Are there any BIOS flashing programs for Linux?

MGMorden

Diamond Member
Jul 4, 2000
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I was just sitting here thinking about this and thought that one utility that Linux needs is a BIOS flashing utility. Does anyone know if this exists? If not does anyone know of any documentation that might could be used to write such a utility?

Thanks.
 

FUBAR

Senior member
Oct 11, 1999
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Most of the time, at least with the few (dell) setups I have dealt with, if you download the bios program from the MB manufacturer it extracts a bootable disk setup. Other than that, you are at the MB manufacturer's mercy to make a .tar or .gz file so that you can use it.

I think, late night posting never goes well..... :)
 

MGMorden

Diamond Member
Jul 4, 2000
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Well OS isn't a terribly busy forum so I'm sure people will see it tommorow. It's a Saturday, and I can't get on here till late (I don't even get up till late afternoon on the weekends :)).

The problem with those bootable disks though are that they're DOS based. FreeDOS is available even if you wanted to avoid MS, but I was/am looking for a completely linux based solution. I know it's nitpicky, but being a linux advocate I want to see this type of stuff. If it doesn't exist and there is some info it could also give me something challenging to write that would actually be usefull. It's hard to find a good idead for a program to write that hasn't already been done (well, a program within my skill level, which is a very odd mix of advanced yet limited knowledge. I guess that's the price of going through a university CS program. hopefully they'll go back on cover more general stuff like application design before I graduate. currently all we do is analyze and learn specific algorithms and data structures and such. technical, hard, and boring).
 

Damaged

Diamond Member
Oct 11, 1999
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McGorden, I'm with 'ya on this one, but I don't think so. No biggee really as I always keep a "clean" DOS (read Windows these days) boot disk available for just these things. Does suck though.

It's limited to x86 arch though.
 

BOFH

Senior member
Dec 31, 1999
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some of those diskette making .exe files work in dosemu or wine so its not so bad