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Thread ID: 65095	2006-01-07 08:58:00	Bios Update	stevensaaron (6348)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
418962	2006-01-07 08:58:00	I want to do a BIOS update. I get on to the right update for the mother board. when I click to download it it asks me to save it. does it matter where I save or do I have to save it in a certain file to update the Bios. in file type it says it is an unknown filetype I have never done a Bios update shjould I attempt it or could I ruin something if I do it wrong? Thanks	stevensaaron (6348)
418963	2006-01-07 09:06:00	Why do you need to update your BIOS? This can be a risky task and if it goes wrong the motherboard will most likely need replacing. If your computer is fine as it is, then do not update the BIOS. If the update is required to fix a known problem, then there should be specific instructions available from where you downloaded the BIOS update.	Jen (38)
418964	2006-01-07 13:59:00	Being computer savvy and not afraid to do a BIOS update, I still think the warning serves nothing more than to scare people away. Yes, there is danger involved, but it's a straightforward process that if interrupted would cause problems, if the file is incorrect, bad checksum, etc and you still continue to do the update, again that should be avoided. Here's the basics to do a BIOS update. There's sometimes two methods, a Windows bios update which can be performed under Windows and the BootDisk method. Either methods can work. The file you download, is usually an image of the new BIOS, it could have the .bin extension, .rom or another extension, or none. It's a binary file, so it's not text editor friendly. The Windows type, you download the file, save it as it is, without changing the name or extension if any, to an easy to find location, your desktop may do, although you may need to shift it to the directory of where the Windows BIOS flash exists, then simple run the Windows Flash Program, find the BIOS update file and then update and that should be it. You'll need to see if your motherboard vendor supplies the BIOS updater/flasher program used for BootDisk method. You'll need a Floppy Disk to perform this, or a CDROM that can boot into a basic DOS prompt. This floppy disk/cdrom contains just the basics to get into DOS, the update BIOS file you downloaded and the updater/flasher program (which may need to be extracted out of the zip file first and placed on the type of media you'll be using). Once you boot from the floppy disk, you'll probably start off at the A:\ prompt. You'll then do: flasherprogram.exe updatefile.bin Where flasherprogram is the actual name of the flasher programn and the update file is the name of the update file. The DOS you use may have the inbuilt autocomplete where you can write part of the name of the file and press TAB to complete the name for it. It may also accept wildcard, where you do the name of flasher and then the wildcard: e.g. flasher.exe *.rom or respectively the extension of your file. Some commands to help you get around: dir - this lists all files in the current directory. cd - this is used to change to another directory. cd .. - goes up to the parent of that directory. e.g. C:\temp using that command takes you to C:\ cd directory - switches to that directorgy. e.g. we're at C:\ and we do cd temp, we now are at C:\temp\ Also refer to the README or Install file supplied or located from your motherboard vendors site for a guide on how to do this. Cheers, KK	Kame (312)
418965	2006-01-08 04:44:00	Thanks For your help i'm not having any problems so I don't want to try and end up having problems.	stevensaaron (6348)
418966	2006-01-08 04:50:00	Dont do it through windows.	Prescott (11)
418967	2006-01-08 04:59:00	Some mobos do have programs, that'll update the BIOS in Windows, but unless your mobo supports something like Crashfree bios 2 (MOST ASUS mobos do these days), or the mobo has dual BIOS, (like Gigabytes), I wouldn't risk it. One bad flash, doing it in Windows (it can freeze), thats the end of the system.	Speedy Gonzales (78)
418968	2006-01-08 05:20:00	Gigabyte's @BIOS works fine within windows However as mentioned by Jen there is no need to update your bios unless there is some problem you need to resolve - in that way a bios update is quite different to say - a videocard driver update	KatiMike (242)
418969	2006-01-08 05:38:00	Well of course a BIOS update is diff from a driver update . Its completely different . A driver muckup, you can fix . A BIOS one u cant . You're screwed, if the update goes wrong / freezes / or the power decides to go off, while you're doing it . A system can work without a driver, it cant without a BIOS .	Speedy Gonzales (78)
418970	2006-01-08 05:45:00	Agreed Speedy , my post was directed at the threads author I remain unsure why stevensaaron wants / needs to do a Bios update :thumbs:	KatiMike (242)
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