Bios upgrades

Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.

There could be a problem, but the real question might be does the new
version of the BIOS offer any advantages ?

"Mikep" wrote in message
...
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.

There could be a problem, but the real question might be does the new
version of the BIOS offer any advantages ?

"Mikep" wrote in message
...
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.

Probably you should leave the Bios alone if there is no reason to flash.
You should be concerned, especially when the Bios chip has been soldered
to it's socket and can't be replaced easily when things go wrong.
But when you know you can't use the board any longer unless you upgrade
it's Bios you should do so.
Check you have the right Bios version and observe the flash procedure
prescribed by the motherboard manufacturer.

Mikep wrote:
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.

Probably you should leave the Bios alone if there is no reason to flash.
You should be concerned, especially when the Bios chip has been soldered
to it's socket and can't be replaced easily when things go wrong.
But when you know you can't use the board any longer unless you upgrade
it's Bios you should do so.
Check you have the right Bios version and observe the flash procedure
prescribed by the motherboard manufacturer.

Mikep wrote:
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.

I agree totally except for one part. If you have a motherboard that came in
a brand name computer, check with the computer maker for a BIOS update--not
the BIOS or motherboard maker--as a standard BIOS update might deep six your
PC. It is also essential to apply updates with the PC plugged into a UPC
since a power fluctuation during the upgrade can toast the BIOS.

--
Regards

Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo

"Eric P." wrote in message
...
Probably you should leave the Bios alone if there is no reason to flash.
You should be concerned, especially when the Bios chip has been soldered
to it's socket and can't be replaced easily when things go wrong.
But when you know you can't use the board any longer unless you upgrade
it's Bios you should do so.
Check you have the right Bios version and observe the flash procedure
prescribed by the motherboard manufacturer.

Mikep wrote:
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.

I agree totally except for one part. If you have a motherboard that came in
a brand name computer, check with the computer maker for a BIOS update--not
the BIOS or motherboard maker--as a standard BIOS update might deep six your
PC. It is also essential to apply updates with the PC plugged into a UPC
since a power fluctuation during the upgrade can toast the BIOS.

--
Regards

Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo

"Eric P." wrote in message
...
Probably you should leave the Bios alone if there is no reason to flash.
You should be concerned, especially when the Bios chip has been soldered
to it's socket and can't be replaced easily when things go wrong.
But when you know you can't use the board any longer unless you upgrade
it's Bios you should do so.
Check you have the right Bios version and observe the flash procedure
prescribed by the motherboard manufacturer.

Mikep wrote:
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.

"Mikep" wrote in message
...
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.
Usually not.
Unless you are experiencing problems or install programs or hardware
that need it, leave it alone.
Most times you can go to the mfg site and check out what a newer
version of the BIOS will do for your machine.
If you don't need any of those features, then don't do it.
PS: While updating the BIOS version can be deadly(to your PC) if
messed up, it is ususally fast and painless.
If you do it, make sure you copy down your BIOS settings so that you
can reset them after the new BIOS flash resets them all to a Default
value.

"Mikep" wrote in message
...
Would there be any benefit to upgrading my WIN98SE
computer's bios? It is 6 years old and has never had one
done but I am concerned about screwing up the computer.
Usually not.
Unless you are experiencing problems or install programs or hardware
that need it, leave it alone.
Most times you can go to the mfg site and check out what a newer
version of the BIOS will do for your machine.
If you don't need any of those features, then don't do it.
PS: While updating the BIOS version can be deadly(to your PC) if
messed up, it is ususally fast and painless.
If you do it, make sure you copy down your BIOS settings so that you
can reset them after the new BIOS flash resets them all to a Default
value.