Backup BIOS

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I have backed up all data on my computer except for the BIOS. How do I back
it up on a Floppy disk and where do I go in Windows XP to do this? Just in
case my system crashes.
 
Robbywon said:
I have backed up all data on my computer except for the BIOS. How do
I back it up on a Floppy disk and where do I go in Windows XP to do
this? Just in case my system crashes.
Click to expand...


The BIOS settings has nothing to do with WIndows. You can't access them
directly from within Windows (or any operating system) and in fact have to
do this before Windows even begins to boot.

One common way to get to the BIOS settings is to press the Del key when you
first power on, but that's not necessarily right for your computer. Watch
the screen carefully when you first boot; there's often a message there
telling you what to do. If not, check your system documentation or check
with your vendor.

Also look here: http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm

Or just try the Del key. There's a good chance that's correct for you.

If the system crashes, you don't lose your BIOS settings, but it's always a
good idea to know what those settings are because you can lose the settings
if your motherboard battery runs down.

There aren't many BIOS settings and a hard copy is a good kind of backup. If
you have a parallel printer, you may be able to print them with the PrtScrn
key. If not, you can simply write them down or photograph the screens.
 
The bios install program from the manufacturer of many M/B's allow you to
backup the current bios to the install floppy, prior to flashing the bios
with a newer version. After backing up the bios, exit the installer and
reboot. Keep the floppy in a safe place for future use.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
=?Utf-8?B?Um9iYnl3b24=?= said:
I have backed up all data on my computer except for the BIOS. How do I back
it up on a Floppy disk and where do I go in Windows XP to do this? Just in
case my system crashes.
Click to expand...

IT's not an XP function. It's a dos function. YEs, there are utils to
back up the bios.
 
bearman said:
I thought it was a motherboard function.
Click to expand...

What I mean is there are dos utils that backup your bios, mostly had and
done before you flash. In case the flash goes bad, they often include a
backup util.
 
Unless you're flashing another bios flashware, there's no point in backing
it up. More likely, the cmos will fail and the configuration data will be
fouled and unable to proceed to boot.

XP has no interface with the bios for a backup of same.
 
OK but shouldnt there be a step-by-step process for backing up the BIOS in
Windows so i dont have to write or "printscreen" the BIOS settings. And what
would that process be?
 
Robbywon said:
OK but shouldnt there be a step-by-step process for backing up the
BIOS in Windows so i dont have to write or "printscreen" the BIOS
settings. And what would that process be?
Click to expand...


There isn't one. As I said below "The BIOS settings has nothing to do with
Windows. You can't access them directly from within Windows (or any
operating system)."
 
That process would be an add-on provided by the BIOS manufacturer.
Please visit their site for the latest version.
 
Per your reply, you want to backup the bios user settings, not the bios
(software). If all in auto, don't sweat the load. If you have anything
manually set, enabled or disabled write it down. If you did a bios setting
process change requiring multiple boots to the bios to achieve an irq
allocation goal write it down. If you did same to acquire a specfic
configuration data, write that process down.
 
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