.

I decided to start with the BIOS chips of two S.7 and a Slot1, those of the S.7 were to be rewritten, that of the Slot1 instead was to be written, since the chip is new.

I start with two PCs in parallel, one to download files, and the other to program chips, through the appropriate program supplied with the USB rewriter.

I start with the new chip, and download the file from the back web, with the other PC I load the program, it's once finished, I pass the file from one PC to another, the PC I use to write the chips, is quite dated, a 3.06 GHz P4 NW (without HT), but for this work it's fine.

After inserting the USB programmer, I try to find the info on the Winbond chip, it finds something but I expected more, but after making a few attempts, there is a message that warns that the file used is larger than the chip (?), it should be 128 KB, while it is 256 KB.

I decide to switch to the other chips to see what you can do, in the end I can't do anything, the behavior is more or less the same, in short there is something strange, that the chips can't be read, I could understand why, maybe they are damaged or it is not possible to identify them, but that they can't be written, I find it strange, because even with the 128 KB file, the same message appears.

In short, I gave up, with the PLCC32 chips it was very simple, both writing and saving, with these DIP32, I don't know what to do (?).

Okay, you have the Nano USB Programmer with Legacy board. This should support your DIP32 128KB and 256KB EEPROMs.

However there is a known issue with the signing of the USB driver, that can be fixed by manually installing the driver again.
A detailed procedure can be found at:
http://shop3.nanobios.cafe24.com/article/manual/3/34/
At the beginning of this procedure, you can download the correct driver package, which include drivers for WinXP, Vista, Win7/8/8.1, and Win10.

After that, the Nano BIOS programmer should work as expected.

Ciao, Jan

Chkcpu wrote on 2025-03-10, 16:52:

Okay, you have the Nano USB Programmer with Legacy board. This should support your DIP32 128KB and 256KB EEPROMs. […]
Show full quote

Okay, you have the Nano USB Programmer with Legacy board. This should support your DIP32 128KB and 256KB EEPROMs.

However there is a known issue with the signing of the USB driver, that can be fixed by manually installing the driver again.
A detailed procedure can be found at:
http://shop3.nanobios.cafe24.com/article/manual/3/34/
At the beginning of this procedure, you can download the correct driver package, which include drivers for WinXP, Vista, Win7/8/8.1, and Win10.

After that, the Nano BIOS programmer should work as expected.

Ciao, Jan

Hi 👋 Jan

Thank you ☺️ a lot, yes it's just that, Nano USB + Legacy.
I didn't know about this problem, thank you very much 😊, I'll see by today to download and try again with the Chaintech 5TDM2 chip, I hope 🤞 to solve it, reprogramming it.
As soon as I have news I'll update you.

I made several attempts, but I couldn't update the driver, the procedure is slightly different, because online, they use a Windows next to XP, but following the same steps, at the moment when it should locate the updated driver, a message appears that practically blocks the update, and this happens when it says to select the path, when I enter the driver folder, there is a selectable file, it is not possible to go on, I also tried with the files of the W7 folder, just to understand if those work (?), in both cases I get the same result, the message says that There is no information about the hardware.

This is whether it recognizes the current drivers, that when the drivers are unknown, in short I don't think it's as simple as explained on the online page, but maybe there is something different between the different versions of Windows, in that PC there is XP, but I don't know where the problem is (?)!

For now I'm taking a pause for reflection, but I don't think I can make progress with that PC, at this point maybe it would be the case to try another PC with different Windows, often in the past it happened that in Windows XP you couldn't load drivers, which instead on Windows 7 were loaded without any problem, I'll try with a newer PC, and see if the problem disappears, or remains (?).

Yes, your procedure is a bit different because your already have an older driver version installed.
But I think you were almost there! 😉

In the picture where you selected the cyusb3 file from the x86 folder, type in cyusb3.inf instead. This information file contains all the hardware information for the installer.
And of course, keep the Nano Programmer connected.

Hope this works,
Jan

Chkcpu wrote on 2025-03-11, 12:51:

Yes, your procedure is a bit different because your already have an older driver version installed. But I think you were almost […]
Show full quote

Yes, your procedure is a bit different because your already have an older driver version installed.
But I think you were almost there! 😉

In the picture where you selected the cyusb3 file from the x86 folder, type in cyusb3.inf instead. This information file contains all the hardware information for the installer.
And of course, keep the Nano Programmer connected.

Hope this works,
Jan

Yes, in fact I think I'm very close, actually, but unfortunately 😣 that's the problem, whether I type cyusb3.inf or click on the file, the result is always the same, the same screen always appears in the photo.
If instead I want to install the 1.00.0.001 drivers, no problem, it installs them automatically, it seems that the cyusb3.inf file is ignored, and the list never appears in which you can choose (Cypress FX3 USB BootProgrammer Device), which would be point 9. of the link page.
For now I would be stopped at point 8.
I think maybe I'll get another PC back first, maybe I'll try the old Internet PC, with that I had reprogrammed the PLCC32 chips of various PCs, here instead I should use DIP32.

So now that I changed PCs, I managed to load the driver, I used the old Internet PC, an Athlon 64X2 3800+ (S.939), with Windows 7, one point remains! Yellow, but it seems to me that it works.

I tried to save content, creating a file, and this should be the copy of the BIOS present on the motherboard, I don't know what it is, but later I updated it, and if I didn't make any mistakes, I should have written a fairly recent BIOS on the chip, the motherboard is Chaintech 5TDM2, then I put it back on the MB to try to start, but unfortunately nothing has changed!

So it is likely that there is a hardware failure, and we will need to figure out where and how to fix it.

This should be the content of the chip before being reprogrammed, the moterboard is right, Chaintech 5TDM2, i don't know what version it is, after saving, i wrothe the 5TDM2720.BIN taken from the retroweb.

Strange that Windows 7 complains that the driver didn’t start, but that the Programmer works normally.

Nice that reflashing the AT29C010 with the 5TDM2720.BIN BIOS was successful. I noticed that the Nano Programmer indicated a 0xC206 checksum of this BIOS. I have been analyzing this same BIOS for making a patched version with K6-2+/III+ support and my copy has the same 0xC206 Little-Endian 16-bit checksum. So this BIOS is correct.

I’m sorry to hear that this re-flashing didn’t fix the problem with the 5TDM2 board.
Do you still get C0 – codes only on the POST card? I have a complete disassembly listing of this BIOS now and see that POST_C0 is doing the initial chipset programming.
POST_C0 is the first POST step after reset and this code is run directly from the Bootblock in the BIOS ROM chip. The RAM is not yet tested and is not used at this phase.
It is very unusual the BIOS hangs this early during POST.

Thanks for uploading the original BIOS from the AT29C010 chip. It is an Award 09/10/97-i430TX-8679-2A59IC3EC-00 BIOS. It is a valid BIOS and correct for the 5TDM2, although a bit older than the 07/20/98 BIOS you flashed.

So at least you now know that the original BIOS was okay and the AT29C010 flashchip is fine as well.
I hope you can find the hardware fault.

Ciao, Jan

I did the chip programming for an Olidata OLI-BX (=ASUS P2B), the chip was taken new, to program it I used a file taken from the retroweb, it should be 100% compatible, it comes from a P2B and the version is 1012, I think it is among the most recent.

The board is missing a pair of jumpers and the battery, then it is ready for a first boot, I recently recovered an identical motherboard, even that of the Olidata OLI-BX, I would like to have a second working twin board, besides this one I have an ASUS P2B-F that I have never seen work, also in that one I will try with the reprogramming of the BIOS chip.

The next on the list, is an S.7 P5F76 (freetech), it worked with a K5 100, then changing RAM, it no longer started, we will see if after reprogramming the BIOS chip, there will be a return to the post codes.

Chkcpu wrote on 2025-03-11, 16:03:

Strange that Windows 7 complains that the driver didn’t start, but that the Programmer works normally. […]
Show full quote

Strange that Windows 7 complains that the driver didn’t start, but that the Programmer works normally.

Nice that reflashing the AT29C010 with the 5TDM2720.BIN BIOS was successful. I noticed that the Nano Programmer indicated a 0xC206 checksum of this BIOS. I have been analyzing this same BIOS for making a patched version with K6-2+/III+ support and my copy has the same 0xC206 Little-Endian 16-bit checksum. So this BIOS is correct.

I’m sorry to hear that this re-flashing didn’t fix the problem with the 5TDM2 board.
Do you still get C0 – codes only on the POST card? I have a complete disassembly listing of this BIOS now and see that POST_C0 is doing the initial chipset programming.
POST_C0 is the first POST step after reset and this code is run directly from the Bootblock in the BIOS ROM chip. The RAM is not yet tested and is not used at this phase.
It is very unusual the BIOS hangs this early during POST.

Thanks for uploading the original BIOS from the AT29C010 chip. It is an Award 09/10/97-i430TX-8679-2A59IC3EC-00 BIOS. It is a valid BIOS and correct for the 5TDM2, although a bit older than the 07/20/98 BIOS you flashed.

So at least you now know that the original BIOS was okay and the AT29C010 flashchip is fine as well.
I hope you can find the hardware fault.

Ciao, Jan

Ciao Jan
Thanks ☺️ a lot for the info on BIOS files.
So, now the situation is the same as before, the post code C0, is visible only after resetting the CMOS, normally you don't see any code, but there is an activity, what it really does I don't know, when it turns on the keyboard LEDs flash, and the reset too, then after a few seconds, you turn on those of the reset and when it turns off the CLK leds on, or the order is the other way around (I don't remember exactly), but I photographed this thing, I put the images here.
Well I don't know why it crashes so soon, on the C0 code, from what I thought, I had imagined that a part of the BIOS program could be defective, and reprogramming, I would have remedied the problem, but now it is quite certain that it is hardware, maybe you could try to understand if they are just bad contacts, I will try to revive all the pins of the chip, and I will check that there is continuity between above and below the socket, it could be a pin of the socket that creates the problem (?).

The S.7 P5F76 (freetech) motherboard, which worked with a K5 100, in Italy it was commercially as Actvei Saratoga, the BIOS chip is a Winbond W29EE011-15, I don't remember what version was stored there, I could look if by chance I have any stored images, but I would waste a lot of time, because I wouldn't know where to look.

Since I wrote two chips (today), I decide to try to see if I can write a third chip, I remove the Winbond chip from the P5F76, and insert it into the programmer, from the appropriate program, but it is not recognized, I think this is a problem of the chip, I imagine it is broken, because it is neither recognized nor the capacity is seen.

If I try to save the content, I get an error, so I would say it's useless, if I wanted I could try to write it, but I don't do it, I think I'll have to find a replacement chip, or a compatible one.

Since the chip of the P5F76 is damaged (so it seems to me), i continue with a motherboard, which in the past gave some sign of starting (sometimes though), it is an ASUS P2B-F, a motherboard with BX chipset, the BIOS chip here is readable, and i saved its content (see attached file), i took a fairly recent BIOS from the retroweb, and i chose version 1013 (06/22/00), there is a later version, but for me it for the moment i did not need it, so i continued and wrote the BIOS chip of the P2B-F with version 1013.

In conclusion now I have two Slot1 BX motherboards to try, both from ASUS, even if one is renamed Olidata OLI-BX, if reprogramming solves the problem it is a mystery, because if you start both, then it means that there was a software problem, if instead neither of the two parts (I really hope not), the problem is definitely hardware, and understanding what it is, may not be easy.

Since I have numerous MB under repair, which do not have hardware failures (at least in the main sections), I would say that there is a certain probability of solving the problem, if it is a damaged BIOS problem, in the case of the P5F76, I know that instead the chip is damaged, as soon as I have a replacement chip available, I replace it, and I am quite confident that the motherboard shows a BIOS screen, as well as various codes on the post card.

PC@LIVE wrote on 2025-03-12, 10:35:

Since the chip of the P5F76 is damaged (so it seems to me), i continue with a motherboard, which in the past gave some sign of starting (sometimes though), it is an ASUS P2B-F, a motherboard with BX chipset, the BIOS chip here is readable, and i saved its content (see attached file), i took a fairly recent BIOS from the retroweb, and i chose version 1013 (06/22/00), there is a later version, but for me it for the moment i did not need it, so i continued and wrote the BIOS chip of the P2B-F with version 1013.

I couldn’t resist checking the p2b-fxxx.bin BIOS dump from your Asus P2B-F as well.
It is a valid 08/01/2002-i440BX-<P2B-F> BIOS and it is identical to the Revision 1014 beta 003 BIOS from TRW for this board. So another good BIOS and a good flashchip. 😀
But probably another hardware failure, unfortunately.

Flashing the latest non-beta Revision 1013 P2B-F BIOS is fine for troubleshooting. When the board is repaired, you can always flash the 1014 beta 003 BIOS again. These latest (beta) BIOSes from Asus are usually very stable.

Good luck with the repair,
Jan

Chkcpu wrote on 2025-03-12, 12:41:

I couldn’t resist checking the p2b-fxxx.bin BIOS dump from your Asus P2B-F as well. It is a valid 08/01/2002-i440BX-<P2B-F> BIOS […]
Show full quote

PC@LIVE wrote on 2025-03-12, 10:35:

Since the chip of the P5F76 is damaged (so it seems to me), i continue with a motherboard, which in the past gave some sign of starting (sometimes though), it is an ASUS P2B-F, a motherboard with BX chipset, the BIOS chip here is readable, and i saved its content (see attached file), i took a fairly recent BIOS from the retroweb, and i chose version 1013 (06/22/00), there is a later version, but for me it for the moment i did not need it, so i continued and wrote the BIOS chip of the P2B-F with version 1013.

I couldn’t resist checking the p2b-fxxx.bin BIOS dump from your Asus P2B-F as well.
It is a valid 08/01/2002-i440BX-<P2B-F> BIOS and it is identical to the Revision 1014 beta 003 BIOS from TRW for this board. So another good BIOS and a good flashchip. 😀
But probably another hardware failure, unfortunately.

Flashing the latest non-beta Revision 1013 P2B-F BIOS is fine for troubleshooting. When the board is repaired, you can always flash the 1014 beta 003 BIOS again. These latest (beta) BIOSes from Asus are usually very stable.

Good luck with the repair,
Jan

Ciao Jan
Yes, I put the P2B-F BIOS, for any problems, but as you rightly said, the BIOS was valid, so the problem is definitely hardware, a little while ago I did a boot test, which confirmed that there is a failure or a defect somewhere, I remember that I had checked the voltages, but maybe 🤔 if there is a problem about something else, it could be a frequency problem (quartz?), or it could be a problem of welds or non-optimal contacts.
Every now and then I manage to display codes, immediately followed by a siren, audible from the speaker 🔊.

Making a summary of the motherboards, and the related reprogrammed BIOS chips, for the moment three out of three, despite reprogramming, do not show any post code, the cards are in order, the Chaintech 5TDM2, the ASUS P2B-F, and the Olidata OLI-BX.

For the Olidata, unfortunately there is an obvious hardware failure, a probably short one, because at the first start as soon as the LED is turned on, it turns off immediately, in short, there is work to be done on, and maybe a lot.

At least now, I have no doubt about what works, the BIOS is definitely fine, the only reason that doesn't start the cards, is a hardware problem, whether it's something out of failure or a bad contact, you have to investigate ‍

However, there is a card that I could make back working, it is the P5F76, the BIOS chip was defective, it was not possible to read it, this makes me think that by changing the chip, it will work again, and that there is no hardware failure, I do not remember what version was stored there, but it does not matter, I will use the most recent one available on TRW (retroweb).

Although I haven't had any luck, I continue with the non-working MBs, and by non-functioning I mean, those that start but the post codes remain — —, there is a possibility that someone has a problem with the BIOS chip, and that therefore replacing it it works again, or shows error codes, unlike before that showed nothing.

At least I can be sure that there is no wrong or corrupted BIOS problem, this is because in case I could fix it, rewriting the right version.

So I start a second session of analysis and extraction of the BIOS, I start with this motherboard, FIC PA2010+ S.7 chipset VIA, the chip is the same as the P5F76, a Winbond W29EE011-15, I will try to extract the content, the motherboard needs some repairs, others I have already performed, so I imagine that the chip can be working, we will see if it will be so.

As I rightly thought, the PA2010+ chip works, by the way the card is a 4.1 (visible in the lower left corner), I extracted the content, unfortunately I don't remember the name of the program to view the BIOS screens, I should have it in an old PC that I used about ten years ago (or more), but what was important, was if the chip worked, this increases the almost certainty that the P5F76, can still work and that there is no hardware failure (or rather there is only the faulty BIOS chip), so I extracted the stored file, called PA2010XX.BIN and I attach it here.