Peter wrote: >I was trying to flash the BIOS on my new Shuttle computer when the >programming software reported a verification error. >I could not turn the power off since the computer could not boot. I tried >to restore the old binary file to the BIOS, but each attempt continued to >return a verification failure. I'm sorry you had so much trouble flashing the BIOS. Is there another recovery utility you can use to recover a failed upgrade? I know that Intel offers such a utility and when I upgrade a BIOS I have the recovery disk handy just in case something goes wrong. >To solve my problem, I had to call Shuttle tech support and have them send >me a new BIOS chip. >the technician was easy to deal with and did not even >charge me for the part of shipping. I would say that Tech support is right on and you are fortunate this has happened. Have you visited their site to see if there is any specific problem with the BIOS? Some times the manufacturer will give a list of known board or component glitches. Sometimes you can find certain problems that are on the recall or technical issues list. >is it possible to pull the chip while power is on to the computer, insert >another chip and then program it? What I am really asking is whether it >will damage the flash RAM chip by removing and inserting it with the power >turned on. Obviously, I can't turn the power off before placing a blank >chip in since the computer will not boot then. No you can't pull the chip with the system running. Well you can however, you may fry the board. All components are replaced with the system off and unplugged. TO replace a component such as a BIOS chip or memory would cause a spark going in either direction. Out of in. In the past when I was new at this game I used to unplug and plug the power connection to the hard drive. That was before I learned you can't do that. I fried several drives that way. Shorted out the drive motor and cooked the board. Be safe and shut down the system. Sincerely, Frank Suszka netTek Computers [log in to unmask] _____ avast! Antivirus <http://www.avast.com> : Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 0536-0, 09/05/2005 Tested on: 9/5/2005 11:47:02 PM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2005 ALWIL Software. Visit our website regularly for FAQs, articles, how-to's, tech tips and much more http://freepctech.com