What program to flash BIOS epia sp. A method for restoring BIOS on Intel boards using a programmer without the need to glue the entire BIOS together. Is it necessary to perform a BIOS backup?

A computer is a rather complex and structured device that requires not only special care and supervision, but also an excellent understanding of its very structure. Thanks to its unique structure, the PC allows for computational operations, thereby enabling the user to achieve his intended goals. For example, you can easily do research, create documents, listen to music, watch videos, play games and much more.

But there are also situations when the computer breaks down. And real panic begins, even if a person understands some of its properties. There can be a lot of breakdowns, but the most dangerous and unpleasant is a BIOS breakdown, which can deprive you of the ability to continue using your computer. To avoid this, you need to update the BIOS from time to time, this will avoid errors and troubles while working on the computer. This brings up the question: how to flash the BIOS? To answer it, it is necessary to analyze absolutely all the information that relates to this element. This article presents in as much detail as possible all the necessary data that will allow you to acquire new knowledge and realize your plans. With this information, you will be able to manipulate the most important element of the entire computer system without any problems.

What is it?

How to flash BIOS? Before we look at this question, it’s worth diving a little into the theory and considering what this component represents itself. So, BIOS is the heart of the entire system, which is a technical component. That is, if the processor is responsible for various actions and calculations, then the BIOS is responsible for the performance of the “internals” of the computer (the motherboard, video card, ports, hard drive, etc.). If the BIOS fails or is damaged, then some part of the computer probably fails, or it stops working altogether. In short, this element is the connecting core of all computer chips. Thanks to it, a startup hierarchy is built and the correct operation of the entire computer system is monitored. BIOS firmware allows you to protect the “heart” of the system from breakdowns, and also, in critical situations, restore a broken computer with the possibility of its further repair.

What functions does it perform?

If we analyze the functions, we can say the following: this main element of the system controls the entire performance of the computer and arranges the startup order. That is, if you remove the hierarchy of inclusion of computer components, there will be constant failures. As for the control function, the BIOS ensures the functionality of a particular element, and also prevents damage in the event of a failure. The familiar “blue screen” is a consequence of the BIOS, which turns off the device when it fails so that it does not burn out and can be restored. And to see all this with your own eyes, just use the Windows pre-boot screen. Setting up BIOS is a special screen that almost everyone is familiar with. Yes, it is in English, but this will not prevent you from understanding it without any problems. It contains all the settings that ensure the functionality of the system. Therefore, you don’t need to change anything there without knowledge and the need, otherwise you can ruin the system yourself. Setting up the BIOS is needed for those people who understand each of its functions and are able to use all the commands to restore the computer, repair it and further investigate the problem. If you don't know anything about it, it's best not to go into it at all. Let specialists do this, who will carry out any action for the good, fully understanding all the consequences.

Why is firmware needed?

How to flash BIOS? The answer to this question is simple; you just need to give an example of a large but understandable instruction. But is it necessary to do this? What will she bring with her? It turns out that this must be done, since it is the BIOS firmware that allows you to avoid breakdowns and bring your computer back to life.

Firmware is an update of the system component of the utility. Thanks to it, the program shell receives new functions and a more sophisticated system that allows you to avoid future breakdowns. It is known that when hardware is first released, developers sometimes overlook minor existing problems. But after some time they release special updates that avoid this.

The second useful aspect of the update is the ability to return the PC to functionality. For example, you were working on a computer, and it suddenly broke down. It refuses to start, does not see the equipment, etc. It is difficult to fix this problem yourself, but it is quite possible - just reset the BIOS and install the necessary update, which will bring the computer back to life and perform some manipulations that will allow you to restore your equipment. But how to flash the BIOS? This is exactly what we will talk about next, consider all possible options and learn about the problems that may arise when carrying out these actions. You need to read the instructions carefully and remember the procedure so as not to make mistakes.

What programs can help?

First, it’s worth considering which programs for flashing the BIOS may be suitable. This is where the first problem that many users encounter arises. It’s worth remembering once and for all: no programs will be able to flash the BIOS for you until you do it yourself. Remember, no matter what utilities are offered to you, no matter how they guarantee quality, simplicity and flexibility, all this cannot help you, but will only aggravate the situation. BIOS is the center of the system, which should be solely under your control. If someone gains access to it, the computer will be impossible to restore. Don't fall for scammers' tricks!

How to flash the motherboard BIOS if there are no programs? They exist, however, their purpose is not to flash, but to help you. Such programs include special files and auxiliary utilities from the official website of your equipment manufacturer. You need to go to the website, request files for the equipment through a search engine and download them. All this must be done in advance so that you have a backup option in case of breakdown. Although you can use another computer. Then it is these files that will be useful to you in order not only to update the BIOS, but also to restore the system in the event of a breakdown.

BIOS update

How to flash the BIOS of an Asus motherboard? What do you need for Gigabyte equipment? All these questions are irrelevant, since, regardless of the manufacturer, the update process is the same everywhere. How to flash the motherboard BIOS with your own hands? There are several effective and efficient methods, which we, in fact, will consider further. True, they imply the presence of special files, which were described above, so it is worth preparing them first to avoid misunderstandings.

In most cases, the BIOS utility firmware itself is flashed automatically. This is normal, since the firmware procedure is a rather complex manual process, so the developers themselves create various software bases that automatically update the base. True, your participation is still needed, since it is necessary to create conditions for the update. There are several ways to update the utility, ranging from the banal use of a bootable flash drive to professional equipment called a “programmer”.

Updating using a flash drive

How to flash BIOS from a flash drive? To do this, it is enough to fulfill the following conditions to achieve success. First, we determine what model your motherboard has. This is quite easy to do, just look at the manufacturer's box. On the reverse side the model itself and all components are described in as much detail as possible. If this is not possible, you need to use a universal program called Everest, which allows you to obtain absolutely all information about the equipment. Just download the program and run it on your computer, and within a few minutes you will be able to find out absolutely everything. The program is distributed on a paid basis, but there is a trial run for 30 days. During this period, it will be possible to collect all the data that is needed and save it.

Okay, now let's get back to the question of how to flash the BIOS from a flash drive. First, you should have the flash drive itself with the FAT32 system extension, so that there are no failures or errors during the operation. Then you need to move the files that you downloaded from the official website to it - there should be 2 files with different extensions. One of them has the “exe” format and allows the flash drive to start during boot and automatically unpack the update file. The second has the extension “bin”, it represents the update base itself, which, in fact, will be unpacked during the firmware.

After all the steps taken, you need to insert the USB flash drive into the switched off computer and turn it on. Using a special key on the screen, you need to call up the BIOS menu (usually this key means a series of buttons - from F1 to F8 - or “Delete”). You can find out which button will open the BIOS while the computer is booting; it will be shown on the bottom left.

On the BIOS settings screen, you need to go to the “Boot” tab and select the “Boot Device Priority” submenu. It will indicate the order in which your computer hardware will start. Each piece of equipment is numbered from 1 to 6. You must select priority No. 1 and set “Generic Flash Disk” in it. Once all instructions have been completed, you need to restart your computer. When you boot your computer again, the BIOS will be automatically updated, and you will be able to use your computer and configure it without any problems. It is worth considering another option that allows you to understand how to flash the Asus BIOS (however, it can be any model) without using additional software.

Modern technologies do not stand still, so very often you can find universal computers marked “BIOS Dual”. Such computers allow you to update the system without preloads or other actions. To do this, just go to the BIOS settings, and the system itself will request an update. It is enough to agree with the proposal - and the utility will be automatically updated. However, it is worth considering that this option is only possible if you have an Internet connection.

I would like to note one more advantage of the “BIOS Dual” computer, which is the guarantee of its performance. The fact is that in such computers the second BIOS is not used, but serves as a reserve. Therefore, if a working BIOS version fails, the computer automatically reboots, and the backup version of the utilities updates the main one to factory settings, which, in fact, restores the operating system.

Update using Windows

How to flash BIOS from Windows? In this case, everything is much simpler and clearer, however, it will not allow you to restore a broken BIOS, which does not allow you to start the operating system itself. To do this, just run the file with the “exe” extension directly on the running system. After a short check of the system, the program will begin to ask for consent to update, which you must agree to. The utility will perform all the necessary operations and automatically restart the computer, which will already be running the updated version of the system program. Therefore, before looking for ways to understand how to flash Asus BIOS, you should consider this option, since it is the safest and simplest. If your system utility already has an updated version of its shell, the program will display a message stating that the firmware is not needed.

Update using programmer

Now let's look at a hard-to-find way to restore the utility. Flashing the BIOS with a programmer has a feature that is targeted for use. Using this device, you can only restore your computer, but not update it. Therefore, if your computer is broken and refuses to start, just use a programmer, and all problems will be solved. True, this device is difficult to obtain, and it is available mainly in specialized computer services. But if you have it, then consider that there will definitely be no problems with your computer, since you can always restore it. It is worth recalling one more nuance; it lies in the version that the programmer installs. This device installs exclusively factory settings when restored, so after repair you should manually install a new version of the BIOS using one of the methods discussed above.

How to flash BIOS on a laptop? Is it possible to use a programmer for this type of computer? Unfortunately, it is impossible to carry out such an operation, since the laptop requires a PCI connector for connection, and the laptop simply does not have one. And how to flash the BIOS on a laptop in such a situation? To do this, it is enough to use the methods that we, in fact, considered: using a flash drive or Windows. By the way, the disk can be used as a storage device, however, to do this, you should set “DVD-RW” in the startup priority settings. This will allow the system to initially launch a disk with data that was previously downloaded from the official website of the equipment manufacturer.

Video card BIOS update

How to flash the BIOS of a video card? Very rarely, but some users are interested in ways to update the main video card utility. It is worth considering that such a procedure does not have to be carried out, since manufacturers either release a working version of the utility in advance, or provide special updates that, in addition to drivers, also update the BIOS. But if you can’t wait to gain new experience and understand how this process happens, you should be patient, since this is not so easy to implement.

First, you should download a package of programs that will be useful to you: AtiFlash, GPU-Z, RBE Bios Editor. You can flash the MSI BIOS using the same method that we discussed above, that is, using a flash drive. First, you need to download the files necessary for the update from the manufacturer’s official website. But first, using the Everest program, you should find out your video card model. Once the file is found, you need to compare it with the existing version. In this case, you will need the GPU-Z program, which allows you to obtain absolutely all the data of the video card and its main system utility. It is necessary to compare the data as accurately as possible and determine whether it is worth upgrading the video card or not (you should even take into account the operating temperature of the device). If you are satisfied with the new data, then you need to move on and start updating the firmware. To get information about the downloaded version, you need to open it using the RBE BIOS Editor utility.

Using the AtiFlash program you need to write data to a flash drive. Then you need to save the files of the existing BIOS. To do this, you will again need the GPU-Z program; after opening the window with the data, you need to right-click on it and click on the “Save to File” option. This file must be saved to removable media, which will later be needed to roll back the actions taken, so you will need two flash drives.

As soon as everything is ready, you can start the firmware process using the method that we discussed earlier, that is, set the priority to loading the flash drive and restart the computer. True, this time the process will not happen automatically, but will require your assistance. After the loading screen appears, a data entry panel will appear in which you need to enter the command “atiflash.exe -p -f 0 new.rom”. It will allow the process to begin and flash the BIOS data of the video card without problems or complaints. As soon as the process is completed, just restart your computer and use the updated version.

Consequence of unsuccessful firmware

What to do if an unsuccessful BIOS firmware was implemented? This situation is the most dangerous problem that can arise. Several solutions should be considered.

For example, if failure overtook you while flashing your laptop, you should try to roll back the changes. This can be done using an additional flash drive on which the factory version of the BIOS will be installed. The rollback process occurs in the same way as the firmware itself. If rolling back doesn't help, it means a programmer is needed. True, you won’t be able to use it personally, so it’s time to contact the service for professional help.

As for a personal computer, the situation here is much simpler. If the BIOS refuses to start, you should resort to the help of a programmer. If such equipment is not available, then you should not rush to contact the service, since the computer contains a so-called “battery”. If you take it out for a day and then put it back, the BIOS will automatically go to factory settings, and you will be able to restore the computer’s functionality.

As for the video card, the only option is to use an additional flash drive, which we talked about when considering the method of updating the video card. It is enough to roll back the video card settings to the version that you had installed. To do this, you need to use the BIOS firmware method, although using an already outdated version, which will actually allow you to roll back the resulting non-working settings. If the process does not give positive results, you will have to contact a service center where they will restore it for you.

Choose the most suitable methods and carefully follow all the instructions given, then you definitely won’t have any problems.

Or a story about how I fed the D845GVAD2 BIOS. A story in two acts.

So, starting position. There is an Intel Desktop Board D845GVAD2 on an i845 chipset, the BIOS is seriously damaged. It needs to be flashed. The idea is to flash only the bootblock, which is much easier to “assemble” than the entire BIOS image. The rest can be flashed from a floppy disk or CD/DVD. The idea is not new.

Step one, in which you need to write bootblock to a CLEAN flash drive; for the reason described below, I advise you not to skip this action, even if the bootblock is alive. We go to Intel.com, find a page with bios for this board. In my case it is downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=6652&ProdId=898&la... .

We see two files:

We are interested in the DOS version. Download. We get the file LY84510A.86A.0043.P17.IB.exe. This is an archive, let's unpack it. The following files are inside:

DESC.TXT
DISKIMG.EXE
LICENSE.TXT
P17-0043.ITK
README.TXT
RUN.BAT
SW.EXE

We are interested in two archives - SW.EXE and DISKIMG.EXE - the actual BIOS with the flasher parsed into files and the image of a bare boot floppy disk, respectively.

We unpack SW.EXE and get the following files:
AUTOEXEC.BAT
BEEP.COM
BIOS.REC
execute.bat
IFLASH.EXE
LOGODATA.USR
P17-0043.BI1
P17-0043.BI2
P17-0043.BI3
P17-0043.BI4
P17-0043.BI5
P17-0043.BI6
P17-0043.BIO
P17-0043.ITK
P17-0043.SIG
TOKEN

Next, the bootblock of my board takes up 64Kb. In my case, the first half is the last 32Kb P17-0043.bi5 and the second half is the last 32Kb P17-0043.bi6. Just look at what the end of P17-0043.bi6 looks like, in the case of other Intel BIOSes based on AMI there will be a similar picture. You can find some additional information on this topic here:

We cut out the last 32Kb from these files and glue them together (I use Total Commander for these operations). The file should be exactly 65536 bytes = 64Kb in size.

1) Create a file equal to the size of the flash drive, consisting of bytes with the value 0xFF (or 0FFh, whichever is more convenient). Write down our bootblock in the last 64Kb.

After that, write this file to the flash drive using the programmer.

2) Be sure to erase the flash drive, make sure it is clean (all bytes have the value 0xFF), then simply write our bootblock to the end of it.

After that, insert the flash drive into the motherboard. Since we have nothing except the bootblock, the BIOS CONFIG jumper can be left in the Normal position. We include the fee. A sign that everything was done correctly is running postcodes. Code E9 is initialization of FDD, its presence is an indicator of an attempt to restore the BIOS.

Step two, in which you need to feed the BIOS from a floppy disk or CD/DVD disk.

1) For a floppy disk.

We unpack the DISKIMG.EXE file and get the following files:

AUTOEXEC.BAT
CONFIG.SYS
DISK.IMG
ERR_LEV.BAT
FDXXMS.SYS
FINDRAMD.EXE
RAWRITE.EXE
TDSK.EXE

We are interested in the DISK.IMG file. We write it to a floppy disk (you can use the WinImage program or Diskimg.exe, obtained by unpacking LY84510A.86A.0043.P17.IB.exe).

Next, copy all the files obtained when unpacking SW.EXE to a floppy disk. We go to the floppy disk, look through the *.bat files for the command to launch the flasher. In my case, there are two lines in the execute.bat file:

IF EXIST IFLASH.EXE Iflash /f /p P17-0043.BIO
IF EXIST IFLASH2.EXE Iflash2 /f /p P17-0043.BIO

We save these lines somewhere. After that, delete autoexec.bat and config.sys from the floppy disk. We create a clean autoexec.bat and insert the previously saved lines there. Then we create an empty config.sys file.

We insert the floppy disk, turn on the board, wait for the firmware to finish (in my case, the codes are 46->EE, if I'm not confusing anything). We turn off the board, set the jumper to the “Normal” position if necessary, and turn it on again. if the board does not start, it means either something was done wrong, or there is some other problem.

2) For CD/DVD disc.

The idea here is to make a bootable disk with a floppy image. Everything is the same, only we perform all the manipulations described above with the floppy disk image in the WinImage program, then save the image with the IMA extension, launch NERO Burning ROM, select the project type CD (bootable) or DVD (bootable), select the use of the image file, indicate our *.IMA file, install 1.44 MB floppy disk emulation, write it, insert it into the drive, start the board, wait for the firmware to finish.

It is possible that the bootblock of another board does not know how to boot from a CD/DVD. Then all that remains is a floppy disk.

Why is it necessary to clean the flash drive before recording a bootblock? When I restored the BIOS, first I “glued” 8 bootblocks together and got a file of 512Kb in size. The procedure then proceeded normally, the board started, went through POST, but instead of some inscriptions, abracadabra was displayed - the flasher clearly did not clean something up. For those who want to understand, I am attaching two files - a normal image (LY84510A.86A.rar) and “with gobbledygook” (Vnimanie_Fajl_povrezhden_Ne_vshivat_Warning_File_is_damaged_Do_not_flash.rar). It's interesting that the flasher didn't clean it up...

Well, there are a ton of flasher options - someone asked somewhere, but the flasher provides them only in DOS mode and/or only on a suitable board:

Intel Flash Memory Update Utility Part 643643-046

GUI-mode options:
/m - Monochrome display /b - Use BIOS video calls
/t - Use EGA/VGA line count /n - Do not use pointer device
Command-line mode options:
/h - Help (this text)
/q - Quiet mode; errors only, and no prompts
/qb - Quiet mode; No beeps
Standard options:
/r - Force reboot after update /@ - Use override file
/f - Force CMOS defaults next POST /d - Verbose debugging output
/c - Clear ESCD (Extended System Configuration Data) next POST
/p pathname - Program FLASH device with contents of "pathname".
/pu pathname - Program User Binary area with contents of "pathname".
/v pathname - Verify current FLASH with contents of "pathname".
/sX pathname - Save resident FLASH area to "pathname" (or "vvvv"BIOS),
X = ( "B"IOS, "L"anguage, "U"ser, or "R"ecovery ) area.
/x pathname - eXamine FLASH header of "pathname".
Special Operations:
/v pathname - Verify current flash with contents of "pathname."
/x pathname - eXamine flash header of "pathname".
/sX pathname - Save resident flash area to "pathname" (or "vvvv"BIOS)
X = ( "B"IOS, "L"anguage, "U"ser, "R"ecovery) area.
/ae - Erase OEM CMOS Defaults.
/ac - Copy Custom CMOS Defaults into the OEM CMOS Defaults.
/af - Force OEM CMOS Defaults next POST.
/ag pathname - Get OEM CMOS Defaults to "pathname".
/as pathname - Set OEM CMOS Defaults with contents of "pathname".
/ew pathname - Write BMI settings with contents of "pathname".
/er pathname - Retrieve BMI settings to "pathname".

If your ASUS device is implemented on a modern motherboard, then you can use the instructions How to flash the ASUS BIOS (ASUS EZ Flash 2) (in this case you will not need to create a bootable USB flash drive)

Preparatory stage:

1. First of all, go to the ASUS website.
2. Select your product (laptop or motherboard), then the series and model, then press the Enter key or the Search button.
3. The site will prompt you to select an operating system, if possible, select the one you are using, if it is on the list.
4. Go to the BIOS section and download the latest BIOS version.
5. Download the utility for flashing the BIOS - AFUDOS. This can be done on the same ASUS product page in the BIOS Utilities section. Or
6. Create a bootable DOS USB flash drive (optional - another way to create a bootable DOS USB flash drive)
7. I also recommend connecting the device to be flashed to an uninterruptible power supply (for a laptop, fully charge a working battery), because If there is a power failure during the firmware process, the device will have to be taken to a service center for restoration.

1. We open our bootable USB flash drive, write the afudos program (afudos.exe file) and the BIOS itself (example: p4c800b.rom file) onto it.
2. We reboot and when the first picture appears on the monitor, press F8. We get to the quick launch menu and select our flash drive. Either at startup, press F2 for laptops or Del for desktop PCs, go to the Boot tab and put the flash drive in first place, usually for this in the 1st Boot Device item you need to set Removable Device, then press F10 and confirm that we want to save the changes in the settings.
3. The computer will boot from the flash drive and will prompt you to work C:\> on a black screen. (or another drive letter - it doesn't matter)
4. To start the firmware process we write afudos /i p4c800b.rom and press the Enter key. Launching BIOS firmware
5. Note: Do not turn off the power or reboot the system while updating the BIOS! This can cause serious damage to your system.
6. After the BIOS update is completed, the utility will return to DOS. Remove the floppy disk (flash drive) and reboot the system to enter the BIOS menu. BIOS flashing completed
7. Go to BIOS and reset settings to original values.

/i /v may not work
I read a guide on lokol.ru which stated:
Flashing AMI BIOS
Enter BIOS Setup and configure the following settings.
System BIOS Cacheable. Allows you to copy the BIOS contents into the computer's RAM to speed up access to it. On the one side -
this is good, on the other hand, it is unacceptable (when the size of the free space is very important
RAM). To flash the BIOS, temporarily set this parameter to Disabled.
Power Management/Workstation. During the flashing process, automatic control
There is no need to power the computer, so turn off this function,
also selecting Disabled.
First/Second/Third/Fourth Boot device. Specify Floppy as the first boot device.
To flash the AMI BIOS, use the AMINF program." The syntax of the program is as follows:
AMINF [File_1] [File_2] . . .] Let's look at the parameters used in the program.
File_1 - file containing the new BIOS version.
File_2 - the file in which the current BIOS version will be saved.
/C - when flashing, set the BIOS settings to default.
/E - after flashing the BIOS, clear the contents of the CMOS memory.
/D - after flashing the BIOS, remove the password (if any) for entering the BIOS or loading the operating system.
/G - reserve a memory area for event logging during the flashing process.
/L - do not use the USB bus when flashing the BIOS.
/N - after flashing, clear the ECSD table that contains data
about Plug and Play devices installed on your computer.
/I - display the checksum of the current BIOS version on the screen.
/V - show on the screen the checksum of the file with the new BIOS version.
The remaining steps when flashing the AMI BIOS are similar to those performed when flashing the Award BIOS. Only when copying a file with a new BIOS version onto a floppy disk, remember that its extension in this case should be ROM, for example new. rom, and the created file is autoexec. bat should contain the following entry:
@echooffaminf. exe new. rom old. rom /c /d/e /g/i /1 /n /v
The flashing program will perform the following actions:
will save the old BIOS version to the file old. rom;
will keep an event log;
The program file name may differ from what is specified.
will not use the USB bus;
will display checksums of the old and new BIOS versions;
Q will clear the CMOS memory and ESCD table.
Having prepared everything you need, boot the computer from the floppy disk and wait for the flashing process to complete.
If, after restarting the computer, there is nothing on the screen and the hard drive indicator does not blink, it means that the BIOS flashing failed and you will have to restore the BIOS.
Using Boot Block to Restore BIOS
So, with the best of intentions, you decided to reflash your BIOS with a newer version, but it didn’t want to. As a result, after turning on the computer does not show any signs of life: no messages, no sound signals - nothing at all, it just blinks the power-on LEDs. Don't be upset - this happens too. Let's figure out what to do in such a situation.
If the Boot Block memory was not affected when flashing the BIOS, then it is quite easy to “cure” the BIOS. To do this, at a minimum, you must have an old version of the BIOS, which you should have saved before flashing. Then everything depends on the BIOS manufacturer.
The only unpleasant aspect of using Boot Block is that not all BIOS versions support output to video cards installed in a PCI or, especially, AGP slot. If your BIOS does not support output to these slots, then you will have to restore it blindly, that is, do something and not see the result until the computer reboots.