Is it safe to flash a bios in windows?

jim5000 · 28 Dec 2006 at 20:44

I don't have a dos boot disc (or a floppy drive to make one) so can't do it from dos. Is it safe to flash a bios from withing windows? motherboard is an Abit AN8-V

If it's not alright, is there any way i can get to dos to flash the bios?

squiffy · 28 Dec 2006 at 20:52

Does the flash utility run in windows? Does the motherboard say it's safe to flash in Windows?

My two Asus boards (sig and A8N-CSM) both have Windows flash utils and both flashed ok.

jim5000 · 28 Dec 2006 at 22:43

Right, abit of looking rather than just posting on OcUK revealed the abit windows flashing utility!

Trusty · 29 Dec 2006 at 00:22

Look on your motherboards website. They should have a windows based flash utility! Very easy to use aswell! :cool:

Topgun · 29 Dec 2006 at 00:25

I alway flash in windows but if you dont have a floppy drive, just download a bootable floppy .img file (with dos cd drivers) and use nero to make a bootable cd using that image. Put the BIOS ROM image and flash utility on the data portion of the cd.

Jokester · 29 Dec 2006 at 00:33

More things are likely to go wrong in Windows, but even still it should be safe enough.

Jokester

ken1307 · 29 Dec 2006 at 01:10

I would not do it in Windows !!! DOS FLASH F T W !!!

BUFF · 29 Dec 2006 at 03:02

FlashMenu is fine with a few caveats:
don't flash with an overclock
download the BIOS file locally first & use "update from file mode" rather than "1 click update"
clearCMOS afterwards

slap ed · 29 Dec 2006 at 19:10

i used the asus updater to update bios on new motherboard and had sli problems in one game , anyway after weeks off fidling decided to flash bios again and hey presto everything is fine now so don't think i'll bother with windows based utilities again

pastymuncher · 29 Dec 2006 at 20:48

I have always used windows based flash utilities to update the bios on all the motherboards i have had and have never had a problem at all. That includes manufacturers such as MSI (2 boards), Epox, Abit (3 boards), Gigabyte (2 Boards), Biostar and Asus. All have had the bios updated as and when they were released.