Warlord, IMO, it's optional device until you have a proper motherboard 😀 But very convenient at the same time 😀

To add more details, i received the board without crystal an with a 1MB EEPROM. I think the EEPROM is dead : when i try to flash the 1MB BIOS, the flash utility say "Unknown Type" for the EEPROM.

Thanks Warlord for the link...yes, i discovered this device but if i can do without buying something it would be fine 😀

parhelia512 wrote:

To add more details, i received the board without crystal an with a 1MB EEPROM. I think the EEPROM is dead : when i try to flash the 1MB BIOS, the flash utility say "Unknown Type" for the EEPROM.

Maybe you tried to flash 1Mbit eeprom in mainboard that uses 2Mbit eeprom ...

Hi all

Today was a nightmare in my flashing tries...I forgot to remove the original EEPROM of my hotflash board -> No more boot
Trying to save the EEPROM with the Freetech board,i stupidly placed the EEPROM in the wrong direction...Dead EEPROM
Finaly, trying with my last alive EEPROM, i flashed the 2MB BIOS using uniflash...and the Board Post ! I can access the BIOS, it correctly detects the hard drive and floppy but it says "Unknow Chip" (EEPROM) and the board reboots continually 😒

The Board is a P6F91i (1M) version (can see it at POST) so i think a 1MB EEPROM will help.

Another strange thing...when i press the power button with the board powered on, the board stops then restart right after.

parhelia512 wrote:

Hi all Today was a nightmare in my flashing tries... ... Finaly, trying with my last alive EEPROM, i flashed the 2MB BIOS using […]
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Hi all
Today was a nightmare in my flashing tries...
...
Finaly, trying with my last alive EEPROM, i flashed the 2MB BIOS using uniflash...and the Board Post ! I can access the BIOS, it correctly detects the hard drive and floppy but it says "Unknow Chip" (EEPROM) and the board reboots continually 😒

The Board is a P6F91i (1M) version (can see it at POST) so i think a 1MB EEPROM will help.

Another strange thing...when i press the power button with the board powered on, the board stops then restart right after.

It's pity but it happens sometimes.
Ok, your post means the motherboard works with a 2M epprom chip.
I just don't understand what says "Unknow Chip" ? Does BIOS give you the message during the start ?
BIOS writes some data into EEPROM during the start (usually PnP configuration, DMI data).
So if the flashed BIOS doesn't have code that knows installed eeprom chip it can't write the data and gives the error message.
Maybe it's better to find (2M) chip the BIOS supports.
Or it may happen when there's a jumper in position "flash bios protect".

Thanks for your first sentence 😁 I feel a little ridiculous when i read all your knowledges on this forum !

My interpretation is a little different :

- I flash the 2MB EEPROM using a 2MB Bios
- The Board starts and the first screen displays "P6F91i (1M) " so i think this is the 1MB version of the board ???
- The real message is : "Unknown flash type". It is displayed after the first POST Screen : the board list the CPU type and the memory. It detects the drives and display the table with all information. Under this table it displays "Unknown flash type" then reboots.
- If i try to start using a PCI VGA Card, there is no post...

These boards are giving me headache 😁

parhelia512, I hope you will not give up and finally the board will work 😀
I downloaded and opened both BIOS (of course I mean the main awardbios module "original.tmp") in hex-viewer.
I just don't understand how it can be.
The text string "P6F91i PCI/AGP GREEN BIOS (1M)", you have mentioned, is exactly in 1Mbit version (91i02239-1mb.ZIP). The file 2Mbit version is 91i05092000-2mb.ZIP and it contents "P6F91i PCI/AGP GREEN BIOS (2M)".

Ok, i'm going crazy...so the flash that works using uniflash but was not working with awdflash is the 1MB + 1MB Rom in my 2MB file !

So...is the reboot due to the "Unknown flash type" or to a wrong size BIOS file ?
I'm sorry but i've not been able to follow A17 pin : at the board rear, the A17 pin is not connected to anything. On the board front, it it seems to be connected to the factory jumper JP1.

Thank you for your patience Roman555 !

That's alright. It must be my biggest post here 😀
The simpliest algorithm would be like that:
Check if A17 pin30 of EEPROM is connected to the address bus signal Addr 17
-Turn off the motherboard completely (unplug the power cord)
-Multimeter is turned into Diode Mode so when probes are connected to each other (short circuit) it's beeping
-One probe - to pin30 of EEPROM socket, another one - to pin A14 (Addr 17) of any ISA slot (see picture)
If multimeter is beeping when probes are connected as it has been mentioned above
then: EEPROM A17 is really connected to the address bus and it means 2Mbit EEPROM is compatible "out of the box".
So just flash 2M bios image unziped from 91i05092000-2mb.ZIP to 2MBit EEPROM.
The motherboard should work.
else: EEPROM A17 is not connected to the address bus and it means 2Mbit EEPROM isn't compatible.
The easiest way is to flash doubled 1Mbit bios (unziped from 91i02239-1mb.ZIP and 2 copies appended to itself) into 2M bios chip.
Then insert EEPROM chip into its socket with pin 30 isolated from the socket and connected to GND rail as I wrote in my earlier post. You can find GND in eeprom - its pin 16
The motherboard should work.

As option you can do some research if there is easy way to connect EEPROM A17 to the address bus signal Addr 17.
If you find it you will be able to improve motherboard and make it be compatible with 2Mbit EEPROM.
But it's not easy. And risky!
Firstly you have to make sure of isolating pin 30 of socket of EEPROM from all other wires.
Secondly find easy way to connect it to address bus.
1) Signal wires usually go in top and bottom layer of board. So they can be followed visually.
Power and GND rails are usually in inner invisible layer and also in top and bottom ones.
Although you think A17 of EEPROM socket connects nothing but a pad of factory jumper, it also can connect to inner layer.
-Turn off the motherboard completely (unplug the power cord)
-Multimeter is turned into Diode Mode
-One probe - to pin30 of EEPROM socket, another one - to each pin of ATX connector one-by-one
It shouldn't beep.
2) Purpose of JP1 - is it for 2Mbit flash or for somerhing else?
Check if some pad of jp1 is suddenly connected to address bus Addr 17
In this case you will be able to solder just little wire between pads
-Turn off the motherboard completely (unplug the power cord)
-Multimeter is turned into Diode Mode
-One probe - to pin A14 (Addr 17) of any ISA slot (see picture), another one - to each pad of factory jp1 one-by-one
If it happens to be not connected (jp1 does something different) then you will be able to solder long wire on the bottom of board

Hi All !

It's been near one year since i have last post here due to personal problems.
I would like to thank you all for your help and especially Roman555 for all your very usefull messages.

Thanks all !

Parhelia512