Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, JustAnEngineer
I can hear many of you laughing because it is a trivial task but for me it was another learning step.
Welcome to losing your virginity and your first step to becoming a techie
( I have read , do not remember where now someone recommending NOT TO flash BIOS for some reason, was it related to SSD install? I have to dig it out and find out, I do not want to mess up)
Nec_V20 wrote:This is important because when you have upgraded the BIOS it will set all the values back to the default. This can mess you around if you have an SSD and a hard drive in your system and after the BIOS update the Boot Priority no longer points towards that SSD which has the OS but rather the hard drive.
Nec_V20 wrote:The reason why caution is required is because if something goes wrong whilst the BIOS is being updated (flashed) then what used to be a functioning motherboard will turn into a rock.
Nec_V20 wrote:Just this year, and I haven't done as much of it as in the past, I have updated 35 to 40 motherboard BIOS's and I have updated many hundreds probably over a thousand over the years
DPete27 wrote:Nec_V20 wrote:The reason why caution is required is because if something goes wrong whilst the BIOS is being updated (flashed) then what used to be a functioning motherboard will turn into a rock.
Some motherboards have a removable BIOS chip or Dual BIOS chips to give you some form of rescue option. This is obviously no excuse to go about BIOS flashing half-heartedly, but just wanted you to know, (if your mobo has one of these features) not all is lost if a failed flash occurs.Nec_V20 wrote:Just this year, and I haven't done as much of it as in the past, I have updated 35 to 40 motherboard BIOS's and I have updated many hundreds probably over a thousand over the years
Why so many?
BIF wrote:Motherboards have marketing life expectancies. During its heyday, there may be numerous BIOSs available with each new generation of CPU model numbers or other major components. You probably won't need (or want the risk) of each update unless one of these is true:
1. the new BIOS version is advertised to fix something that you are experiencing (lockups, misbehavior of peripherals, shutdowns, etcetera).
or
2. the new BIOS provides support for a new OS, CPU model number, or a peripheral that you are using or want to use.
Star Brood wrote:I will share my experience as I recently upgraded both my Xeon 5050's to 5160's:
After removing the heatsinks, following the advice of many good online sources I used a coffee filter to remove the old thermal paste. After slotting in the CPU's, I applied the thermal paste (I won't say how, because everyone has a different opinion on how to do this and I won't contribute my mess to the fray). I used the following thermal paste, which seems to work great:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835100014
After putting the heat sinks back on, the computer crashed during boot-up. As I work for AppleCare, I am familiar with SMC/NVRAM resets which when translated to PC means unplugging the power source, pushing and holding the power button down to discharge residual power, and then resetting BIOS to factory settings. I did that and have not had a problem since.
Nec_V20 wrote:If you want to make life really easy for yourself with regard to getting rid of old thermal paste, then go onto EBAY and get yourself a bottle of 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol (aka Isopropanol). It is dirt cheap and lifts the stuff off like magic and leaves no residue.
just brew it! wrote:Nec_V20 wrote:If you want to make life really easy for yourself with regard to getting rid of old thermal paste, then go onto EBAY and get yourself a bottle of 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol (aka Isopropanol). It is dirt cheap and lifts the stuff off like magic and leaves no residue.
Yup. Most isopropyl sold at retail is the 70% stuff (30% water). Even if you don't get the 99.9% stuff, at least get the 91% stuff (which should be available at the local drugstore).
From time to time, people recommend stronger solvents like acetone, xylene, etc. While they are indeed very effective at removing old thermal compound from metal surfaces, they can also damage other materials (e.g. plastics). Unless you're really careful, my recommendation is to just stick with the isopropyl.
just brew it! wrote:Yup. Most isopropyl sold at retail is the 70% stuff (30% water). Even if you don't get the 99.9% stuff, at least get the 91% stuff (which should be available at the local drugstore).
DPete27 wrote:just brew it! wrote:Yup. Most isopropyl sold at retail is the 70% stuff (30% water). Even if you don't get the 99.9% stuff, at least get the 91% stuff (which should be available at the local drugstore).
Pretty sure I've been using the standard 70% stuff (I'll have to check tonight) and I haven't had any problems with it. Soak some into a paper towel (damp, not dripping), rub around on the CPU, repeat once or twice....done.
Nec_V20 wrote:When I looked on EBAY here it immediately came up with the 99.9% stuff.
vargis14 wrote:You do know why E85 ethenol has 15% gasoline in it. Because if it did not you could go to the gas station and get gallons of 200proof moonshine right from the pumps for around $4.00 a gallon. Plus i do not think you would go blind since it is made from corn and sugarcane/beets.
just brew it! wrote:Ethanol intended for use as an automotive fuel would still have other toxic additives even if it wasn't cut with 15% gasoline. Anyone who tried to drink it would be removed from the gene pool in rather short order, gasoline or no.