InterClypse

Flashing a computers BIOS is a task most have little experience in doing. Although, the steps outlined here are quite simple one must still be cautious so that your computer is not left in an unusable state. This article focuses on the basic steps and explains why it is necessary to flash the BIOS, precautions, and how to recover in case of a bad flash.

What is the BIOS and why do you need to flash it?

BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. It is the most basic component in your computer and determines what your computer can do without accessing any other files or programs from the hard drive. The BIOS contains all the information needed for your computer to Power on Self Test (POST), which is needed in order for the computer to boot. The BIOS also includes how to control your keyboard, communicate with your CPU, send/receive video signals to/from your monitor, and recognize your components (hard drives, optical drives, USB devices, serial ports).

Why should we flash the BIOS?

Flashing your BIOS to the latest release is crucial because it enhances your system's capabilities, helps it to detect newer devices and components (newer hard drivers, newer CPUs, etc), and improves stability through the introduction of patches by the manufacturer.

Steps

• Make sure you have a USB stick. Since the original method to flash the BIOS was using a 1.44MB floppy USB size is not important - they are all greater than 1.44MB
• Download the BIOS version appropriate for your motherboard.

                 NOTE: BE SURE TO READ THE DOCUMENTATION TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PICKED THE CORRECT VERSION.

• Download HP USB Disk Storage Utility used to format and make your USB stick bootable
• Download the DOS bootable files
• Install the HP USB Disk Storage Utility
• Unzip the DOS bootable files to your C: drive
• Insert your USB stick in your computer
• Run the HP USB Disk Storage Utility software. NOTE: With Microsoft Vista you need to start the software as an administrator by right clicking on the icon and selecting "Run as Administrator".
• Select your USB as the “Device”, FAT as the “File system”, BOOTDISK as the “Volume label”, select “Quick Format”, Select “Create a DOS startup disk”, and enter C:\win98boot (or the path where you downloaded the DOS bootable files. Then select the “Start” button. This process only takes a few seconds.

• (Optional) Check the USB stick; there should be 3 files installed on it: command.com, io.sys and msdos.sys. If you do not see them you may have to unhide them by selecting Tools->Folder Options->View unselect the ”Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)”.

• Next copy the exploded BIOS upgrade files you already downloaded to the USB stick
• You are now ready to flash
• Reboot your system and enter BIOS setup (usually by selecting the F2 key during initial boot)
• Move to the Boot tab
• Change your USB stick to be the first on the list
• Save and exist the BIOS setup
• A reboot will occur; this time booting from your USB stick
• Once booted you will be left at a DOS prompt
• Change directory to where the updated BIOS files were saved
• Execute the program (typically you just type "flash" at the prompt) as indicated in the BIOS flash update documentation
• Remove the USN stick
• Reboot the system

Precautions

• Flashing the BIOS can be dangerous if the flashing process isn't finished successfully or if the newly flashed file doesn't match your system or is incorrect
• Never flash if there is possibility of losing electricity
• Before proceeding to flash don't forget to go into your BIOS and write down all of your settings. This is crucial because the "default" settings may not be the best option for your system, especially if you've tweaked BIOS
• Do NOT reboot and/or shut down your system while flashing