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Your PC: BIOS Configurations and Upgrades

By Scott Mueller and Mark Edward Soper
Jun 14, 2002
Sample Chapter is provided courtesy of Que

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Scott MuellerMark Edward Soper

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This chapter is from the book
Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Field Guide

PC repair guru Scott Mueller tells you what your computer's BIOS chip is and what it does. Then he teaches you how to know if you need an upgrade, and how to do it.

Determining Which BIOS You Have

It's important to know which BIOS brand and version a computer has, for two reasons.

First, if a boot failure occurs, BIOS error codes, which vary by brand and model, can be used to help you find the cause of the problem and lead you to a solution.

Second, knowing which BIOS brand and version you have can enable you to get help from the BIOS or system vendor for certain chipset configuration issues.

To determine which BIOS you have, use the following methods:

Watch your system startup screen for information about the BIOS brand and version, such as Award BIOS v4.51PG.
Use a hardware test-and-reporting utility, such as AMIDiag, CheckIt, or others.

Note that the best source for machine-specific information about error codes and other BIOS issues is your system manufacturer. Major vendors such as IBM, Dell, Compaq, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, and others maintain excellent Web sites that list specific information for your system. However, if you are working with a white-box clone system made from generic components, BIOS-level information might be the best information you can get.

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