Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
and that you save a copy of your original flash BIOS data as you perform the
upgrade. Important data should, of course, be regularly backed up in the normal
course of events!
The typical steps required to perform a flash BIOS upgrade are as follows:
1
Identify your motherboard model number and BIOS version. Ensure that you
have all the information (if necessary use several of the methods described
earlier). It is also worth noting down the BIOS setup configuration if you
don't already keep a record of it. You can do this by booting the system
and pressing the F2 or Delete keys (as appropriate to the system) and then
viewing the BIOS setup screens. Exit these screens without saving any of
the changes.
2
Connect to the Internet and locate the BIOS manufacturer's web site. Inves-
tigate the BIOS upgrade, technical support, or software download sections
of the manufacturer's web site. In some cases software will be available for
downloading to the PC that will perform an automatic update. If this is not
the case you may need to perform the upgrade manually by downloading files
and then executing them as directed in the steps that follow. If an automatic
update is available you should always follow the manufacturer's instructions
to download the required software and start the upgrade (refer to sections
13-19 below).
3
Locate the motherboard and download the latest version of the Phoenix
BIOS or Award FLASH.EXE program from the manufacturer's site. You
will normally find this in the same section as the BIOS upgrade BIN file.
Some manufacturers provide you with a search facility that you may (or may
not!) find useful.
4
Locate the most up to date version of the BIOS available for the particu-
lar motherboard type. Follow the instructions given to download this from
the site.
5
Click on Start and select Control Panel. Next click on Add/Remove Programs
and select the Startup Disk tab. Insert a blank formatted 1.44 MB floppy disk
into the floppy drive and create a startup disk which you will later use to
boot the system.
6
Copy the downloaded Phoenix BIOS or Award flash upgrade program to the
newly created boot disk.
7
Copy the downloaded BIOS to the floppy disk and unzip or extract the file.
This will create a BIN file with the new BIOS flash data to be written to the
PC's flash memory. If a 'disk full' message appears you will need to free up
some space on the boot disk by removing some files. The following files,
although useful for an emergency startup disk, are not required for the flash
upgrade: FDISK, FORMAT, and MSCDEX. However, if you have to do this
it is strongly recommended that you have at least one 'full' startup disk in
case things go wrong!
8
Check to ensure that all files are in place and have been unzipped or
expanded.
9
Check that the system is set to boot from the floppy disk drive. If you suspect
that this is not the case you will need to temporarily remove the floppy disk
from the drive and reboot the system in order to enter and change the BIOS
settings. Use F2 or the Delete key (as appropriate) to interrupt the boot
sequence and enter the BIOS setup screen. Once you have done this change
