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4n1 or bios flash 1st

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  • 4n1 or bios flash 1st

    I'm building a new box and it calls for a bios flash to fix a compatability issue. The Soyo dragon + is new. Should I flash before or after I update the 4n1 drivers?
    Thanx Ed

  • #2
    Unless your board has a built-in FLASHing utility, you will be required to FLASH the BIOS through a DOS prompt. Also, if it it necessary to FLASH the BIOS, a fresh install of Windows will almost be a must.

    So FLASH the board, then reinstall the OS, and then install the 4-in-1 drivers fresh.
    Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill
    My Toys

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    • #3
      Darthtanion, Have a Dragon +,just got it. I'll have to do a dos flash then os and 4n1. Thanx for the info I wasn't sure. Ed

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      • #4
        Does it really matter when you do what? I flashed to 5W after i installed XP. (i used a 98 boot disk to get into DOS) Im still running 4.29 off the CD from Abit...

        ... come to think about it I prolly should update.

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        • #5
          The main reason that a format/reinstall is necessary is because with the newer BIOS revisions, it changes the way that the motherboard (and components) talk to the OS. Many times the OS can't cope with the changes made, so becomes corrupted or unstable. Sometimes you can go without the reinstall, but many times it just doesn't work out.

          And yes, you probably should go get the latest 4-in-1's because there have been a lot of issues that have been addressed in the newer versions.
          Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill
          My Toys

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          • #6
            I was always lucky with my old AOpen AX6BC, flashed it regularly without reinstalling the OS without problems. Then I got my AX3S Pro and everything changed - crashes galore unless I reformatted :(

            I know it's a pain in the arse to reformat, but it's worth it in saved levels of frustration :)
            What came first - Insanity or Society?

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            • #7
              Ah...
              Even thou i haven't had problems with the OS, do you think I could get more performance by reformatting and reinstalling?

              Specifically in terms of the bios, i know a fresh reformat always makes things faster.

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              • #8
                Yes, it nearly always makes a difference to reinstall, but in the same token, "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it."

                But then we always forget about that one when we start tweaking... don't we. :)
                Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill
                My Toys

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                • #9
                  You generally don't have (and shouldn't have) to reformat and reinstall the OS, everytime you flash a BIOS. If that was a must, then it would be ridiculus....So, unless the BIOS upgrade makes BIG changes, a reformat is unnecessary... Now, if I had the BIOS update and the drivers at hand, without having installed anything, I would first install the BIOS upgrade and then the drivers...

                  Finally, there is a "quick and dirty" way of re-detecting your devices, without having to reinstall, in case you're afraid of screw-ups after the BIOS flash....If your system is '95 or '98 that is...I haven't yet tried it on XP....

                  1) Boot to safe mode
                  2) Remove ALL devices from the device manager
                  3) Reboot

                  Notice 1: Safe mode is necessary, in order for the driver files to be removed when you "kill" the device
                  Notice 2: Be sure to have copied windows onto a hard disk, because during the first few device detections after the reboot, you won't have CD support
                  Notice 3: When in safe mode, you can also see devices that "had" been installed, but are not currently used

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                  • #10
                    I'm gonna have to disagree here. I have done too many BIOS Flashes that ruined an OS to be able to sit back and agree with a statement like that.

                    And if you read above in my previous comment, I explained why this is so. Granted, every Flash may not require a format/reinstall, but a lot of them will because you are making changes in the way that the OS and the hardware communicate. That is the same principle as me talking with you here, and then all of a sudden angefangenen Reden auf Deutsch. How is the OS supposed to cope with this? In many cases, it can't, and in trying it corrupts data on the drive.

                    That is why a format/reinstall is necessary many times when you Flash the BIOS.
                    Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill
                    My Toys

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                    • #11
                      i'm with darth on this topic, however, Orestis has a very true method to clean up a *******ised 98 install, and the CDROM thing is a ***** when u do it with a PC u worked on and ya forgot to dump the win98 cd on it, thank god for spare 500Mb HDs :D

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                      • #12
                        My point here is, if the flashing doesn't screw anything up, don't reinstall.......I've done quite a few flashes myself with no problem, in 486/Pentium/Ppro/P2/P3/AMD mobos and a few graphic cards....... I don't know what kind of board caused you all this trouble after the flash.......

                        The OS, should be able to cope with a BIOS upgrade, unless the first BIOS edition was totally screwed up....

                        Anyway, I'm not against your method Darthanion, but the "must" of reformatting after the flash is a bit exaggerated.... (15+ flashes and never had to do it)

                        A final thought......After having installed windows/linux for so many times, I've gotten bored of the reformatting/reinstalling routine...I used to use the format method a lot for getting my system back to shape.......

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