BIOS needs upgrade, but can't get to XP desktop

[Guest]

I've been racking my brain on this one. I have a STOP error that includes a
message about an attempt to write to read-only memory. I've looked at help
topics from the MS support site that say that my PC is likely in need of a
BIOS upgrade. The error is affecting the ACPI. I have the BIOS flash
program on the hard drive, but can't run it from safe mode. I can't get to
Windows normal boot because of the STOP error. Attempting to boot from a
floppy gives me a 'Disk I/O error".

My question: how can I boot with enough of the Windows system to flash the
BIOS?

Thanks.

 

[Ted Zieglar]

You can't flash a BIOS once Windows has started. The correct procedure is to
download the update to a diskette or a CD and then boot the computer from
the diskette/CD. To obtain complete instructions on how to flash your
computer's BIOS, contact the computer manufacturer.

 

[Guest]

Ted,

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, the Compaq BIOS flash is an exception
to the rule. Its instructions speficially state that the flash is meant to
work in the Windows environment. It will not run from a startup disk. More
importantly, I cannot boot from a startup disk. I get 'Disk I/O error' when
I do this -- probably because of the BIOS problem. This is some kind of
conundrum. Is there another way to boot to the Windows desktop, like from
the CD?

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Ted,

Thanks for your reply. The instructions for the flash for my model Compaq
specifically state that it is to be run from Windows. It will not run from a
startup disk. Anyway, I can't boot from a startup disk because I get 'Disk
I/O error'. Is there another way to get to the Windows desktop, like from
the setup CD?

Thanks again.