You can also "Flash Your BIOS"
A computer's Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) is embedded software on a motherboard that will control attached hardware. It provides an operating system with information about hardware, and is designed to support a specific range of components. The BIOS itself is typically an EEPROM, or Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, that is programmed with "firmware" and has the ability to save small amounts of information specific to user configurations. BIOS components are often soldered to the motherboard and therefore not serviceable by the user. Still some of these can be inserted into a socket, allowing its replacement.
All BIOS components are serviceable via a firmware upgrade that is known as "flashing" this process is called "updating the BIOS". The process itself is fragile since any power fluctuation during a flash may irrevocably corrupt a BIOS' firmware. Great care will need to be taken in order to safely accomplish this.
1. If using a floppy, insert it into the drive and restart the system to boot from it. Some floppy images contain an "autoexec.bat" file to automatically run the BIOS update. Others will just have the update software, the updated BIOS image, and possibly a 'readme' text file containing directions. If there are no directions, but there are at least two files (ie: "A06_123.bin" and "awflash.exe"), follow this example: Enter a command such as "awflash A06_123.bin" and press enter. This will execute the update software and specify the A06_123.bin file to flash the BIOS.
2. Compare the two versions. Most BIOS update software will read the existing BIOS image and determine its version, then compare this to the downloaded BIOS image. If the system's existing BIOS version is older, perform the update. The user interface of BIOS software may vary greatly, yet typically menu buttons or selections such as "Write", "Update", or "Confirm" will perform the BIOS update.
1. Completely power down the PC by either pressing the power button or initiating the power off sequence from the operating system.
2. Flip the master power switch on the back of your PC to the off position, if applicable.
3. Wait a minute.
4. Flip the master power switch back into the on position, if applicable.
5. Power up the PC.
6. Clear the existing BIOS settings. Only clear the BIOS if recommended. This is not always necessary, depending on what features have changed between the existing version and the updated version. When the PC is powering up, immediately initiate execution of the BIOS utility. For most systems, this is done by pressing
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on the keyboard within the first 2 - 10 seconds of turning the computer on. Other systems might use other keys such as
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,
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,
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, etc. If you don't know the keystroke sequence for entering the BIOS utility, watch the monitor to see if the computer displays it. To clear the BIOS settings, look for an option to "Restore Defaults" or "Load Fail-Safe Defaults". This may be on the main page of the BIOS utility or on the last page of a tabbed menu. Use the arrow keys to navigate, and follow the on-screen instructions. When complete, save the settings and exit the BIOS utility.
7. Configure the BIOS. If you know the settings you want, change them now. If you have never changed BIOS settings before, it is not required to do so. Most PCs will function just fine using the default BIOS settings.