Win XP and updating the bios

Question

Wich is the correct procedure to update the bios of my mb (K8N diamond)?
I have read the MSI information, but using Win Xp is not possibile to start the update from a boot floppy of win98. it can read the NTFS file system.
Pad

Answer 1

Quote from: tcsenter on 13-February-06, 14:19:49
It is truly a mystery where this procedure originated from that uses a RAM drive for flashing a BIOS, given that DOS-based flash executables from AMI and Award have always required a pure DOS environment with NO MEMORY MANAGERS or other non-essential memory resident programs (and both BIOS companies continue to recommend this).  It seems to be a method advocated only here, for reasons I cannot explain, perhaps originating from someone's own personal preference.
Physical RAM is much more vulnerable to power fluctuations and uncorrectable errors than modern fixed hard disks.  Only high-end servers running registered ECC modules can detect and track defective RAM right down to the individual RAM chip, marking it as unsafe for use to prevent access to the defective chip (ChipKill).  Hard disks can do this internally right down to the sector or block and have for years.  Of course, if the power is interrupted, neither is safe.
Using a RAM drive is more complexity with absolutely zero advantage or benefit, and possibly will interfere with the flash process.  Flash utilities typically balk at the presence of memory managers and other non-approved memory resident code.
Excellent fact/points. Up until several years ago, I only flashed from a floppy or directly from the drive. I've had a couple flashes go bad using a floppy, and whenever possible I would do it from the HD. When I'm faced with an NTFS formatted drive, then I'm forced to flash via floppy, until I had a disk go bad at some point after I had copied the files to the disk and possibly during the flash. I then saw this method using the RAM Drive here, and I've seen it on other forums such as PC perspective (formerly AMDMB) and a couple others I cannot recall. I don't know where it originated from either. I have several drives laying around, and I may consider abandoning that method, or at least using a CD, but I am not sure of that method, I would think it safer than a floppy in any case. I've been using the RAM Drive method ever since when I don't have a FAT partition available and haven't had a problem, but that only means I haven't done it enough times to experience the failure you speak of. I guess it's only a matter of time.