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General discussion

Can you update bios with an external floppy?

Mar 11, 2004 9:09PM PST

I have an AMD Socket A PC Chips motherboard M811 with a KT266A chipset.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to update bios without internal floppy and without Windows?

Discussion is locked

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Re:Can you update bios with an external floppy?
Mar 11, 2004 9:21PM PST

If you have a CD-ROM you could probably use that.

But in general, you should only flash the BIOS if you need to. It's not something you should be cavalier about, since it could render your entire system worthless if it screws up. Only update if you're running into a known bug in the BIOS or really need some new feature they might have added.

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Re:Re:Can you update bios with an external floppy?
Mar 11, 2004 9:26PM PST

I saw a good deal on an external floppy drive and figured I could use it for any bios updates. Instead of buying internal floppys.

Will this external floppy drive work to flash the bios?

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That's a different question.
Mar 11, 2004 9:32PM PST

Not all machines will boot from an USB floppy. So it's only a hit or miss proposition.

Bob

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Re:Can you update bios with an external floppy?
Mar 11, 2004 9:31PM PST

I can on my newer machines since it can boot from an USB FLOPPY drive. I can also make bootable CDR disks with what I need.

The one thing here is that I have some minor skills at using the command line so to copy a file, make a boot disk and change it as need be is not an issue.

Some bad advice is going around about not updating the Flash BIOS. Too many motherboards of the type that you use to build your own machine are shipped with out of date BIOS. The sad issue here is the user will think the BIOS is OK or new since the board is new, and crash for a long time. Others will tell them the horror stories (some are true) and write how hard it is to update the BIOS.

I've been at this BIOS updates and more and some thousands of BIOS updates later, I have yet to lose a motherboard due to this procedure.

You want the latest BIOS.

Bob

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Re:Re:Can you update bios with an external floppy?
Mar 12, 2004 12:17AM PST

Yes I agree. I always update my main computers bios (it has an internal floppy).

When you said 'hit or miss' do you think the current bios would help to determine if an external would work? Like where you choose which device to boot from first?

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Hit of miss. Not all machines can do this boot.
Mar 12, 2004 12:48AM PST

"When you said 'hit or miss' do you think the current bios would help to determine if an external would work?"

I'll write you must attempt the boot since what works on paper seems to not always work in reality.

"Like where you choose which device to boot from first?"

Like...

Bob

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Re:Hit of miss. Not all machines can do this boot.
Apr 4, 2004 8:21PM PDT

I have just performed a 'flashover' to the BIOS of an older IBM Activa PC, and it has dramatically improved the performance of the machine. I obtained this small programme from IBM's website, it downloaded on to a bootable floppy disk and merely needed to be in the drive when the PC powered up. I answered a couple of very easy questions and lo and behold in about 3 minutes I had a screen message telling me that it had been successful and to do a normal shutdown and start up. IBM have certainly got it sorted, I am sure all the other manufacturers will have too. The improvement in performance is amazing. Good luck with your fixes.
Shirelyg

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Re:Can you update bios with an external floppy?
Mar 12, 2004 9:10AM PST

I wouldn't try it anyway but from an int. FD device. The only other way is to contact a bios vendor and get the latest updated burned bios and then swap bios chips, if removable type. Why can't you get your hands on a floppy drive(borrow one), connect to int. cable, get into bios area and make sure drive A, is seen 1st and then save upon exit. Now using any bootable floppy disk and having the bios update(.BIN) and flasher pgm. proceed with bios update would the safest route. Because, if you fail at the bios update you will be a new owner of a door stop, so think this over.

good luck -----Willy

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Re:Re:Can you update bios with an external floppy?
Mar 12, 2004 2:26PM PST

I used to be scared of bios updates mostly because the biostar website and the people who sold me my first pentium machine put the fear of god into me about it . . . but RP has changed my mind. you just have to be very deliberate about it and not do it while you're chatting on the phone.

but if you DO screw it up there are guys who will re-flash the bios chip for you, takes a week in the mail there and back and costs anywhere from $12- 25. --fj

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Re:Re:Re:Can you update bios with an external floppy?
Apr 5, 2004 5:50AM PDT

When they said "hit or miss", they were telling the truth. I had to return a neww HDD within the last year
when flashing the BIOS failed. HDD was probably still good, just unusable to me. So only do it for a good
reason, and the be careful. chuck