Updating BIOS Q

[BP]

I have a P4C800E-Deluxe mainboard laying around and I am thinking of using
it for a new build. I almost have enough spare components to make a full
box. Currently I only find P4 478 pin processors 3.0 or better in the
"Extreme", Prescott variety for sale retail. The old processor was a 3.0
Northwood. Asus says that this board will run Prescott processors with a
BIOS upgrade.
My question is: when is the best time to upgrade the BIOS? After you first
fire it up and before you install an OS? Or after? I would intend to use the
AFUDOS [sic] floppy upgrade method using a boot disk made on another puter.

Another, slightly dumb Q (I used to know this): Is the optimum (compatible)
RAM determined by the mainboard/chipset or by the processor?

 

[jaster]

I have a P4C800E-Deluxe mainboard laying around and I am thinking of using
it for a new build. I almost have enough spare components to make a full
box. Currently I only find P4 478 pin processors 3.0 or better in the
"Extreme", Prescott variety for sale retail. The old processor was a 3.0
Northwood. Asus says that this board will run Prescott processors with a
BIOS upgrade.
My question is: when is the best time to upgrade the BIOS? After you first
fire it up and before you install an OS? Or after? I would intend to use
the AFUDOS [sic] floppy upgrade method using a boot disk made on another
puter.

Another, slightly dumb Q (I used to know this): Is the optimum
(compatible) RAM determined by the mainboard/chipset or by the processor?

BIOS doesn't care about the OS but the OS cares about BIOS. You're using
a DOS boot disk to update the BIOS no?

 

[BP]

I have a P4C800E-Deluxe mainboard laying around and I am thinking of
using
it for a new build. I almost have enough spare components to make a full
box. Currently I only find P4 478 pin processors 3.0 or better in the
"Extreme", Prescott variety for sale retail. The old processor was a 3.0
Northwood. Asus says that this board will run Prescott processors with a
BIOS upgrade.
My question is: when is the best time to upgrade the BIOS? After you
first
fire it up and before you install an OS? Or after? I would intend to use
the AFUDOS [sic] floppy upgrade method using a boot disk made on another
puter.

Another, slightly dumb Q (I used to know this): Is the optimum
(compatible) RAM determined by the mainboard/chipset or by the processor?

BIOS doesn't care about the OS but the OS cares about BIOS. You're using
a DOS boot disk to update the BIOS no?

Yeah, I'm just wondering if you do it right away (first power up) or wait.
I've done all my previous upgrades after OS install, but this time may be
different.

 

[jaster]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 19:20:37 -0500, BP thoughtfully wrote:

[snip]

Yeah, I'm just wondering if you do it right away (first power up) or
wait. I've done all my previous upgrades after OS install, but this time
may be different.

I'd do it before installing the OS. Make sure you backup and can recover
the original bios before you update with the new bios. Nothing worse
than finding you installed the wrong bios version without a backup plan.

 

[digisol]

you don't need an operating system to flash the bios as it's bootin
from a floppy, your system never really gets to see the hard drive

Just remember to unzip all the flash programs in a spare new folde
before transfering it to a new floppy for the bios update

Set your bios to boot from the floppy first, insert the disk an
restart it

Just remember that updating the bios is perhaps the most dangerou
thing one can do to a system, one mistake, a power failure and you
bios is stuffed, that generally means your $-EXE board is a ne
paperweight

Too many people take upgrading the bios much too lightly, even th
best have killed a board during a BIOS flash

 

[BP]

On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 19:20:37 -0500, BP thoughtfully wrote:

[snip]

Yeah, I'm just wondering if you do it right away (first power up) or
wait. I've done all my previous upgrades after OS install, but this time
may be different.

I'd do it before installing the OS. Make sure you backup and can recover
the original bios before you update with the new bios. Nothing worse
than finding you installed the wrong bios version without a backup plan.

That's what I'll do. Just looking before I leap. Thanks

 

[BP]

you don't need an operating system to flash the bios as it's booting
from a floppy, your system never really gets to see the hard drive.

Just remember to unzip all the flash programs in a spare new folder
before transfering it to a new floppy for the bios update.

Set your bios to boot from the floppy first, insert the disk and
restart it.

Just remember that updating the bios is perhaps the most dangerous
thing one can do to a system, one mistake, a power failure and your
bios is stuffed, that generally means your $-EXE board is a new
paperweight.

Too many people take upgrading the bios much too lightly, even the
best have killed a board during a BIOS flash.

I agree. I rarely do it unless, like in this case, I need the functionality.
The last time I updated a BIOS I jumped from P06 to P21 in one leap. I
really held my breath on that one!
I've also been dope-slapped by the "reset defaults" step that every BIOS
upgrade page leaves out.

Curious: in the event a BIOS flash goes bad and the CMOS is toast, couldn't
you just replace the CMOS chip or something similar? I know that wouldn't be
an easy task, but mainboards are just too damned big to use as paperweights.

 

[jaster]

I agree. I rarely do it unless, like in this case, I need the
functionality. The last time I updated a BIOS I jumped from P06 to P21 in
one leap. I really held my breath on that one!
I've also been dope-slapped by the "reset defaults" step that every BIOS
upgrade page leaves out.

Curious: in the event a BIOS flash goes bad and the CMOS is toast,
couldn't you just replace the CMOS chip or something similar? I know that
wouldn't be an easy task, but mainboards are just too damned big to use as
paperweights.

Nah. Looked into that for a bios once. Bios guys are like OS guys they
sell a base product and each buyer adds their own tweak for each m/b and
version of m/b they make. That's why you need to use the firmware for
say an ASUS A8N1v2 instead of ASUS A8N1v1 mb.

I flashed the wrong version of bios once but I used the backup to restore
the original then installed the correct version. Wasn't my fault really
manufacturer had bad version labels on the m/b.

 

[Jan Alter]

Yes, you can replace the cmos chip when that happens. There are companies
that do just that.

 

[Spajky]

I have a P4C800E-Deluxe mainboard laying around and I am thinking of using
it for a new build. I almost have enough spare components to make a full
box. Currently I only find P4 478 pin processors 3.0 or better in the
"Extreme", Prescott variety for sale retail. The old processor was a 3.0
Northwood. Asus says that this board will run Prescott processors with a
BIOS upgrade.
My question is: when is the best time to upgrade the BIOS?

why do you not think about Asus_CT-479 adapter with HSF &
P-M_730 & OC it till it goes (at defaults usually w/o problems goes
from 1,6 to 2,4 GHz) & in average is so fast as P4-3,6GHz (exept for
the video encoding)... Much much cooler setup than damn PrescHOT ...
Well, first you have to flash MoBO´s bios with normal s.478
Cpu ... think about it ...