Bios

[godsownman]

I have read this many times on the forums.

" I have to update my BIOS"

Can anybody guide me as to what is the advantage, risk , disadvantage abnd how to go about doing it.



Regards and thanks

[Nimda]

First thing you need to understand is, that BIOS updates are not like updating your anti-virus definitions. BIOS should be flashed only when some new hardware isn't detected or if the update incorporates some important feature you need or if it addresses stability issues etc..

Also, one needs to be careful during the update itself as a power failure in between the update will just render the entire system inoperable. The same holds true for firmware upgrades (for CD-ROM drives etc.). Interrupting which may prevent the hardware component to stop working.

[godsownman]

You forgot to say how its done.

Originally Posted by Nimda

First thing you need to understand is, that BIOS updates are not like updating your anti-virus definitions. BIOS should be flashed only when some new hardware isn't detected or if the update incorporates some important feature you need or if it addresses stability issues etc..

Also, one needs to be careful during the update itself as a power failure in between the update will just render the entire system inoperable. The same holds true for firmware upgrades (for CD-ROM drives etc.). Interrupting which may prevent the hardware component to stop working.

[mariner]

why dont u have a look here

http://www.pcmech.com/show/bios/81/

[Nimda]

Hey, can't newer BIOSes be flashed from within Windows itself? Visit your mobo manufacturer's site to know whether that's possible in your mobo. Chances are that there'll be a tool given in the CD that came with the motherboard which will Flash the BIOS from Windows itself.

[zodiac_511]

Personally i did not find any performance gain when i flashed my bios . I feel tht there r more risks than gains .

Nimda said:

Hey, can't newer BIOSes be flashed from within Windows itself?

Yes mobos from gigabyte have this feature

[mariner]

download free chapter of oreillys guide on creating boot disk for flashing bios from here

http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-108...tml?tag=search

[Choto Cheeta]

Originally Posted by Nimda

Hey, can't newer BIOSes be flashed from within Windows itself? Visit your mobo manufacturer's site to know whether that's possible in your mobo. Chances are that there'll be a tool given in the CD that came with the motherboard which will Flash the BIOS from Windows itself.

i use ausu mobo... here with my mobo Cd i got ASUS updater... it can run in any windows Platform.... can download the new BIOS version, back up the old noe & the install the new version.... all this while windows is running....

[mohit]

its very very simple for intel boards also .. just download the bios update for your motherboard from their website (download the self installer) ... and close all programs and run it .. it will update the bios and ur system will be restarted. thats it... just make sure u have a ups though .. coz if the power fails in between this process then u will have to recover ur bios and i dont know how dats done.

[godsownman]

Thanks Everybody

[Sankalp]

Originally Posted by zodiac_511

Personally i did not find any performance gain when i flashed my bios . I feel tht there r more risks than gains .

Nimda said:

Yes mobos from gigabyte have this feature

Ya and mobos from MSI too have this feature

And the good thing abt this is that if a power faliure occurs or some interruption occurs u can again flash ur bios using a bootable floppy created for this purpose

[cvvikram]

Hi all,

Now i am having lot of doubts on BIOS.........I am system Intel Original 865GBF Motherboard, P4 2.4Ghz, 1Mb Cache, 256DDR 333Mhz etc...OSes..Win Xp, Win98SE...

• Firstly, My system hangs or restarts frequently, even while booting.
  My vendor said that it is because of the BIOS property, that It supports only Legacy mode for ATA IDE in Drive Configuration ie under Advanced Section in BIOS.

So will updating the BIOS from Intel Site solves the problem?

• If i update,which option of updating shalli choose,,i.e Intel Express BIOS update,Intel Iflash BIOS Update or Intel Recovery BIOS...What are their differences...please specify...
  
  • Finally, if i want to restore back to previous BIOS, What are the options available????

[AcceleratorX]

If you have an ASUS or MSI motherboard, it is really very easy to flash BIOS.

Once I hadnt flashed my BIOS properly so the PC wouldnt boot. Instead ASUS EZ Flash popped up and told me to re-insert my floppy containing BIOS or the motherboard drivers CD.

I re-inserted the floppy, and this time it flashed successfully, and my PC stability increased noticeably with the new BIOS.

[q3_abhi]

Advantages - Get some new functions.

Risks- Very risky .

Disadvantages- Flashing your BIOS can be fatal for your motherboard if there is a power failure or surge during the flashing process. If your system is working fine and you don’t find any problems with your motherboard, do not upgrade your BIOS. If you decide to do so anyway, make sure to get some assistance from an engineer or a person well versed in computer hardware.



The above disadvantage was mentioned in 1 of the issues of digit.



If u wanna know how to update ur BIOS, i have a complete procedure.
It was given in DIGIT. If u want it PM me. i have a .doc file.