NEVER flash your bios if you are having no problems. NEVER flash it unless you have found information you can DEFINATELY cure a problem by flashing the bios.
You are taking a big risk when you flash your bios - if the flash fails, and/or the flash chip physically fails while flashing (this is COMMON - these cheap flash chips can only be flashed an unpredictable small number of times), you will have a mboard that will not boot.
If you're sure you have the right bios update version, try downloading it from another location on the Gigabye web site where you got the update, and use the files extracted from that.
Some mboards have a jumper that must be in the right position when you flash your bios.
If you flash with it in the wrong position, your flash utility may refuse to flash the bios, or your flash will fail, and in some cases you can end up with an empty bios.
Check your mboard manual to see if you have such a jumper!!
Some mboards have a setting in the bios Setup that protects the bios from being flashed by default. If you have such a setting, you must disable that protection.
If you don't have a manual, it may be a *.pdf file on the CD that came with the mboard, or you can get it from the manufacturer's web site.
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With some bioses, if you are using bios passwords, you should REMOVE them before you flash or the flash may fail. Because of that, it is a good idea to always do this BEFORE you flash.
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The web site bios updates for this mboard require you make a bootable floppy, execute the downloaded update file and extract it's contents to the floppy, then you boot the computer from the floppy.
Your bios may have a built in flash utility but it may not work with a new update because it's version is older. Use the bootable floppy method to upgrade the bios.
I recommend you use Windows to check your floppy using FULL format. FULL format is slower, but will find and exclude from use any previously undetected bad sectors on a floppy, a common problem these days.
In XP, RIGHT click on A: to find Format, DO NOT use the Quick format switch, format the floppy. After the format has finished, RIGHT click on A:, choose Properties - Free Space should be 1,457,664 bytes for an error free floppy. If it is less than that and the floppy is less than about 7 years old, I recommend you don't use it - it will probably get worse. Format another floppy instead.
Once you have a floppy that has no bad sectors on it, Format it again, and this time choose Create a MSDos startup disk
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FAQs from the Gigabyte web site:
"Q: The flash tool always appears "flash part is not support" when upgrading BIOS in MS-DOS. What should I do ?
A: Please disable "BIOS Flash Protection" function in the BIOS or by Jumper. About the details, please refer to your motherboard manual. "
(this only applies for this exact bios version)
"Q: Awdflash utility shows "The program's part number does not match with your system." error message when update beta BIOS version F1d?
A: Please ignore this error message and continue flashing. Or you can use quick update BIOS mode, for example, type "Awdflash 6BX.F1d /sn /py /cc /r", and then press [Enter] key."
"* Please remember to "Load Optimize Defaults" (in the BIOS Setup) after updating new BIOS "
