Re: is it hard to do bios upgrade

I will stick by the advice not to do a bios upgrade from within Windows when another option is available. There is a lot going on in a running Windows system. "things" can happen. A bios update is best run in a simple, single-tasking environment where the upgrade process has total ownership of and access to the entire computer, and NOTHING else is going on at the same time.


John Doue wrote:
Pete D wrote:
"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:e9b7$48bded87$29500@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The procedure varies with the laptop model. Two cautions:

1. Be ***SURE*** that you have the right bios
2. If at all possible, do NOT do the update from within Windows

Every BIOS update I have done in the last 3-4 years has been from a utility within Windows and all the ones I have done have confirmed that the BIOS is correct before proceeding, this includes my latest brand new HP laptop. It would be very unusual these days to have a problem.

Cheers.

Pete


Pete,

You are right that today, most bios upgrades are started from Windows, even if the procedure itself is indeed run in Dos.

In my case, the upgrade was confirmed as being the right one for my machine and, fortunately, the prior bios was saved during the upgrade. Fortunately, since after the upgrade, although the machine appeared to run nicely at first sight, I did notice a number of worrying anomalies and hurried to reinstall the backed up bios version. Needless to say, I was very worried this procedure might fail, in which case it would have meant a factory service ...

In Acer's case, since Acer recommends not to upgrade bios without being told to do it by a technician, I would refrain to upgrade bios, especially for the sole purpose of installing Vista. This is asking for trouble and disregarding Acer's clearly stated indications is not conducive to an understanding position from Acer in case of problems ...

Regards

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: windows wont recognise any new hardware or find my usbs
    ... properly and Windows wouldn't load, ... to th BIOS but I doubt it will activate my USB's. ... I don't have the folder 'Local Settings'. ... >> The last upgrade for my BIOS version at the Soyo website is dated July ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: is it hard to do bios upgrade
    ... Pete D wrote: ... do NOT do the update from within Windows ... You are right that today, most bios upgrades are started from Windows, even if the procedure itself is indeed run in Dos. ... In my case, the upgrade was confirmed as being the right one for my machine and, fortunately, the prior bios was saved during the upgrade. ...
    (comp.sys.laptops)
  • Re: CD / DVD doesnt appear in device manager
    ... Umm I dont think he changed anything in the BIOS, ... both cds were working BEFORE the upgrade. ... Which is why he upgraded instead of doing a clean install (which didnt ... Windows 2000 is not Windows XP. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: upgrading Me to XP Pro compatibitiy questions
    ... BIOS is the equivalent of a Starter motor for an auto. ... with XP Pro and Office 2003 installed and then try to transfer my files, ... The loss of support on Me caused the loss of HP Pav's CD writer (System ... times an upgrade will be fine as long as you prep the machine. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: Virtual Memory Low/Overheating/BIOS Problems
    ... there may not be enough room for Windows to create a page file large enough ... is the CPU fan spinning fast and freely?.. ... Do NOT upgrade the BIOS unless there is a very definite need so to do.. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.perform_maintain)