Unknow flash ic type

[vapd]

I gues Ruslan is most likely to help hear but I'll throw it open:

Is there a way of getting round the unknown flash IC type when useing aflash or uniflash in hot swap?

[Ruslan]

Originally posted by vapd
Is there a way of getting round the unknown flash IC type when useing aflash or uniflash in hot swap?

Sometimes it can happens, if flash util old enough and does not support that particular chip (what exactly chip type, by the way?)...or chipset does not support that particular chip - it also could be...

I would recommend to try different versions of mentioned utils... latest versions are preferrable,though...

I would try also AMIflash universal flash utility from Gigabyte' site... But this util may be not working with some of ASUS motherboards...

Unilflash has special buit-in chiplist option:

Format:
Uniflash -chiplist >chiplist.txt {enter}
Check out that chiplist.txt file - it is list of supportable flash ICs...

Show all the switches:
uniflash/?

If you have another motherboard (not ASUS), you can try to use mentioned AMIflash util (preferrable) or stardard awdflash... you can use your ZIP32 socket in any motherboard, isn't it? ;-)

As last resort, you can try to use uniflash in Force mode using manufacturer's ID code for that particular flash chip.

Format:

uniflash -expert -force XXXX ,
where XXXX - manufacturer's ID code...

If all above not help you - "se lya wee", chip is bad.
Especially if chip runs hot - it 100% means, what chip was previously inserted in wrong polarity - nothing can help to revive that chip...
Good luck!

[vapd]

The first chip in question is an Amic A290021T-70 0114D B8M10. It came from a kg7 and it hadnt been flashed to support XP cpu's. Unfortunatly I'd just sold my last Duron, and had no older athlons around (XP's are so cheap now). I went thru a number of mobo's I've been given to test until I found a 2meg chip that was recognised by aflash on my p2b and so that board is up n running again. But in going thru these defunct boards I found a few chips were not recognised and wondered how to get round this....

So if I were to try and force uniflash which part of the code do I use?

And lastly can I damage the mainboard or is it just the chip I can fry if it programs with 12v instead of 5v?

Thanks again...

[Ruslan]

Originally posted by vapd
And lastly can I damage the mainboard or is it just the chip I can fry if it programs with 12v instead of 5v?

Of course, you can damage the chip - don't even try it, higher programming voltage will not help you anyway...

Amic A290021T-70 chip,I think, is one of clones of damned Mosel Vitelic chips...These chips are very weird ones, needed only latest versions of aflash (2.13 or above, if I remember it correctly - from German ASUS FTP site www.asuscom.de ).

Uniflash is working incorrectly with these chips at all...
Only AMIflash (universal flash utility from Gigabyte site) is seem to working well with these chips, but AMIflash may be not working in some of ASUS motherboards...
So, I usually flash spare "non-problematic" chip like Winbond 29C020 or similar one, then do hot-swap on that motherboard with that AMIC chip and using mentioned above AMIflash utility... You can use your ZIP socket in any motherboard, isn't it? So, why not to try it...

Just only one thing check before doing it - if chip is running very hot, it means, what that chip was previously incorrectly installed into socket (backward) and thus, damaged...

[vapd]

Hi ruslan, about the prog voltage thing, I was just thinking that if the flash program dosnt recognise the chip then the consequence of forceing uinflash might be the wrong voltage? As long as this cant damage the mainboard I will not worrey..

I was useing aflash 2.13 but have grabbed 2.17 from asus.de so thanks for link I will try this first!!

Is there any good in keeping older flash utils such as 2.13 or do they only get better??

[Ruslan]

Originally posted by vapd
... about the prog voltage thing, I was just thinking that if the flash program dosnt recognise the chip then the consequence of forceing uinflash might be the wrong voltage? As long as this cant damage the mainboard I will not worrey..

I was useing aflash 2.13 but have grabbed 2.17 from asus.de so thanks for link I will try this first!!

Is there any good in keeping older flash utils such as 2.13 or do they only get better??

It should not damage the motherboard, I have never seen it, but who knows?... For correct reflashing, flash utility have to know exactly, what's the chip type...

By the way, I was also using version 2.13, but 2.17 should be better...

Nevertheless, I keep all the versions of all flash utils - just in case of "uknown flash"... Sometimes older util can work beffer for some particular chips - I've seen it few times...
But, of course, I'm usualy trying the latest util first...
Try also AMIflash util... - it is coolest flash util for non-ASUS motherboards...
So, if all the utils wont help to ID the chip, better leave it as is, may be next version of flash util will work with this chip...