Bios updating

I have a fairly "aged" computer, and thus an old motherboard. It does not support booting from an external usb drive. Is there any way to update my bios so that my motherboard will support booting from a usb? This would be helpful in configuring my ubuntu live usb drive. All help is appreciated.

 

Welcome to MGs!! First of all more information would be helpful, make and model of your machine and MB. You can go to the manufacturer of your machine and see if there is a BIOS update for your board that will cover what you need. If you'll post the info requested above, I will help you find an update IF one does exist. If you find one, just make absolutley sure that it is the proper one for your board or you may just end up with an expensive doorstop. Good Luck!!

 

Luv the "doorstop" bit - However. Updating the bios is a "Place" I went to once and sweated until the machine proved that it still worked. Won't go there again!

 

A little hard on the nerves, isn't it Sdbett? I also went there once and, like you, I'm not planning on a return trip anytime soon:-D When it comes to the BIOS AND the registry, my philosphy is.....'if it ain't broke...don't fix it!' However, in Josephmanis's case he has a valid reason for wanting to 'flash' his BIOS.

 

Spoken like a "True Engineer" Stubby. However after 30 years of "Building, mending and bending machines", I have not actually found a true reason to "Flash the bios" except out of curiosity.

 

Hmm! - I have just done a "Test boot" from one of my USB drives - No probs on Vista Ultimate. I need more info!

 

Okay, sorry for not being more specific. We're looking at an "intel d850emv2" motherboard.

 

I'm afraid that I may not have clarified fully what it is that I am wanting to know. I already know how to update my bios, what I need to find out is if it will let me boot from a usb other than my floppy drive. Any help appreciated!

 

Hopefully I'm not going too off topic but there are times that call for an update. One of those times was when I wanted to upgrade my CPU from a single core to an X2 and with a UPS as added insurance(I live in a rural area) I successfully flashed. Now if the OP's issue(s) are spefically addressed in the change logs, then by all means go for it.


However, I do agree with Stubby in general, 'If it ain't broke...'.

 

If it's an option with that motherboard, you might try switching to legacy USB support (1.x)...

And, another example of having to flash a BIOS: the recent wave of 'netbooks' has caused me to have to dust off my BIOS flashing skills - many of the Acer Aspires need an update to correct a problem where if the battery goes dead, the OS goes 'bye-'bye...

 

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but I did find a BIOS update for your board. HOWEVER, it doesn't state what that update addresses. To be perfectly honest with you, I doubt very seriously that it will address the feature you need simply because the board is so old. Here's the link if your interested http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=5221&ProdId=828&lang=eng My suggestion would be to leave well enough alone mainly because it doesn't really address the issue. As a matter-of-fact, it doesn't state what issues are addressed. Good luck

 

to Stubby
Check out the release notes.
About 2/3 of the way down, USB booting is mentioned.

 

Thanks Hrlow2, I stand corrected. I just didn't look far enough:-o Well Josephmanis, that's what MGs is all about, helping each other help other people, which is what Hrlow2 has just done. Thanks So, it looks like the ball is in your court now, my friend! To flash, or not to flash....that is the question Good luck!! And thanks again Hrlow2!

 

Wow! That's surprising. With 30+ years of doing this myself, I have had to upgrade the BIOS many many times. Even brand new motherboards often need a flash to upgrade a protocol (on-board wifi is a good example), or to add support for newly released CPUs, or faster RAM.

In my earlier early years there was no flashing - to upgrade the BIOS, we had to replace the PROM chip with a new version from the makers! Then later, to flash the BIOS, we had to remove the EPROM IC and use a special EPROM burner to reprogram, then reinstall the chip, cross fingers, and power up to see if it "took". Ah, the good ol' days.

There are always risks but most motherboards come with a Windows utility which makes flashing it much easier and safe. Check your utilities disk, or the makers website. That said, I agree with the others and you should not upgrade just because an upgrade is available. Read the change history to see what the upgrade changes, or fixes. In general, before upgrading the BIOS one or more of the following must apply:

1. The upgrade addresses a problem you are having
2. The upgrade addresses a critical security issue (this is rare)
3. Current BIOS is corrupt

Note that I generally use the same guidelines for HW drivers too. ​

BTW - of the dozens (100s maybe) BIOS upgrades I've done, I have had only one failure result in a "doorstop" - and that was long ago when we had a power outage right in the middle of the flash! Not a good day - but I did finally get the financing I had been calling for to get all the servers on UPS - and I now urge that ALL computers be on a good UPS with AVR - automatic voltage regulation - even though battery backup in the event of a complete outage is only the icing on the cake for using a UPS w/AVR.

 

I can't say i do it on a regular basis but i have 7 mobos in the workshop and all have been flashed.

The only doorstop i have created was when i forgot to remove a brass standoff and shorted a very expensive board. :-o

 

Ouch! I suspect most builders have done that ONCE - I was lucky when I did it as it only shorted out the PSU, and did not damage the board. It sure made a scary sound, and stunk up the room badly. I have had systems come in where not only was the motherboard fried, but it took out the CPU and RAM too!

On the plus side, I bet you never secure a motherboard without double or even triple checking again.

I applaud you for fessing up to what amounts to a stupid mistake. :dood

 

I never forget any more, that really hurt in the pocket.

I had better not shout too loud now because i have just ordered the parts for my next project, an i7 950 and an Asus rampage II extreme.:eek

 

Sweet!

 

O.K. What I was trying to say was that I have never had the need to flash the Bios on ANY machine. Maybe I'm lucky (I have only done it once on one of my own machines - Out of curiosity - Never could spell that word!). I would CERTAINLY NOT attempt to advise a 3rd party on "How to do it - Remotely". Even if I had the machine in front of me - The words "Door stop" would come "Into mind". It's not a place I willingly go without "Wild horses".

 

That's how I took it. I still find it surprising. The most common reason I have found is to add support for CPUs that have been released since the motherboard was new. This is common for sockets that have been around for awhile.

Advise how to do it remotely? Not sure what you mean there. If you mean walking someone else through the procedure over the phone or via these forums, I would not do that either. But if I thought a flash was necessary, I have no problem directing a user to the motherboard maker's website to find the latest version, and the instructions found there too. As I noted earlier, the major motherboard makers have Windows utilities to make the process simple, and almost foolproof - and reversible. No bootable floppies to create, or boot to.

:confused Ummm, then it wouldn't be remote. ???