Fixing a Bad BIOS Flash on the 4870

[Waxking1]

I killed my computer trying to flash the 4870 back to original. I actually never got to the flashing part. I still have a dead 4870 at this point. Since you have to have 2 video cards in the system and I didn't have another ATI card that would fit one of my slots, I tried with an Nvidia 7800.

This is with Vista64 and a P5E MB. Is it possible to kill a MB just by using 2 different cards at the same time? I wouldn't think so but if I get a new board I'm going to have to try it again so I want to be sure.

Right after I first put the card in the and booted to Vista i got a Blue Screen shortly afterward. I reseated the cards and tried again and everything seemed OK for a while. I also had to change my wireless PCI network card to the top slot because I no longer had room at the bottom with the 4870 in the next slot.

Anyway, I couldn't get my wireless network connected. Also on my other computer I was trying to figure out how to make a bootable cd with bios flash utilities. When I turned my 4870 computer back on it went to a blue screen just before getting to the desktop. I was able to enter safe mode but as luck would have it, the restore function would not function. I had already tried going to last working config with no luck.

At this point I thought I would try to repair with the V64 disc.
I set the Bios to boot from CD and everything was going well until it finished with a blank blue screen and a working mouse pointer.

At this point I'm thinking hardware again and disconnect everything except for the hard drive and I also put in a different video card and memory. Now I can't even get a display. Only thing left is my motherboard and CPU and I woud guess that I must have damaged the MB when inserting a card with static or maybe a hairline crack. Oh, I also reset the CMOS more than once.

I have the worst luck with computers, I should buy a Dell and never open the case. I've read most of this thread and searched the net quite a bit but I haven't seen an actual procedure for fixing the 4870. Can you just use the 4870 and any other video card? Looks like the best way is to use a boot disc and then flash the Bios.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

I killed my computer trying to flash the 4870 back to original. I actually never got to the flashing part. I still have a dead 4870 at this point. Since you have to have 2 video cards in the system and I didn't have another ATI card that would fit one of my slots, I tried with an Nvidia 7800.

This is with Vista64 and a P5E MB. Is it possible to kill a MB just by using 2 different cards at the same time? I wouldn't think so but if I get a new board I'm going to have to try it again so I want to be sure.

Right after I first put the card in the and booted to Vista i got a Blue Screen shortly afterward. I reseated the cards and tried again and everything seemed OK for a while. I also had to change my wireless PCI network card to the top slot because I no longer had room at the bottom with the 4870 in the next slot.

Anyway, I couldn't get my wireless network connected. Also on my other computer I was trying to figure out how to make a bootable cd with bios flash utilities. When I turned my 4870 computer back on it went to a blue screen just before getting to the desktop. I was able to enter safe mode but as luck would have it, the restore function would not function. I had already tried going to last working config with no luck.

At this point I thought I would try to repair with the V64 disc.
I set the Bios to boot from CD and everything was going well until it finished with a blank blue screen and a working mouse pointer.

At this point I'm thinking hardware again and disconnect everything except for the hard drive and I also put in a different video card and memory. Now I can't even get a display. Only thing left is my motherboard and CPU and I woud guess that I must have damaged the MB when inserting a card with static or maybe a hairline crack. Oh, I also reset the CMOS more than once.

I have the worst luck with computers, I should buy a Dell and never open the case. I've read most of this thread and searched the net quite a bit but I haven't seen an actual procedure for fixing the 4870. Can you just use the 4870 and any other video card? Looks like the best way is to use a boot disc and then flash the Bios.

you shouldnt boot to windows to do the flash to fix the card, make an ms-dos boot floppy and flash using win flash per the 4870 fix article: here

[Waxking1]

I read the article and I will take your advice when I try again.
I may use my old DFI system(I will have to piece it back together) to try the flash. If it kills the MB again, at least it will be one I wasn't using anyway. The article doesn't say not to boot to Windows as it mentions using Winflash as an alternative.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

I read the article and I will take your advice when I try again.
I may use my old DFI system(I will have to piece it back together) to try the flash. If it kills the MB again, at least it will be one I wasn't using anyway. The article doesn't say not to boot to Windows as it mentions using Winflash as an alternative.

well booting with alternate graphics brands is kinda sketchy, i wouldnt consider going to windows as an option

[Alcibiades]

Would you be kind enough to email to me the Iso file of your bootdisc. This has been driving me nuts but I can't get it to work. I've spent hours trying.

Also once you are booted, do you just type in the command line like you posted and it flashes the ati bios chip? I have a P53 motherboard with an Nvidia 7800 in one slot and the 4870 in the other and am using V64.

Thanks for the help.

Goto http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/download.html

download 4.1.1 iso from preferred source

create your UBCD from iso

copy your atiflash.exe and the 4870.bin to your c:\
(that's the root dir) just to make it easier when in dos

boot with your UBCD that you created



start edit:
WRONG --> choose *Boot First Hard Disk* This will actually boot you back into Vista

correct steps to boot ntfs drive(s)
choose
DOS/Linux Boot Disks
DOS Boot Disks
FreeDOS Boot Disk v3.40
now a series of dialogue boxes will pop up
keep pressing enter on each one but watch out for the NTFS dialogue box
you want to use your arrow keys to get to the checkbox and press spacebar to select it
press enter
you will get to dos and q:\
type c:
and press enter
if invalid drive try d e f etc
do a dir on each one to see which one has your flash files
(my c: drive was invalid and it came up as d: drive)
when you are in the drive and folder with your flash files
end edit:

type
atiflash -f -p ? -4870.bin

where ? is the pci-e slot with the 4870
example: atiflash -f -p 0 -4870.bin

to find out which pci-e slot your 4870 is in
type
atiflash -i

Well what are you waiting for??!?
Get to flashing already!

switch notes
-i Display information of ATI adapters in the system

-f Force flashing regardless of security checking BIOS file info check OR boot-up card

-p Identifies adapter(s) to flash

[aztec]

Well what are you waiting for??!?
Get to flashing already!

lol Yeah, an' don't screw it up this time.

[Waxking1]

I'm pretty good at screwing computers up. I used a floppy first with the DFI motherboard and I get Invalid Command when trying to flash with Atiflash. I also tried with a cd and get the same. The atiflash -i works fine and tells me the card is on 0. Not sure where to go from here but I may load XP and try winflash on this board. The other board was dead but I don't think putting the card in the second slot hurt it, it had to be something else. Thanks for the help
Alcibiades. The Iso file is what I needed.

[aztec]

Don't feel alone. I've done my share of borks too.

Hey, it's a learning experience! At some point we were all n00bs or just got unlucky.

Good luck on the flash.