Hi, I was doing a search on driver updates when I came across the DriverGuide website that is offering a bios upgrade for my particular Emachines model computer (Athlon XP running WinXPsp2). I downloaded the bios upgrade but have not run the .exe file yet. Do you think this is a good idea to do this upgrade? I'm not having any issues and was wondering if the bios upgrade would make any significant improvement with my machine?

If I decide to upgrade and it all goes bad, how do you roll back to the previous bios?? Would a system restore solve this?

thanks

Tap

You should never flash your BIOS unless you're experiencing troubles. It is rare you'll notice any difference with a new version otherwise. It is a dangerous procedure: a bad download or power outage during the flash could result in a corrupt BIOS. While newer motherboards contain a "backup" BIOS and ways of restoring to the original state, if your board does not, you'll need to find yourself a new BIOS chip (not likely in quite a few cases) or a new motherboard. A system restore will not affect the BIOS in any way.

I would not risk a BIOS update unless there was an issue that needed fixing. If a BIOS flash goes badly, it means a main board would be the required fix unless the BIOS chip is replaceable. The chances are small that things would go badly but the risk is real and you should be aware of the risks.

A system restore will not help you if if a BIOS flash goes bad. System restore won't be an option if it goes bad. The previous two posts are spot on.

Many thanks guys, I'll stay where I'm at on this one!

Tap

pointone and prntrhd pretty much summed it up. BIOS updates should only be attempted when necessary to fix problems, such as one we had a while back that would only recognize a larger hard drive if the BIOS was updated.

If in doubt, look up the info on the update and see if it will enable features you require or fix problems you KNOW are specifically related to motherboard/BIOS issues. If it will do neither, you don't need it.

The primary reason we're so hesitant to advise updating BIOS is it can be a disaster if not performed properly, if shut down before completion or if (no, no PLEASE NO) the electricity happens to go dead in the middle of it...in those cases your motherboard becomes an expensive paperweight in a few milliseconds...