So I did something stupid...

[deargodpleasehelp]

          Hey y'all....
 
  So....
  Yeah I did something stupid on my PC just the other day where I overwritten my Windows PC BIOS accidentally   by pretty much decrompressing and opening the BIOS Update file from   Dell, and I tried to replace it with a downgraded version except when   importing into there I accidentally chose an old Macintosh ROM... :eek:
 
  And now if I re/start it, it beep several times indicating a corrupted BIOS.
 
  If there was a way to flash the BIOS/Firmware on a Mac, how would you do that?
 
  (I think Apple now will be smarter before anybody releases their ROM's and stuff on the internet freely now).
 
  Which I know this is stupid to happen (considering Apple runs an   ENTIRELY different FileSystem) but it happend, and well now... My PC is a   Mac. :-P
 
  This is probably the wrong board to be posting in, but I decided it   deserves to be in OS9 for some reason... If a Mod could move it to the   right place in time that'd be great.
 
  Thanks.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=Apple+So+I+did+something+stupid... | First Link. #Top

Edit: Oops sorry wrong forum board...

[BC_Programmer]

You probably have to replace the chip itself.

All you did was corrupt the BIOS image. you didn't turn it into a mac, you simply corrupted it. (the older Macs use a different instruction set entirely, the ROM boots in a different fashion, the hardware is different, etc) for all intents and purposes you simply corrupted it. You didn't "turn it into a mac" by any stretch of the imagination.

Additionally, it's interesting that yu say it's "stupid that apple should let this happen" when what is actually stupid was importing a Mac BIOS into a BIOS Flash tool.

[mroilfield]

Is this by chance the same comp that you had problems with GTA IV?

http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,114147.msg764013.html#msg764013

[deargodpleasehelp]

Is this by chance the same comp that you had problems with GTA IV?

http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php/topic,114147.msg764013.html#msg764013

And actually no this is my Dell mini I got off of EBay in good condition, worked fine I was just experimenting (or trying too lol)

[JJ 3000]

You could still use it as a doorstop or a paperweight.

[deargodpleasehelp]

You could still use it as a doorstop or a paperweight.

Seriously man I can't let such a good laptop go to waste... from what I've heard Dell is a crap company butI don't believe that junk. Their computers are great! They're pretty fast PCs when I first messed around with the Dell mini...

Can someone help me please?? TANKS!!!!

[JJ 3000]

Have you ever worked on laptops? repaired or replaced parts on them?

Have you ever used a soldering iron?

Do you even know where you'd get a replacement chip?

[BC_Programmer]

It's a laptop? Oh  that's going to be tricky.  Although come to think of it it's almost always a soldered chip these days.

Most PCs have an "emergency" method to flash using a floppy. But with a laptop you usually have to replace the entire motherboard. (or get it repaired, which usually costs more then a new motherboard).

[deargodpleasehelp]

It's a laptop? Oh  that's going to be tricky.  Although come to think of it it's almost always a soldered chip these days.

Most PCs have an "emergency" method to flash using a floppy. But with a laptop you usually have to replace the entire motherboard. (or get it repaired, which usually costs more then a new motherboard).

Oh... Well that stinks dude!!

Man tbh I've never used a soldering iron or soldered anything before...

And who do you think does Dell board repairs ? Dell?! Oh there's no way they'd cover THAT... (Oh, sorry thinking about Apples crappy warranty) ... Hmmm hold on let me get an idea of who in our area can do Real cheap repairs...

[JJ 3000]

If you could find the exact same model of laptop that someone has given up on due to other parts breaking or malfunctioning, you might be able to scavenge a BIOS chip.

It couldn't hurt to try. The computer is as good as dead already.

[deargodpleasehelp]

If you could find the exact same model of laptop that someone has given up on due to other parts breaking or malfunctioning, you might be able to scavenge a BIOS chip.

It couldn't hurt to try. The computer is as good as dead already.

That's great Ok thanks

And can someone please tell me WHERE this thread goes??? I guess it's better here then huh....

[deargodpleasehelp]

Little bump...

[Salmon Trout]

Little bump? Look you have no choice. You cannot reflash this bios chip. Send the *censored* thing to a company who have an onboard bios flasher. And be prepared to prove 1. You have legal title to this machine. 2. That your "I used a Mac bios image" story is not an invention (More imaginative than "my kids changed the password", but still a bit implausible - you got a mac bios image by mistake? How? Why?)

[BC_Programmer]

you might be able to scavenge a BIOS chip.

This is true, but any semi-modern machine has the BIOS chip literally soldered onto the mainboard- especially in the case of laptops.

[patio]

Actually i personally would be too embarrassed to admit i used a MAC flash on the BIOS...

As Salmon suggested....come up with another line.

[BC_Programmer]

how about "I flashed my BIOS with an excel spreadsheet?"

or

"I flashed my BIOS and now I'm to embarassed to talk to it"

[Salmon Trout]

There is a UK company that charges 24.99 UK pounds (38.90 US dollars) to reflash a soldered laptop BIOS chip, if you send them the motherboard, and 79.99 pounds (124.72 US dollars) if you send the whole laptop for them to dismantle and reassemble, and they say email them first to see if the BIOS is supported. Other companies charge more to do the complete job, I have no reason to suppose these prices will not translate to other currencies reasonably well.

If the BIOS is an SPI type (Serial Programming Interface) there may be an SPI header near the chip to which the repair company can attach a cable and an Eeprom flasher without unsoldering the chip.

[deargodpleasehelp]

Actually i personally would be too embarrassed to admit i used a MAC flash on the BIOS...

As Salmon suggested....come up with another line.

I've actually posted this on Apple discussions looking for answers there too, I just 'technically' copied this post from there to here, I'd want to edit my main post again but the 15-limit editing time is rubbish.

Here it is *sigh* : http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2633340&tstart=0

And to the other posters about HOW exactly I did this,

Ok. This was possibly the most stupidest thing I ever did... So yeah, here we go.

I used 7zip and a few other progs. as the opening utility, I was quite tired and literally sleep-blinded at the time to know what I was really doing...

I was trying to look for my downgraded BIOS Image I had from my USB stick I plugged into the Dell Mini.
Ok here's what I did, I used the trackpad to move around the cursor (I should've used a mouse) But the auto-tap-to-click thing got it's way and I somehow must've double-clicked on the Mac BIOS (this BIOS was 'ripped' from another Flash Utility by Apple for their Macs). It actually wasn't an old Mac, I just found it out. It was named in something according to: MB#####. Possibly a dollar sign ($) was in there.

After importing it in, I had assumed for the best, that nothing had changed and tried it anyways.

The computer seemed to have a seizure after running it, so I didn't do anything until the next morning, the battery died (I didn't leave it plugged in) so I didn't know how much the computer suffered alive, whatever it did it Ruined the BIOS actually.

And then comes the part where turning it on does nothing but beep...

It's a little similar to this case: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoIjrR2RFo
Just foward a bit to the middle of the video, you'll see what I mean.