Question about BIOS update

[mysts]

We have an Asus P4T533 motherboard with a Pentium 4 3.06 cpu. The MB bios is 2002 vintage. Would there be any advantage or problems by updating the bios to a newer version.

[budz]

If you need the upgraded bios because of a new hardware that you're adding then it's fine. But make sure you make a copy of the mobo bios before you flash to the new one. If you're not having any problems with the motherboard I see no need to upgrade to the latest mobo bios.

[mysts]

Thanks budz,

This all came about when we were trying out a portable winxp on usb and then cd. Neither would work.

[redwudz]

You'd need to look through the information on the updates to see if you would benefit from any of them. If you have the original BIOS, you might want to at least update from that.

It looks like the original BIOS was version 1003 and the last one was 1007.002, a beta version: http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?modelname=P4T533&SLanguage=en-us Version 1005 looks like it might be the best choice.

You should be able to spot your BIOS version when booting, but easier might be a program like CPU-Z: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php Look under 'Mainboard' for the BIOS version.

With that model of motherboard, you will probably have to create a floppy disk and boot from that for the update. And be aware that all your BIOS adjustments will be reset, so you might want to write the critical ones down first before flashing the BIOS. And, as mentioned, save a copy of your old BIOS. Most update programs will give you that option.

[poisondeathray]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

The potential problems are many, including bricking your motherboard. Revisions come frequently in the life of a motherboard to fix incompatibilities, instability etc... But yours is an older model; I doubt there are any new releases. Look at the changelog on the BIOS revisions to see what (if any) specific scenarios might apply to you.

[mysts]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I think the best thing to do is look for another way to solve our problem.

[budz]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I think the best thing to do is look for another way to solve our problem.

Your welx! What is kind of problem are you experiencing?

[mysts]

Not really a problem. We were trying to work with a portable winxp usb and because it wouldn't work we thought it might be because the MB was so old(2002 vintage) and that a BIOS update might do the trick.