BIOS Upgrade

[Me2Ewe]

I need someone's unbiased opinion.

My computer is running slower and acting up sometimes. I have done all the
cleaning and tweaking I can.

My drive is just about full which can be a little problem. I wanted to check
my BIOS homepage to see if there is an update. The homepage sent me to
somewhere called support and they emailed me & phoned me [how they got
number is beyond me]. They said they had an update that I needed or my
machine would not run properly, this is part of their email: "ESupport.com
is the Exclusive Authorized Upgrade and Support Center for Award BIOS. For
the past 16 years, we have constantly upgraded thousands of motherboards and
developed new BIOS upgrades for all the latest technology. Based on the
technical specifications you had submitted, we have an excellent BIOS
Upgrade for your system. We have the brand new Award BIOS for your
motherboard. The price is only $29.95."

This is the info that I gave them:

BIOS ID String:----- 06/08/2004-KM266PRO-8235-6A6LYB09C

OEM Signon:-------- VIG0608 BF 400

Chipset:-------------- VIA 82C3205 REV 0

Super I/O:------------ ITE 8705/SIS 950 REV 2 FOUND AT PORT 2EH

I just wonder how badly I do need it and why do I pay I thought upgrades
were free, maybe I was too naive there ..the free part that is

Thanks for any input

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

A BIOS upgrade will not necessarily enhance the performance
of your computer. You need to perform some routine maintenance
and forget about upgrading the BIOS.

Utilize the following recommended regime:

Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by deceptive software
http://support.microsoft.com/?­id=827315

Download Ad-aware SE and scan your PC for the presence of sp­yware:
http://www.download.com/3000-2144-10045910.html?part=69274&subj=dlpage&tag=button

Symantec Security Check
http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/default.asp?langid=ie&venid=sym&plfid=23&pkj=YVXRORVWHFHMFNZMBBX

Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...a2-6a57-4c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&displaylang=en

Antivirus software: Frequently asked questions
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/antivirus.mspx

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx

Utilize the following maintenance programs, at least monthly,
to maintain the optimum performance of Windows XP:

Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310312&Product=winxp

How to Perform Disk Error Checking in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315265&Product=winxp

HOW TO: Analyze and Defragment a Disk in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;305781&Product=winxp

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| I need someone's unbiased opinion.
|
| My computer is running slower and acting up sometimes. I have done all the
| cleaning and tweaking I can.
|
| My drive is just about full which can be a little problem. I wanted to check
| my BIOS homepage to see if there is an update. The homepage sent me to
| somewhere called support and they emailed me & phoned me [how they got
| number is beyond me]. They said they had an update that I needed or my
| machine would not run properly, this is part of their email: "ESupport.com
| is the Exclusive Authorized Upgrade and Support Center for Award BIOS. For
| the past 16 years, we have constantly upgraded thousands of motherboards and
| developed new BIOS upgrades for all the latest technology. Based on the
| technical specifications you had submitted, we have an excellent BIOS
| Upgrade for your system. We have the brand new Award BIOS for your
| motherboard. The price is only $29.95."
|
| This is the info that I gave them:
|
| BIOS ID String:----- 06/08/2004-KM266PRO-8235-6A6LYB09C
|
| OEM Signon:-------- VIG0608 BF 400
|
| Chipset:-------------- VIA 82C3205 REV 0
|
| Super I/O:------------ ITE 8705/SIS 950 REV 2 FOUND AT PORT 2EH
|
| I just wonder how badly I do need it and why do I pay I thought upgrades
| were free, maybe I was too naive there ..the free part that is
|
| Thanks for any input

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Me2

<quote>.. My drive is just about full which can be a little problem..
<endquote>

It can be more than a little problem.. it will affect a system's ability to
defragment properly, and will also affect Windows Virtual Memory.. the
system may crash out occasionally, which will cause problems with system
files.. it will definitely be a factor in your system running slow..

Re. cleaning, you should be using Disk Clean (already in Windows) and also
Spybot S&D, Adaware SE, and Spyware Blaster at the very least, and regularly
updated and run (every week, maybe)..

A handy site to help you is http://www.pcpitstop.com .. run your computer
through the tests, and it produces a report on system health and gives
upgrade and tweaking tips.. however, be wary of downloading or trying out
other utilities that are advertised on the site.. personally, I would and do
leave them all alone, barring the tests..

 

[Me2Ewe]

Wow you guys are fast at the replying mode.
When I said a little problem I meant that on a 20 GB partition I have 2,3
free space left. That's all. As for the rest I do the basics every 2 or 3
days since I am on it most of the day. I check for spyware, viruses worms
etc.
By Disc Clean do you mean Disc Cleanup utility if so I run that before
defragmenting at least weekly or sooner if deleting or moving files.
Maybe it is too full that would explain why it is freezing for no reason or
rebooting once in a while. I get a few 16-bit error messages which you kind
folks helped me fix.
So the general advice from both of you is to forget paying for an upgrade. I
always thought you did an upgrade if changing CPUs or something major.

Me2

<quote>.. My drive is just about full which can be a little problem..
<endquote>

It can be more than a little problem.. it will affect a system's ability
to defragment properly, and will also affect Windows Virtual Memory.. the
system may crash out occasionally, which will cause problems with system
files.. it will definitely be a factor in your system running slow..

Re. cleaning, you should be using Disk Clean (already in Windows) and also
Spybot S&D, Adaware SE, and Spyware Blaster at the very least, and
regularly updated and run (every week, maybe)..

A handy site to help you is http://www.pcpitstop.com .. run your computer
through the tests, and it produces a report on system health and gives
upgrade and tweaking tips.. however, be wary of downloading or trying out
other utilities that are advertised on the site.. personally, I would and
do leave them all alone, barring the tests..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User

I need someone's unbiased opinion.

My computer is running slower and acting up sometimes. I have done all
the cleaning and tweaking I can.

My drive is just about full which can be a little problem. I wanted to
check my BIOS homepage to see if there is an update. The homepage sent me
to somewhere called support and they emailed me & phoned me [how they got
number is beyond me]. They said they had an update that I needed or my
machine would not run properly, this is part of their email:
"ESupport.com is the Exclusive Authorized Upgrade and Support Center for
Award BIOS. For the past 16 years, we have constantly upgraded thousands
of motherboards and developed new BIOS upgrades for all the latest
technology. Based on the technical specifications you had submitted, we
have an excellent BIOS Upgrade for your system. We have the brand new
Award BIOS for your motherboard. The price is only $29.95."

This is the info that I gave them:

BIOS ID String:----- 06/08/2004-KM266PRO-8235-6A6LYB09C

OEM Signon:-------- VIG0608 BF 400

Chipset:-------------- VIA 82C3205 REV 0

Super I/O:------------ ITE 8705/SIS 950 REV 2 FOUND AT PORT 2EH

I just wonder how badly I do need it and why do I pay I thought upgrades
were free, maybe I was too naive there ..the free part that is

Thanks for any input

 

[Jim]

I need someone's unbiased opinion.

My computer is running slower and acting up sometimes. I have done all the
cleaning and tweaking I can.

My drive is just about full which can be a little problem. I wanted to
check my BIOS homepage to see if there is an update.

First, why do you believe that patching the BIOS has anything to do with
your disk being full? You need a very sound reason to patch the BIOS
because, if you make a mistake, your motherboard is toast.
Perhaps in addition to the other posts, you need a bigger drive.
By the way, most motherboard makers give away upgrades.
Jim

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

I recently purchased and installed a new Maxtor 250GB hard drive
with a 16MB buffer. You would be amazed how fast it is!

Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6L250R0 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822144422

You can transfer the entire contents of your old hard drive to the
new one using Maxtor's MaxBlast utility.
http://www.maxtor.com/portal/site/M...tware Downloads/ATA Hard Drives&downloadID=57

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Wow you guys are fast at the replying mode.
| When I said a little problem I meant that on a 20 GB partition I have 2,3
| free space left. That's all. As for the rest I do the basics every 2 or 3
| days since I am on it most of the day. I check for spyware, viruses worms
| etc.
| By Disc Clean do you mean Disc Cleanup utility if so I run that before
| defragmenting at least weekly or sooner if deleting or moving files.
| Maybe it is too full that would explain why it is freezing for no reason or
| rebooting once in a while. I get a few 16-bit error messages which you kind
| folks helped me fix.
| So the general advice from both of you is to forget paying for an upgrade. I
| always thought you did an upgrade if changing CPUs or something major.

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Me2

For sure forget the BIOS upgrade.. a waste of money from that source.. BIOS
updates are produced by a mainboard manufacturer to patch problems that have
been found, and also to address issues like hard drive size handling etc..
they are not the panacea for all ills by a large margin, and execution can
lead to one's system being executed.. definitely best left alone..

Re. free space.. Windows Defrag needs 15% or thereabouts to function, and it
may seem wasteful, but 25% keeps Windows happier.. you have a little over
10% left, which is not really enough..

You might also consider upping RAM to 512mb if you haven't already.. others
will tell you that 256mb is enough, but it isn't if you want a decent
computing experience.. Windows XP feels the same way as I do about it..


--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User

Wow you guys are fast at the replying mode.
When I said a little problem I meant that on a 20 GB partition I have 2,3
free space left. That's all. As for the rest I do the basics every 2 or 3
days since I am on it most of the day. I check for spyware, viruses worms
etc.
By Disc Clean do you mean Disc Cleanup utility if so I run that before
defragmenting at least weekly or sooner if deleting or moving files.
Maybe it is too full that would explain why it is freezing for no reason
or rebooting once in a while. I get a few 16-bit error messages which you
kind folks helped me fix.
So the general advice from both of you is to forget paying for an upgrade.
I always thought you did an upgrade if changing CPUs or something major.

Me2

<quote>.. My drive is just about full which can be a little problem..
<endquote>

It can be more than a little problem.. it will affect a system's ability
to defragment properly, and will also affect Windows Virtual Memory..
the system may crash out occasionally, which will cause problems with
system files.. it will definitely be a factor in your system running
slow..

Re. cleaning, you should be using Disk Clean (already in Windows) and
also Spybot S&D, Adaware SE, and Spyware Blaster at the very least, and
regularly updated and run (every week, maybe)..

A handy site to help you is http://www.pcpitstop.com .. run your computer
through the tests, and it produces a report on system health and gives
upgrade and tweaking tips.. however, be wary of downloading or trying out
other utilities that are advertised on the site.. personally, I would and
do leave them all alone, barring the tests..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User

I need someone's unbiased opinion.

My computer is running slower and acting up sometimes. I have done all
the cleaning and tweaking I can.

My drive is just about full which can be a little problem. I wanted to
check my BIOS homepage to see if there is an update. The homepage sent
me to somewhere called support and they emailed me & phoned me [how they
got number is beyond me]. They said they had an update that I needed or
my machine would not run properly, this is part of their email:
"ESupport.com is the Exclusive Authorized Upgrade and Support Center for
Award BIOS. For the past 16 years, we have constantly upgraded thousands
of motherboards and developed new BIOS upgrades for all the latest
technology. Based on the technical specifications you had submitted, we
have an excellent BIOS Upgrade for your system. We have the brand new
Award BIOS for your motherboard. The price is only $29.95."

This is the info that I gave them:

BIOS ID String:----- 06/08/2004-KM266PRO-8235-6A6LYB09C

OEM Signon:-------- VIG0608 BF 400

Chipset:-------------- VIA 82C3205 REV 0

Super I/O:------------ ITE 8705/SIS 950 REV 2 FOUND AT PORT 2EH

I just wonder how badly I do need it and why do I pay I thought upgrades
were free, maybe I was too naive there ..the free part that is

Thanks for any input

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Maxtor Ultra16 250GB, 7200RPM, Internal ATA/133 Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.compusa.com/adproducts/product_info.asp?product_code=316138&pfp=ADPRODUCTS

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Wow you guys are fast at the replying mode.
| When I said a little problem I meant that on a 20 GB partition I have 2,3
| free space left. That's all. As for the rest I do the basics every 2 or 3
| days since I am on it most of the day. I check for spyware, viruses worms
| etc.
| By Disc Clean do you mean Disc Cleanup utility if so I run that before
| defragmenting at least weekly or sooner if deleting or moving files.
| Maybe it is too full that would explain why it is freezing for no reason or
| rebooting once in a while. I get a few 16-bit error messages which you kind
| folks helped me fix.
| So the general advice from both of you is to forget paying for an upgrade. I
| always thought you did an upgrade if changing CPUs or something major.

 

[~ FreeSpirit ~]

Me2

<quote>.. My drive is just about full which can be a little problem..
<endquote>

It can be more than a little problem.. it will affect a system's ability
to defragment properly, and will also affect Windows Virtual Memory.. the
system may crash out occasionally, which will cause problems with system
files.. it will definitely be a factor in your system running slow..

Re. cleaning, you should be using Disk Clean (already in Windows) and also
Spybot S&D, Adaware SE, and Spyware Blaster at the very least, and
regularly updated and run (every week, maybe)..

A handy site to help you is http://www.pcpitstop.com .. run your computer
through the tests, and it produces a report on system health and gives
upgrade and tweaking tips.. however, be wary of downloading or trying out
other utilities that are advertised on the site.. personally, I would and
do leave them all alone, barring the tests..

================================
It doesn't work if you have SP2 on your PC as I do. Even following the
instructions SP2 still blocks any downloads.
FROM THE SITE: NOTE: If you are using Windows XP Service Pack 2, look at the
top of this page and see if the yellow Information Bar is displaying a
message about PC Pitstop. If so, click the Information Bar and select
"Install ActiveX Control".

## SP2 gives me NO CHOICE to install the ActiveX thing. Even when I change
it in Tools/Options/Security. How do I shut off SP2 or STOP this SP2
problem rather than do a complete reinstall of my OS?

We were unable to install the PC Pitstop utility. Here are the most common
causes and solutions to the problem. For more information, see our
troubleshooting page or ask for help on our forums (free; separate
registration required).

## How is Sp2 disabled so I can download updates etc?

FS~

 

[DL]

If you cannot install Active X controls, its likely a setting in your IE
SP2 does not prevent the installing of an active x control

Try setting all the IE options to default
Clear the IE temp files and clear your PC temp files - Diskcleanup - and
retry

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

Free

SP2 does not stop a computer user from accessing PC Pitstop.. SP2 does not
stop a computer user from accessing Windows Update.. computer users
sometimes make changes that may prevent access.. computer users may shut
down processes and services based upon the erroneous advice of others that
will prevent access.. computer users will become paranoiac about popups and
make changes that will prevent access..

Install Google Toolbar and LEARN about the restrictions of having popups
blocked on every web page.. the active X bar is a popup, and if you have all
popups blocked by IE6 and other toolbars, then of course you won't see the
yellow bar that SP2 is telling you about..

 

[Ken Blake]

I need someone's unbiased opinion.

My computer is running slower and acting up sometimes. I have done
all the cleaning and tweaking I can.

My drive is just about full which can be a little problem. I wanted
to check my BIOS homepage to see if there is an update.

It is *highly* unlikely that the BIOS has anything to do with your problem.
Do a BIOS upgrade if you need to--because you are having a problem that the
new version is known to fix--not just because one is available, or with the
hope of some undefined "improvement.".

Although a BIOS upgrade normally goes well, it is not without danger. If
something goes wrong while the upgrade is an progress (for example, a lapse
in power) you can be left with no BIOS at all, and an unbootable computer.
Do a BIOS upgrade if you need to--because you are having a problem that the
new version is known to fix--not just because one is available.


--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

The homepage
sent me to somewhere called support and they emailed me & phoned me
[how they got number is beyond me]. They said they had an update that
I needed or my machine would not run properly, this is part of their
email: "ESupport.com is the Exclusive Authorized Upgrade and Support
Center for Award BIOS. For the past 16 years, we have constantly
upgraded thousands of motherboards and developed new BIOS upgrades
for all the latest technology. Based on the technical specifications
you had submitted, we have an excellent BIOS Upgrade for your system.
We have the brand new Award BIOS for your motherboard. The price is
only $29.95."
This is the info that I gave them:

BIOS ID String:----- 06/08/2004-KM266PRO-8235-6A6LYB09C

OEM Signon:-------- VIG0608 BF 400

Chipset:-------------- VIA 82C3205 REV 0

Super I/O:------------ ITE 8705/SIS 950 REV 2 FOUND AT PORT 2EH

I just wonder how badly I do need it and why do I pay I thought
upgrades were free, maybe I was too naive there ..the free part that
is
Thanks for any input

 

[~ FreeSpirit ~]

If you cannot install Active X controls, its likely a setting in your IE
SP2 does not prevent the installing of an active x control

Try setting all the IE options to default
Clear the IE temp files and clear your PC temp files - Diskcleanup - and
retry

================================
I already did all that last night. Now I get this (see below) on the MS
update page. I tried to allow MS to use a tool to see if I have a worm on
my PC but SP2 does NOT EVEN ALLOW THAT!!!!! I get the Active-X thing but no
choice to allow it Active-X to work or not! How do I disable SP2 long
enough for MS to scan my PC for this worm?

FS~

The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are
trying to view. The options provided below might help you solve the problem.
For self-help options:
Frequently Asked Questions

Find Solutions

Windows Update Newsgroup
For assisted support options:
Microsoft Online Assisted Support (no-cost for Windows Update issues)

Read more about steps you can take to resolve this problem yourself.

 

[~ FreeSpirit ~]

Free

SP2 does not stop a computer user from accessing PC Pitstop.. SP2 does not
stop a computer user from accessing Windows Update..

## "SP2 has a bar across the top of I.E saying "Your security Settings do
not allow websites to use Active-X controls stored on your computer. The
page may not display correctly. Click here for options." The options opens
a helpfile thing and if I change the settings in Security it doesn't work.
I still can't download updates or allow MS to scan my PC for the Zotob worm.
What do I do?

computer users

sometimes make changes that may prevent access.. computer users may shut
down processes and services based upon the erroneous advice of others that
will prevent access.. computer users will become paranoiac about popups
and make changes that will prevent access..

## What changes? I'm not the type to poke around my PC turning things on
and off. What needs to be ON to allow these updates and stop the Security
bar from coming up with this warning constantly?

Install Google Toolbar and LEARN about the restrictions of having popups
blocked on every web page.. the active X bar is a popup, and if you have
all popups blocked by IE6 and other toolbars, then of course you won't see
the yellow bar that SP2 is telling you about..

## OK, I shut off the POP-UP blocker in my Google Bar and it made no
difference. The MS scanner can't scan my PC for this Zotab worm - what now?
I still get, "Your security Settings do not allow websites to use Active-X
controls stored on your computer. The page may not display correctly. Click
here for options." How do I disable SP2 long enough to allow the MS site
to scan my PC?

FS~

 

[~ FreeSpirit ~]

Free

SP2 does not stop a computer user from accessing PC Pitstop.. SP2 does not
stop a computer user from accessing Windows Update.. computer users
sometimes make changes that may prevent access.. computer users may shut
down processes and services based upon the erroneous advice of others that
will prevent access.. computer users will become paranoiac about popups
and make changes that will prevent access..

Install Google Toolbar and LEARN about the restrictions of having popups
blocked on every web page.. the active X bar is a popup, and if you have
all popups blocked by IE6 and other toolbars, then of course you won't see
the yellow bar that SP2 is telling you about..

============================
I just down loaded the tool from MS and ran it - no Zotob worm was found. I
still can't get critical updates.... I can't get the SP2 Security thing to
work/Active-X.........! I don't even know where to
start................AAARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!! :-O I'm about to rip my hair
out...........

FS~