used mobo, so now DMI update impossible?

[naltonj]

hello-

i'm trying to update the DMI strings on my toshiba satellite so i can use the recovery disks that came with it.  a few years back i had a blown motherboard replaced with something a repairman found for me in the scrapheap.  now the toshiba DMI update won't take.

of motherboards i am ignorant, so i'm asking:  is this a hardware issue?  is it possible my new motherboard is not of a toshiba satellite and as such a DMI update is impossible?  am i making sense?

any help is much appreciated.

see also:  http://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1162828810

[ale52]

Hope this helps you:

“Verifying DMI Pool Data…” then nothing!
If you get this message (or a subtle variant thereof) on your computer screen just before it locks up on you than you could have a pretty seriously problem on your hands. As always the best way to figure out the problem is to work the problem carefully and methodically!
DMI stands for Desktop Management Interface and this is the part of the system that stores a lot if the configuration information of the system's hardware components.

Possible reasons for this problem:
Hardware change
BIOS settings change
Improper connection of hard drive IDE cables
Corrupt Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard drive
Defective hard drive  
Defective motherboard
Possible causes of the problem:
Hardware incompatibility
Virus damage
Damage to internal circuitry
Corruption of data
Improper BIOS settings
Damage to the system from overclocking the CPU
Print this page out as a reference before beginning work ... just in case!!!

Possible solutions:
1.Undo any hardware change you did and see if the system works again.  
2.Check all the cables and expansion cards for proper contact.  
3.Try setting the “Reset Configuration Data” (also known as “Force Update ESCD”) BIOS option in the BIOS “PNP/PCI configuration” to “Enabled”, save and exit the BIOS. After a reboot the option is set to “Disabled” again.  
4.Check your motherboard manual for information about the “Clear CMOS jumper” and then clear the CMOS. Please note that with ATX power supplies based systems the power cord must be disconnected or the mechanical switch of the PSU (Power Supply Unit) must be set to “Off” or “0” before the Clear CMOS jumper is used.  
5.Disconnect all IDE cables and enter the BIOS. From there set the boot sequence to start with the floppy drive. Try to boot from a bootable floppy with the proper BIOS update files for your BIOS and update the BIOS. After the update is finished clear the CMOS again and after booting set the “Reset Configuration Data” (also known as “Force Update ESCD”) BIOS option in the BIOS “PNP/PCI configuration” to “Enabled”.  
If you can boot from floppy but the BIOS update does not help then the problem is corruption of the MBR. You can try to fix this using a partitioning application. On a Windows system this is called FDISK and you would need to start the system up using a bootable floppy with that program on it. To run FDISK type this at the command prompt:
fdisk /mbr
Another option is to go to the website of the manufacturer of your hard drive and download and run a copy of any drive diagnostic tools that they might have on offer (all the major manufacturers have them nowadays).
Failing that, you could test the hard drive in another system.
If all of that fails it is more than likely that the motherboard is defective and needs to be replaced. :-(

Alan <><  

[naltonj]

thanks alan!

but i don't think i was clear or specific enough.  the recovery cd's that came with my computer will not load because they believe i'm trying to use them improperly (wrong machine).  the disks believe it's the wrong maching because my mobo has been replaced.  

i've downloaded a dmi updater from the toshiba website that helped me create a boot disk with a DOS app that i think is supposed to change my DMI strings to that of the make/model computer i actually own so that my recovery cd's will work.

when i am prompted by the dos dmi update app to tell it which computer i own, i do so.  it then follows with:  "dmiset.exe unable to update DMI string TOSHIBA" and "dmiset.exe failed to write DMI data to machine".

what i'm wondering is if i have a problem with the boot disk i've created or if the update app won't work because my mobo is too foreign?

[GX1_Man]

You need to contact Toshiba and work this through with them. That is your only hope.

[naltonj]

this from john of WUGNET in the compuserve forums:

"Yep, if the mobo came from some other model, you are dead in the water. The DMI string applet won't work AND your recovery media will NOT work on a machine without the correct 1905 DMI string. Time to BUY a commercial copy of Windows"

any thoughts on what john said?

*** Oh, and Toshiba has kindly informed me that since my warranty has expired it would cost me $35 to ask their insight ***

[GX1_Man]

Everyone will need a real copy of Windows sometime, sooner or later. In your case, it appears to be sooner.

Check with Toshiba first. Your only hope is if they did the mainboard swap. Did they?

[naltonj]

no, it was just some guy :[

[GX1_Man]

Nope, I am afraid you are ready to head on down to the store and plunk down some ca$h.