abstract

This short howto describes a possibility how to update your Bios with a USB memory stick and the DOS flash utility your mainboard producer provides.

terms and definitions

term	meaning	example
$BOOTIMAGE	name of the dos bootimage	FreeBoot.img
$USB	your USB device	/dev/sda1
$MOUNTPOINT	name of a directory	/mnt/usb

start

First check your Bios' support for booting from USB. If it's supported, download a bootimage:

this is a freedos bootimage
alternatively use this old DOS image from bootdisk.com

Unzip the file and insert your USB memory stick. Copy the bootimage to the stick:

dd if=$BOOTIMAGE of=/dev/$USB

Download the DOS flash utility and the new bios file from your mainboard producer's website.

Mount your USB memory stick:

mount -t vfat /dev/$USB $MOUNTPOINT

and copy the Bios flash tool and the new bios file to the stick. Reboot your computer and boot from the USB memory stick. Now you can update your Bios with the DOS utility.