Like all software, your PC's BIOS is updated continually, to correct newly detected bugs and to add new functionality. Check your PC manufacturer's Web site to see whether an updated BIOS is available for your system. An updateable BIOS is also known as a Flash BIOS.

First, though, you'll need to know the version number of your current BIOS. This is usually a long string of digits and letters, which flashes quickly at the top of your screen during the first moments of the boot process. If it disappears too quickly, hit the Pause key to freeze the screen.

Updating your BIOS is like doing yard work around poison ivy: you should have a good reason for doing it, and itÆs normally quite easy to do. Just download the files, read the instructions in the readme file, and follow them carefully. This usually entails running a small program from a floppy disk. Granted, problems are rare; if they do occur, though, you can be left with a useless motherboard.

-- Kirk Steers