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How to create a bootable CD to flash bios
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BadBone
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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15. August 2006 @ 08:21 |
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I have an old computer at home and i wanted to update the bios for it since i am having problems installing the OS and i suspect the bios is too old.
I have already downloaded the bios for the model i have, the problem is that i don't have a floppy drive on my computer so i can't update the bios.
I have been searching the net for tutorials, but everyone keeps assuming that i am a computer geneous, so they write tutorials as short as possible and leave me with many questions.
Can someone please explain how to put the bios onto a CD, recommend software preferrable freeware ;-)
of if you know of any good tutorials please hook a brother up
thanks in advance
You never know what you can do until you try
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Noqoilpi
Member
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15. August 2006 @ 22:02 |
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What is thr make model of you board?
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Senior Member
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16. August 2006 @ 08:21 |
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This is all going to depend on what kind of BIOS and BIOS update the system is going to use. If that BIOS requires read/write access to the disk, a CD is not going to work. Some BIOS updates require that you boot the computer with the disk in the drive, which requires specially crafted boot files called autoexec.bat and config.sys. Those are done for you when you use the BIOS update to create the floppy. Very hard to imitate on a CD unless you know what your are doing. But in the end, it could still fall back on the CD not being write assesible. If the BIOS is the type that tells you to just drag and drop the files to a floppy, and start the computer with the disk in the drive....you might get away with just drag/drop those files to the CD compilation and burn. Note: the system must be able to boot from a CD drive.
Trust me when I say to you, that you'd be better off just getting yourself a used floppy drive from a computer store and using it. That way, you'll have a no hassle (hopefully) way of updating the BIOS...and a drive around if you ever needed it.
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BadBone
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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16. August 2006 @ 09:00 |
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First off, its an old dell optiplex GX1 500Mbr, it was being thrown away, and where i'm from any computer is better than none :)
It originally came with a 350 Mhz processor, i got my hands on a 550 Mhz from a friend and installed it.
i downloaded the bios update from dell "GX1_A10.exe"
While browing the net i came up on this:
Quote:
Clean Bootable CD-Rom (for BIOS upgrade)
People ask me if it is possible to create a bootable CD-Rom to update/flash their BIOS, on a system that has no floppy disk drive. I realize that some new PC's nowadays also don't have a floppy drive so this problem may affect more people in future... I have re-done this CD, so that it will be easier to use (single download package). It uses an updated version of BCD and BFD.
This Clean Bootable CD-Rom can be used for flashing your BIOS or other programs that need to be run from a "clean-booted" Dos operating system.
The steps to create are:
1. Download Clean Boot CD package v2.0 (596KB) and unpack it into any directory you like.
2. Add your own files, needed to upgrade your BIOS, to the cds\clean\bootdisk\ folder. You have about 2.5MB available space on the bootimage (the CD uses 2.88MB floppy emulation). Do not add your files to cds\clean\files\ folder!
Optionally you can edit the file cds\clean\bootdisk\autorun.bat and append a line to automatically run your flash program.
3. When you're done customizing, run "build-clean.cmd" to build your ISO image and burn it to your CD writer.
I downloaded everything, but i get stuck at the spot where it says
Quote:
Do not add your files to cds\clean\files\ folder!
Optionally you can edit the file cds\clean\bootdisk\autorun.bat and append a line to automatically run your flash program.
i don't know how to edit the autorun with my info and the writer of the tutorial didn't explain anything else.
Please help, otherwise i might just have to get a floppy drive
here is the link to the tutorial if u want to check it out yourself
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/clean/
You never know what you can do until you try
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Senior Member
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16. August 2006 @ 21:30 |
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Wow....talking about dusting off some old brain cells, had to remember modding bat files from the days of Windows 3.11!
Anyways...for example, here's what an old autoexec.bat file could look like:
@echo off
SET SOUND=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\CTSND
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:123
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE
DOSKEY
CLS
While booting, the bat file will run the programs in the list. Anything beginning with rem will not be run.
Now, your autorun.bat file looks like this:
@echo off
rem put your lines below here...
Edit the file by right clicking, open with Notepad. Then add the line that points to the name of the BIOS flash program in the folder you chose to put it in. It would be really easy if you put the flash program and the flash file itself in the root directory of the CD (not in any folder). That way, all you have to do is type in the name of the flash program similar to this:
@echo off
rem put your lines below here...
flashbios.exe
Note: some flash programs don't need to be done this way, they just need DOS to run.
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BadBone
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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17. August 2006 @ 08:59 |
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thanks for the response Morph416, but i have a question; when u wrote
Quote:
Edit the file by right clicking, open with Notepad. Then add the line that points to the name of the BIOS flash program in the folder you chose to put it in. It would be really easy if you put the flash program and the flash file itself in the root directory of the CD (not in any folder). That way, all you have to do is type in the name of the flash program similar to this:
@echo off
rem put your lines below here...
flashbios.exe
i assume i won't just be typing the name of the flash program as u did.
would i put in the floppy disc creator program which i downloaded from the Dell website (BGX1_A10.exe)? or is it a file which is written on the floppy when i run this program?
in this case would i type C:\newfolder\BGX1_A10.exe?
and also i assume that i won't have to add the lines for the floppy drives, cd drives, keyboard etc. like the ones u showed in your example?
Quote:
@echo off
SET SOUND=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\CTSND
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:123
LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE
DOSKEY
CLS
Sorry if i'm being such a pest, i know that u wern't the one who wroite the tutorial that i am trying to use, but i'm hoping that u can make more sense out of what is there, because i don't understand anything that he is saying.
Thanks
You never know what you can do until you try
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Senior Member
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17. August 2006 @ 10:39 |
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If that is a boot floppy creator program, it won't work as you think it will. That program requires a floppy drive, in which it will create the bootable floppy disk for you.
That tutorial 'assumes' that your flash program (the program used to change the BIOS information) and the flash file (the file that is the BIOS software) are already a separate entity, and not part of a floppy boot creator program.
For example, if you had a floppy drive and disk ready, you'd run that boot creator program you downloaded. After it was finished, on the floppy disk you'd see a program (for example) flashawd.exe. That program is run in DOS to create an interface for you to install or backup the computer's BIOS information. A file called bios1234.rom (for example) would be the BIOS information file. Once you launched the flash program after booting to DOS, you would then backup the original BIOS information first to the floppy, then use the newer file to overwrite the existing information. Reboot, and you'd be done.
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BadBone
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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17. August 2006 @ 14:48 |
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this thing is giving me more trouble than i thought it would, i think i'll just go out and buy a floppy drive. Didn't want to do that cause i never use a floppy (besides this occasion of course):)
I still won't give up on this though, i think it is may be something good to know about. Thanks for all your help, it is gratefully appreciated, your input won't go to waste, u just helped me realize something else that i need to go reserach up on, than mabye one day i can write a simple tutorial on how to make a bootable bios update CD, so i can help other people who r as baffled as i am right now.
Thanks a lot
You never know what you can do until you try
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