Hey all ... I have an interesting dilema here ... for this Toshiba Satellite L300D -01Q (Mod # PSLC0C-01Q08C) loaded with Vista Home Premium (SP# unknown), current BIOS version 1.50 (InsydeH20 Setup Utility Rev. 3.5):
... the only BIOS Update (6/12/2009, version 1.90) available from Toshiba is a 'Windows Installation' package ('PSLC0C-PSLE0C-190-WIN.exe') and I need the BIOS upgrade in the form of a bootable floppy or CD (FYI - TSB000721 & TSB000806 are not immediately helpful in this regard). My reason for needing to do a BIOS upgrade in DOS:
... the notebook boots to an illuminated black screen (only - absolutely nothing else displayed except a moveable white mouse pointer). I cannot get beyond the VHP kernel loading phase of boot as I believe somehow 'Instant Security' got initiated ('hot keys' 'Fn+F1'?) and Toshiba's TSB000954 says a solution for said symptom is a BIOS upgrade.
FYI - Safe Mode, 640x480 low res mode, Last Known Good Configuration, Startup Repair (all tests OK) & System Restore (none available) do not resolve this issue and I am not ready to give up the ghost yet.
I have extracted the 6 files inside the BIOS Update EXE and find that the principle app file, 'InsydeFlash.exe', is a 32-bit Windows program only.
There is also a file called 'PS10A190.fd' - is this some kind of floppy-maker?
None of the 6 files is any form of Readme and the 'platform.ini' file only confirms that the principle app is 32-bit only.
The BIOS Update download listing's 'More Info' link takes one to Toshiba's TSB000728 ... which only talks about upgrading from within Windows.
I searched 'Insyde' on Google to see if I could find their Support site and drill down into it for alternative BIOS Update formats, however, thus far, no luck.
Can anyone suggest a means of creating BIOS Update bootable media (FDD or CD) from the Toshiba-supplied EXE package?
Thanks, Kevin
Must be this update, Kevin.
BIOS Update for Windows Vista, 1.90, 6/12/2009 PSLC0C-PSLE0C-190-WIN.exe
Consider adding a partition to the drive (using, for example, the free EASEUS Partition Master), and then installing Vista or W7 temporarily into that partition just for this purpose.
Hey Jerry ... thanks for helping out ...
Given that I would have to do what you suggest with EASEUS Partition Master in Command Prompt mode, do you think it's still possible / advisable? The free Home edition of same doesn't mention any DOS / command line functionality.
Further, I have not yet explored the structure of the HDD but am assuming that there will be at least 1 (hidden?) Toshiba Recovery partition, possibly labelled 'X:\' (I have seen X:\ and C:\ so far) ... I am very hesitant to mess with the partitioning of the HDD at this point ... there must be a way to upgrade the BIOS short of having to install another Win O/S to the HDD.
You would think that Insyde Software Corp. would have some alternative method(s) to update their BIOS ... I will have to take another run at their Corporate website to see what I can shake loose in the way of info. That, or, some clever people out there must have figured out a way to work in DOS with the Windows 32-bit EXE that Toshiba supplies.
Also, since I'm primarily interested in addressing the black screen issue, I am also wondering if there is a display driver problem ... again ... I would have to update the display driver files in DOS ... and ... the ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics adapter Catalyst v9.8 s/w pkg. is another Windows 32-bit type install. Does anyone remember their DOS well enough to offer help / suggestions for that undertaking?
PMJI
You can shrink a partition using the WIN 7 bootable DVD, is you have one. When you start up Windows 7 install from within another OS, like XP, you can call for Custom Install and get access to a utility to shrink an existing partition, if there is enough free space on the hard drive, and then Create a Partition and Format it.
I don't know if that facility exists in VISTA or not.
If you don't have a WIN 7 Bootable DVD you may still be able to download from Technet the 90 day free trial of Windows 7 Enterprise edition as an ISO file and burn that to a DVD .....
Download a 90-Day Trial of Windows 7 Enterprise should take you there. You can get it if you are an IT person ....
I already have a Live ID but I'm not a paying subscriber and it worked for me after I signed in.
Hugh
Startup Repair #all tests OK# & System Restore #none available) do not resolve this issue
2. Since you can reach the System Recovery Options menu, you should be able to do the job at a command prompt using the DiskPart command. Maybe these are all available.
DiskPart Command-Line Options
3. Or maybe Hugh's suggestion works for you.
I sure don't know how to use the 32-bit Windows program in a DOS environment. But you'd think they would have a solution to this situation.
OK guys ... lots of helpful ideas there ... I kind of mixed and matched them ...
I got my hands on a new HDD that I can use in another system later on ... went ahead and put Windows 7 Enterprise O/S on the new drive and was able to complete the BIOS upgrade from within W 7.
Unfortunately, the BIOS upgrade did not cure my black screen with mouse pointer (only, literally) issue when booting from the original Vista Home Premium-loaded HDD where critical data remains.
About all I can think of now is the possibility of the 'Instant Security' feature gone awry issue, or, there is something wrong with / damage to the display driver(s).
The latter seems less likely as Safe Mode and low resolution mode don't get around the black screen issue. If I am faced with a display driver tinkering task, I will have to accomplish same in DOS.
Any other ideas?
Kevin -
So you can boot from the Win 7 hard drive, but not from the old Vista drive. Is that correct? Even in Safe Mode. Maybe the simplest solution at this point would be to buy an external hard drive case, mount the old drive in there, and plug the case into a USB port. Then boot to Win 7, and copy the critical files from the external drive.
Once the data is rescued, reformat the external drive, reinstall it in the system, reinstall Vista (or Win 7, whichever) and you'll be ok. External hard drive cases are relatively cheap (< $50 max). And once you've put the original drive back in, you can use the new drive for backup or archival (in the external case) until you have that other system later on.
All this assumes that the old drive has not been physically damaged and that the file structure is not corrupted, of course.
Good luck.
Kurt
Hey Kurt ... thanks for the help ...
Your first statement is correct and you are correct about Safe Mode not helping the issue.
I like your idea about the external HDD case ... I shall look at my supplier's site to see what they have.
One more thing I'd still like to try is to start a conventional Vista Home Premium install to the original HDD and see if I'm offerred the option to Repair an existing installation, or, install fresh while still preserving files, programs, ect., the latter as (I noticed yesterday) was the case with Windows 7 Enterprise.
The problem is, all I have are the Toshiba VHP Recovery DVDs (I was fortunate to find these online for the Toshiba Satellite L300D because the user had not created them in advance) and my choices are limited to Startup Repair (all checks OK, no beneficial effect), System Restore (no restore points), Last Known Good (didn't work) or re-imaging the system back to Toshiba default (new), which would overwrite all the user's files and programs.
I don't have a regular MS VHP install DVD ... any thoughts on how I could find it / get it? The machine in question has a valid license sticker on the bottom, so I'm OK license-wise, just not physical media-wise. There's lots of torrents, multi-part d/l's, ect. out there with file name variations on VHP, however, I don't trust most of the providers / content.
Kevin
Safe Mode, 640x480 low res mode, Last Known Good Configuration, Startup Repair (all tests OK) & System Restore (none available) do not resolve this issue
How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and repair start...
If not, give that a try.
If you already have a retail version of Vista, you can boot from that to get the repair options. From the description you gave of the Toshiba Recovery disc though, you can not use that to do the repair or fresh install without wiping the hard drive. Most systems do not ship with the retail version though - just a Ghost image of what the hard drive is supposed to look like, and there are no files to use for a repair.
Jerry's suggestion on using BootRec may work for you. But BootRec doesn;t repair the Windows folder; just the MBR, boot record, and BCD table. If the problem is there you'd be ok. But if Windows itself is clobbered, it won't help.
It's not clear if you see anything at all on the screen before it crashes to black. If you do not see any indication that Windows is starting before then, the problem may very well be the boot info fixable with BootRec. Give a try and let us know.
ps: If the downloadable versions of VHP were legal, MS would never have sold a copy to any legitimate user - we'd all just download them. You should assume they are infected with something.
Hey Jerry ... hey again Kurt ...
Jerry ... because the Vista kernel is loading completely (progress bar with green blocks scrolling left to right, underneath that it says: "© Microsoft Corporation") before transitioning to an active (backlit) black screen with a white mouse pointer (only, literally ... there is nothing to grab anywhere, not even at the screen edges), I don't believe there are any boot-related issues occurring.
Interestingly, HDD activity is evident at the black screen initially and then eventually settles down to nothing, just like a normal system. USB devices can be plugged in and are detected (I say 'detected' based on: 1. wireless mouse RF antenna can be plugged in, and, after the appropriate sounds and some HDD light activity, mouse starts working properly. 2. FDD can be plugged in, and, after the appropriate sounds and some FDD physical activity accompanied by HDD light activity, the HDD activity settles down to nothing.) This leads me to believe that the system has loaded Windows normally and is just sitting there, ready for someone to log on, if only I could see something displayed!
Kurt, unfortunately, I do not have a retail version of Vista Home Premium but am working on that now. Seems to me Microsoft should make the download available freely ... if people don't have a legitimate license key, then theoretically, they won't get much use out of any O/S loaded from said download / burned media.
> ...the Vista kernel is loading completely (progress bar with green blocks scrolling left to right ... I don't believe there are any boot-related issues occurring.
I agree. Something has corrupted the Windows installation.
> Seems to me Microsoft should make the download available freely ... if people don't have a legitimate license key, then theoretically, they won't get much use out of any O/S loaded from said download / burned media.
Piracy is a huge problem. Not making the DL available is one attempt to reduce that - it can not be stopped completely. Ideally you'd be able to order a copy from MS or Toshiba, but MS does not support the OEM sales and Toshiba doesn't want you to have the full release disc.
I infer that your goal is to move to Win 7 immediately, so I'd go with the external case solution and not spend more of your time and energy trying to fix the broken Vista installation.
Hey Kurt ...
As to Windows 7 ... that's not where I'm headed ... I'm just trying to save this particular VHP / laptop system.
Well ... I managed to find and download an image of the VHP Upgrade Retail DVD ... however, when I booted from the burned DVD and proceeded to try and do an Upgrade Install (preserving user files, programs and settings), the installation routine rejected the legit OEMAct Product Key ... presumably it is looking for a Retail Product Key ... sheesh!
I am not even sure if there is such a thing as a VHP OEM Install or Upgrade DVD that would permit the input of an OEMAct Product Key - any ideas on that?
P.S. I found an external case for $19.99CAD ... I'm off to get that now, but, would still prefer to repair this system instead of re-image and re-load it (call me stubborn).
> ... I managed to find and download an image of the VHP Upgrade Retail DVD ... however, when I booted from the burned DVD and proceeded to try and do an Upgrade Install (preserving user files, programs and settings)...
I don't understand. You have two hard drives - one with Win 7 on it and one with a broken version of Vista HP. What were you "upgrading"? Or were you thinking that the "upgrade" would repair the broken Vista HP? Apparently the upgrade CD was not even able to find the existing version of Windows.
> I am not even sure if there is such a thing as a VHP OEM Install or Upgrade DVD
If you mean the equivalent of a retail Windows DVD, not in your case. Toshiba only ships the image, which has the key embedded so no key entry is needed.
> would still prefer to repair this system instead of re-image and re-load it
Not sure that is going to be possible. There's no way to tell just where things are broke, but it's pretty serious if Windows can't even reboot itself when the start-up fails. And for the "upgrade" not to be able to find the prior installation... Maybe I've misunderstood exactly what this "upgrade" CD really is.
The only other thing I can suggest is use the new hard drive, do a clean VHP install, and then try to migrate your settings and files from the old drive in the external enclosure. Then image the new drive and restore the image to the old drive. But that's going to take some third party software for imaging. And you will still probably have to reinstall all your applications.
Hey Kurt ... yes to the latter ... I was thinking that the "upgrade" would repair the broken Vista HP ...
Actually, the VHP Upgrade DVD does see the existing Vista installation ... after the language choices screen, I am offerred the option to Install or Repair ... I tried the Repair option but it seems to be limited to the usual half dozen or so Recovery options that I have seen and tried before ... it seems the only way to invoke an operating system overwrite is to go down the 'Install' path and try to choose an option to preserve files, programs and settings.
I am being stopped by the Product Key type ... my OEMAct Product Key versus the expected Retail Product Key ... if there is a DVD-based OEM version of VHP, it would appear that I must find it.
I have the ext. drive enclosure now, so am able to backup the HDD's files ... in the event I simply cannot find an OEM disc, or, in the event of some other unforseen disaster.
I do appreciate all the help Kurt ... I just can't believe this OEM / Retail DVD versions obstacle is effectively preventing the recovery of the system as is. And over such a seemingly benign glitch - that being the black screen issue.
I've never used the repair options; I;ve always just wiped the drive and restored from my own backups. But I'm not surprised that a repair didn't work; once Windows is broken, it's not easy to figure out what needs fixing.
As far as the license goes - normally when MS distributes an upgrade they charge for it. Like $119 for Vista HP to Windows 7 HP. That you were able to download the CD for free says that you;re missing something - like an upgrade key or something.
Any how, good luck with the reinstall.
Kevin, the only repair-install that works in Windows Vista must be run from within Windows.
Repair Install For Vista
It's essentially useless for a real repair (when Windows won't boot).
