This tech-recipe explains the basics of flashing one’s BIOS or firmwares. Although the following instructions pertain to motherboards specifically, the principles are the same throughout each realm (i.e., video card, CD/DVD Drive).
Use these steps to flash your Motherboard’s BIOS. (Award is used as an example.)
Requirements:
boot disk (windows 98 or just a Windows 2000/XP disk; See other relevant Tech-Recipes tutorials for more info information.)
BIOS/firmware file
BIOS/firmware flashing utility
Step 1 – Save BIOS file and BIOS flashing utility to the bootable floppy.
(I copy the awdflash.exe and the 293884.bin to my floppy.)
Step 2 – Reboot your computer to the boot disk. You might need to change your BIOS settings to boot to floppy as the first device, or you might be able to temporarily choose a boot device.
Step 3 – Once you are booted to the A:\, type: dir *.bin
This command will list files that end with .bin (i.e., your BIOS file). In my example, it is 293884.bin
Step 4 – Now, type the following: awdflash 293884.bin
Replace awdflash with the program you use (such as aflash.exe) and the 293884.bin with your BIOS file.
Go through your prompts, and reboot once it finishes.
Step 5 – Now, reconfigure your BIOS settings.
After you flash your BIOS, the settings will usually revert back to the factory settings, or you will receive a message such as “error loading.” This is because the new BIOS file might contain different options or new settings.
Save your settings. Your system should run better; and it should be more stable since, most likely, you updated your BIOS for those reasons.
Notes:
Most motherboard manufacturers have Windows-based flashiing utilities. If you are not comfortable using a boot disk and OS commands to flash your BIOS, stick with the Windows program they provide
Sometimes updating your BIOS will not solve problems, but it could make problems worse. It is a good idea to have a copy of your current BIOS. (You can make a copy using awdflash or get one from the motherboard’s website.) I am an update fanatic, so I always keep my firmwares and BIOS updated.
