Windows 7: Bios updating

How risky is bios updating. asus sabertooth x58

ocir, your motherboard site shows that the latest bios is:
Sabertooth X58 1304 BIOS
2011.09.26 update

I would download the update and most bios system updates have a choice to accomplis from booting a disk
or from the Windows OS.
Choose which you want to do,

I have done this lots of times, mostly from Dell but also intel and asus.

Rich

It can be very risky. The Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) is stored on a chip on the motherboard. It acts as the communication device between a computer's hardware and its operating system. Without the BIOS, the PC's operating system would have no way to communicate with, or take control of, the hardware. So if the BIOS is fried, toasted, terminated with prejudice, etc there's no way to load the operatng system.

HowStuffWorks "How BIOS Works"

If the BIOS hasn't been fried, toasted, etc it might be possible to reset it to factory specs.

How To Clear CMOS (Reset BIOS)

One other consideration is that since the BIOS resides on the motherboard, it can't be backed up in a traditional way with a restore point or system image. They only work on the hard drive information. If you're not having any problems with the BIOS, it might not be worth the risk to update. On the other hand, most computer manufacturers have worked closely with BIOS manufacturers to make the update process as simple as possible. Almost as simple as a Windows Update. But even that isn't a 100% sure thing. People post on the Forum almost every day how a Windows Update hosed their computer,

The first thing to get right is to ask why you need or want to update the BIOS code ?
Does the later version improve stability or add additional hardware support.?

new version improve stability

My ASUS motherboards have CrashFree BIOS and EZ Flash
The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data from a disk containing the BIOS file. This utility saves users the cost and hassle of buying a replacement BIOS chip.
EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply launch this tool and update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OS. You can update your BIOS only in a few clicks without preparing an additional floppy diskette or using an OS-based flash utility.

It's not as risky as it once was.