To Flash or Not to Flash?

[lillazy23]

Hello, I just built my first pc and everything is working fine.
Im running a
Asus A7V133 mobo
amd 1.2
asus gts
256 ram

Im using revision 1001c and i wanted to know if i should flash to a recent bios. or should i just stay with old one since its not giving me any problems.
Also can someone help me out and give me the steps on how to flash, sorry Im kinda new at this and i dont want to mess up board. thanks for the help

AMD rocks

 

[SEOTAIJI]

i need help too on how to flash!
*bump*

 

[BT7990]

Manufacturers add more processor support or fix bugs with the BIOS upgrades. Check the respective site and see if you actually need the fix. They also usually give detailed instructions, for example ASUS. But if you don't need the updates, it's not worth the risk.

Just follow directions to the letter and you should be fine. But if it ain't broke.......no need to flash.

 

[ddiccico]

if your system is running fine, then don't flash.

 

[Mustanggt]

I agree with ddiccico If it running good then dont do it. I have only done it 4 or 5 times and i hate doing it cause there is a big risk that things will go wrong and no more pc.

 

[SEOTAIJI]

oh damn~!!
flash it dude~!!
i had 1001c before and when flashed it with 1004.. my mem benchmark on sandra improved my around 20-30%

 

[twong82]

I would flash it. They make new bios revisions for a reason. That is, to improve it.

 

[bendixG15]

For general info on how to flash, go to... motherboards.org
For specific info on how to flash, go to your motherboards site.
And just for laughs, you can find out what the flashing will get you.

 

[Jiggz]

Flash it! But make sure you print out the instructions you download from the manufacturer's homepage. They do provide this. Also check the mobo manual on how to do "Boot Block". This is your back up plan. Again, this is also mentioned on the homepage.

Go for it! If not now, When?

 

[Mem]

<< Upgraded BIOS programs are released for the same reasons, to resolve problems and fix bugs. There are some pretty serious cautions about flashing the BIOS, however. If anything at all goes wrong during the flashing, your computer will almost certainly become unbootable. Flashing the BIOS is not without some risk. The worst case scenario is that the computer won't even boot with a floppy and you will have to physically replace the BIOS chip (anywhere from about $20 to $100 or so, for the most modern, up-to-date BIOS chips, not to mention a potential wait without a computer while it is shipped to you). Therefore unless you are experiencing a specific problem that the BIOS upgrade will correct, it is suggested that you not upgrade your BIOS.

You should also be aware that flashing the BIOS is very stressful on the BIOS chip itself. While most modern BIOS chips are rated to accept as many as 30 or more flash upgrades, many more than the typical user will ever perform, there is a risk that the flashing process itself will burn out the chip. The risk of this is relatively low, but does increase with every flash. This is another reason why you should never flash your BIOS unless you are attempting to correct a specific problem you are having.

On the other hand, if you are, indeed, having a problem that can be resolved with a BIOS upgrade, the process itself is pretty simple. Look on the web sites for (a) the motherboard manufacturer, or (b) the web site for the maker of the BIOS (Award, Phoenix, whatever kind of BIOS your machine has). The manufacturers Web site will tell you how to determine what BIOS version you currently have and what upgrades, if any, are available and what issues they resolve. When you find the BIOS upgrade, you should also be directed to download a flashing utility at the same location. There are small differences in the way each flashing utility works, so follow the instructions included with the utility closely. In general, the process is the same for all flashing utilities. You will need to create a bootable floppy disk (In Windows9x, format the disk in Explorer and check the &quot;copy system files&quot; option). Then you will copy the flashing utility and the new BIOS file, usually in a file with the .bin extension, to the floppy. Then you reboot the system using the floppy disk, and run the flashing utility from the DOS prompt. If all goes well, a minute or two later your BIOS will have been upgraded.
>>



So it`s up to you.

 

[DolphinJay]

If thats the original revison of the bios I would flash it. I've had a few asus motherboards and I always flash after a few final bios revisions are released. i.e. my CUSL2 came with 1001a and I waited until 1003 final was released then I flashed. Later bios revisions usually fix problems that only affect a small amount of people and dont really offer a lot of performance gains. So i would only upgrade to these if i needed support for a new processor. All my asus mb manuals have excellent step by step instructions for flashing the bios. They are very easy to follow and even have screenshots. There are risks though. But if you are gonna screw up your bios and kill your board better to do it now when you can probably rma it very easily then wait 6 months when it will be harder to get it replaced. Just my opinion.

 

[SACANDAGA]

But if you are gonna screw up your bios and kill your board better to do it now when you can probably rma it very easily then wait 6 months when it will be harder to get it replaced

If you do not want to risk destroying your system in the event of a flash gone wrong, you can buy a bios chip from badflash.com for about $25 dollars shipped. They will flash the chip for you with the bios of your choice. This way if you do not like the results of the new bios you can plug the old one back in. Plus it is nice to have a backup anyway.

 

[RickH]

If its not broken, don't fix it. Boy I would hate when my dad told me that. Rick

 

[webmonkey8888]

you should only flash your BIOS if you are having problems with your computer. If there no problems don't flash it!!! :|

 

[gumbysucks]

Buy a bios savior about $20+ sh This is a bios chip that sits under your bios chip. It comes with instructions and has switch to use different bios versions. link