Windows 7: Emulate a BIOS update?

DragonPoet · 01 Oct 2012

I have an .ROM file I would like to "try before I buy" so to speak. Is there anyway to safely emulate a BIOS update?

PooMan UK · 01 Oct 2012

Hiya Pal

You can't "emulate" it but you could back up your old BIOS first then update to the new one. If you don't like it for any reason then you could revert back to your old one. But to be honest you shouldn't need to update your BIOS unless you are having problems or the new BIOS is necessary for say a CPU upgrade or something that your MB didn't support before. But be very careful when updating because if you muck it up you could render your MB useless

TVeblen · 01 Oct 2012

No, none that I can think of. It is either on or off when it comes to BIOS.

I guess you could try it on a friend's computer!

DragonPoet · 01 Oct 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by PooMan UK

But to be honest you shouldn't need to update your BIOS unless you are having problems or the new BIOS is necessary for say a CPU upgrade or something that your MB didn't support before.

That is the problem.

I have a problem (Asked here > Onboard graphics card not working after BIOS update!) and as mentioned, I've come across a "hacked" .ROM file for my bios, but I'm worried about actually flashing it with that. But I've become desperate!

windude99 · 01 Oct 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by DragonPoet

Quote: Originally Posted by PooMan UK

But to be honest you shouldn't need to update your BIOS unless you are having problems or the new BIOS is necessary for say a CPU upgrade or something that your MB didn't support before.

That is the problem.

I have a problem (Asked here > Onboard graphics card not working after BIOS update!) and as mentioned, I've come across a "hacked" .ROM file for my bios, but I'm worried about actually flashing it with that. But I've become desperate!

I wouldn't recommend flashing a "hacked" ROM file for your BIOS. You should try to downgrade your BIOS to a version that works with your graphics card.

DragonPoet · 02 Oct 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by windude99

Quote: Originally Posted by DragonPoet

Quote: Originally Posted by PooMan UK

But to be honest you shouldn't need to update your BIOS unless you are having problems or the new BIOS is necessary for say a CPU upgrade or something that your MB didn't support before.

That is the problem.

I have a problem (Asked here > Onboard graphics card not working after BIOS update!) and as mentioned, I've come across a "hacked" .ROM file for my bios, but I'm worried about actually flashing it with that. But I've become desperate!

I wouldn't recommend flashing a "hacked" ROM file for your BIOS. You should try to downgrade your BIOS to a version that works with your graphics card.

I can't. I can't find a downgraded version of my BIOS because I can only find 1 .ROM file, and that is off the Gateway website, which is what got me in trouble in the first place.

alphanumeric · 02 Oct 2012

Does that motherboard have "Dual BIOS", or "Boot Lock" or some other BIOS protection/recovery mechanism? If it doesn't I wouldn't be in a big hurry to flash with a modded BIOS. Without Dual BIOS a failed flash could leave you with no way to go back to the old BIOS and a bricked motherboard.

DeaconFrost · 02 Oct 2012

I wouldn't try it, because if one thing goes wrong with an "unapproved" BIOS, you are likely looking at a dead PC. If the motherboard manufacturer won't provide a fix for an issue, have them replace the board, or replace it yourself.

bobafetthotmail · 02 Oct 2012

Where did you find that "hacked" bios? I know of some geeks doing these tings (to enable CPU features that were locked out), so it's theoretically possible, but I can only give my gut feeling about it.

can't you RMA it?

DragonPoet · 06 Oct 2012

Quote: Originally Posted by alphanumeric

Does that motherboard have "Dual BIOS", or "Boot Lock" or some other BIOS protection/recovery mechanism? If it doesn't I wouldn't be in a big hurry to flash with a modded BIOS. Without Dual BIOS a failed flash could leave you with no way to go back to the old BIOS and a bricked motherboard.

How do I find out if there is a way to recover the BIOS?

Quote: Originally Posted by DeaconFrost

I wouldn't try it, because if one thing goes wrong with an "unapproved" BIOS, you are likely looking at a dead PC. If the motherboard manufacturer won't provide a fix for an issue, have them replace the board, or replace it yourself.

I don't have the money to replace it.

Quote: Originally Posted by bobafetthotmail

Where did you find that "hacked" bios? I know of some geeks doing these tings (to enable CPU features that were locked out), so it's theoretically possible, but I can only give my gut feeling about it.

can't you RMA it?

I downloaded it from My Digital Life Forums but now I cannot find the link. What does RMA mean?

Windows 7: Emulate a BIOS update?

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