How do I make a DOS / command prompt boot CD?!?

[hucker]

I've looked everywhere on the web, and everything seems to apply to Windows 98 or earlier, and people with floppy disks!

I need a simple CD or USB drive (CD preferably as USB booting I can never get to work) so I can flash a BIOS. The computer has no flash function in BIOS setup, and no windows based flash program available, so I need a command prompt!!!

I tried a couple of free CD burning softwares, and the format utility in Windows 7, but none of them let me make the CD bootable! Those that do want a FLOPPY(!) as a source!

HELP!!!!!

 

[Tekno Venus]

Take a look at this: How to flash your BIOS without a floppy drive - Broadband Genie

Stephen

 

[cyclic]

I'm not with this really. The mere fact that a .bin file exists on a CD or Floppy or USB should be sufficient for it to be acted upon. However there must some routine even via the BIOS setup screen which would then update the rom file.

Booting the thing won't help, you don't need anything loaded or running whilst flshing occurs.

Could you post the make and model of your board ? and let's see if we can't make this a tad easier.

 

[hucker]

Foxconn H55a

For every other computer, I've used the utility in the BIOS setup, or used a Windows based program from the motherboard manufacturer. The instructions for flashing the BIOS on the Foxconn site are way too complicated to follow, and I keep encountering a need for a floppy disk!!!

 

[jumanji]

Read through this carefully, understand the limitations and check whether it helps your requirement. Bios-boot-cd - Howto: BIOS-Update per bootable CD - www.biosflash.com

Do CD flashing at your own risk.

 

[hucker]

Hmmm I tried that but I can't see the bios files I copied to it! Only command.com exists when I type dir.

There must be a simpler way. I thought of just using the "safe mode with command prompt" option by hitting F8 on starting. But for some reason this machine takes hours to not do this. I end up with a lovely black screen with just a mouse cursor. This is the reason I'm trying to flash the bios, there is a lot of bugs in the present one that are making this computer impossibly slow to work with.

 

[kegobeer]

Is that the entire model number for your motherboard?

 

[hucker]

Yes, Foxconn H55A review | Expert Reviews
Or http://www.foxconnsupport.com/downl...s0000013&chipset=en-us0000154&keywords=&sort=

 

[richnrockville]

Have you been to the web site for bios for your motherboard?

GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1366 - GA-X58A-UD3R (rev. 1.0)

they have a program that will flash your bios from within windows.

Rich

 

[hucker]

That's the motherboard of THIS computer. I'm trying to fix my other one, which has a Foxconn H55A board. For some reason Foxconn don't have windows flashing utilities like every other manufacturer!!!

 

[kegobeer]

@Rich - He's not asking about his Gigabyte motherboard.

 

[kegobeer]

I looked at the instructions on how to flash the bios on that motherboard. I don't see anything extra difficult there. They even have a simple guide on how to make a CD boot disk.

http://www.foxconnsupport.com/faq.aspx?faqid=F000000065

 

[hucker]

That seems to involve BUYING the files!

 

[kegobeer]

No problem. If he wants cash now, there are other alternatives. Look here:

How to create a bootable CD to upgrade BIOS if you don't hav... - HP Support Forum

That will explain the basics. Instead of extracting the HP stuff like he did, you'll extract the necessary files from the Foxconn bios download.

 

[cyclic]

Download and extract the Foxconn liveupdate from the bottom of their page for that board. Run it and it will update the Bios if required and restart.
No need to make anything.

 

[jumanji]

Hi hucker,

Just for curiosity's sake, I created a bootable CD exactly as outlined in Bios-boot-cd - Howto: BIOS-Update per bootable CD - www.biosflash.com

I booted my desktop from that CD.

(Sorry for the bad picture) The picture shows Command.com, Zafudos.exe and
*. ROM , the latter two being the Bios for my Zotac Mini PC.

So follow the procedure to the dot and you should be able to get the BIOS files into the CD and boot from it. Boot from the CD and check.



If you can run the live update as indicated by cyclic, all the more fine. But I ran a quick check to verify the boot CD works or not. It does work.

 

[hucker]

I did try that Jumanji, but it just didn't work for me. I ended up with only the command.com appearing.

I'm trying the fox liveupdate - I never realised that did BIOS too - why didn't they say that on the webpage?

 

[hucker]

GRRRRRR...... the liveupdate has told me I'm running version P04 (this agrees with CPUID). There is a P06, but the online update function says "you are already up to date"! I tried the manual update (using the P06 files I downloaded), but it doesn't get to asking me to select the files, it just says something about enabling a jumper. Presumably it's referring to a jumper to enable writing to the BIOS, but according to the manual, there isn't one. The picture shown in the update program shows a jumper marked "MFG", but this is for the Intel Management engine, so nothing to do with BIOS updating.