Updating a BIOS

[skier]

can i get a walkthrough, because ive read up on them as much as i can stand, but still cant get it work right,seeing as most of you here are fluent in the BIOS/DOS you can probably help a lot
(I need a BIOS update because the BIOS only allows the computer to use 256MB or less of VRAM and my card is 512)

ive got a PCCHIPS(ECS) M848A v5.0 Socket A, BIOS version 7.00T dated April 22nd 2005, so can anyone help? TIA.

[Zertz]

Copy the newer BIOS on a floppy disk then go into your BIOS there should be some kind of flash utility hiding in there, select it, follow the instructions on screen... and pray it doesn't fail.

[Apoptosis]

Looks like BIOS M848a16 (2004/10/12) is the latest and last BIOS update for your board according to their site: http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWeb/Produc ... lName=BIOS

Have you found a newer BIOS for the board as that is the last one listed on their site that I could find.

[skier]

this is my board - http://www.pcchips.com.tw/PCCWeb/Produc ... lName=BIOS
bios update date 6/24/05

do i put a DOS boot disc in->put a separate disc with the update on it, or the BIOS FLASH utility, or put the update ON the boot disc, or put the update and the flasher on the boot disc?

[Methious]

If your bios doesn't support some type of ezflash (socket "A" probably not) put boot files, bios update and flash utility on floppy, boot to the floppy, run the flash utility, select the bios flash file, and run it.

On older boards if the flash fails you have a paper weight, so no updating during thunder storms etc.

Hope this helps.

[skier]

what do i write(letter for letter) at this screen?
because try as i might, i cant get it to do anything

[ibleet]

It should be as simple as executing the flash utility you loaded onto the floppy. There should be an executable file something along the lines of bios.exe on the disc.

What do you see when you type /dir from A:\?

[skier]

What do you see when you type /dir from A:\?

ok here is the directory(better late then never...for me atleast)

so what do i type at the command screen?

[ibleet]

Just type AMINF342. If you created this boot disk correctly, it will flash the bios.

Make sure your floppy doesn't have any bad sectors, you should run scandisk or chkdsk on it.

[skier]

no .exe? just .

[kenc51]

no .exe? just .

Type the FULL file name incl. the extension, it usually has the ".exe" extension, but sometimes can have .com or .bat

[ibleet]

Its been a long time since I used DOS, but it should run either way.

AMINF342

or

AMINF342.exe

[skier]

so i all i had to was type(after dir) " AMINF342.EXE 050422S.ROM " enter, then enter again and its done, the bad part is, that file that said it was newer was actually the same BIOS that Came on the board

so does anyone know if the "Graphic win size" setting in the BIOS actually affects the amount of video RAM thats used?

[kenc51]

so i all i had to was type(after dir) " AMINF342.EXE 050422S.ROM " enter, then enter again and its done, the bad part is, that file that said it was newer was actually the same BIOS that Came on the board

so does anyone know if the "Graphic win size" setting in the BIOS actually affects the amount of video RAM thats used?

It's sounds like the AGP aperture setting, this setting doesn't do much and I wouldn't worry about it.
It could also be for how much system ram to use if the board has onboard GFX.

[skier]

i can only hope, this system has better game performance than the CPU should let it anyways, so its all good(until my next build )