TravelMate 4101 Dead after BIOS upgrade

Hi,

I have an old TravelMate 4101. I tried updating the BIOS - which I shouldn't have done, because now the PC is dead...

When looking for BIOS updates for this model, I found several BIOSes; one for DDR memory and four for different graphics adapters.

I downloaded the first one, for DDR memory, as found here:

http://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/BIOS/BIOS/BIOS_Acer_3C29_A_For%20DDR%20memory.zip?acerid=633978416743008448&Step1=NOTEBOOK&Step2=TRAVELMATE&Step3=TRAVELMATE4100&OS=ALL&LC=en&BC=ACER&SC=EMEA_19

and it was a .zip file that contained several ZIPped .WPH files, as well as a WinPhlash tool.

I installed WinPhlash and tried one of the BIOS files, ZL2I3C29.WPH. The upgrade appeared to go fine, no errors or warnings, but upon reboot, I just get a black screen and a few seconds of disk activity.

I read somewhere that I can do an emergency BIOS flash using a procedure of pressing Fn+Esc while powering on the PC, and then have a CD ready with a correct BIOS file.

Is this correct? Could some of you direct me to how I should do this, and which BIOS file to use?

Thanks!

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Vince53

Nord, I think everyone is afraid to tackle your question, but I'll give it a try. What do you mean when you say that it is "dead"? Do any lights come on at all? Can you at least get to the opening screen?

How well was it running before you tried to update the BIOS? By any chance, do you still have the original installation disks?

nordeide

Hi, Vince,

The PC powers on with the power LED illuminated, and there are a few seconds of disk activity, both visible through the LED and audible. Then nothing more happens, but the C is still powered on. If I press the power button, it shuts down immediately, so it has not started any Windows boot yet.

The PC was apparently running fine before I started messing things up, so I know, I should have left it well alone... Oh well. If I have a chance to save it, it would be nice, but if it is beyond repair, so be it.

I do have the original installation disks, so if I can get a proper boot-up with regular BIOS access as before, then 'll be fine.

I tried holding in Fn+Esc while powering on, and the PC seemed to enter some special mode. I got three short beeps and one long beep from the speaker. So perhaps it would be possible to restore the BIOS, if I select the correct file?

Vince53

If you're lucky, you can boot into Safe Mode. It really sounds like your hard drive is dead, but it's strange that a BIOS update will kill it. Try starting up and tapping F8 repeatedly. You might have to try various F keys. Since you have the original disks, you should be able to re-install.

nordeide

The problem is neither Windows nor the HD, I cannot access anything at all, not even the BIOS setup utility. The computer stops responding long before the HD boot sequence.

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