2 replies to this topic

[Arnold72]

hello forum,
Im wondering if anybody can help me please.?
i have a toshiba laptop ,ive run the toshiba tempro service and it has informed me that a driver update is available for the BIOS.
Is this update safe to install.?
I understand the BIOS is a sensitive area of the computer.
Im really unsure as to whether this update should be performed as ive never updated the BIOS before.
Any help would be very much appreciated.
Kind regards.

[CWB]

one of the old "rules of thumb" (and there are many , no matter the trade involved) :
"if it aint broke , don't fix it"

i have heard this for many years and it does hold true ... the bios is about the last thing you want to mess with , other than the normally available settings .
towit : i have a comp i built in 2004 ... the bios is the original that the motherboard came with ... runs juuussst fine .
the same is true for many other comps i have worked on .
there are/have been cases where a bios "flash" was needed ... a few of these related to a problem with unstable RAM operation and other issues with hardware and power monitoring/control (etc) .
however , in each case a problem that directly related to the bios was proven to be the cause .
most manufacturers will list the issues that a bios update will "fix" or improve ...
if you don't need it , don't do it .

[David H. Lipman]

There is no "driver update is available for the BIOS."

There are BIOS updates. BIOS updates are new firmware which is low level code that fits on non volatile RAM (aka; ROM) that allows an Operating System to properly communicate to the hardware. The BIOS is responsible for the Power On Self Test (POST) procedure.

Installing a BIOS update Today is usually safe if it is a utility that runs under Windows and will guide you through the process which usually will reboot the PC, install the new firmware and then boot into the native OS again. The situations where it can be unsafe is where it is a DOS utility where you have to supply the system's firmware in the form of a .ROM or .BIN file. In that case if you supply the wrong system firmware you can render the system unable to POST or boot. Another situation which can make it unsafe if you you reset the system while the firmware is being installed or if the system loses power during the process which can render the system unable to POST or boot. When the BIOS is installed via a high level Windows utility it will have the correct firmware code in the file and will verify that you are running it on the intended platform. It will also make sure certain conditions are met such as when it is a notebook and you are on AC power and not battery power (a battery could conceivably run out of power during the process which can render the system unable to POST or boot).

BIOS updates usually correct or fix a problem (or problems) dealing with the manufacturer's hardware and its ability to communicate with the Operating System. For example a BIOS update may fix a problem with the logic used in the CPU cooling fan's operation or how to work with ports such as FireWire and USB.

NOTE: Sometimes after applying a BIOS update you will find Windows will perform a Plug 'n Play operation for the changes that have been made.