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re: W2k and Updating BIOS Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 4:06 am Posted by Alan Masterman (462 messages posted) Hi George, I don't know about the Win2k part of the deal and, to be honest, I wouldn't feel relaxed about trusting any version of Windows to carry out a BIOS update on my behalf. Doing it yourself is straightforward. The usual routine is to download the update file, and insert a floppy disc into drive A. Usually, double-clicking the downloaded file will start a procedure which formats the floppy as a DOS boot disc and then copies the update files to it. You then reboot the computer using the floppy (obviously, before you do this, your BIOS must be set up to check for a boot disc in drive A before it looks for the boot files in drive C). Updating the BIOS (often referred to as 're-flashing') is then just a matter of following the prompts, which will usually just be the proceed/don't proceed type of thing. It only takes a few minutes. The two critical points are: 1. You MUST triple-check that you have the right BIOS version. If you don't, your computer may become unbootable (ie, a doorstop!) 2. It is imperative that there be no interruption or power outage during the update procedure. If your computer is a laptop, make sure the battery is charged before you begin. If it's a desktop, and you don't have an uninterruptable power supply, cross yourself three times. On Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 1:39 am, George Bailey wrote: >I know the BIOS is on the M/B before W2K is loaded. >When/if a BIOS update is downloaded into (??) W2K how does W2k get it into BIOS? >Is an update within the capability of an average user? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: W2k and Updating BIOS Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 8:49 am Posted by C K (6910 messages posted) In addition to what Allen posted, you only update a BIOS when there is an issue that you may be having, that is addressed by the update. There are different flash procedures depending on the machine/motherboard and when it was manufactured. What Allen posted is one of the procedures but there are others and you MUST know and follow the procedures for your machine/motherboard to the letter. Computers that were not equiped with a floppy drive will be different and if designed to be flashed when the operating system is running, will indicate so in the instructions for that machine/motherboard. If you don't have documentation on the computer/motherboard, check the manufacturers website and find the documentation for your machine and read it. Then decide if you need to flash the BIOS if an update is available, and if you really need it for any issues you may be having. It is usually a fairly straight forward procedure for the average user. Just make sure you follow every step. Even then, it can fail for even the advanced tech when there are hardware issues on the motherboard. In those cases, you can end up replacing the EEPROM or the whole motherboard, even if you did everything right! Good Luck! On Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 1:39 am, George Bailey wrote: >I know the BIOS is on the M/B before W2K is loaded. >When/if a BIOS update is downloaded into (??) W2K how does W2k get it into BIOS? >Is an update within the capability of an average user? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: W2k and Updating BIOS Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 7:49 am Posted by Crash Override (2170 messages posted) BIOS is completely separate from the Operating System. Generally, you flash the BIOS using a utility from the motherboard / BIOS manufacturer. You would download the utility and the new BIOS file (sometimes the new BIOS file comes with the utility or vice versa), create a diskette or cd using the procedures set forth by the manufacturer / writer of the BIOS, and then reboot the machine using the afore mentioned diskette or cd. Regards, Crash Override, MCP On Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 1:39 am, George Bailey wrote: >I know the BIOS is on the M/B before W2K is loaded. >When/if a BIOS update is downloaded into (??) W2K how does W2k get it into BIOS? >Is an update within the capability of an average user? [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: W2k and Updating BIOS Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 8:07 am Posted by Steve (23810 messages posted) Average users should probably not try it. It will kill the computer if done improperly, though a old out dated computer has no real monetary value either. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: W2k and Updating BIOS Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 9:27 pm Posted by geek9pm (286 messages posted) Steve is right! Leave it alone! Geek9pm [Reply or follow-up to this message] Tip: Use one of the [Reply or follow-up to this message] links above to add a message to this thread Search this forum Start a new thread on a different subject Report abuse of the forum Return to the Windows 2000 Discussion Forum