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When I try to flash my bios, I make a Windows 98 boot disk and then try to put my flash utility and bios update on, but can't because the floppy does not have any space left. When I format the disk as a FAT the space becomes 1.38mbs, as the boot files take up 1.15mbs. My Flash utility is 265kbs on it's own and the bios file is 250kbs. What's going on? Any help would be appreciated. By the way my mobo is a ASROCK K7VT2.
You dont put it on a boot disk, you put the flash utility on a disk by itself.
Make sure you read the directions and understand them fully or you may render the machine unusable!!
Jimi_l
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You have to put it on a boot disk, but not the full Win98 Disk, otherwise how are you going to start the computer.
You can create suitable Boot disk from within Windows XP. Select floppy drive. Select format and click create MS-DOS Startup disk.
This will create a Basic boot disk that contains just three files. MS-DOS.SYS, IO.SYS and Command.Com. No Autoexec.bat and no Config.sys and nothing else. That is all that is needed to start the computer. Put the Flash files on this disk and re-boot.
Or alternatiely, get your Win98 boot disk and delete everything except the aforementioned three files. IO.SYS and MS-DOS.SYS will be hidden system files.
Stuart
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You're not starting the computer, you are flashing the BIOS. The BIOS is the first part of the boot process and only involves hardware at the most basic level.
Most major board Mfg have flash utilities that fit on a floppy and handle the entire process including backup of the old BIOS in case of disaster. Disaster that I can see looming on the horizon.
My advice is that you leave it alone.
Jimi_l
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Use a clean bootdisk like Stuart said above. You don't need the CDROM drivers and other junk loaded. I have had the experience of BIOS flash hanging when using a standard boot disk. Get a clean disk here:
bootdisk.com
The 5th one down, Dr.Drive. There is some good info here, so take a minute to browse.
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Jimi
You have to start the computer. You cannot flash the BIOS from within the BIOS screen. You need and A: prormpt in order start start the flash programme.
If the utitlity is on a flopy you need some kind of Disk Operating System to read it.
I have not yet heard of manufactureres putting DOS in the BIOS or a BIOS that can actually read a floppy.
Stuart
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HI all my $0.02 the bios flash program for my comp is a self extracting program ran from the hdd and it will make a bootable floppy with all need programs and data put on it. At this time have not ran the floppy it made to update bios ,my one hdd has a overlay on it.
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Agree with you, jimi...that's what I've always done, boot to the A: prompt with the boot disk, then access the other floppy that contains the flash utility and updated bios.
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cant you just put the flash stuff on a floppy and tell the bios to boot from floppy?
no interface needed. problem solved.
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The Magazine i was reading from said "Now it's time to make a bootable floppy, for Windows 2000/XP users we recommend that you head over to http://www.bootdisk.com and look for a Windows 98 boot disk". I followed their instructions and downloaded that program. When the program wrote onto the disk, it only left me 250kbs left of space. Should i instead format a floppy with the 'Create MS-DOS Startup Disk' option checked?
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It also said "4.Place the BIOS file onto the boot disk along with the flash utility"
Are they wrong or am I not following their instructions carefully?
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They are right. No need to create two floppy disks, one will do.
If it told you to use a Win98 Boot Disk it is wrong, hopelessly wrong. A Win98 boot disk has all sort of other stuff on it that will interfere with the flashing process. CD drivers, memory managers, keyboard drivers, etc. Not needed when flashing the BIOS. The Create MS-DOS Startup Disk from within Windows XP will do the job fine.
Consider this. Windows XP has no DOS, only a DOS emulator which cannot be used outside Windows. Windows XP comes on a bootable CD. So why have the facility to create an MD-DOS Disk in Windows XP when there is no MS-DOS in Windows XP. Answer: So you can create a bootable disk for flashing a BIOS. That is all it's there for. It leaves plenty of room for the flash utilities.
Stuart
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And if you really need more room on the floppy, check out TFORMAT.EXE, on google. It formats your floppy for about 1.78 Mb, and that should be enough space for you. As Stuart and others have said, all you need is the three files. If you can do format a: /s then you will have them. If not, get the bootdisk from bootdisk.com and remove everything EXCEPT COMMAND.COM. The other two files are hidden and won't be deleted. Now, you have a bootdisk that will boot up to the A: prompt. Put your BIOS files on here and reboot. Voila! FlashBIOS update. Just be sure that you can restore the old BIOS files, if needed. Flashing your BIOS can be very dangerous, even trashing your mobo. Why are you doing it, anyway? Good luck, tho. HTH :)
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