Modern computer devices, including laptops, are necessarily equipped with special primary memory chips called BIOS, in which there is preinstalled software in the form of firmware that allows you to recognize and store information about the hardware components in the device, to ensure the correct loading of the operating system, configure some important parameters, etc. But quite often, such firmware must be updated or, if you want, reflash. For what this may be required, and how to reinstall BIOS on a laptop, read on. Consider a few basic techniques that can be applied to modern UEFI systems, and to outdated BIOS modifications.
Why may I need a BIOS flashing?
First of all, let's find out why, in general, it may be necessary to replace the firmware of the primary system. Is the preinstalled software insufficient for the correct functioning of all the main components of a laptop. It turns out that reinstalling BIOS on a laptop may be needed more often than it seems. Among the most basic reasons for which it is worth performing a firmware update, we can especially highlight the following:
- outdated primary system does not recognize or does not have support for new (more modern) equipment;
- the installed software conflicts with the primary system or hardware;
- the laptop spontaneously reboots or does not work with supported software;
- the laptop manufacturer added new features to the software that are not supported by outdated firmware;
- primary system settings are damaged (including due to the effects of viruses);
- the system is extremely unstable.
Where to find the latest firmware?
As you can see, almost all the situations presented are not particularly catastrophic, and in general, it is advisable to update the firmware as a personal matter for each user. However, when installing new equipment or if the firmware itself is damaged, it must be updated without fail. And reinstalling BIOS on an HP laptop or a model of any other manufacturer must begin with the search for the most suitable fresh firmware. Where to find her?
The best option is to visit the manufacturer’s website, where you can find and download the desired installation file or package by the nomenclature designation of the laptop model. Any self-respecting manufacturer usually timely posts such firmware on its official resources in the download section (Download). Some go even further, inviting users to do online laptop testing, after which they will be asked to download important or additional updates. But there is one caveat. Never download all sorts of beta versions that are under testing. This can cause permanent damage to the laptop. In addition, in no case do not download firmware from third-party Internet resources if you are not completely sure of their reliability.
How to determine the current BIOS version?
However, sometimes installing the update may not be required, since the laptop already has an updated BIOS version. Thus, first you need to find out exactly which modification is already installed and compare it with the version that is offered by the manufacturer.
The easiest way to find the necessary information is in the system information section (msinfo32), where the current modification will be indicated, usually in the designation containing a set of letters and numbers. If it is really outdated, the upgrade is worth the effort. However, it is often not possible to “jump” over one or several intermediate versions, so the update will have to be done in stages, installing several versions one at a time.
How to enter BIOS on a laptop?
Now let's look at ways to access the primary system settings. What is it for? Yes, just for the fact that in some systems directly in their parameters you can find the pre-installed update tool, and after starting it use the firmware recorded on the USB flash drive in the form of bootable media. How to enter BIOS on a laptop? It all depends solely on the manufacturer of the laptop itself and the developer of the software shell of the primary system.
Most often, function keys (F2-F12) are used, sometimes they work in combination with other additional buttons like Fn or combinations with Ctrl and Alt. You can also see three-key combinations like Ctrl + Alt + Esc. Some models, like SONY Vaio, have special buttons right on the keyboard panel.
How to reinstall BIOS in the form of the latest UEFI system on a laptop?
Now we proceed directly to installing the new firmware and for a start we will focus on the simplest method that is used for the latest UEFI systems. As a rule, for them, the installers are delivered in the form of the most common executable EXE files that can be run directly on running Windows operating systems. It goes without saying that in all the latest modifications, the installer must be started exclusively on behalf of the administrator (even if the super administrator account is deactivated).
After starting, the program will automatically reinstall the BIOS, and in some cases, instead of a single restart, several reboots may be required.
Issues of flashing outdated BIOS modifications
But how to reinstall BIOS on a laptop, if the user is dealing with a classic system for which the installer is not launched in the Windows environment?
If the BIOS itself has an update tool, it is easiest to write the downloaded firmware to a removable drive (USB flash drive), then enter the BIOS, find the update section, which will identify all the devices that can contain the update package, then activate the update and wait for completion procedures.
But how to reinstall BIOS on a laptop if there is no built-in toolkit for flashing in the primary system? You can use the Q-Flash Utility Disk Toolkit for this. In this situation, as mentioned above, the firmware along with the program will need to be written to the USB flash drive, creating a MS-DOS boot disk (the easiest way to do this is with the notorious Rufus portable application).
When the flash drive is ready, you can proceed to reinstall the BIOS on the laptop. The instruction does not look particularly complicated, however, during the flashing process, you need to pay attention to several important details. First, in the BIOS settings, set the created media to be the first device to boot, save the changes, and exit the primary system, followed by an automatic reboot.
After starting the utility, the Update BIOS from drive is selected from the main menu, and then the desired version is indicated in the list (usually it will be only one, but sometimes you can find more). After that, it will remain to confirm the start of the process, and the procedure itself will take only a few minutes.
In some laptop models, you can even find built-in update tools. For example, reinstalling BIOS on an HP or ASUS laptop can be found with such proprietary utilities.
It is enough to simply call such a tool (for example, Live Update), find the MB BIOS item, if there is something there, download the file, then run it, select the Windows mode (In Windows Mode) and confirm the update installation.
What should not be done under any circumstances?
It is important to know that when updating the BIOS on an HP laptop or on devices from other manufacturers, under no circumstances should you disconnect the laptop from the mains (it should only work from the mains, and not from the battery, so that the process does not interrupt) or force the power to turn off using the appropriate on / off button, since such actions can only lead to the fact that your device will not only not be updated, but will also turn into a "brick". The same applies to increased care when choosing firmware, since inappropriate software can provoke the appearance of similar situations.