How to Upgrade Your PC's BIOS (And Why You Might Want To)

1. Why should I update my BIOS?
2. Do I need to update BIOS for new PC?
3. How do I know if I need to update my BIOS?
4. What should I do before updating BIOS?
5. Will updating BIOS improve performance?
6. How much time does it take to update BIOS?
7. How do I enter BIOS in new build?
8. Does updating BIOS change settings?
9. How do I adjust BIOS settings?
10. Does updating BIOS delete everything?
11. How do I enter BIOS?
12. How do I know if I have UEFI or BIOS?

Why should I update my BIOS?

Some of the reasons for updating the BIOS include: Hardware updates—Newer BIOS updates will enable the motherboard to correctly identify new hardware such as processors, RAM, and so on. If you upgraded your processor and the BIOS doesn't recognize it, a BIOS flash might be the answer.

Do I need to update BIOS for new PC?

In general, you shouldn't need to update your BIOS that often. Installing (or "flashing") a new BIOS is more dangerous than updating a simple Windows program, and if something goes wrong during the process, you could end up bricking your computer.

How do I know if I need to update my BIOS?

There are two ways to easily check for a BIOS update. If your motherboard manufacturer has an update utility, you'll usually simply have to run it. Some will check if an update is available, others will just show you the current firmware version of your present BIOS.

What should I do before updating BIOS?

Precautions to Take Before Updating a BIOS

1. First, back up your data. ...
2. Back up your current BIOS code, if you can. ...
3. Record your hard drive configuration information. ...
4. Record other nonstandard BIOS settings, such as hard disk transfer rate settings, built-in serial and parallel port settings, and so on.

Will updating BIOS improve performance?

BIOS updates will not make your computer faster, they generally won't add new features you need, and they may even cause additional problems. You should only update your BIOS if the new version contains an improvement you need.

How much time does it take to update BIOS?

It should take around a minute, maybe 2 minutes. I'd say if it takes more than 5 minutes I'd be worried but I wouldn't mess with the computer until I go over the 10 minute mark. BIOS sizes are these days 16-32 MB and the write speeds are usually 100 KB/s+ so it should take about 10s per MB or less.

How do I enter BIOS in new build?

Getting Into the BIOS

Usually you do this by quickly pressing F1, F2, F11, F12, Delete, or some other secondary key on your keyboard as it boots.

Does updating BIOS change settings?

Updating bios will cause the bios to be reset to its default settings. It will not change anything on you Hdd/SSD. Right after the bios is updated you are sent back to it to review and adjust the settings. The drive that you boot from the overclocking features and so on.

How do I adjust BIOS settings?

In order to access BIOS on a Windows PC, you must press your BIOS key set by your manufacturer which could be F10, F2, F12, F1, or DEL. If your PC goes through its power on self-test startup too quickly, you can also enter BIOS through Windows 10's advanced start menu recovery settings.

Does updating BIOS delete everything?

Updating BIOS has no relation with Hard Drive data. And updating BIOS will not wipe out files. If your Hard Drive fails -- then you could/would lose your files. BIOS stands for Basic Input Ouput System and this just tells your computer what kind of hardware is connected to your computer.

How do I enter BIOS?

To access your BIOS, you'll need to press a key during the boot-up process. This key is often displayed during the boot process with a message “Press F2 to access BIOS”, “Press <DEL> to enter setup”, or something similar. Common keys you may need to press include Delete, F1, F2, and Escape.

How do I know if I have UEFI or BIOS?

Check if you are using UEFI or BIOS on Windows

On Windows, “System Information” in Start panel and under BIOS Mode, you can find the boot mode. If it says Legacy, your system has BIOS. If it says UEFI, well it's UEFI.