Soldered BIOS Repair
Soldered CMOS Repair
We are willing to attempt repairs to motherboards and Laptops that have a soldered BIOS or CMOS. You will need to read our terms and conditions at the foot of this page before making use of the soldered BIOS repair service.
The fact that you send your motherboard or Laptop to us for a repair attempt is deemed to be your acceptance of these conditions.
If you need to restore a CMOS or flash BIOS where the EEPROM is soldered directly to the motherboard surface and have exhausted all recovery options, we may be able to help. The service is offered primarily for motherboards with a PLCC 32, VSOP, SPI, or TSOP type flash BIOS.
Send your board in and we will attempt a repair. The board will have a replacement EEPROM fitted and will then be tested. If the repair is successful payment can be made and item shipped back to you.
DIY Soldered BIOS Repair
If you are handy with a soldering iron and have some patience, then it is quite a simple matter to remove the old PLCC chip and replace it with a PLCC SMD socket. Attempting this should be a last resort , all recovery options should have been exhausted before trying this option.
I have created a page to help any would be handy person to remove and replace a soldered PLCC BIOS chip, without using any expensive tools.
It doesn't matter if the motherboard is a laptop or a desktop board the method can be applied to both types.
Please see DIY Soldered BIOS Repair for details.
Laptops
We offer a BIOS recovery - soldered BIOS Repair service for most laptops. Always back up your BIOS before applying any new BIOS update to your laptop. Please read our terms and conditions at the bottom of this page before using the soldered BIOS repair service.
If you intend to make use of the Laptop bios recovery service please send in the whole laptop as we are sometimes able to recover laptops without having to resort to major surgery. If you send in the laptop motherboard only we do not get the chance to recover your laptops bios without removing the CMOS chip, and this option should be a last resort.
Not all manufacturers supply complete BIOS codes suitable for BIOS recovery. If we have any difficulty finding a working BIOS code for your board then this fact should be considered when purchasing your next Laptop.
Soldered Laptop BIOS
This service is offered for PLCC, TSOP, SPI and VSOP chips only, We can only complete this repair if your manufacturer releases suitable ROM or Binary files for your board, and then only if we have a suitable replacement EEPROM for your board.
All recovery options or flash recovery jumpers should have been tried before using this service.
Even though you may have tried any recovery options yourself, we also try ourselves where possible to recover the bios of any machine that is sent to us for BIOS repair. Removing the CMOS chip is really a last resort.
If your Laptop BIOS chip is soldered directly to the mainboard, the old chip can be removed and replaced with a programmed chip and surface mount socket. You can either attempt a repair yourself, or you can send in the laptop and we will attempt to repair it for you.
Your old CMOS or BIOS chip will be removed and replaced with a surface mount PLCC 32 pin socket. Once the PLCC 32 pin socket has been fitted, we can then proceed to try the BIOS codes available for your model.
Laptop BIOS Codes
If you have your BIOS code backed up then I can certainly help. If you don't have your BIOS code backed up, then providing a suitable Binary file is available to program your chip, I can prepare an EEPROM for you.
Unlike most desktop motherboards usable laptop BIOS Codes can be hard to find. There are cases where the manufacturer no longer supports the board and will not supply the codes necessary to complete the repair.
If you have your BIOS backed up and need a chip programmed just send me a copy with the BIOS chip part number and I will prepare one for you.
Terms-Conditions Soldered BIOS Service |
Due to the delicate nature of the work we do not accept any liability for the outcome of any repair attempt. The board or laptop would normally come to us dead and unbootable in the first instance. We can only do our best here to help with these problems. Repair attempts can be hindered by many different factors. I advise that you send the whole laptop if you live in the UK It may be more expensive to post, but it avoids Static damage caused during the dissmantling process.Wearing a wooly or acrylic pullover or working on carpets can seriously damage your laptops mainboard etc. Please be sure to package your item very well a good strurdy box is far preferable to a jiffy bag, and use an anti static bag too if you send the board only.. We are not responsible for items damaged in transit or any miss handled items. The laptop you send to us should be complete so that we can test the machine after the repair. 50% of the repair cost is payable when you send the laptop to us, the remainder is payable when / if the repair attempt is successful along with return postage. Batteries can be removed in most instances before posting to save on postage costs. In most cases we will have power supplies for these laptops so this can be excluded too. If you want to send the board only please contact me before you strip your machine. If you do not agree with these conditions then please do not make use of the service. If we manage to repair your laptop or desktop the cost is £19.99 for desktop PC boards. £25.99 for server board's, and £39.99 for laptops, plus your choice of return postage. If we fail in our attempt then there is no charge other than return postage and the socket This is normally covered by the initial 50% payment. |