Build a bootable UFD for flashing AMI BIOS

Both notebook and desktop PCs occasionally require BIOS updates. When you visit a vendor's Web site (either the PC mfgr or the BIOS maker) and discover a new BIOS with features you want, or upgrades require a new BIOS, it's time to put all the ingredients together, make a backup of the current BIOS, and then flash the EEPROM where the BIOS resides with the new version. Afterward, a little clean-up is also usually required.

Warning! Problems or failures during the BIOS flashing process can do serious harm to a PC. Don't flash unless you really must, and never flash without making a backup and rounding up necessary repair tools. With a little luck, your BIOS System information will look like this screenshot, and reflect your successful addition of a new version to your PC.

Step 1 Round up the ingredients

The best place to get a BIOS update is from your PC manufacturer's Web site, on the downloads page for your notebook or desktop PC, if you purchased a complete system, or for your motherboard if you built your own system (or purchased a "white box" PC from somebody else who builds them from stock parts).

A good way to find BIOS versions and info is to use Google to search using strings like "download <make><model> BIOS" for complete systems, or "download <make> <model> for motherboards. Thus, for the MSI PR200 notebook I just updated, I searched on "download MSI PR200 BIOS." This took me right to the MSI product page for the PR200 where the latest BIOS versions for Vista and XP were both available.

You'll also need a USB Flash Drive (UFD) formatting tool that can create a bootable DOS image on that drive. This requires a special formatting tool, and DOS source files to make the drive bootable. For this task, your best bet is a tool called the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, V2.1.8. It not only formats UFDs to FAT or FAT32, it can also copy DOS boot files from any target directory you supply to this tool. Extreme Overclocking has a readily available download link. The .exe file is self installing, and adds the program to your Program Files directory by default.

Of course, that means you also need a minimal set of DOS boot files (command.com, io.sys, and ms.sys at a minimum). Extreme Overclocking also makes the Windows 98 system files available in a downloadas well. Grab these files and put them in their own directory. I called mine DOS-boot.

Comments

[admin]

This is a great Instructable, but you need to add a main image of the final project to the intro step. Please do that and leave me a message when you have so that we can publish your work. Thanks!

[etittel]

OK will do. That machine is busy installing the Patch Tuesday Vista updates but as soon as it's done I'll photograph the boot screen to show the updated BIOS. I'll send another message as soon as I update the item. --Ed--

[Bza]

if i have a asrock board and after a bios update the pc stop booting complete is there any chance to resuscitate my board?from what i know asrock boards don't have emergency repair...

[etittel]

If you can't get any boot behavior at all (this is an AMI BIOS, correct?) you must build a floppy disk with a copy of the correct BIOS renamed to AMIBIOS.ROM. Stick the floppy in the floppy drive, and when you start up the machine hold down the Ctrl-Home keys to force a reload (if it doesn't perform one automatically). When 4 beeps sound, or a reboot prompt appears, remove the floppy, then restart the computer.

If this doesn't work you have exactly 2 options:
1. Replace the BIOS chip on the mobo
2. Replace the entire mobo

Good luck!
--Ed--

See http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/03/09/recover-or-undo-corrupt-ami-bios-flash-update/ for more information.

[Bza]

thx i'll try