In most cases BIOS cores were made by Award Software, American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) or sometimes by Phoenix Technologies. So it's not too complicated to figure out which BIOS update utility you need to flash your BIOS. There are also non commercial tools, like UniFlash and flashrom, which are suitable for all brands of BIOSes.
award flash utility dos download
Just download the appropriate zipped BIOS file, unpack it, rename it to something simple like bios.bin (Award, Phoenix - Award) or bios.rom (AMI, Phoenix) and use the suitable flash tool listed below.
You can also locate your current BIOS while in Windows. Press Window Key+R to access the "RUN" command window. Then type "msinfo32" to bring up your computer's System Information log. Your current BIOS version will be listed under "BIOS Version/Date". Now you can download your motherboard's latest BIOS update and update utility from the manufacturer's website. The update utility is often part of the download package from the manufacturer. If not, then check with your hardware provider. If one is not available, you can still use the USB stick to update your BIOS in an UEFI environment, if such is a feature of your motherboard.
Take the updated BIOS version and BIOS update utility you downloaded from the manufacturer's website and copy them to the newly bootable USB stick. Leave the USB stick plugged in to the computer. Then restart the system. Press or hold F11 as the system restarts. This will take you to the Boot Selection where you can set a boot device. Make sure you set your bootable USB stick as your boot device and then press .
Once the prompt appears, you will need to type the exact name of your BIOS update utility or flash tool such as "bupdater" or "afudos" or "awdflash." If your files and update tool are located within a different folder, such as ours seen in the image above, then you need to first access that folder using the command "cd " and press . Our files are in "cdTEST" again noted in the image above. Going forward, each flash utility is a bit different but simple enough to understand. Plus they all provide info on how to proceed once the application is initiated in DOS. Review the information given or follow the onscreen instructions to save the current BIOS and/or select the new BIOS file to update.
Most BIOS updates come as a zipped file containing the binary code file, the flash utility, and sometimes a README file. Flashing the erasable memory of your BIOS with the wrong code is almost certain to cause failure the next time you try to boot. Be careful when selecting the file. Many motherboard model names are similar within a single manufacturer. Download the file for the exact make/model/revision of your motherboard.
The flash utility included in the download should match the BIOS manufacturer information on the initial POST screen. In the example above, I have an Award BIOS from Phoenix Technologies (Phoenix Technologies and Award merged in 1998). The older version of the Award flash utility that I received in my BIOS update file was called AWDFLASH.EXE. The latest version is called AFU869.EXE. The acronym AFU stands for the Award Flash Update Utility. It also coincidentally stands for what happens if your flash goes bad.
You may be tempted to pull out the CD that came with the motherboard or computer and use the utilities on the CD to flash your BIOS. It is well worth your time to download the latest utilities from your motherboard manufacturer or computer maker. There is usually a good reason why a new version of the flash program has been made available.
You will need to go to the motherboard manufacturer or computer makers Website to download the latest version of the BIOS code anyway, so plan to download the latest flashing utilities or tools at the same time.
When things go wrong it is a good idea to have a recovery plan. If your flash utility offers it, make a backup of your existing BIOS code. If this option is not available, download a copy of your current BIOS version or find a utility that will back up your current BIOS code. The original BIOS file should be on a bootable floppy with the flash utility and ready to install. 2ff7e9595c
Comments