Flashage of BIOS

On the first PC BIOS were dead Mémoires welded with the Mother chart, impossible thus to modify them. Certain manufacturers proposed however software corrective measures (called patchs) which were stored on the hard drive and gave the responsability themselves in random access memory (RAM) to correct possible the Bugs. They could however act only after the starting of the PC.

The manufacturers of BIOS then sold insertable BIOS on supports, being able to be changed materially, but whose price was very at the time high. Then the appearance of the programmable memories came electronically, i.e. a memory being able to be modified thanks to a machine sending of the electric impulses by connectors envisaged for this purpose. This type of programmer of chip was however rare, so that the operation was always relatively expensive for the user.

There exist from now on mother boards comprising of the memories flash, memories being able to be modified directly by software. The BIOS located on mother boards comprising this type of memory can be updated (the term “upgrader” sometimes is used, word francized coming from the verb to upgrade which means to update) thanks to a program called Firmware, provided by the manufacturer, intended to allow the replacement of the old BIOS by a more recent BIOS. The problem consists in however getting the updates of its BIOS (problem now solved thanks to the access to Internet). These updates are available in the form of binary file containing an image of the BIOS, and which will be transferred in the Mémoire flash thanks to the firmware.

the flashage of the BIOS is thus an update of the BIOS by software way, i.e. a replacement of the old version of the BIOS thanks to a program

Update of the BIOS

Advantages

Among the advantages which an update of the BIOS can bring, one finds it:

Possibility of regulating some minor problems of compatibility with certain components of the Microcomputer.

Possibility of correcting certain errors of detection of material (e.g.: the speed of CPU, bar of Random access memory not detected, etc).

Possibility of having new functionalities in the configuration of the BIOS (commonly called CMOS).

Disadvantages

At the time of an update of the BIOS, it is important to know that there exist certain risks, in particular:

Mother chart made unusable following an update which turns (e.g. badly: If a power cut occurs during the update).

Loss of functionality in the BIOS. I.e., a function disappears following an update to leave the place to another.

Démarche of the update can seem a little complicated the first time.

Certain map productions mothers or of computers do not offer a support to regulate a problem caused by an update of BIOS.

Sometimes a need

In certain situations and hardware configurations, it happens sometimes that an update of the BIOS is absolutely necessary. They is sometimes necessary so that the mother chart (or the microcomputer) can support a new too recent material component (or not available for the board manufacturer mother) so that tests of compatibility could be carried out before the marketing of the mother chart. In certain cases, even if the suitable tests were carried out, it arrives, since the BIOS is anything else only one simple software, that even the BIOS has bugs which must be corrected.

Problems being able to require an update

CPU not detected, or detected in an erroneous way (bad speed, bad model, etc)
Bar of not detected random access memory, partially detected or whose its new installation makes the system unstable. Can frequently arrive when the user wishes to install the maximum capacity that a bar of memory can have on a given model of mother chart.
Graphics card not functioning with its full power, or whose certain functions do not function (e.g. well: SLI)
Peripheral badly detected interns not or (e.g.: chart network, sound chart, etc)
Errors in detection by the Operating system of certain components and/or the state of certain components (e.g.: speed of the various ventilators, tensions electric, current frequency of the CPU in real-time, etc)
Output of the pile very bad (on the laptops)
Instability of the system in general, often following the installation of a new component.
Problems of incompatibility between certain components.

Step to be followed general

The step which should be followed to put the BIOS of a mother chart (or of a microcomputer) can vary from one model or one manufacturer to another. However, the general idea remains the same one. It is necessary: if possible

to secure that the mother chart is well connected (in the power supply) and, connected in a ininterruptible source of current provided with a battery if a power cut would occur. If it is a laptop, to connect well the socket-outlet to the wall.
To go on the Web site of the manufacturer, to find the section of the remote loadings for this model of mother chart (or microcomputer), and to find the good remote loading for the update of the BIOS.
to check Well that it is indeed the good file for the model good of mother chart.
to read Well the instructions which accompany some times the remote loading. If not, to check in the instruction manual of the mother chart of the good procedure to be followed to carry out such an update.
In certain cases, it would be necessary to create a diskette of starting of the computer to copy there the files necessary to the update of the BIOS. If such is the case, the instructions will probably dictate procedure to be followed to copy the files, to start again the system and how to carry out the update like such. In other cases, it is not necessary to create a diskette system because certain manufacturers offer to the provision of the users versions of their software of update of BIOS which can be launched directly operating system. In this second case, the update is often automated and very few interventions of the user are necessary.
Several software of update of BIOS makes it possible to make a backup copy of the current BIOS on diskette, if a problem would occur. Certain manufacturers make it possible to recover the BIOS damaged by carrying out a special procedure of starting to rewrite the old version of BIOS sauvergardée on the diskette. Other manufacturers make it possible to safeguard a copy of the current BIOS to very the mother chart (often on another part of the EEPROM or of course a second chip of EEPROM).
During the update like such, the chip containing the BIOS, EEPROM is initially unobtrusive, then written and in certain cases, there is a checking of written information. During this paramount stage, in any time, the operation must be stopped, that could make the mother chart unusable.
Once the writing of the new supplemented BIOS, certain manufacturers require in their procedures a recharging of the values of configuration of the BIOS by defect. The name of this function differs, but on certain manufacturers of BIOS, the function in the configuration of the BIOS which carries out this recharging is named in English Load Setup defaults . This operation gives all the values of configurations to their respective default value of the manufacturer.
Once the supplemented operation, a last glance with the BIOS to see whether the new revision of the BIOS is indeed registered in the configuration of the BIOS, to see whether all indeed were.

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