Thread: Flashing the BIOS

1.) Determine if it's necessary in the first place. If you're not having problems or need a feature a new BIOS offers, you really don't need to flash the BIOS.

2.)Know exactly which motherboard you have. Most companies have more than one variation of their motherboards and frequently have a different BIOS for each one. Flashing the wrong BIOS could hose your board.

3.)Download the BIOS file. Sometimes the flashing utility is included in the BIOS .zip file, but this varies from company to company.

4.)Some companies offer a Windows based tool to flash BIOS with. This is a little easier to use, but even command line flashing has been simplified in most cases.

5.)Before you flash the BIOS to a new one, you should have the option to back up your current one. DO IT. Sometimes a newer BIOS can cause problems with your hardware configuration for example.

6.)Don't flash when there's an increased chance of losing power...such as durning a thunder storm. If the BIOS flash process is interrupted by a power loss, you will be left with an unbootable board and are looking at a new BIOS chip or paying someone to flash your BIOS chip...if it's not soldered onto the motherboard.

7.)READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Before you even begin, carefully read the instructions. There are several BIOS types, and the procedures may be a bit different. Additionally, the motherboard company may have a few different ways of flashing the BIOS.

These are pretty general, but they are the foundation for BIOS flashing. If you don't need to do it, then don't.

BIOS flashing is risky, but if you pay attention to what you're doing and do a little homework, you shouldn't run into problems.

Originally Posted by shawncy

What steps are needed in flashing a Bios without any problems?

First of all, you should make sure the flash is actually necessary. Flashing a BIOS is risky and can also introduce new problems, so it should not be taken too lightly.

Once you're sure you should be going ahead with it, make absolutely certain that you know exactly what motherboard and revision you have, and that you have exactly the right BIOS ROM for that motherboard. A screwup here can cost you a perfectly good MoBo.

When you are actually ready to flash the BIOS, you need to make sure that the process will not be interrupted for any reason. If you have a UPS unit, *use it*. I've actually had the power fail while I was flashing a client's BIOS! That hurt me to the tune of $75 for a replacement board. Also, make sure to use a brand new floppy for the flash, slow formatted. A corrupted ROM will almost always result in a dead motherboard.

Finally, you should probably download the latest motherboard drivers ahead of time and reinstall them after the flash. Windows can get pretty wiggy if you skip this step (it doesn't seem to bother Linux at all though).

If you follow these simple steps, you can minimize your chances of failure and stack the deck in your favor. Remember though, you should always carefully weigh the benefits of flashing before jumping in headlong!

-A.T.

That's pretty funny B; we practically posted the same thing less than a mintue apart. I guess we're on the same wavelength about this one...