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I have an Intel VBI Compal EL80 (the HEL80 is the non-VBI version), and I wanted to update my BIOS to see if I could shorten the POST time (it seems excessively long, and it's because the thing is counting RAM, to the tune of 2 GB). So I downloaded the 107B BIOS update (From 102B), and was looking through the folder when, for one reason or another, most likely because of a sensitive touchpad, the Phoenix updater for Windows began to run.
Unfortunately, there was no user intervention required. It seemed to check the current version, and apparently since it was older than the version in the folder, started re-programming. No prompts, no nothing. Of course, I couldn't stop it, and it seemed to do okay.
Until it hit the 13/19 mark. Made it about halfway through, and gave me a BSoD (IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL). I nearly had a massive heart attack. Of course, it was toast when I attempted to restart. It powered on, but that was it. No POST, nothing on the screen.
I managed to find enough instructions to build a "Crisis Recovery Disk", which I couldn't use at the time due to not having a floppy drive in my laptop. This Recovery disk allows you to recover your system after a failed BIOS flash, providing your system has a Phoenix BIOS which supports this operation.
I attempted to use a USB flash drive without success, so I had to use a USB floppy drive at to fix it. For those of you that might have stumbled upon this for a similar reason, I will tell you how I got the system back into good working order (I hope it helps; it's not a good feeling when this happens).
First, you need to get the Crisis Recovery Disk Tool.
Phoenix_Crisis_Recovery.zip (540.42K)
Number of downloads: 5316
If you can't get it in this post, you can find it here: HP Business Support Forum - the download link is the paperclip on the right side at the top of the first post.
Once you have the program, run it, (I checked the "Format" option - I couldn't get it to work without doing that, results may and probably will vary), and you will now have a floppy that you will be able to use to recover the BIOS. But you're not done quite yet.
There is a file on the disk called BIOS.WPH which needs to be replaced with the file for your specific BIOS (mine was EL80107B.ROM, files will vary). The file needs to be put on the floppy in place of the 512 kb WPH file, and you MUST rename your BIOS file (i.e. EL80107B.ROM) to BIOS.WPH. Changing the extension is necessary.
After you have traded the default WPH file for your specific BIOS file, you have a completed disk, and need to remove the battery from the laptop, and unplug the AC power cord. Then plug in your USB floppy drive (with the Crisis Recovery Disk in it and ready to go). Next, With the AC still unplugged, press and hold the Fn(Function) and B buttons. While still holding them, plug the AC power in, then press the power button.
The system should power on, but there should be no LEDs lit up, and the fan should not slow down like it normally does. If that is not what happens, and you get LEDs that light up, and the fan slows like normal, unplug the AC power and try using the Win and B keys instead. Once the system has booted into the BIOS Recovery mode, the floppy light will flash as it reads the BIOS file from the disk. You can then release the Fn+B keys (or Win+B ). After a minute or two, the floppy light will stop flashing.
DO NOT shut the computer off, as the process is only half complete. The system is now flashing the BIOS.
After the floppy light goes off, leave the computer on for two or three minutes; more if you want to be sure, and if the system does not reboot itself (mine did not), unplug the AC power. I let mine go for five minutes or so and pulled the plug (the power button would not shut the system off no matter how long I held it; I suspect this is normal). Five minutes should be plenty; however long you wait, try to be patient. My five minutes of waiting seemed to take forever, but paid off. Better to be without the laptop an extra minute or two than two weeks while it's back to wherever it came from having a new chip installed or the old chip re-flashed. Plug the AC power back into the laptop and fire it up.
If all goes well, you'll have made a very expensive paperweight into something useful again.
It seems this works for most newer models of laptops with Phoenix BIOSes (from what I've seen). Forums I've read have said that it may be either Fn+B or Win+B to boot into BIOS Recovery mode, and I assume the EL80, HEL80, EL81, and HEL81 are the same, and probably behave the same during emergency flashing.
Hope someone finds this helpful, as I had to piece it together from parts I found all over.
Posted 25 March 2007 - 12:54 PM
