The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is a memory chip containing the information necessary to initialize the PC. The user can upgrade the BIOS with the procedure described in this guide.

WHY UPGRADE THE BIOS

BIOS upgrade is necessary in the following cases:

- to extend the support for new hardware;
- to improve the hardware and software compatibility of the pc;
- to improve the stability and the performances of the pc;
- to resolve hardware problems or conflicts;

HOW TO PROCEED

1) Find information about your motherboard;
2) Download the bios from the site of motherboard's producer;
3) Create a boot floppy disk;
4) Upgrade the BIOS;

This guide uses a standard procedure, valid for most systems. We suggest that you refer to your motherboard manual to find details or supplementary information about the procedure to be followed. If you don't have the manual, you can consult the electronic documentation from the manufacturer's site.

FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOTHERBOARD

The first step to upgrading the bios is to determine the manufacturer and the model of your motherboard.

Various BIOS versions can exist for the same model of motherboard, depending of the motherboard version. If you do not know this information, we suggest you to open the computer case and locate the revision number stamped on the motherboard.

The revision number is visible near the expansion slot, or in the corner of the motherboard. In the photograph on the left is an example of how the model and the version (or revision) of the motherboard can be represented.

The motherboard is an Asus K7M, revision 1.04. Also shown in the photograph is the jumper 'Clear CMOS', which is used when it is necessary to reset the settings of the BIOS. It can be used to initialize the motherboard to the factory settings after an overclocking attempt.


BIOS DOWNLOAD

The motherboard producers use various bios types. The most common bioses are AWARD and AMI. In the photograph on the right you can see the symbols of AWARD and AMI.

During computer startup, one of the above symbols appears in the top left part of the screen; using this information, you will know which bios is installed on the PC.

The AWARD BIOS is more suitable for people who want to control all the hardware settings. AMI is more suitable for people who want to use a more intuitive interface and do not frequently modify the settings.

To upgrade the bios of the PC, it is necessary to use a suitable utility. Because of it's function, this little program is also called 'flash utility', since it erases the existing content of the bios and upgrades it with new code. The name of the flash utility can differ, depending of the type of bios. Here are some examples:

- 'Flash.exe'
- 'Flashxxx.exe'
- 'Aflash.exe'
- 'Aflashxx.exe'

Once you have found the necessary information, you can download the upgrade file for your bios from the internet site of the manufacturer. Sometimes the upgrade bios file is compressed in ZIP format, and contains both the upgrade file (with .bin extension) and the flash utility for upgrading.

CREATE A BOOT UP FLOPPY DISK

The boot up floppy disk must be new and undamaged. Insert it in the floppy disk drive, go to the MS-DOS prompt and type the following command:

FORMAT A: /S /Q

Once the procedure is completed, copy all the bios upgrade files to the same floppy. We recommend you use a floppy disk which is in good condition. If the floppy doesn't work correctly, the procedure may not be completed and your system may not restart after upgrading.

BIOS UPGRADE PROCEDURE

First of all, you must upgrade the bios only in DOS mode. We recommend you avoid upgrading the BIOS in Windows mode. Insert the boot floppy disk you have just created in the floppy disk drive, then restart the system.

The pc should start in DOS mode. If the system does not start in DOS mode and Windows is loaded, even though the floppy disk is inserted in the drive A:, check the setting 'Boot Sequence' in the Bios Setup, by pressing the DEL key during startup. When the system starts in DOS mode, the following screen will appear:



This is the command prompt; the blinking cursor shows that the pc is ready to receive a command from the user. The bios upgrade procedure can be performed in two different ways:

1) You can type the name of the BIOS upgrade utility, followed by the name of the bios upgrade file. For example:



where 'flash' is the name of the BIOS upgrade utility and BIOS.BIN is the name of the bios upgrade file.

2) You can type just the name of the BIOS upgrade utility, for example 'AFLASH', and press Enter. The program will ask you the name of the file to be used to upgrade the bios.

After the upgrade procedure is completed, it could be necessary turn the Pc off to clear the CMOS circuit and reset the motherboard to the factory values.

Upgrading the bios is not a difficult operation; although we recommend you exercise caution

- make sure that the files downloaded from the internet site of the manufacturer are correct;
- use a new floppy disk;

Following this simple advice will avoid all possible problems of upgrading.