My computer keeps freezing or rebooting by itself

[Guest]

After i installed a bios update it started rebooting and freezing. Is there a
way to uninstall the bios update??

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Only if the flashing method you used made a backup. Or, maybe, you can
download an older version from the manufacturer.

 

[paulmd]

After i installed a bios update it started rebooting and freezing. Is there a
way to uninstall the bios update??

The answer to this is vendor-specific. The answer is usually Yes, if
your computer isn't completely dead (rebooting and freezing beats
total death, does it not?)

If it's a Dell, they're really good about providing all the released
versions of bios available on their website.

If you provide the make and model of your computer, we can help more.

(alt.comp.hardware added to newsgroup list, as the expertise of the
lower level stuff is greater there)

 

[Guest]

I don't think it made a backup and if it did where would i find it. Also i
don't know what was my older version.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Usually you flash a BIOS from the A:\ floppy drive. If a backup was made, it
was recorded on that floppy disk. As for what version you had, I can't help
you there. If various are available, I'd start with the next oldest, try it
out, then go back one more if necessary, until you get one that works.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

To add to the previous:

You may not be getting the BIOS update from the correct location, in which
case *none* of the versions available will work. You need to make absolutely
sure you're getting your BIOS flash ROMs from the proper location, meant for
your specific motherboard.

Your best bet is to see if a backup was made to the floppy disk.

 

[Guest]

i downloaded it off the hp website so i don't have a floppy and also should i
upgrade my bios if i can't find the old ones?

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

I'm not aware of any BIOS update that you can run from Windows (but someone
will come along and give me an example, I'm sure.) You didn't have to boot
to a floppy disk to do the BIOS update?

What model HP do you have?

 

[paulmd]

I'm not aware of any BIOS update that you can run from Windows (but someone
will come along and give me an example, I'm sure.)

There's lots. Dell, compaq, hp, intel and others use them. As they get
more modern, WinPhlash and clones become more common. very common on
machines that don't come with a floppy drive.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Figured as much. Still, the question is if the BIOS flash procedure saved a
backup of the previous, and if so where. Next question is can the OP boot to
Windows long enough to re-flash the BIOS back to some other version (or the
backup.)

 

[paulmd]

Figured as much. Still, the question is if the BIOS flash procedure saved a
backup of the previous, and if so where. Next question is can the OP boot to
Windows long enough to re-flash the BIOS back to some other version (or the
backup.)

Some recent(ish) hp pavillions I updated recently had this thing where
the application pretty much just said "updating the bios, Don't
reboot, shut off the power, wiggle the mouse, or look crosseyed at the
computer." No visual clues as to the location of the backup, if they
have one. Alhough.... hp's drivers in general tend to extract to a
directory on the root of the hard drive called "hp."


To increase the chances of stability within windows, i'd go in the
bios setup, and disable virtually everything that can be disabled
(sound, network, com ports, etc), pull out PCMCIA (cardbus). unplug
all external devices. Then boot to safe mode.

Still a hairy operation to winflash a computer that's unstable.
Perhaps it would be best to pawn the service off on HP. If the OP
used the bios provided on hp's website, and followed the proper
procedure, the flash should not have failed unless something was
already wrong with the computer. I'd try to swing a warranty repair,
if the computer is still under warranty. A point the OP should make
(politely), when dealing with HP over the phone.

Dell has been known to do this for failed flashes, and there are
previous posts in the archives of this group that hp has as well.