Bios Update? Help!

[TRAP55]

I have an old tower a friend help me assemble a few years ago, and I need to get a couple of more years out of it before I replace it.
Mother board is an ASUS P4P 800, with a P4 2.8 and 4gigs of PC3200 RAM. I have a new Prescott P4 3.2 to install, and I need to salvage some files off the old hard drive.
Without the BIOS updates, it won't recognize all 4 gigs of RAM, the bigger Prescott chip, and something else to do with the SATA and data transfer between the two hard drives.
I have the updates, and the instructions from ASUS downloaded, but installing them is light years beyond my puter skills.
Any of you guys that are in travel distance of Dixon, and could do this for me?
I'll pay for your gas and time, cash, barter, trade, gun work, first born?
Just don't make me resort to calling the Geek Squad.........please?

[loose_electron]

Look on the local Craigs List - there are folks offering services there to help with this.

Geek squad would F-ck this up

[MA2]

Does the board support, ASUS Live Update?
^Those should run like any other windows program, can not really mess things up.

[oldsmoboat]

If you can't get someone to flash it, see if you can buy one flashed.
It's not hard to do but if you hose it up....
Ask me how I know....

[hcbr]

many of the motherboard manufacturers nowadays incorporate self executable files so you won't be able to fudge up the install of the bios update (that and since no one uses floppies no more)

[MaHoTex]

It supports the ASUS live update:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_478/P4P800E_Deluxe/#download

Download, run, and presto! New Bios.

[Nose Nuggets]

interesting that it wouldnt see 4 gigs of memory. are you sure thats not just an OS limitation?

the chip not being compatable is certainly a BIOS issue.

[SandDiegoDuner]

interesting that it wouldnt see 4 gigs of memory. are you sure thats not just an OS limitation?

the chip not being compatable is certainly a BIOS issue.

Yes the memory issue is typically a 32 bit OS limitation. The updated bios will trick windows to report the full 4gb but it will still only use 3.5gb. Upgrade to a 64 bit OS and ramp it up to 8gb.

[Nose Nuggets]

Yes the memory issue is typically a 32 bit OS limitation. The updated bios will trick windows to report the full 4gb but it will still only use 3.5gb. Upgrade to a 64 bit OS and ramp it up to 8gb.

ha! that's interesting and stupid at the same time. i didnt realize people who didn't understand the 32 bit limitation were freaking out that sys pref was only showing 3.x in large enough numbers to warrent a BIOS update.

[noob_tube]

Asus Live Update. That mobo does support it. I had a near-identical setup on my old machine.

[G1500]

What OS?

[TRAP55]

XP Pro SP3
4GB is the max capacity for the mother board, but with 4 in it, it only shows 3.25GB. Is it using all 4, and just not showing it because it's a 32bit system?
From what I've gathered off the ASUS website, there's a one newer version update, than what I have, that allows you to use Live Update for the newer updates. Does that make sense?
Then I've read that the Live Update has a tendency to really botch things up, and the most reliable way is to flash it from a floppy. And the more I read, the closer my head gets to exploding.

[hbellew]

To update via a floppy it is actually pretty straight forward.

First thing you will need is a 3.5" floppy drive and a blank disk.

Download the BIOS update version that uses a floppy.

Once you run it the software will usually say insert a blank floppy and click continue. It will write to the floppy for at most a minute or so.

Then you reboot and boot off the floppy. Depending on your boot sequence you might have to press a certain key during boot to tell the computer to display the boot menu if it doesn't boot from the floppy automatically. If the screen doesn't say what key to press during the initial power on screen you can press ESC to show a more detailed screen. Usually it will be something along the lines of F2, F1, F11, F12, or DEL.

Once the floppy boots you will need to run the command to initiate the BIOS flash.

There should be basic instructions in a txt or doc file saying what to type to begin the update.

The command will be typed from the command prompt which looks like this C:\> or it could also have an A or a B instead. A:\> or B:\>

Once at the blinking cursor you would type the command in the instructions.

Probably something like this:

A:\> update.exe 20110421.dat

Because it is command line based there is no way of saying exactly what the command will be called or how to fully type it out. This is where the instructions come in. They will tell you exactly what to type.

RAM...

While it is possible to get a 32bit OS to recognize and use more than 3.25GB it is highly complex and very dependent on the hardware involved. As posted above you would have to install a 64bit OS to use more than 3.25GB in any realistic way.

Honestly with a Motherboard that only supports up to 4GB I would not bother with a 64bit OS. The motherboard is likely better suited to running a 32bit OS instead of a 64bit OS.

Stay with WinXP 32bit.

When you replace the computer in a couple of years you will likely have little choice but 64bit. And even if you can still get a 32bit version of Win7 or whatever I would still go 64bit then. 64bit systems can run 32bit code, but 32bit cannot run 64bit code.

Hope this helps.

If I can be of any further assistance please feel free to PM me.

[TRAP55]

Well, my motherboard made a decision for me, the temp sensors went belly up. Found a NIB P4P800 Second Edition, bench tested and latest Bios already installed, on fleabay cheap.
Installed with the new 3.2 Prescott, corrected some switch wiring screw ups from the original build, (didn't fire up the first try, talk about heart failure! )
For 7year old tech, this old 478 socket rocks now!
I was pumped, until I used my kids new 6 core.
I see a new puter in my near future.
Just wanted to update, and thank all that responded, thanks again, Trap.

[ironcross]

This board is picky. I have the same MOBO. But it wont even boot with all four sticks installed. After building two of the same rigs and working on my friends two needless to say I'm not an ASUS fan anymore.

Trap: If your going to build your own. Check this board out. What I'm going to be getting when funds are there http://www.evga.com/products/moreInf...%20Family&sw=5