Last Updated on December 20, 2021 by Rick Darlinton
The BIOS, or the Basic Input/Output, is installed as a chip on the computer’s mainboard responsible for booting up the computer system. BIOS is the first software to run when your computer is powered on. The BIOS is relating to whether your PC can start normally and the BIOS setting plays a very important role in the computer performance. In this post, we are going to show you how to update BIOS in Windows 10, 8 or 7 and whether you should update BIOS in windows or not.
What are the benefits of updating BIOS in windows?
Updating the BIOS can bring some benefits from the perspectives of security patches, compatibility improvement, and device performance.
Improve the security of the device
Although it is very rare, but it is likely that sometimes BIOS is prone to virus or malware attacks. This is one of the reasons why manufacturers usually update their BIOS to improve the security of the device.
Support for new hardware
Another benefit of updating the BIOS is to make sure your computer can support the new hardware. If the BIOS is outdated, it may do not support some new hardware devices in the market.
Fix the system bugs
The new updates of BIOS perhaps could help fix some system bugs on your computer such as the blue screen of death, PC restarting itself or the computer won’t start, etc.
Should you update BIOS in windows or not?
We do not recommend you update the BIOS unless you are definitely sure the latest BIOS version can help fix the hardware issues on your computer. If the BIOS upgrade fails during the process, it may brick your motherboard and you have to bring it to the factory for repair.
If you think you have to update BIOS to fix some hardware issues, we suggest you do so with the help of professionals.
How to update BIOS in windows using USB Flash Drive
Important Notes before you update:
1. You can backup the current BIOS file on your computer in case you need it and protect your computer.
2. Back up the data on your computer so that you can still use them if the BIOS update fails.
3. Make sure your computer has enough power.
4. The solutions may vary on computers of different brands so we suggest you check the instructions from the manufacturers’ official site about how to update BIOS for the specific computers.
After knowing the risks of updating BIOS, if you still need to update BIOS, you can follow the instructions below about how to update BIOS in Windows 10, 8 or 7. Many computer manufacturers offer built-in BIOS update utility inside the BIOS setting. If your computer also has this built-in update utility, it will be easier to update the BIOS.
The steps for BIOS update
1. Download the latest BIOS file from the motherboard’s official site. It is usually placed in the support or downloads page. Please note you should identify the make and model of your computer first and then find the exact BIOS of it as different models have different BIOS versions. To find the model of your computer BIOS, you can press windows key + R and then enter msinfo32 and then select system summary. Here it will show the BIOS version.
Warning: Please download the correct make and model of the BIOS on your motherboard otherwise it may bring some additional problems and cause damages. If you find a wrong BIOS, THE bios Update may fail and it may damage your device. You can also contact the customer support center of your computer and ask for the exact make of the BIOS.
2. Unzip the BIOS file and copy the file to the root folder of a blank USB Flash drive. The root folder is the top level of the USB drive, so do not put it in a folder or directory in the USB. You need a blank USB flash drive because the BIOS won’t access the files. Also, make sure the USB flash drive format is FAT32. If your USB flash drive includes other files, you can back up the data and then format the USB flash drive as FAT32. After that, Insert the USB flash drive to your computer.
3. Now you need to enter the BIOS setting. There are two solutions to enter the BIOS setting.
A. Enter the BIOS via UEFI Firmware settings
- Go to Settings on your computer
- Select the Update & Security and then tap on Recovery
- Now select Restart Now under the advanced startup option
- Next, please tap on Troubleshoot and go to Advanced options
- After that, select UEFI Firmware Settings and you will be able to enter the BIOS
B. Enter the BIOS via F2
Just restart your computer and press F2 repeatedly during the booting up process to enter the BIOS settings.
4. When you enter the BIOS setting, just select the Advanced Mode and then select Advanced. For different brands, you can also search about how to access BIOS update tool inside the setting. Usually, the BIOS update is dubbed as EZ-Flash or M-Flash.
5. Next, you can follow the instructions and upload the latest BIOS file from the USB Flash drive you just downloaded.
6. After confirming the BIOS update, a warning pop-up window will appear telling that the BIOS upgrade in processing. Don’t turn off your computer.
Warning: During the process, please do not turn off the computer in case the device is malfunctioning. Also, make sure your computer has enough power when you plan to upgrade BIOS in windows. It may brick your computer’s motherboard if something goes wrong during the BIOS update process.
What if the BIOS update fails
If the BIOS update fails, you should not turn off the computer. Instead, you can try to restart updating process again and could try to select the existing BIOS file you just backed up and see whether it works.
You can also contact the motherboard manufacturer for getting a new BIOS chip but please buy it from the official site for customer support. After that, you can use the new BIOS chip on the motherboard.
Conclusion
As said earlier, we do not recommend you update BIOS unless you the new version contains the features that help fix the hardware issues. If something goes wrong during the BIOS update, your PC will be useless and bricked.
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