Updating the BIOS

  • Thread starter Thread starter Eric Scofield
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Eric Scofield

I just download the BIOS update for my motherboard. I extracted the files and copied them onto a pre-formatted IBM diskette. I left the diskette in the drive and restarted my computer. However, instead of updating the BIOS, I get that all too familiar "Non-system disk error" message and I have to take the diskette out of the drive to start the computer. Does anyone know of any reason why the update software won't start?

Thanks,

Eric
 
And what operating system did you first put onto that *bootable* floppy?
Bootable, as in an operating system gets loaded. You'll need some OS on
the floppy to actually be able to use the hardware in your system and to
read files. Files are nothing without an OS to open them.

Provide a link to where you downloaded the BIOS update files. I bet
they have instructions there telling you to put their files on a
**BOOTABLE** floppy.

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I just download the BIOS update for my motherboard. I extracted the
files and copied them onto a pre-formatted IBM diskette. I left the
diskette in the drive and restarted my computer. However, instead of
updating the BIOS, I get that all too familiar "Non-system disk error"
message and I have to take the diskette out of the drive to start the
computer. Does anyone know of any reason why the update software won't
start?

Thanks,

Eric
 
Eric said:
I just download the BIOS update for my motherboard. I extracted the files
and copied them onto a pre-formatted IBM diskette. I left the diskette in
the drive and restarted my computer. However, instead of updating the
BIOS, I get that all too familiar "Non-system disk error" message and I
have to take the diskette out of the drive to start the computer. Does
anyone know of any reason why the update software won't start?

Thanks,

Eric
Click to expand...

If using something like win98 put the floppy in the drive, open a dos
prompt/window and type "format a:/s" without the quotes. You can also right
click the A: drive in my computer, select format and check the "copy system
files" check box and click OK. This will format the disk as bootable. Then
extract the bios update files to the disk and reboot with the disk in the
drive.
 
what`s wrong with your system that needs a bios change ??


There's nothing wrong that I know of, but it's a reccomended update.

- Eric
 
And what operating system did you first put onto that *bootable* floppy?
Bootable, as in an operating system gets loaded. You'll need some OS on
the floppy to actually be able to use the hardware in your system and to
read files. Files are nothing without an OS to open them.

Provide a link to where you downloaded the BIOS update files. I bet
they have instructions there telling you to put their files on a
**BOOTABLE** floppy.
Click to expand...


I have windows XP, but the directions said to copy all the extracted files
onto a floppy disk and restart the computer. Once it restarts the update
screen will pop up and the BIOS will be updated. The disk contains all the
necessart files to be "Bootable." I was just wondering why it wasn't
recognized as a "Bootable."

- Eric
 
So how did you create this bootable floppy (which would also be bootable
*before* you copied any BIOS flash files onto it)? You cannot boot from
the floppy, so it is NOT a bootable floppy. Does Windows XP now come
with a version of DOS so the OS kernel files are small enough to fit on
a floppy? Windows 2000 didn't. If you don't have DOS/Win9x to create a
DOS-bootable floppy then get a bootdisk image from
http://www.bootdisk.com/.

Please provide a link to wherever you obtained the BIOS flash update
program and file (which, I presume, is for the actual motherboard or
BIOS manufacturer's web site and not some 3rd party web site hosting a
slew of BIOS update files). I'd like to see what their instructions
actually say. If they are wrong, they need to be notified that their
procedure is missing the steps necessary to create a bootable floppy or
describe to their users how to make one. I very much doubt the BIOS
supplier is also providing a copy of DOS as then you would have to
purchase that license of it. They provide the updater program and a
..bin file containing the ROM code.

Unless you want to risk the power going out during the BIOS update which
will render the motherboard brain dead (until you buy replacement ROM or
replace the motherboard), you might want to get a UPS. The BIOS flash
usually takes only a few seconds, but it just takes one hit on the power
during that time to turn your computer into an oversized doorstop.
 
Eric said:
I have windows XP, but the directions said to copy all the extracted
files onto a floppy disk and restart the computer. Once it restarts
the update screen will pop up and the BIOS will be updated. The disk
contains all the necessart files to be "Bootable." I was just
wondering why it wasn't recognized as a "Bootable."
Click to expand...

I see you're getting a hard time on this one Eric. I too have flashed BIOS's
without having to format a floppy as bootable, all needed files to make it
bootable came with the manufacturers software. The manufacturers software
formatted the floppy from scratch and the flash utility itself was bootable.
 
I just download the BIOS update for my motherboard. I extracted the files
and copied them onto a pre-formatted IBM diskette. I left the diskette in
the drive and restarted my computer. However, instead of updating the BIOS,
I get that all too familiar "Non-system disk error" message and I have to
take the diskette out of the drive to start the computer. Does anyone know
of any reason why the update software won't start?

Thanks,

Eric

www.bootdisk.com

Dos 5.0 makes a good bootdisk for bios files and utils as it takes up little
room on the floppy.

Also you can put your files on a cdr if you have a cd bootable computer and
a burner.

http://www.bootdisk.com/nero.htm

Lane
 
Eric said:
Here is the link:

http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/getFile.asp?id=14928


Thanks for the help.

- Eric
Click to expand...

That page says:

"When updating your computer's BIOS, the update process fails if you use
a floppy disk formatted in Microsoft® Windows® 2000, Windows NT®, or
Windows XP. Instead, use a new IBM pre-formatted disk."

That's because NT-based Windows won't format a bootable floppy (which
will boot all by itself, but they will create a "boot" floppy that can
be used to load the OS from the hard drive). The "IBM pre-formatted
disk" really means a bootable floppy. They are very poor in this
description.

The "How to Install" link says:

"7. Place a formatted, blank disk in the floppy disk drive."

and they have you paste the extracted files onto the floppy using
Explorer. The readme.txt file included in the downloaded
self-extracting archive file says the same thing. Yep, they never did
mention that it must be a bootable floppy. The files extracted
contained the OS files (msdos.sys and io.sys) but you cannot simply
paste them onto the floppy as they need to be physically at specific
sectors on the floppy.

Gateway screwed up. Rather than creating a floppy disk image that you
run to lay down the same image on your floppy, they have to extract
files and expect a simple copy to work - but it won't because the OS
files are highly unlikely to get copied into the correct sectors on the
floppy. I'd say at this point, get a floppy disk image from
http://www.bootdisk.com, use that image program to lay down a bootable
image onto your blank floppy (probably doesn't matter that it's blank
since, I believe, the image overwrites all tracks on the floppy). The
copy Gateway's extracted files onto the floppy (and select to overwrite
any existing files) - except do not copy the msdos.sys and io.sys files
(since they may not be for the save DOS version as for the DOS image you
got from bootdisk.com).

You'd think Gateway would have more brains than thinking a simple copy
regardless of order for a list of extracted files would place the OS
files in the correct sectors and automatically make the floppy bootable.
You probably don't have a ready means of making a DOS bootable floppy
with Windows XP, and I know Microsoft is aware of www.bootdisk.com (and
even recommends going there in one of their KB articles).
 
Which program should I use from that website. I have Windows XP Pro SP1.
Should I just download that program from Microsoft?

- Eric
 
Eric said:
Which program should I use from that website. I have Windows XP Pro
SP1. Should I just download that program from Microsoft?
Click to expand...

Download what from Microsoft? The floppy disk images are at
http://www.bootdisk.com/. Get whatever DOS version is your fancy; DOS
5.0 is okay. When you run their .exe, it overwrites all tracks on the
floppy in the A: drive. You can then copy your files (for the BIOS
flash) atop of those on the floppy - except don't copy the io.sys and
msdos.sys files since those are the OS files and may not match whatever
version you got from Bootdisk.com.
 
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