DH87RL bricked - need a 1:1 BIOS flash image (have a programmer)

[FRysa]

Dear everyone,

a friend has bricked a DH87RL by trying to flash a new BIOS via the recovery method (provided a BIO file on a USB drive).

The board does three beeps instead of POST (and nothing else), keeps cycling in those 3 beeps.

Which normally would be a RAM error - except that the RAM previously worked fine, other RAM got tried, and there's no reason to suspect RAM.

Conveniently, the SPI Flash ROM comes in a socket.

Unfortunately, the .BIO image available from Intel is not a 1:1 Flash ROM chip image - rather, it's some kind of an archive that needs to be "extracted" (understood) by the flasher tool.

What we need is a 1:1 image of the BIOS flash chip, for our SPI programmer to be any use.

Could anyone help? The moderators from Intel maybe?

Or, could anyone take a snapshot of theirs (on a healthy motherboard) using for instance the open-source Flashrom tool?

(available for Linux and DOS).

Even just the "recovery block" of the BIOS image would help, if it exists as a stand-alone "flashable object".

Thanks in advance for any help :-)

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hello Frank,

At this point we can provide the bios update of the DH87RL. The source code is not available right now but you can download the bios updates at the following link:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=DH87RL https://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=DH87RL

[FRysa]

Dear Kevin,

thanks for your polite response.

Are you sure you've read and understood my request?

Yes I can obviously find a BIOS update at the Download Center. That doesn't help - the .BIO file is _not_ a 1:1 image of the flash chip. It's not even the right size! Its format is non-trivial and possibly the file does not actually contain a 1:1 image of the flash chip internally (packed inside or some such). The .BIO file requires an executable flash utility to use its contents and somehow rehash them into the SPI flash chip, possibly adding some unique strings / recalculating checksums or some such.

I need a BIOS image file that can be flashed into the SPI flash chip using a stand-alone programmer (hardware box). I.e., the image file must correspond to the actual contents of the flash chip, byte for byte.

[PLeto]

Hello. I had a similar problem with the motherboard Intel DH87MC. I solved it, so I built a simple interface to the parallel port. Affiliated with SPI flash it to another function 25Q64 MB thin enameled wire 0.1 mm with a length of about 20 cm. Use SPIPGM I "backed up" BIOS and then the same procedure programmed into faulty MB.

http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8235%20(1).jpg http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8235%20(1).jpg

http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8241%20(1).jpg http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8241%20(1).jpg

http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8254%20(1).jpg http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8254%20(1).jpg

http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8246%20(1).jpg http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8246%20(1).jpg

http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8249%20(1).jpg http://www.sinclair.hostuju.cz/DH87MC/IMG_8249%20(1).jpg

[FRysa]

Yes, SPIPGM, absolutely. And I also have a universal programmer by Elnec.

Except that we still need to put our hands on that pesky 1:1 image. My friend's got only a single piece of the motherboard = the blown one. He only started to fumble with SPIPGM after he bricked the motherboard = once the flash was already full of garbage... Now he can only verify that he can flash the chip via SPI perfectly right, but he doesn't have a backup of the original ungarbled contents :-)

Thanks for your reassuring message though.

[FRysa]

Maybe one more hint: there's an MSDOS port of the Flashrom utility:

http://ra.openbios.org/~idwer/flashrom/dos/ http://ra.openbios.org/~idwer/flashrom/dos/

You can use it to get an image of the whole flash chip (= read the chip) in this way:

flashrom.exe -p internal -r image.bin

Hopefully it supports the (relatively new) 8-series south bridge that comes with the Haswell CPU...

http://www.flashrom.org/Supported_hardware# Supported_chipsets Supported hardware - flashrom

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hi Frank,

Let me verify if it is possible to get the 1:1 image of the BIOS and I will be back with more information.

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hi Frank,

Can you please send me pictures of the labels you have in the motherboard. I need to have the markings of it so I can confirm more information about this. Please send me a Private Message with this information.

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hi Frank,

I would appreciate if you can provide the information requested so I can provide accurate information.

[MHind1]

Are there any news? Can someone extract the Bios from the Flash?

[OBudd]

hi @kevin_intel,

i have pretty much the same request for another board, see https://communities.intel.com/message/233487# 233487 https://communities.intel.com/message/233487# 233487 .

if the info i posted is not enough, which markings specifically are needed?

[Kevin_M_Intel]

I will need to have the markings of your motherboard. Please send me a Private message with this information. Here you have a link with information about how to get this:

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-010687.htm http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs-010687.htm

[OBudd]

sent a bit over a week ago. any progress?

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hello Ossilator,

Please check your PM

[idata]

Hi.I am having the same issue. I am trying to rewrite the BIOS Rom but I do not have working copy. I have a DB75EN motherboard. kevin_intel you can help me with this?

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hi Carlos,

I see you opened another thread. Let's keep working on that one:

/thread/76506 https://communities.intel.com/thread/76506

Kevin m

[DSant13]

Hi Kevin, there's a problem with .exe BIOS file.

My DH67BL motherboard can't start because my CPU is a I7 3770, so how can i use a motherboard that cannot start and then use a .exe file, or even a flash mode?

That can't be done.

So, we have to remove the SPI from the motherboard, write a new file and return the chip to the motherboard, but i can find the file.

Could you help me?

Sending the file, or asking for someone to put this files on Download Center, many people are having this problem.

Thanks.

[Kevin_M_Intel]

The files on the web are the only ones we have available at this time. The option for you at this point is using a second generation processor, update the BIOS and then use the third generation processor.

[idata]

How using a second gen processor will help with a bugged BIOS?

I think this is the same answer for my post.

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hello CarlosVillacorta,

As you can see, the motherboard in mention is a 6 series board and a 3rd generation processor is being used.

All 6 series motherboards support 3rd generation processor but it is necessary to do a BIOS update to do so. This is the reason why I recommended using a 2nd generation processor so it can post, do the update and then use the 3rd generation processor.

Kevin m