I've never done a BIOS flash before and was hoping someone could give me some directions. A little back story...... The PC suddenly started running extremely slow when it came to anything explorer.exe related (ex. Click on start, wait 3-4 minutes, click on programs, wait 3-5 minutes, etc...). However once an app is opened the app will run fine until it has to interact with explorer (ex. saving a file). Also the CD-Roms will not show up in My Computer (was able to get them to show up after playing with the registry, but they do not read any media). I went through extensive malware/spyware troubleshooting on other forums and we were not able to find anything of substance. The PC runs fine in safe mode (when it will actually boot to safe mode, it tends to hang up most of the time). I figured I would try to reimage the machine and just start over.... however I cannot get the pc to boot from a CD. The boot order is correct and there is activity on the CD-ROM when it tried to detect bootable media, however it ends up just sitting there until I eject the CD. I downloaded the auto flash utility from the Biostar site that you can run in windows but it will not launch on the PC. It just sits in taskmanager running at 99% CPU and never loads. Motherboard NameBiostar M7NCG 400 CPU TypeAMD Athlon XP, 2083 MHz (12.5 x 167) 2800+ Any ideas?
a word to the wise DO NOT FLASH YOUR BIOS IN WINDOWS find the dos version of your flash utility ,make a bootable floppy put your flash .exe and your new bios update on it and go that way.
I would try disconnecting the cdrom drive, and see if that fixes the explorer problem. If so you know you need a new dvdrw.
@ Geeves00, don't flash your bios unless you really need to try resetting bios to default values and if neccesary get hold of another cd/dvd drive to try first or another bootable cd to test.
Slow Explorer Geeves00 . . . I dare say your BIOS is not going to effect how unrelated (non-ROM) software runs. That's not its function. For example, the BIOS will not effect Explorer's ability to save, while it may or may not effect booting from a CD (could be the "fault" of the CD) In my experience, it is rare, indeed, to have to flash a BIOS. Maybe I am lucky but I have never had a BIOS/ROM fail. Then too, I build a new machine about every three years. Before you wander off into the esoteric, I would focus on more plausible scenarios. I have a few questions/observations: 1. Does your BIOS report the presence of your CD ROMs? If the CD ROMs are connected and have power, the BIOS will report them whether the CD ROM functions or not. 2. CD ROMs showed up after you played with the registry??? What KEY/string did you modify and what directed you to a particular KEY/String? 3. Since your machine (Explorer) suddenly started to run slowly, did you try to restore your system to a time before the slowdown (via System Restore)? 4. Not all CDs out of the box are bootable, including OS CDs (For Example, my XP CD will not boot). Did you try to boot from a CD that you know - for sure - is bootable? 5. I think it extremely unlikely that you suddenly experienced simultaneous BIOS, software, and device problems - yet, in so many words, that is what you are saying. 6. You said CD ROMs, plural: two CD ROMs right? You think they both went bad at the same time. 7. I suspect that Explorer is corrupt (a common occurrence) on you machine evidenced by the facts you state, i. e., slow, won't save. I'll bet Explorer will not copy/paste either - right? Try and copy a large file: I'll bet it starts to copy and never finishes. I would be surprised if system restore does not correct the problem - especially since you tweaked the registry. If it does not, then I would attempt to repair XP using the rescue discs, if you created them and have a 3 1/4 floppy drive (by-passing Explorer, and letting Windows installer access the CD ROM). While a bit of a hassle, if that does not work then I would reinstall a clean copy of XP (assuming CD ROM access with or without a 3 1/4 floppy drive). By trying this first, you will avoid the possibility of assassinating your BIOS/ROM by flashing it - a very fussy and delicate process. For example, if your system shuts down during flashing (glitch, power failure, etc.), your BIOS/ROM could be irreversibly damaged. Believe all of the folks before me: think twice before you flash. I'd say, try everything else first: all you will lose if it does not work is time. Monk