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FReeper Computer Question
Free Republic | 12/15/2005 | EEE

Posted on 12/15/2005 6:05:09 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist

I'm planning on reformatting my hard drive early next year. Do I have to update the BIOS beforehand?


TOPICS: Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: firstyoulogin; help; ohyeahthisisnews

1 posted on 12/15/2005 6:05:10 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

I'm not sure updating the BIOS will make it any better, or worse, as a boat anchor. ;~D


2 posted on 12/15/2005 6:07:40 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: HairOfTheDog

Do I just leave it alone then?


3 posted on 12/15/2005 6:08:02 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (None genuine without my signature)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Short answer: no.


4 posted on 12/15/2005 6:08:11 PM PST by SpaceBar
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Screw that...

Get a Mac.

Well, someone had to say it... :)


5 posted on 12/15/2005 6:08:44 PM PST by Keith in Iowa (You know you have bird flu if you have usual flu symptoms + desire to crap on freshly washed cars.)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
No, and you probably shouldn't unless you have a specific need to do so (such as a BIOS bug fixed in a later version that's causing a problem for you). Messing with the BIOS is never a good idea. While newer boards do a somewhat better job of handling BIOS updates than older boards, there still remains the possibility of rendering the mainboard useless if something goes wrong.

If you're using Windows XP, simply boot from the XP CD and follow the instructions. :-)
6 posted on 12/15/2005 6:09:18 PM PST by NJ_gent (Modernman should not have been banned.)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

If everything was working as you want it to - I'd leave it.
No sense taking a chance on something going strange when you are operating on such a critical part.


7 posted on 12/15/2005 6:10:13 PM PST by RS (Just because they are out to get him doesn't mean he is not guilty)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

I have bad experience with reformatting computers.


8 posted on 12/15/2005 6:10:21 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

No. But research first.

Try Google groups:

http://groups.google.com/grphp?hl=en&tab=wg&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official_s&q=


9 posted on 12/15/2005 6:13:27 PM PST by PetroniusMaximus
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

My recommendation:

No. Leave it as is. Depending on how computer savvy you are, bios updates can be a nightmare. Depending on the type of system you have, if you blow the bios, you can't boot.

If you decide to update, make darn sure you go here,
http://www.wimsbios.com/

download a copy of UNIFLASH, and use it to make a backup copy of you current bios.

Uniflash has saved my keister a couple times.


10 posted on 12/15/2005 6:13:39 PM PST by djf (Bush wants to make Iraq like America. Solution: Send all illegal immigrants to Iraq!)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

No. The BIOS and the hard drive are not inter-related that way. When you first turn the computer on, it is as dumb as a bucket of hair. The BIOS, loaded in static RAM (called a PROM or, more likely, an EPROM or EEPROM) is a "bootstrap" loader that tells the computer about its memory, hard drive(s) and peripherals so that it can detect these devices and load the operating system.

The BIOS is not stored on the hard drive, so re-formatting it will not affect the BIOS.


11 posted on 12/15/2005 6:14:34 PM PST by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: HairOfTheDog

Updating the BIOS is a good idea if there is an update available for your chipset. It is not necessary, however, especially if your computer was running fine before hand. Also note that it is not necessary to reformat the harddrive at the same time. The BIOS can be updated without a reformat.


12 posted on 12/15/2005 6:15:22 PM PST by MD_2_BE ("Governments arise either out of the people or over the people." -- Thomas Paine)
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To: DustyMoment; All

Thanks. You guys rock.


13 posted on 12/15/2005 6:21:02 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (None genuine without my signature)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

They're unrelated issues. BIOS updates can definitely be playing with fire, so unless you have something that would necessitate the BIOS update, like a known bug, compatibility issue, or planned upgrades that would need it, leave it alone.

That said, I've done 1 and consider it a smashing success as it allowed my machine to use a hard drive considerably larger than previous, but I've heard an awful lot of horror stories.


14 posted on 12/16/2005 1:27:34 AM PST by Fire_on_High (I am so proud of what we were...)
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