Question about updating the BIOS

sportsfan

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I have just bought a Dell Inspiron laptop. On the Dell drivers site it says that version A05 update for my system BIOS is recommended. The version on my laptop is A02 so its quite a bit out of date.
If I update my BIOS will this ruin future Windows 8.1 reinstallations. Because it is an OEM system I don't have installation media .. I reinstall from the factory image. At the moment when I do a clean reinstallation Windows 8.1 gets installed and Windows Activation is done automatically. Activation is tied to the BIOS.
Can you flash/update the BIOS without affecting future reinstallations and the current automated Windows activation method or does updating the BIOS completely ruin that method
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Two comments:

1) Updating the BIOS

This is not a trivial exercise. IF anything goes wrong, your PC is reduced to the functionality of an "electric brick"! So, before you do a BIOS update, ensure that BOTH of the following are true:
a) You have the means to save off the current working BIOS to some media that you can later use to restore it
b) You have the means to boot using some media, in the event of BIOS update corruption, such that you can restore the working BIOS from the saved copy.

2) Result of Upgrade: While it should NOT affect the activation, you should contact Dell Support to be safe. They should be able to tell you if updating the BIOS will erase the product key information.
 

My Computer

It states in the download how to do the bios update. Once you download it. Then run the update inside Windows, it will reboot after done. You can check it by pressing F2 at the Dell Splash screen that comes up during POST.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Thanks..I know how to run the BIOS Update..thats not a problem. I was just wanting feedback from people with OEM systems (mines a Dell) who have updated the BIOS on their PC's and performed a reinstallation of the operating system sometime afterwards. I wanted to know if flashing the BIOS removed the Windows 8.1 product key because if it does then automatic Windows Activation would be gone. I have to do my reinstallations using the Dell Factory Image as they don't supply Windows 8.1 discs any more so I don't even know what my Windows 8.1 Product Key is.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Thanks..I know how to run the BIOS Update..thats not a problem. I was just wanting feedback from people with OEM systems (mines a Dell) who have updated the BIOS on their PC's and performed a reinstallation of the operating system sometime afterwards. I wanted to know if flashing the BIOS removed the Windows 8.1 product key because if it does then automatic Windows Activation would be gone. I have to do my reinstallations using the Dell Factory Image as they don't supply Windows 8.1 discs any more so I don't even know what my Windows 8.1 Product Key is.
Updating your BIOS should not(I didn't say "will not"-Murphy's law) but for peace of mind you can download ShowKeyPlus from Superfly at Ten Forums and get all your current Windows keys and copy them to a file (to a USB stick or OneDrive).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update Pro in Hyper-V/Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Cliff's Black & Blue Wonder
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
    Sound Card
    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000i High Performance ATX Power Supply 80+ Platinum
    Case
    hanteks Enthoo Pro TG
    Cooling
    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 3 Corsair blue LED fans
    Keyboard
    Trust GTX THURA
    Mouse
    Trust GTX 148
    Internet Speed
    25+/5+ (+usually faster)
    Browser
    Edge; Chrome; IE11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender of course & Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit as a
    Other Info
    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
    Sound system: SHARP HT-SBW460 Dolby Atmos Soundbar
    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR
If I update my BIOS will this ruin future Windows 8.1 reinstallations.
No.

Can you flash/update the BIOS without affecting future reinstallations and the current automated Windows activation method or does updating the BIOS completely ruin that method
Yes you can flash, no it will not ruin that method.

It is very true flashing the BIOS comes with extreme risks just because IF something goes wrong, it can make your system unbootable. But honestly, I have flashed many 100s of computers over the years and the last time one catastrophically failed was 20 years ago when a co-worker tripped over and yanked out the power cord right in the middle of the process. Since then, I make sure the PCs are on a fully charged UPS, power cords are out of the way, and notebook batteries are fully charged.

The BIOS makers are very aware of the consequences so they have done much over the years to ensure the update process goes well and is verified before completed. So while the potential consequences are total disaster, the odds of that happening are very slim. Still, you should backup any data you don't want lost.

Having said that, I NEVER update a BIOS just because a new one is out there. I read the change log to see what the update does first. Most often, they just add support for new CPUs or other hardware that came out since the last update. If they don't affect me, I don't fix something not broke.

I do however, typically update the BIOS when I build a new computer or buy a new notebook if the update "fixes" issues since the notebook or motherboard came out of the factory.

After the flash, immediately verify date and time and reset if necessary.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Thanks for your feedback Itaregid. Yeah..I'll make sure mains power is on and Notebook battery fully charged in case of a mains power outage. ..im presuming if that happened though that the BIOS update would just continue because of the laptop battery taking over where the mains power cut left off. Im only doing the BIOS update because the laptop is new. It has shipped with A02 BIOS version installed and A05 is the latest so it probably needs to be updated
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
im presuming if that happened though that the BIOS update would just continue because of the laptop battery taking over where the mains power cut left off.
Yes, assuming of course, the battery is charged and the notebook works fine otherwise.

Im only doing the BIOS update because the laptop is new.
And I confess, I probably would too - unless the updates since A02 only added hardware support my notebook did not have.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
The Dell Inspiron 537s I updated, was for some changes that allowed Windows 7 and up to run on the unit.

Most times they are fixing temp monitoring to keep the CPU from baking. And also fixing code that caused the unit to crash with certain drivers that use certain IRQ's.

The Readme or documentation for the download, should state what it fixes.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Most times they are fixing temp monitoring to keep the CPU from baking. And also fixing code that caused the unit to crash with certain drivers that use certain IRQ's.
Ummm, not "most" times. They typically have those problems fixed before the motherboard leaves the factory. Most updates are to support new CPUs, RAM, or other devices and protocols that come out after the motherboard left the factory.

For sure, some updates do correct issues as you describe, but most are just to add new support.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Everyone's experience is different -- and although I have not flashed the BIOS on hundreds of machines, I have been doing this for over a decade -- and I DID have a BIOS upgrade go badly -- on my current Gigabyte motherboard. And, this was not because of anything unusual during the process. When the flash was done and I rebooted, the machine became completely unstable and would only run for a few minutes, after which it crashed. Fortunately, as always, I had saved off the previous BIOS version, reflashed the BIOS, and was back to a working machine. When I went back to the Gigabyte site a few weeks later, I discovered they had pulled the flash version that had caused the problem.

So -- yes -- a BIOS flash CAN go badly -- so you need to be prepared for that.
 

My Computer

Wow. Gigabyte is actually my preferred board and I've not had any problems with them. They also have what they call their DualBios feature which is basically a backup BIOS. Did you use the @BIOS program to upgrade from within Windows? That's how I do it and again, with no problems.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
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