System BIOS - should it show up on BOOT SCREEN

[ukdave]

Hi all

My understanding to date was that the BIOS version etc of your computer would show up on the top left hand side of the screen at BOOT-UP.

Well because I am looking into flashing the BIOS with an up-to-date one just purchased from e-support.com I started to look more closely at the boot-up screen.

Today I noticed that instead of the SYSTEM BIOS being indicated it shows the Nvidia graphics card BIOS details. Should this be the case please, because in another section (Hardware) I am asking a question regarding difficulties with my 2 hard disks being recognized at BOOT UP.

I wonder if this could have any bearing on those problems.

Be grateful for explanation of what should appear on the screen initially, and an indicator if this definitely a time to FLASH a new BIOS.

Thanks.
David

[mrmister1]

What your seeing is the Power On Self Test. To get into the BIOS, you actually have to press a button during POST. Usually del, F1, or F2. From there you should be able to flash the BIOS.

[glc]

Why are you purchasing a bios? Motherboard manufacturers provide them as free downloads. What is your motherboard brand and model?

[ukdave]

Originally Posted by glc Why are you purchasing a bios? Motherboard manufacturers provide them as free downloads. What is your motherboard brand and model?

Actually my computer motherboard was installed about 2 years ago (Nov 2002).

I did actually go up and see if I could find those details a few days ago, but at the time the Asus website was unable to provide that information so I was just looking around and came across the company from whom I have just purchased. They also supplied full details of what I should do and the care I should take - but if things go wrong the bottom line is - down to me. It is just one of those things. I would be having to work from a boot-up floppy disk and flash the BIOS from DOS with the files which are on it and that I downloaded and extracted from a zip file.

Sorry! done already $24.95 at esupport.com It is Asus motherboard A7V333 and I had my BIOS details checked first and downloaded the necessary file yesterday. But I am only keeping it as a backup if things get impossible thanks.

However, what I am really trying to find out is why (and I have seen this years ago on an old computer) the name of the BIOS and version does not appear on the screen now as it used to do.

As I wrote only the NVIDIA BIOS details appear. I appreciate to alter the BIOS details I would have to press Del on boot-up and so on. I am just curious really why that BIOS detail does not appear on my screen.

Many thanks for both replies.
David

[glc]

You have to go into the bios and disable "silent boot" - it may be called something else, but a lot of motherboards hide the POST screen with a logo.

You can use Belarc Advisor to see what version your bios is. This is a small free program that runs within Windows and gives you all kinds of system information.

www.belarc.com

For $24.95 I'd expect a new preprogrammed replacement BIOS chip, that's a ripoff for a freely available flash file.

[ukdave]

Originally Posted by glc You have to go into the bios and disable "silent boot" - it may be called something else, but a lot of motherboards hide the POST screen with a logo. You can use Belarc Advisor to see what version your bios is. This is a small free program that runs within Windows and gives you all kinds of system information.www.belarc.com For $24.95 I'd expect a new preprogrammed replacement BIOS chip, that's a ripoff for a freely available flash file.

Thanks glc I will look at that "silent boot" later. Don't recall anything like that though at the moment. Just downloaded that program from Belarc - really good little program. Appreciate your advice on that - it will come in very useful as I go along.

With regard to the $24.95. Yep, but it is no good me crying over spilt milk. But I take your point. I did try to get that free download at Asus but with no joy (as I mentioned) on that occasion so I had probably wrongly thought it was not available there at all. It is a lesson for anyone else reading this. Take a little more time to research around before parting with "dollars"! However, I suppose I should accept that for the money they did also give very clear instructions in the hope of my avoiding perhaps problems if I had just downloaded the file from Asus and knew nothing much else.

On the point of you expecting a new preprogrammed replacement BIOS chip for that money.Can you really remove easily a BIOS chip and replace with a pre-programmed chip?

I am going to be building using the Asus P4C800E-Deluxe and I had a look over the motherboard but could not see an actual chip. Could you advise me if there would be an obvious chip with the word BIOS on it please. I found a sticker with the BIOS details on - but that was fixed to the top of the mouse and keyboard connectors.

The BIOS details recorded there are as follows:

686 AMIBIOS
UV (c) 2003
AM47
6407

Is that the official BIOS description please?

But as I wrote - I could not see a chip marked in a similar fashsion.
Be glad if you can tell me a bit about all this BIOS stuff, and particularly if given a bad problem you can replace a chip from somewhere. Difficulties in removing from board etc. Hopefully never have to do!!
Thanks glc.

David

[ukdave]

Originally Posted by glc You have to go into the bios and disable "silent boot" - it may be called something else, but a lot of motherboards hide the POST screen with a logo.

By the way I am currently dealing with my 3 year old mail order computer on which I come up to the Forum each day - which I must keep working 100%! To enable me ONE DAY to build my new computer. Without this Forum it would just not get built.... Still it is teaching me about various important matters as I go along anyway.

Spot on glc - and thanks. Yes you solved it. I found in the BIOS a setting called FULL SCREEN LOGO which was ENABLED. I DISABLED it and re-booted. For the first time I was able to press the PAUSE button and have it work - it displayed all the necessary boot information as shown below. But first, a point on the PAUSE button, when I had finished looking at the info I pressed it again - expecting it to continue from where it had left off. It didn't. So I pressed CTRl-Alt-Del and then all went on OK.

Up to now you see I have tried pressing it and it failed to function. Why it is OK now I have no idea. It just is - so that's fine.

Anyway up came those settings:

Copyright 1984-2001 Award Software Inc
Award Medallion BIOS V6.0 An Energy Star Ally
Asus A7V333 ACPI BIOS Revision 1005
AMD Athlon 1400 MHz Processor
Memory Test 523288K OK

Just like the "old days".. Thanks for your trouble. Another satisfied customer!!
David

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by glc For $24.95 I'd expect a new preprogrammed replacement BIOS chip, that's a ripoff for a freely available flash file.

I must agree with glc on this one, I have bought 5 bios chips todate from www.biosworld.com and I haven't paid more than $25 US(about £15) for any of them. delivery is free in the USA, even to here in Puerto Rico, so I am sure they would do you a good deal on delivery to the UK. Every new chip comes loaded with the manufacturers latest bios files and they even do a free reflash in the first year if you have any problems.

[ukdave]

[QUOTE=rjfvillarosa]I must agree with glc on this one, I have bought 5 bios chips todate from www.biosworld.com and I haven't paid more than $25 US(about £15) for any of them. QUOTE]

Thanks for the link rjvillarosa. I have saved the information for the future - I did go up just now and have a quick look. Many thanks - oh by the way is it easy to take out and then install a BIOS chip? Do you have to have a soldering iron etc...etc.

Thanks again.
David

[rjfvillarosa]

Hey. Dave how you doing? You won't need a soldering iron, because if the bios chip was soldered in place you couldn't change it anyway. About 80 to 90% of boards come with a changeable bios chip, if you are going to change one get yourself a good "chip" extractor/inserter tool, Maplins should have one, same place you bought your audio splitter cable, and just observe all the usual antistatic precautions. All the chips from bios world come with installation instructions and when you go to their site to order one they have a nice simple walk through to help you order the correct chip.

Richard.

Just an extra note to anyone else reading this thread, biosworld cannot help you with bios chips for DELL's, apparently DELL will not release bios information.

[glc]

www.badflash.com is also an excellent place to get bios chips.

Once you use the Pause key, you can resume by pressing any key except the Pause key again - I usually just hit the spacebar.