Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best BIOS settings for my computer?

See Basic optimization tricks and Important settings.

How do I clear the BIOS memory?

Three alternatives are available depending of your type of motherboard:
Sometimes this is possible with DIP switches on the motherboard. Sometimes (if not), you will have to remove the battery. And sometimes (if no DIP's and no removable battery, and not willing to desolder the battery), you can short the battery with a resistor to lower the current available for the CMOS.
This is only recommendable as a very last option. The NiCad cells often employed have a very low internal resistance, so the resistor will have to be of a very low value for the voltage to drop significantly. The corresponding current would be quite high, which is not very good for battery life. A better option would be to use a resistor to discharge the battery. Obviously, this only makes sense when you have a NiCad cell (which will be recharged every time you turn the computer on) as opposed to a lithium cell (which cannot be recharged). In the former case, a resistor of 39 Ohm will discharge the battery in under half an hour relatively safely.
Another good way to discharge the NiCad is to put a 6 volt lantern lamp across it, and let it discharge completely. Not only does it provide an effective load, it also gives a visual indication of the charge state. It's a good way to prevent "ghost memory" that's so common to NiCads. Metal Nickel Hydride batteries are now being seen in some systems. They don't have this problem and they are more $$.

Can I upgrade my BIOS?

Most BIOSes are specifically designed for a motherboard and its chipset. Therefore, on rare occasions you can upgrade your BIOS for a newer version. It is often less troublesome to buy a new motherboard that comes with its own BIOS and transfer your CPU (memory, cache memory and adaptor cards...) than start hunting around for a new BIOS chip. I know very few computer stores who sell BIOS chips separately. However, it is possible to upgrade your BIOS so it may support new hardware. By browsing in computer magazines (like Computer Shopper, PC Magazine, etc.) you will find adds on companies that specialize on that sort of thing. The information they need is the Serial Number for the BIOS chip. It is the long number that prints out when you boot up. It includes the BIOS date, the chipset, etc. The price tag can vary greatly (from $10 to $80), so are the BIOS upgrades offered.
The most important condition is that the mainboard should be as "clean" as possible, that is: a genuine clone with not too much I/O integration or better none at all. 82C711 Combo I/O, PC87310 Super I/O and some other I/O chips are supported in most cases. Failures to BIOS upgrades are mainly due to the way of implementation of the keyboard controller on the mainboard or special revisions of AMI BIOSes, such as the KB revisions 0, M or D.

Because the BIOS is put into a Flash EPROM now, upgrades can be done very easily. Most MB designers have upgrades available at their WWW sites. There's even a company which has 'share-ware' BIOS for many MB's based on the intel Triton family of chipsets (http://www.mrbios.com).

Does anyone have supplementary information on this, like good-bad experiences with BIOS upgrade? Let me know.

What is the meaning of life?

Get a life.