What is guide to BIOS upgrade.

hello i want to update mymotherboard/bios,or replace with a newer verision any ideas you might have would be great, thankyou , jeffrey quatman

This question was answered on August 18, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

---

Upgrading a BIOS chip is simple job but if done improperly can damage Rom chip and will not

work again, until you get a replacement chip from your motherboard manufacturer

First go to the motherboard maker web site, and get the right bios upgrade utility and get your

board correct bios READ the instructions file and follow it in detail I have seen a couple of

people take for granted they know how to flash BIOS only to find a new requirement and they

are stuck with a mess READ the INSTRUCTIONS Please.

Typically, you will need two floppy disks One disk is your Boot disk with an operating system

and the other contains your Flash Utility and the Upgrade file You might be able to put all this

on one floppy, but I recommend against it When you Flash upgrade your BIOS, one option is

to make a backup copy of your existing BIOS code You will want to do this and need room for

the Flash Utility file to store your old Bios code.

Next, start your computer and enter the CMOS, the area in the BIOS that contains settings you can modify Now look through all the settings and become comfortable with them and even write down any you may need to remember, such as the settings for your hard drive and maybe any Com ports you have turned off to allow a modem to function.

Now, boot your computer with the boot floppy disk, I always use a simple operating system like MS Dos v6 You can use any that you have on hand: MS Dos, OS/2, Win95/98/NT.. it is not important The system only needs the command operator in order to run the Flash Utility file Then, insert your Flash floppy disk The first thing you should do is read and write down the EXACT name of the Flash Upgrade file, this is usually something like: be6_mu.bin (this is the name of the one for my ABIT BE6 motherboard) You will be required to type this in during the upgrade process and you will need it.

Just execute the Flash Utility and follow the instructions on the screen Be sure to make a backup of your existing BIOS when prompted The name of this backup is not important to anyone but you, so use a name that is easy for you.

I highly recommend that even if you have read the instructions for flashing your Bios that were included, you should also print them out so you have them handy for reference.

After you have finished this process, hopefully with success, all that is need to do is remove your boot disk and reboot the computer You will need to enter the CMOS during the POST phase and make all the changes your CMOS requires in order to use the hardware on your system, such as identify your hard drive or turn off a Com port so your modem does not conflict with it.

Now, you should be done and all set.

I hope this helps Good Luck…

About the author

Posted by robert of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on August 18, 2004

Need Help with this Issue?

We help people with technology! It's what we do.
Contact or Schedule an Appointment with a location for help!