BIOS Update per bootable DOS-Diskette

(see also: BIOS Update per Boot-CD)
(see also: BIOS Update per bootable USB-Stick)
Download floppy_e.zip
Instruction to create a DOS-Boot-Diskette
Starting the BIOS-Update from Diskette

A Bios update under Windows does not fail straight rarely! A cause can be e.g. a virus scanner, which tries to check an incoming email during the Bios update progress. Result: the data content of the Bios chip are incomplete, and do not let the PC any longer start and the chip must externally reprogrammed.

For this reason i have published a guidance to create a bootable DOS diskette to make an BIOS Update. For all owners of a PC/Notebook without a floppy drive i have wrote the guidance to create a bootable CD.

First of all, we need the image file floppy.img, which contains a bootable DOS-Diskette. My choice was the Freeware version from Caldera DR-DOS v7.03. Nowadays devicelogics, but commercial!

Download

• bootbios.zip Ultimate BIOS-Boot-Edition (all-in-one: CD, Floppy, USB-Stick) 5.6MB
• floppy_e.zip 227KB (Size decompressed = 1.474.560 Bytes)
  contains the compressed file floppy.img, which must be decompressed with a Packer program like Winzip or Winrar before inserting on diskette!
• The image contains only the neccessary DOS systemfiles. It contains no emm386 or himem, which could compromise the BIOS-Update.

Instruction to create a DOS-Boot-Diskette

• Download the free Windows tool rawrite. Start it, choose the option Write (1.) and insert the path (2.) to your image file floppy.img. Use the Write-Button (3.) to create the bootable DOS-Diskette.
  
• Next we copy our flashprogram and the Bios-Updatefile onto the diskette. Make sure, that there is no write-protection on diskette or files!

Starting the Bios-Update from Diskette

• Next i advise less experienced users to read my Bios-Update-Howto.
• Before we reboot, we have to do some important settings. Inside the BIOS-Setup we should load the "Setup Defaults / Optimized Defaults Settings", to set all Bios-Settings to their default values (see also Bios-Update-Howto). Next we must set (inside the Bios-Setup) the Bootsequence to diskette (Option: Bootsequence, First Boot Device, etc...).
• Make sure, that there is no write-protection inside the Bios-Setup (Bios Write Protection), resp. a jumper on your mainboard, which must be disabled!
• Now insert the Diskette and start your PC. If all went well, Caldera-DOS starts and we see the famous, old DOS-Prompt (A:\>).
• Now you can call the flashprogram to create first of all a backup of your Bios-Chip content, or you can go on, to update your Bios. Tip: calling the flashprogram with parameter "flashxyz.exe /?" could show you some more interesting infos/options.

Happy flashing!