How to Upgrade Motherboard BIOS Firmware
BIOS stands for basic input/output system, which consists of low-level software that controls the system hardware and acts as an interface between the operating system (OS) and the hardware. The BIOS consists of software (device drivers) that interfaces the hardware to the OS. More recently the BIOS has been augmented by a specification called the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (EUFI), which specifies a different software interface for boot and runtime services but still relies on the traditional BIOS for system configuration, power-on self test (POST), and Setup.
A more advanced type of ROM is the EEPROM, which stands for electrically erasable PROM. These chips are also called flash ROMs and are characterized by their capability to be erased and reprogrammed directly in the circuit board they are installed in, with no special equipment required. Having an EEPROM or a flash ROM in your PC motherboard means you can easily upgrade the motherboard ROM without having to swap chips. In most cases, you download the updated ROM from the motherboard manufacturer’s website and then run a special program it provides to update the ROM. I recommend that you periodically check with your motherboard manufacturer to see whether an updated BIOS is available for your system. An updated BIOS might contain bug fixes or enable new features or device support not originally found in your system. Many recent motherboards and pre-configured systems include utility programs that enable you to check for BIOS and driver updates.
Depending on the design, some update programs require that you place the software on a bootable optical disc or USB flash drive, whereas others configure the program to run on the next startup (before Windows loads), and still others actually run in Windows as a Windows application. You only need to use one, so if you have choices, in most cases you should choose the one that is the easiest to perform. If the system you are updating is one you are building for the first time and does not yet have a working copy of Windows installed on the hard drive, you might want to use a method that works with other bootable media such as an optical drive or USB flash drive.
Sometimes a vendor learns of problems or limitations only after a product gets to market and is used in a lot of different situations. Nearly every system board and PC system on the market undergoes at least one significant revision of the BIOS after the product has been released for sale.
I highly recommend visiting the web site of the manufacturer of your PC system or motherboard web site, to learn what the latest revision of BIOS is for your PC and the issues the revision addresses. You may find one or more clues that can help you solve problems or gain new or proper functionality of your system for a few minutes of browsing and downloading time.
Although most BIOS upgrades are done to fix bugs or problems, you must often upgrade the BIOS to take advantage of some other upgrade. For example, a BIOS upgrade often adds support for newer processors and can add other features like UEFI, larger internal hard drives, bootable optical and USB drives, faster booting, power management functions and more.
Do not bother visiting the BIOS makers web sites looking for BIOS updates. AMI and Award/Phoenix supply only the tools and services for system board and PC makers to create their own BIOS code specific to each individual system board.
If you install newer hardware or software and follow all the instructions properly but you can’t get it to work, specific problems might exist with the BIOS that an upgrade can fix. This is especially true for newer operating systems. Many older systems need to have a BIOS update to properly work with newer technologies and features. I recommend you check the BIOS upgrades available for your system before you install new hardware or software particularly processors and operating systems.
How to Determine Motherboard BIOS Version
When seeking a BIOS upgrade for a particular motherboard (or system), you need to know the following information:
You usually can identify the BIOS you have by watching the screen when the system is first powered up. It helps to turn on the monitor first because some take a few seconds to warm up or become active, and the BIOS information is often displayed for only a few seconds. You may be able to press the Pause key on the keyboard when the BIOS ID information is being displayed, which freezes it so you can record the information. Pressing any other key allows the system startup to resume. If the BIOS version information is not displayed automatically, then you may need to enter the BIOS Setup program to see it.
In addition to checking the splash screen or BIOS Setup, you can use a program such as CPUZ or SIV (System Information Viewer) to report the BIOS version, date, and other information.
How to Back Up BIOS Firmware
Updating the system BIOS involves overwriting the BIOS code currently stored on the system board and replacing it with new code. This process has the potential to render your system board useless if there is an error or interruption while the update is occurring. Part of the overall BIOS upgrade process may include backing up the current BIOS onto disk. If your system does not behave correctly after the upgrade, you can flash it with a new, good BIOS file or use the original backed-up BIOS file to go back to a known good state. Depending on your motherboard’s capabilities, you may or may not be able to recover from a flashing accident.
If you cannot download older versions of BIOS firmware then see if it is possible to save a backup copy of the existing BIOS firmware. To make the backup, run the BIOS upgrade program for your board as if you were going to upgrade to the latest version, and check to see whether there is an option to save the existing BIOS firmware to a file. You may also able to backup BIOS firmware using the DOS command-based BIOS upgrade software usually found on the BIOS upgrade CD for the motherboard.
If your motherboard has a Phoenix or Award BIOS, you can create a backup using the awdflash.exe program found on the BIOS upgrade disc for your motherboard with the /sy (Save Yes) and /pn (Program No) parameters, as follows, from the Windows command prompt:
You will be prompted to enter the backup file’s name (for example, backup.bin). Press Enter to save the file.
A more advanced type of ROM is the EEPROM, which stands for electrically erasable PROM. These chips are also called flash ROMs and are characterized by their capability to be erased and reprogrammed directly in the circuit board they are installed in, with no special equipment required. Having an EEPROM or a flash ROM in your PC motherboard means you can easily upgrade the motherboard ROM without having to swap chips. In most cases, you download the updated ROM from the motherboard manufacturer’s website and then run a special program it provides to update the ROM. I recommend that you periodically check with your motherboard manufacturer to see whether an updated BIOS is available for your system. An updated BIOS might contain bug fixes or enable new features or device support not originally found in your system. Many recent motherboards and pre-configured systems include utility programs that enable you to check for BIOS and driver updates.
Depending on the design, some update programs require that you place the software on a bootable optical disc or USB flash drive, whereas others configure the program to run on the next startup (before Windows loads), and still others actually run in Windows as a Windows application. You only need to use one, so if you have choices, in most cases you should choose the one that is the easiest to perform. If the system you are updating is one you are building for the first time and does not yet have a working copy of Windows installed on the hard drive, you might want to use a method that works with other bootable media such as an optical drive or USB flash drive.
Warning
Before upgrading BIOS firmware be sure that your computer is plugged into a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or (if it’s a notebook) has a full battery charge. All it takes is a power outage during a BIOS upgrade to render your motherboard useless!
Note
Some systems allow the flash ROM in a system to be locked (write-protected). In that case, you must disable the protection before performing an update usually by means of a jumper or switch.
Sometimes a vendor learns of problems or limitations only after a product gets to market and is used in a lot of different situations. Nearly every system board and PC system on the market undergoes at least one significant revision of the BIOS after the product has been released for sale.
I highly recommend visiting the web site of the manufacturer of your PC system or motherboard web site, to learn what the latest revision of BIOS is for your PC and the issues the revision addresses. You may find one or more clues that can help you solve problems or gain new or proper functionality of your system for a few minutes of browsing and downloading time.
Although most BIOS upgrades are done to fix bugs or problems, you must often upgrade the BIOS to take advantage of some other upgrade. For example, a BIOS upgrade often adds support for newer processors and can add other features like UEFI, larger internal hard drives, bootable optical and USB drives, faster booting, power management functions and more.
Do not bother visiting the BIOS makers web sites looking for BIOS updates. AMI and Award/Phoenix supply only the tools and services for system board and PC makers to create their own BIOS code specific to each individual system board.
If you install newer hardware or software and follow all the instructions properly but you can’t get it to work, specific problems might exist with the BIOS that an upgrade can fix. This is especially true for newer operating systems. Many older systems need to have a BIOS update to properly work with newer technologies and features. I recommend you check the BIOS upgrades available for your system before you install new hardware or software particularly processors and operating systems.
How to Determine Motherboard BIOS Version
When seeking a BIOS upgrade for a particular motherboard (or system), you need to know the following information:
- Make and model of the motherboard (or system)
- Version of the existing BIOS
You usually can identify the BIOS you have by watching the screen when the system is first powered up. It helps to turn on the monitor first because some take a few seconds to warm up or become active, and the BIOS information is often displayed for only a few seconds. You may be able to press the Pause key on the keyboard when the BIOS ID information is being displayed, which freezes it so you can record the information. Pressing any other key allows the system startup to resume. If the BIOS version information is not displayed automatically, then you may need to enter the BIOS Setup program to see it.
In addition to checking the splash screen or BIOS Setup, you can use a program such as CPUZ or SIV (System Information Viewer) to report the BIOS version, date, and other information.
Tip
Some BIOS Setup programs offer the ability to save and restore CMOS settings, but unfortunately this capability is not universal. You should manually backup BIOS Setup parameters. One easy way to do this is to use a digital camera or smartphone to take pictures of each screen or menu.
How to Back Up BIOS Firmware
Updating the system BIOS involves overwriting the BIOS code currently stored on the system board and replacing it with new code. This process has the potential to render your system board useless if there is an error or interruption while the update is occurring. Part of the overall BIOS upgrade process may include backing up the current BIOS onto disk. If your system does not behave correctly after the upgrade, you can flash it with a new, good BIOS file or use the original backed-up BIOS file to go back to a known good state. Depending on your motherboard’s capabilities, you may or may not be able to recover from a flashing accident.
If you cannot download older versions of BIOS firmware then see if it is possible to save a backup copy of the existing BIOS firmware. To make the backup, run the BIOS upgrade program for your board as if you were going to upgrade to the latest version, and check to see whether there is an option to save the existing BIOS firmware to a file. You may also able to backup BIOS firmware using the DOS command-based BIOS upgrade software usually found on the BIOS upgrade CD for the motherboard.
If your motherboard has a Phoenix or Award BIOS, you can create a backup using the awdflash.exe program found on the BIOS upgrade disc for your motherboard with the /sy (Save Yes) and /pn (Program No) parameters, as follows, from the Windows command prompt:
Code:
awdflash /sy /pnYou will be prompted to enter the backup file’s name (for example, backup.bin). Press Enter to save the file.