What is 'flashing the BIOS'?

  • Thread starter Thread starter gibble
  • Start date Start date
G

gibble

I am trouble shooting here and I am reading
about 'flashing the BIOS'[Asus P4P800]. What is BIOS
flashing and what does it do? I am getting errors and I
am hoping this may help but I'd like to learn what it does
first and if it'll toast my current XP install and
documents.
 
What does "flashing the BIOS" mean?
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/biosflash1.html

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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|I am trouble shooting here and I am reading
| about 'flashing the BIOS'[Asus P4P800]. What is BIOS
| flashing and what does it do? I am getting errors and I
| am hoping this may help but I'd like to learn what it does
| first and if it'll toast my current XP install and
| documents.
 
gibble said:
I am trouble shooting here and I am reading
about 'flashing the BIOS'[Asus P4P800]. What is BIOS
flashing and what does it do? I am getting errors and I
am hoping this may help but I'd like to learn what it does
first and if it'll toast my current XP install and
documents.
Click to expand...

http://www.wimsbios.com/index.htm?/HTML1/faq.html

--
D

I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
I was just trying to help.
Please use your own best judgment before implementing any suggestions or
advice herein.
No warranty is expressed or implied.
Your mileage may vary.
See store for details. :)

Remove shoes to E-mail.
 
The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) if firmware (located on a chip on the
motherboard) which controls how the computer interfaces with various
peripherals and other parts of the motherboard. It is totally separate from
the operating system (XP in your case) and all other hardware (it works with
the hardware to enable data transfer). Flashing the BIOS is simply updating
the program in the firmware. If the BIOS is flashed improperly or with the
wrong code the motherboard will be useless.

Steps to flash the BIOS is generally given in detail with the BIOS patch
that you download from the internet.

Steps to take anytime you are doing major configuration work (and flashing
the BIOS is major configuration work:

1. Backup all data (Ghost image of the hard drives is probably best)
2. Create any rescue disk or recovery disk for the operating system that
would be needed to recover the os (XP's CD is bootable and will suffice).
3. Purchase an uninterruptable power supply, make sure it is fully
charged and the computer is plugged into it before flashing the BIOS (If the
power goes out in the middle of the flash, you have an expensive paper
weight.)
4. Create a bootable floppy disk by formatting a floppy in Windows
Explorer and copy the system files to it if your flash program requires it.
Test the floppy to see if you can actually boot with the disk.
5. Move or create the flash program on the bootable floppy disk from step
4 if the flash program requires it.
6. If the flash program allows it, create a backup copy of the current
program on the BIOS.
7. After the flash of the BIOS, reboot the system and be prepared for the
OS to have to go through a complete "new hardware found" sequence. (Happens
some times as the BIOS will have different parameters.)

Check these web sites for additional information

http://www.wimsbios.com/

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/bios/comp_Flash.htm

http://www.tyan.com/support/html/how_to_flash.html - this last one is for a
particular bios but it does give general instructions. Follow the
directions for your BIOS.
 
In
gibble said:
I am trouble shooting here and I am reading
about 'flashing the BIOS'[Asus P4P800]. What is BIOS
flashing and what does it do?
Click to expand...


The BIOS is a chip which contains semi-permanent code that
controls much of how your computer works. To "flash" the BIOS is
to update that code with the latest version.

I am getting errors and I
am hoping this may help but I'd like to learn what it does
first and if it'll toast my current XP install and
documents.
Click to expand...


Flashing the BIOS will have no effect on Windows or your
documents, but it could toast your computer itself. If something
goes wrong while its in progress (for example, a power failure),
you could be left with no workable BIOS, and therefore no
workable computer.

First, what errors are you getting? Are you sure there's a newer
BIOS version available for your motherboard? What makes you think
it will fix the errors you're experiencing?

Flashing the BIOS is an inherently dangerous process, as
explained above. You should flash the BIOS only when you need to
(for example because it's known to fix a problem you're
experiencing, or because the new version provides added support
for a new device you are getting), not because a new version is
available or because you *hope* it might solve some problem.
 
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