bios update

[donpiche]

The BIOS update for this machine (also known as 6540f apparently)  did in fact die out at Windows 7, as one responder to my initial request pointed out. I should have reckoned that BIOS 5.03 dated in 2009 was unlikely to be supported up to Win 10 64bit, the current system on the venerable relic.

The new question is - should I, and can I, safely and beneficially, update to BIOS 6.09, the last available BIOS for win 7?

cheers donp

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

I am securely in the "camp" that never updates the BIOS in my computer(s), unless my research shows that the updated BIOS will fix a problem that I personally have experienced, or will add support (typically for new CPUs) that I need.

Unless you can find a note that says that a BIOS-update is necessary before running Windows 10, my recommendation is "just say no".

[mdklassen]

> can I, safely and beneficially, update to BIOS 6.09, the last available BIOS for win 7?

Yes, but if you plan to do so, use a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to ensure that the AC power does not "drop" at the worst-possible time, i.e., during the middle of a BIOS-update.

Note that some BIOS updates are released to add new capability, e.g., support for processors and/or RAM that were not available when the computer was manufactured, while some updates are to fix problems.

For example, Windows 7 may require some function of the BIOS to work correctly, and thus a BIOS-update is a prerequisite for installing/running Windows 7.

So, no BIOS update "ends" with Windows 7 -- it just means that installing/running Windows 10 does not require any BIOS-update beyond any update that was necessary for Windows 7.