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Ouch...4850 BSOD...I'm stuck...

MikeTAD

MikeTAD

MikeTAD

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Joined
2 Apr 2008
Posts
301
I dabbled in trying to 'improve' my 'hot card' problems (Sapphire 4850) by changing the bios to improve the temp/fan relationship. Worked fine...but I found another bios that I thought could improve things even more...uhoh...

BSOD during the flash process...now of course I have nothing...

I have no idea of what to do to recover the situation (if it can be recovered)...any positive suggestions would be much appreciated...
 
You can either try and blind-flash a working bios back on to the card, or use another card in your primary PCI-E slot to provide a display whilst you reflash.
 
I once mindwied a 9800pro (trying to fix the tv out).

All I could do was.....
Put another (actually an nvidia in my case) card in the machine and use that to learn the keypress sequence needed to reflash my old bios using a boot floppy and the copy I had saved on c: before flashing.
Then swap back the borked ATI, repeat keypresses and backside duly saved.....not least cos me GF had offered me the card at a knock down rate, and I'd not stumped up the cash yet LOL

If you have an nvidia card, it may be worth using it so that there's no chance of actually flashing anything onto it (in case other gens of ATI could accept, but obviously not use the 48nn bios).
 
OK...this sounds positive...I'm not sure how to blind flash though? (I do have another PCi slot...but not another card unfortunately)
 
Last edited:
MikeTAD said:
OK...this sounds positive...I'm not sure how to blind flash though? (I do have another PCi slot...but not another card unfortunately)
Click to expand...

Quite simply, you just need to remember how to access your flashing program and flash the card without being able to see anything on screen! So it would be a lot easier if you had another graphics card or could borrow one.

I royally borked a laptop's GeForce 7900GS last year and had blind flash it...took me about half an hour but did it in the end.
 
Yeah...no vision is a problem huh :) I have the flash prog on a stick...with a (hopefully) good bios...

Got an old pc...card is no good for the mobo though...could take the card out of this pc I guess...(just musing while writing...:))

How can I be sure I'm flashing the right card I wonder...knacker this card and I'm really in trouble...

So...I take this card out...put it in the primary slot...put the borked card in the secondary slot and then just try to work out which card I'm flashing?...sounds like a plan...:)...
 
if your usb is bootable and you have atiflash on there you just need to use another pc to write a simple batch file to run the bios flash program with the new/old bios.

call it something simple like b.bat

Then when you boot up from your usb stick (you can do that can't you? too used to floppies and still have one :) all you need to do is type "b" and press enter.

Leave is for 10 minutes or more.

Comes back and rebbot pc and all should be well.
 
Sadly my stick is not bootable...cannot remember when I last had a floppy drive installed :) BUT I can boot from CD...
So...change of plan...put ATIflash on CD with the appropriate bin file file for my card (I've got all of those)...
Now...writing a simple batch file to get the files to install...help needed here I'm afraid as I do not have a clue...
 
If you have a bootable MS-DOS disk (be it USB, CD whatever) that you use to flash bioses from a C: prompt then just create an autoexec.bat file on the drive and add the following into it:

atiflash -f -p 0 backup.rom

That's if the dead card still lets your system POST mind.

More info here: http://www.mvktech.net/content/view/415/37/
 
OK...I'm struggling here...made a few silver coasters...:)

I need some a, b, c type instructions I guess.

But a little more info, just in case this 4850 is totally borked...

The pc obviously runs, and I can see the mouse and the KB light up...no problem...BUT the monitor just gives me a stony blank, black stare...nothing...de nada...

I've tried several CDs that I thought I had created simple batch files on...and I hear the CD drive fire up when it should but, nothing....a blank monitor.

I need to be absolutely certain that what I'm putting on the CD actually makes sense and should work providing the 4850 is not borked...

Back to needing a, b, c input...

Ain't life grand...:D
 
Thanks for the input guys...appreciate it...I've just ordered another card...hopefully should be able to resuurect the 4850...cheers...:)
 
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