SP2 - need to update BIOS?

"Frank le Spikkin" wrote in message
...
Steve wrote in
:

Dell recommends updating to the latest BIOS before installing
SP2. But I sure hate to mess with the BIOS unless there's a very
good reason. Is this really necessary, if everything appears to
be working ok?

I don't know of any specific reason, but if you think it through:

Q1: For which version of the BIOS do you think Dell will actively
provide support (at best :-) ?
A1: The latest released version.

Q2: If a problem occurs about which they haven't a clue, and you
are not running the latest released BIOS version, what support
advice will you receive?
A2: Upgrade to the latest released BIOS version and try again.

Q3: If you report a problem with the XP SP2 upgrade, what is the
likely first response from Dell?
A3: See Q1, then Q2 and work it out for yourself.

It's been obvious to all but the clueless that the rule for the competent
for quite some time has been to always flash the latest BIOS carefully.

"Ron Reaugh" wrote in
:


"Frank le Spikkin" wrote in message
...
Steve wrote in
:

Dell recommends updating to the latest BIOS before installing
SP2. But I sure hate to mess with the BIOS unless there's a
very good reason. Is this really necessary, if everything
appears to be working ok?

I don't know of any specific reason, but if you think it
through:

Q1: For which version of the BIOS do you think Dell will
actively provide support (at best :-) ?
A1: The latest released version.

Q2: If a problem occurs about which they haven't a clue, and
you are not running the latest released BIOS version, what
support advice will you receive?
A2: Upgrade to the latest released BIOS version and try again.

Q3: If you report a problem with the XP SP2 upgrade, what is
the likely first response from Dell?
A3: See Q1, then Q2 and work it out for yourself.

It's been obvious to all but the clueless that the rule for the
competent for quite some time has been to always flash the
latest BIOS carefully.

Whereas many prefer "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

"Frank le Spikkin" wrote in message
...
"Ron Reaugh" wrote in
:


"Frank le Spikkin" wrote in message
...
Steve wrote in
:

Dell recommends updating to the latest BIOS before installing
SP2. But I sure hate to mess with the BIOS unless there's a
very good reason. Is this really necessary, if everything
appears to be working ok?

I don't know of any specific reason, but if you think it
through:

Q1: For which version of the BIOS do you think Dell will
actively provide support (at best :-) ?
A1: The latest released version.

Q2: If a problem occurs about which they haven't a clue, and
you are not running the latest released BIOS version, what
support advice will you receive?
A2: Upgrade to the latest released BIOS version and try again.

Q3: If you report a problem with the XP SP2 upgrade, what is
the likely first response from Dell?
A3: See Q1, then Q2 and work it out for yourself.

It's been obvious to all but the clueless that the rule for the
competent for quite some time has been to always flash the
latest BIOS carefully.

Whereas many prefer "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

If there is a more recent BIOS then you can assume that it is broken or
eventually will be. PREEMPT!

On Sat, 04 Sep 2004 00:47:35 GMT, "Ron Reaugh" wrote:

SNIP

Dell solders in the BIOS chip...hmm...look for another vendor as noboby else
does that.

Nobody does that? I must confess that I have not seen all brands of
motherboards, but most of the ones I have seen DO have a soldered BIOS chip, I
repeat, for cost reasons. Yeah, they save maybe a dime on a socket, but the
nickels and dimes add up in a factory bill of materials.

What business do you have posting here if you didn't even know that Dell
motherboards have soldered BIOS chips?


Socketed flash BIOS chips, which are really easy to replace, fell into
disfavor
in the early Pentium era, a victim of cost savings.

Not with competent vendors.

Competent? It's not a quesiton of competence. It is simply a question of
costs. As long as consumers demand low-priced computers, manufacturers at all
levels of the food chain will look for the pennies, nickels, and dimes in
savings.


I have seen a few socketed
BIOS chips on modern motherboards, but they are few and far between.

Utter nonsense. Checkout any Intel, Asus, Abit, Gigabyte.....etc. mobo and
all are socketed BIOS!

INTEL sockets its BIOS chips???? Hell, no! When I'm not ripping apart name
brand computers, I'm building custom systems with INTEL motherboards with D845,
D865, and D875 chipsets. Not one of the Intel-brand boards has a socket for the
flash chip. All are soldered onto the board. Of the name-brands I've serviced
and upgraded (including Gateway, IBM, Compaq, HP, eMachines-UGH), only IBM
motherboards seem show up with socketed BIOS chips.

I agree with you. To best protect the buyer against catastrophic BIOS failures,
the BIOS chip oughta be socketed. But it does not happen too much any more.


Did you just make your post up from neverland as the rest of the drivel is
snipped?

I've got more years of experience in the computer industry than most people on
this planet have lived, going back to the large air-conditioned rooms with disk
drives the size of pizza ovens, paper tape, punched cards, and ferrite core
memory. I make up all this drivel out my head, from many years of practical
experience, in most recent years working with any and all brands of computers,
mostly with Intel CPUs, some Sun and other exotic beasts. How about you? What
are your credentials? Do you have much hands-on experience with Dells?

Where do I find the current BIOS version? Tried Control Panel
System, doesn't seem to be there. Thanks!

Windows doesn't know nothing about no BIOS

Usually when you boot the machine, one of the fast scrolling messages (as
long as you are not in quiet mode) is the BIOS version.

Also, if you actually enter the BIOS, the version is usually listed on the
first page.

Tom
"Steve" wrote in message
...
Where do I find the current BIOS version? Tried Control Panel
System, doesn't seem to be there. Thanks!