H8QGI+-F bios corrupted

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magic8192

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May 28, 2011
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I was having issues getting into the bios on reboot and decided to flash it to the latest. I tried using the USB drive/rename the bios file to super.rom method. It seemed to work and the computer beeped 4 times and rebooted, but ever since it won't post. I contacted supermicro and they said that I need to RMA the board. They seem to want a good amount of money and time to fix the board, so If all that is wrong is a corrupted bios, I think I can flash the bios myself.

I think I need a programmer like this one
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MIJ0UO/

and a bios chip clip like this one
Amazon.com: Signstek SOIC8 SOP8 Flash Chip IC Test Clips Socket Adpter Programmer BIOS/24/25/93: Computers & Accessories

and I can flash the bios on the board? Any help would be appreciated.
 
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I'd try doing recovery again. Did you use 3.5b version? If so, I'd try 3.5a -- it's visibly more stable than 3.5b.

Your choice of hardware seems OK but I haven't used either piece so can't really vouch for them.

It would make sense to confirm pinout compatibility between the test clip and the programmer
(not sure if there are any standard pinouts) and support for the flash chip (typically SST25VF016B).

Also, I have never done in-system programming of these chips so no idea what may happen
(e.g. if something doesn't try to power itself off flash's power supply -- this could wreak havoc
in the programmer).

I have one of these Backup Boot Flash Module-SO8W(207mil) socket « BBF Modules and Dediprog's testclip but
they are considerably more expensive (and require tad different approach; one starts with a flash
chip with a working BIOS inserted in the BBF, boots from it; then switches back to on-board chip
while the system is powered on and then flashes the on-board chip).

Hope this helps.

Out of curiosity, which part of the world are you in?
 
I downloaded 3.5a I have tried doing recovery 3 times. I was doing the recovery attempts with all 4 cpu's installed. I have since taken everything down. I will put 1 cpu in and one stick of ram and give that a try.

I am very unsure about doing the programming with the chip onboard, but it seems like a better solution than desoldering the chip.

I am located in the USA, MS
 
Bah, I meant regular 3.5 (non-a) there (got confused a bit as only dual-socket boards ever received a 3.5b version).
Anyway, try the ROM from this package (plain 3.5): http://www.supermicro.com/support/resources/getfile.aspx?ID=2535

EDIT: one more side question -- when you power the board on, does power LED get lit?

Power LED gets lit by firmware early in the boot process so if the platform is somewhat alive you should see the LED lit, even in absence of memory. Power LED is located in the vicinity of EPS power connectors.

I'm in EU so shipping recovery equipment back and forth isn't worth it. Though, if you need it I should be able to send you a chip with pre-burned known-working ROM.
 
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I ordered 2 bios chips - SST25VF016B-75-4I-S2AF , the chip clip and a Ch341A programmer. I am going to remove the chip and try to flash it with the ROM you have recommended. What I am nervous about is removing the bios chip from the board and then soldering it back on.

If I have problems flashing the chip, I might take you up on flashing it. I appreciate the offer of help.

As a side note, Supermicro wasn't very helpful. I really like their boards, but their tech seems uninterested in the more DIY guys.
 
OK

Though, if possible, see if you can do the SUPER.ROM recovery using the ROM from the link above. The 3.5a (H8Q series) and 3.5b (H8D series) released in 2015 were nothing but trouble for me.
 
The power led does light up and if the BMC is enabled, that light comes on and blinks and the fans spin up.

I added 1 CPU and 1 memory stick, removed the battery, cleared CMOS, put the battery back in and powered on the machine and I never get any lights on the USB keyboard or the USB flash drive. I can press ctrl + home and nothing happens, I can wait for 10 minutes and try ctrl + home and nothing happens. The only other think I can think of is maybe to try using a PS/2 keyboard? I don't think I even have one anymore.
 
Power LED getting lit is definitely a good sign.

It's been a while since I did a recovery on these boards so I can't really remember if there are specific recovery requirements...

I will have few of these boards accessible next weekend and should be able to exercise recovery process and come up with a recipe. I'll let you know once I do that.

EDIT: found one of my posts from way back -- hardforum.com/threads/project-piledriver-64.1724299/page-2#post-1039312672 (only somewhat helpful though)
EDIT2: another thread with possibly useful info H8QG6-F won't POST anymore
 
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I tried removing the memory chip and didn't get any beeps.

The board isn't trying to access the flash drive either.
 
Oh poo. I'll try to come up with exact recovery steps next weekend. Ofc, it's worth pursuing flash replacement option in case this doesn't work....
 
GOOD NEWS!

I flashed the bios chip on the motherboard using the chip clip and the CH341A programmer and it now lives! Thanks so much for your help. The first thing I did was setup IPMI!!
 
Awesome!

Glad to hear the procedure worked without desoldering the flash chip; this may become very helpful for others in similar need.
 
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