Updating the BIOS

If at all possible, use the boot disk version. I have seen BIOS flashes fail due to file corruption occurring during the download, or the BIOS update program fail to function correctly, even with fresh installations. Using the boot disk should also allow for backing up the previous BIOS on a separate, clean floppy, in case something goes wrong ... and it's really not altogether that unusual for a BIOS update to fail, especially if a setting within the BIOS must be changed before the update can be accepted (and by the way, this must be done before each flash, if the setting exists ... it's a single use feature.)

IMHO, if the current BIOS isn't causing any problems, or the update doesn't specify that it is adding important new and/or necessary features to insure the stability of the system, don't bother updating just because a newer version is available. In the computer world, the old maxim, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," ... in regards to BIOS updates, should be the rule of thumb, not the exception. This is applicable, even with WinXP, because when we are talking about a BIOS from a major manufacturer, most versions from 2001 or newer should be stable and interface correctly with the majority of modern hardware, with certain minor exceptions occasionally occurring for 48-bit LBA, SATA drives, highspeed USB 2.0, or boot support with external devices that pre-dated the BIOS, etc.

You make the call, but if the system appears to be solid ... be happy, and ignore the compulsion to update, just for the sake of updating.

Toey

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