BIOS, as you are probably aware already, is a piece of software
that resides in the chip on the motherboard of your computer and gets the whole system going. It performs basic
functions like checking the hardware to ensure that all the crucial components are present and working, performing
a memory check, looking for installed hardware, and identifying the boot device. Once it has identified the boot
device, it hands over control to it and thereafter your hard disk (or CD drive) takes over. As you can see, the
BIOS is the crucial first link in the booting of your system. BIOS flashing refers to changing this crucial piece
of software.
Changing BIOS
The BIOS software can be updated like any other software with newer versions. However, the procedure for doing this
is very different from upgrading your operating system or other software, where you just load the CD and follow the
instructions. In the case of BIOS, you will need to erase the existing software that is available on the chip and
rewrite the new version on to it. This needs a utility called the flash and the process is referred to as flashing
the BIOS or simply BIOS flashing.
How to Flash Your Bios
Why Change the BIOS Software You might well wonder what could be the
motivation to do such a change and how this could be done, since the BIOS is resident in your chip and is generally
believed to be Read-only. The BIOS software is as much prone to bugs as any other software, and newer versions keep
coming up. However, your hardware vendor takes care of this when he supplies a new hardware to you. Most users
never dream of changing this software for the life of the hardware. However, for those enterprising enough and
knowledgeable enough there is a way to change this software using BIOS flashing.
The desire to upgrade the BIOS software lies also in the constant availability of newer and higher capacity
hardware. BIOS restricts the hard disk capacity or the processor speed that your hardware can support. When new
hard disks having higher capacities, or processors with higher speeds, hit the market, your computer may not be
able to use them unless the BIOS software is changed. This along with bug fixes forms the main reason for wanting
to change the BIOS software.
BIOS Flash – the risks
The BIOS is the first software that comes to life when your computer is switched on. For this reason any damage to
your BIOS might result in total non-functioning of your computer. BIOS flashing utilities that can help you to
flash the BIOS can also damage your BIOS if used without proper care. For this reason you should tread into BIOS
flashing, if at all, with the greatest care.
What happens if the BIOS is damaged while trying to flash it? If your motherboard is not too old, it would probably
allow you to procure and install the BIOS chip separately. In that case you just get a new BIOS chip from the
manufacturer of the mother board and fix it. Follow the instructions that come with the chip/motherboard
religiously while replacing the BIOS chip. This may not be possible with some of the older motherboards, in which
there is no provision to replace the chip. In such cases you may have to replace the entire motherboard. All this
is necessary only if the BIOS gets damaged while flashing it.
