question about BIOS

[Blackhawk556]

Can anybody tell me if I should update the bios on my
computer. ok i have no issues or no specific reason other that i've never done it. I have the intel DG33TL motherboard but I never
updated the bios ever since I bought it in december 2007. I
checked intel's website but they say to not update unless
you have a problem. Do you recommend I do it anyways? what will be the benefit of updating the bios?

[lazyworm]

In my experience, nothing to gain unless you're trying to fix a specific problem.
You can also review the release notes between your version and the current
version to see what were fixed/changed and then decide if you really want the new version.

[Jon Se]

If there is nothing wrong with your computer as it is, don't bother with updating your bios. By updating your bios you run the risk of the bios update not completing successfully, whether due to corrupted data, power outage, etc. If this happens chances are you now have to send it back to the manufacturer for repair.

Usually bios updates increase number of different devices that your motherboard can support, namely different CPU types. They may also make performance enhancements and/or fix comparability issues with other devices. Generally you can see the changes for yourself in the release notes that accompany the bios download.

[Brianguy]

I update my bios whenever theres a new version but thats just me. I'm a gambling man I also have a bunch of backup computers anyway

[BB63Squid]

Hard to say w/o some data. What rev firmware is it booting with now?

I do BIOS updates weekly as the stuff I commonly work on isn't released to the public yet. But as most here have said if it ain't broke don't fix it.

None-the-less, here is a list of the BIOS revs and the associated fixes/feature additions.

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/17930/eng/DP_0572_ReleaseNotes.pdf

[Blackhawk556]

ok i just check the release notes and man it provides a bunch of updates. Like I said I don't have issues so I'm just wondering whether it would be beneficial to do it. It looks like there have been a lot of updates since i bought it back in 2007

[BB63Squid]

ok i just check the release notes and man it provides a bunch of updates. Like I said I don't have issues so I'm just wondering whether it would be beneficial to do it. It looks like there have been a lot of updates since i bought it back in 2007

What you should do is determine what rev you are running. To do that reboot and watch the monitor as it boots. If it displays some funky graphic or the Intel logo hit the "esc" key and it will show you a verbose version of what is going on.

Write down the BIOS revision your are running and the date. The look at the .pdf I referenced and determine where you fall on that document. Everything above your revision is new. If there is something you don't have that you feel you really need then do the update. If not, upgrade your RAM, swap your drives for SATA etc. Otherwise you are GTG.

If you need help lemme know offline.

[fd15k]

Modern operating systems (Windows, Linux) don't rely on BIOS services, so if your OS loads, no need to play with the BIOS.

[Blackhawk556]

What you should do is determine what rev you are running. To do that reboot and watch the monitor as it boots. If it displays some funky graphic or the Intel logo hit the "esc" key and it will show you a verbose version of what is going on.

Write down the BIOS revision your are running and the date. The look at the .pdf I referenced and determine where you fall on that document. Everything above your revision is new. If there is something you don't have that you feel you really need then do the update. If not, upgrade your RAM, swap your drives for SATA etc. Otherwise you are GTG.

If you need help lemme know offline.

dpp3510j.86a.0293.2007.1002.1519
this is the bios version i got when loading up. looking at the pdf version 0293

[Turo]

If your computer is running fine, and you aren't trying to get a higher overclock (and you don't know what overclocking is) then you don't need to update your BIOS. It can inject problems where there were none, or it can do nothing. It's a lose-break even kind of thing.

[JDay]

If there is nothing wrong with your computer as it is, don't bother with updating your bios. By updating your bios you run the risk of the bios update not completing successfully, whether due to corrupted data, power outage, etc. If this happens chances are you now have to send it back to the manufacturer for repair.

Not exactly true, almost every BIOS has a failsafe in it so that if a flash fails you can put the rom image on a floppy disk or usb thumb drive and it will load it at power-on. Sometimes you have to hold a key combination down however.

[Gunaria]

If it ain't broke then don't break it!

I'm sure nothing bad can happen from updating the BOIS, but if rainbows are shinning out of the bus don't touch it!

[Blackhawk556]

@ turo i do know what overclocking is but im not interested in that the one thing im interested in is on speeding up the start up process. the POST/start up takes awhile compared to my gf's netbook and my computer h as a quad-core compared to her netbooks atom processor. the bios has an option to skip certain tests which helps load up quicker but my bios doesnt have that option.

[M198]

If it aint broke, I'll fix it until it is. Flashing a bios is incredibly easy now-a-days. Why not go for it. Could give you an excuse to update that G33 to P55 or X58 board.

[dude]

I just do a BIOS update if I reinstall the OS and/or replace parts.