Mainboard driver/bios update advice

I have a MSI P35 Neo2-FR mainboard (model MS7345, 1.0) installed in a custom multimedia computer. The OS is XP pro with all current updates from Windows update as well as drivers updated from the "Driver Detective" application I use. The processor is Intel 2 duo E6850, socket 775 LGA. I can give other data about the processor as I have the CPU-Z utility installed. Memory is DDR2 dual channel, 4096 MBytes. Please request any other data you might need to answer my question(s).

The mainboard bios was last updated to V1.7 (12-24-2007) when I built the computer and installed the motherboard. Since bios updates are supposed to be somewhat risky and should not be done unless absolutely necessary I have never tried to update the bios. But my Driver Detective application will not update certain Intel (chipset?) drivers that Detective says are outdated, and I seem to be having some issues that might be related to those drivers Detective says are outdated (so called ICH9 family two port ATA storage controllers, standard dual channel PCI IDE controller, Intel Express chipset PCI express root port, and Intel PCI bridge). I'm not sure what those "outdated" drivers do or how they could affect my system operation but I went to the MSI website

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/P35-Neo2-FR---FIR.html#/?div=BIOS

and I see there are actually 4 kinds of updates available...the two I evidently am concerned with being DRIVERS and BIOS downloads. I first tried downloading the drivers since they seem to be easier to install than a bios update. However when I tried to install the Intel drivers I downloaded, I got a message was that the download was older than the installed software. So I aborted the installation.

Question remaining is should I then go to the bios update download and try to install that which seems more complicated because it involves a flash utility and more complicated process in DOS mode. I suspect some kind of updating is needed but don't want to do anything unnecessary or smoke my mainboard.

Need advice or instructions. Thanks. :-D

 

First make sure you're updating the correct motherboard model, these are specific for motherboards!

Booting to DOS and creating a flashable boot disk with the flasher and the BIOS file is explained at http://www.wimsbios.com/faq/howtomakebootableusbmemorystick.jsp

Also you only need to flash the latest version eg. http://www.msi.com/service/download/bios-12246.html because all previous changes are also in the latest version. On the MSI site you can see if one of the solved items applies to you.

Wim

 

Thanks wbervoets, but that does not exactly answer a question I have, which is really will those outdated "Intel" drivers (that Driver Detective detects but cannot download and/or install) be updated with a bios flash? And.....does anyone really think it's necessary to update them? The only reason I wonder about that is I once read about a technical Intel driver issue where it was said the only way to update an Intel anything is with a motherboard flash. On the other hand I've also read not to flash the motherboard unless it's absolutely necessary, and then everyone immediately disclaims any responsibility if that ever goes bad for any reason.

Absolutely necessary? Any system issues I know of but only suspect might be related to outdated Intel drivers, so such updating really a matter of good maintenance. As you can see I'm really paranoid about killing my motherboard unless taking that chance is warranted. :confused

 

Updating your BIOS will not update the drivers in Windows.

To update the "ICH9 family two port ATA storage controllers, standard dual channel PCI IDE controller, Intel Express chipset PCI express root port, and Intel PCI bridge" drivers you can install the Intel INF update (now renamed to Intel Chipset device software) available from http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Sea...=Intel®+Chipset+Software+Installation+Utility

(MSI will have a version listed too, but on the Intel site you can find the latest version, now 9.3.0.1019).

If the update is not applicable the setup will tell you that.

The second update you could install is updated IDE drivers: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...ang=eng&OSVersion=Windows XP *&DownloadType=

Wim

 

Thank you, thank you, and thank you again gloozit & wbervoets.

Here's what I have done and the results (I think). I first tried SlimDrivers suggested by you gloozit. After all downloads and installs SlimDrivers tells me everything is now up to date. :-D

I rescanned with Driver Detective just for fun and DD still says some Intels are outdated. However keeping in mind that DD also advises that Intel updates may not show even after installation (even though I can't actually install them with DD), so I am thinking DD has recognized some but not all the SlimDrivers updates. That's fine with me if in fact SlimDrivers has indeed installed everything as it says. I don't detect any adverse difference in system operation that I thought might have been affected by outdated Intels, but even so I prefer to know that drivers have nevertheless been successfully maintained. However I did see a difference in which HD boots up (recognized desktop) after restart when I have more than one SATA HD plugged up. (before the HD that always booted was the SATA DATA connection I have marked as #1. (This mainboard has four possible SATA connectors that I sometimes boot separately or at the same time, for backup purposes for example).

I also looked at the Intel Chipset Driver URL that you posted gloozit, but it tells me that what I have installed is newer, so I did not download that. I should also mention that I tried that driver zip package before you and SlimDrivers and the message was still the same (older than what I have). Hope that advisory is accurate.

Don't know if I should flash the bios now since I have less evidence that it's absolutely necessary and I have now updated the Intels of issue anyway.

wbervoets, I have saved the Intel URL pages you listed but I'm not sure if
any of those types available are applicable or appropriate for what I actually need (same as a bios flash I may not need) but I have them for reference now. Thanks, and again thanks to all. So glad you're here, and for Major Geeks :major