I realize that this is not a hardware forum, so forgive me, but I have a question regarding making a backup bios chip (by other means than a rom burner). It's an idea I've been kicking around awhile, but I've be too chicken to try it. My idea is this: I had thought about booting my machine up (mother board laying out and exposed) to a dos prompt, via floppy. Now that I have it up and running, can I remove the bios chip (as someone mentioned in an earlier post), swap it with another, then flash this new chip with an image from disk to make myself a new bios chip? Do I need to have "shadowing" enabled in cmos setup to do this? It's just copying the data from the rom to ram and remapping the memory addresses to reflect the change, right? Anyone got a clue or experience on this subject. Just some crazy thoughts..... ;)

That is called hot flashing and it is not a wise thing to try. You could end up ruining your original BIOS by removing it with the machine running, and render your PC useless.

Hot swapping a BIOS isn't too difficult, but it is fraught with peril, mostly because of nervousness the first few times you do it. Here is a simple step by step:

Step 1: Prepare a resurrection disk.

Prepare a clean floppy with system files. To perform any BIOS programming, the machine must be booted in DOS mode only without any drivers loaded. Use the Windows format utility (in the right-click menu) and select the option "Copy system files." Or
format A: /s
from DOS. Copy an updated version of AWDFLASH.EXE or the appropriate BIOS flash program and a correct version of the BIOS source file to the system formatted floppy.

Step 2: Reboot to DOS mode.

Shut down the computer and lay it on its side. Remove all cards and other hardware over the motherboard except the video card. If it is a PCI video card, move it to the slot closest to the AGP slot. Insert the resurrection disk. Power up and allow to load all the way to the A:> prompt.

Step 3: Pull the good BIOS chip.

Ground yourself by touching the outside of the power supply Use a PROM or IC puller to carefully remove the chip without bending any pins. Brace your arms against the case and pull upward as directly as possible. Make an effort to ensure that both ends of the chip are pulled equally hard. The chip is sometimes held very tightly by the socket. Carefully push any bent pins back into alignment.

Step 4: Install the bad BIOS chip.

Align any pins that may be bent carefully.
Carefully place the bad chip onto the socket. Check to make sure the pins are aligned before you start pushing.
Push the chip evenly down. I found that the chip only needed to be inserted about halfway (until the spring leafs firmly grasp the pins). This makes it easier to pull out again. Use your judgment as to whether this is the right thing to do for your system.

Step 5: Flash the BIOS and test

Run the flash utility, pointing it to the source file. Usually, the format is: AWDFLASH /Sn /Py /CC
DO NOT FLASH if the flash utility tells you there are discrepancies between the two files (e.g. file length).
Say a prayer to the smoke gods that live inside your components (because if this doesn't work, you've got other problems)
Reboot the computer. It should load properly.

Step 6: Re-install the old (good) BIOS

Shut down the computer.Pull the newly-reborn BIOS chip carefully and fully insert the old BIOS chip. Again, make sure you don't bend any pins.
Re-install anything that was removed.
Insert the now-good BIOS back in the dead board and let 'er rip.

That's all there is to it. No, pulling the BIOS PROM while the machine is powered up does not itself damage your motherboard. However, agility-challenged individuals may damage their mainboard or peripherals during the above process. You do know you are doing this at your own risk, right? Okay, you may fry couple of motherboards and BIOS chips attempting this, but, it will get you that one step closer to being [H]ard. Have fun.

I was the one who mentioned it in an earlier post.
Uhh well this was a good tutorial from Doofus.
This is what I read somewhere else too, but I also read that at least the chipset of both boards must be the same....

Yeah, I forgot that. They MUST be the same BIOS model and chipset, preferably identical motherboards.

Thanks for all the input. I'm still chicken, but I might try this on a older board sometime down the road, preferably with a little alcohol and some time to kill, that way it will seem like a better idea :p LOL

That's exactly how I did it my first time. I was scared to death as the two computers I was swapping with were less than six months old, mind you, a couple of Amstrad PC 20s would be perfect to try it on now. I think they're worth about eight bucks these days. In case you were wondering, the swap went perfectly and I was proud as a peacock for about a week. However, whiskey induced courage hasn't always been that successful for me. Only one fire though, so not too bad.