Emulate a BIOS update?

[DragonPoet]

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]

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]

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! :devil:

 

[DragonPoet]

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. :shock: I have a problem (Asked here > http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-...phics-card-not-working-after-bios-update.html) 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]

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. :shock: I have a problem (Asked here > http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-...phics-card-not-working-after-bios-update.html) 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]

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. :shock: I have a problem (Asked here > http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-...phics-card-not-working-after-bios-update.html) 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]

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]

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]

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]

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?

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.

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?

 

[bobafetthotmail]

return merchandise authorization

It is basically calling the seller, saying it does not work, and asking for a fix or replacement since it should be still under warranty.

If you can or cannot do so depends from how connected they are. If they don't remember that you said you flashed BIOS and asked their help, you should be able to pull this off. Still, worth a try.

 

[DeaconFrost]

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

It should be clearly detailed in your manual.

I don't have the money to replace it.

Then you shouldn't be considering anything other than an official BIOS. I think you just answered your own question.