I have not used it but this is what Stonent suggested, you'll need to find someone with a CpiR or a Cptc that will copy their chip using the program and then flash your machine with it. Here is what Stonent said:
"If you can get a clean image, you could try using uniflash. It is a free flash utility. If it can detect the flash chip it can back it up. So if you can find someone else with the same laptop, get them to save the flash image and then use uniflash to flash it into your laptop. (Google search for uniflash)"
I have not tried this yet since I haven't found a friend with a CpiR or Cptc (same motherboard and bios).
I've not tried it yet, I need to find someone with a working Cptc or a Cpir to get them to copy their chip. Know of anyone with one of those machines??
I just got a replacement mobo for my CPiR and would be happy to send you a copy of the bios file capture with uniflash. Any success you have I definately would like to hear about so I can revive my otherboard.
I got my CPiR back to normal. This is what I did. I flashed to a CPxH bios using the /jabil switch. I don't know if that really helped me any but it is something I did. Then I used the CPIR A00 bios and flashed the machine using /forcetype /forceit and then I used the current CPIR A14 bios. The machine is now back to it's good ol' self. Merry Christmas :)
I have the same problem with my Latitude CPi R400GT. I made a mistake of flashing it to CPx J BIOS. Now, the LCD screen doesn't display anything. Every time I turn on my laptop, it shuts down after a few seconds. My laptop doesn't even try to boot :-(. Therefore I can't re-flash my BIOS to version CPRA 00 as Droble did.
I called Dell and someone told me the BIOS chip, part number 3F752, costs $4.95 but it's out of stock. When I call back to order part number 3F752, no one seem to know what it is. It's very sad.
Williem, Ggjayjay,
Have you been successfull in fixing the BIOS using Uniflash and how?
Is the CPi R400GT BIOS chip in a socket similar to the CPi D300XT BIOS chip ?
If I remove my BIOS (that is broken with CPi J Bios) and insert my Bios to a friend's CPi D300XT laptop, will the CPiD boot to A: drive and will his LCD display texts? Then I can reflash my BIOS to the original CPiR A00.
I have a coworker who has an Inspirion 7500. Would it be better if I borrow his Inspiron laptop instead? Someone told me that the BIOS could be soldered to the newer Dell Latitude's motherboard. Then I will be in big trouble.
Have you tried connecting an external monitor to the LT to see if it will boot that way? My understanding is that the CPiA was the last LT with the socketed BIOS Chip and the later ones including the CPiR were soldered into the board.
The bios chip is in fact soldered. You will not be able to connect to an external monitor without a video card installed into a docking station. The CpxJ bios is not compatible with the video chip on your CpiR. That is why it gets to the video part of your startup and cannot negotiate the video inconsistency and then shutsdown. It will happen with an external monitor plugged into the laptop also. What you have to do is get a C/dockII docking station from someone. this docking station has a PCI desktop-type slot for a PCI video card. Plug up your external monitor to the docking station. You should be able to boot then.
I have not had any luck getting the correct bios to force back on my machine. I have also been unsuccessful with the Uniflash. I hope you have better luck.
Here is an ebay address to a C/dock II that is forsale. I pickup one from a local surplus house for $5, see if some one you know has one you can borrow. (this is not the small regular dock, it much have it's own PCI video card slot).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3450159011&category=42177
Thank you for the replies. I have tried to connect an external monitor but it still doesn't boot. It's too bad that that the BIOS chip is soldered on the motherboard.
Williem, thank you for the ebay link. It really helps. I will try to get a C/dock II soon. I am praying that I'm be able to flash back the correct BIOS.
Steven and others, I once had an identical problem with a Fujitsu Siemens notebook. I had flashed to a BIOS version which didn't support the built in video chip. So after rebooting I found my self in the dark . Since I was sure, nothing went wrong in the upgrade, I wanted to downgrade back to the old BIOS version. I was lucky that I had a previously made floppy with the flash to that earlier version. Booting from that floppy, I did exactly step by step as I remembered from before, only in the dark !!
And it worked ! After rebooting, the splash screen was back and the machine worked as it did before.
When you can generate a bootable floppy on any other machine and then go step by step as if you had the feedback from the screen, may be you are lucky too...
First thing could be, to enable floppy boot in the BIOS setup, unless still active. You'll need to insert any floppy and see whether or not it is accessed. I'm sure many forum-members here with the same notebook could give you step by step "micro-instructions" to succeed. May be in a "tele-conference". Since I run a C840 now, I'm not of much help for describing step by step. Also I sit in Germany here, some 6 to 9 hours away from you.
Have good luck. flortep
P.s. : The above procedure can work only of course, when the wrongly loaded BIOS is not some completely binary garbage, but a real BIOS of same size for a similar typ of a machine. Otherwise no logical function --like a floppy boot access-- can be initiated.
williem
152 Posts
0
December 11th, 2003 21:00
I have not used it but this is what Stonent suggested, you'll need to find someone with a CpiR or a Cptc that will copy their chip using the program and then flash your machine with it. Here is what Stonent said:
"If you can get a clean image, you could try using uniflash. It is a
free flash utility. If it can detect the flash chip it can back it up.
So if you can find someone else with the same laptop, get them to save
the flash image and then use uniflash to flash it into your laptop.
(Google search for uniflash)"
I have not tried this yet since I haven't found a friend with a CpiR or Cptc (same motherboard and bios).
droble
11 Posts
0
December 19th, 2003 00:00
williem
152 Posts
0
December 19th, 2003 01:00
I've not tried it yet, I need to find someone with a working Cptc or a Cpir to get them to copy their chip. Know of anyone with one of those machines??
droble
11 Posts
0
December 20th, 2003 03:00
williem
152 Posts
0
December 20th, 2003 09:00
That would be great. Please see your private messages for how to send this to me.
Bill
droble
11 Posts
0
December 26th, 2003 18:00
stevenk2004
2 Posts
0
January 4th, 2004 10:00
I have the same problem with my Latitude CPi R400GT. I made a mistake of flashing it to CPx J BIOS. Now, the LCD screen doesn't display anything. Every time I turn on my laptop, it shuts down after a few seconds. My laptop doesn't even try to boot :-(. Therefore I can't re-flash my BIOS to version CPRA 00 as Droble did.
I called Dell and someone told me the BIOS chip, part number 3F752, costs $4.95 but it's out of stock. When I call back to order part number 3F752, no one seem to know what it is. It's very sad.
Williem, Ggjayjay,
Have you been successfull in fixing the BIOS using Uniflash and how?
Is the CPi R400GT BIOS chip in a socket similar to the CPi D300XT BIOS chip ?
If I remove my BIOS (that is broken with CPi J Bios) and insert my Bios to a friend's CPi D300XT laptop, will the CPiD boot to A: drive and will his LCD display texts? Then I can reflash my BIOS to the original CPiR A00.
I have a coworker who has an Inspirion 7500. Would it be better if I borrow his Inspiron laptop instead? Someone told me that the BIOS could be soldered to the newer Dell Latitude's motherboard. Then I will be in big trouble.
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Truly yours,
Steve
leduke30
2 Intern
•
4K Posts
0
January 4th, 2004 14:00
williem
152 Posts
0
January 4th, 2004 16:00
I have not had any luck getting the correct bios to force back on my machine. I have also been unsuccessful with the Uniflash. I hope you have better luck.
Here is an ebay address to a C/dock II that is forsale. I pickup one from a local surplus house for $5, see if some one you know has one you can borrow. (this is not the small regular dock, it much have it's own PCI video card slot).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3450159011&category=42177
stevenk2004
2 Posts
0
January 4th, 2004 18:00
Williem, thank you for the ebay link. It really helps. I will try to get a C/dock II soon. I am praying that I'm be able to flash back the correct BIOS.
Best regards,
Steven
flortep
114 Posts
0
January 10th, 2004 14:00
Steven and others, I once had an identical problem with a Fujitsu Siemens notebook. I had flashed to a BIOS version which didn't support the built in video chip. So after rebooting I found my self in the dark . Since I was sure, nothing went wrong in the upgrade, I wanted to downgrade back to the old BIOS version. I was lucky that I had a previously made floppy with the flash to that earlier version. Booting from that floppy, I did exactly step by step as I remembered from before, only in the dark !!
And it worked ! After rebooting, the splash screen was back and the machine worked as it did before.
When you can generate a bootable floppy on any other machine and then go step by step as if you had the feedback from the screen, may be you are lucky too...
First thing could be, to enable floppy boot in the BIOS setup, unless still active. You'll need to insert any floppy and see whether or not it is accessed. I'm sure many forum-members here with the same notebook could give you step by step "micro-instructions" to succeed. May be in a "tele-conference". Since I run a C840 now, I'm not of much help for describing step by step. Also I sit in Germany here, some 6 to 9 hours away from you.
Have good luck.
flortep
P.s. : The above procedure can work only of course, when the wrongly loaded BIOS is not some completely binary garbage, but a real BIOS of same size for a similar typ of a machine. Otherwise no logical function --like a floppy boot access-- can be initiated.
Message Edited by flortep on 01-10-2004 05:33 PM