How to Flash the BIOS


WARNING!!!

Please be aware that by downloading this BIOS package you agree that in the event of a BIOS flash failure, you must contact your dealer for a replacement BIOS.  There are no exceptions to this policy.  Tyan does not have a policy of replacing BIOS chips directly with end users.  Flashing a BIOS should only be attempted by a qualified technician.  BIOS updates are provided for evaluation purposes only.  All BIOS revisions are released on an "as-is" basis only.


  What you should know before you flash the BIOS:

    Tyan makes no warranties to the usability of a BIOS on our www or ftp areas and are made available to the public on an "as-is" basis.  Upgrading a BIOS without knowing the implications may cause serious adverse affects.  Please do not upgrade a BIOS unless directed to do so by a qualified support technician.  Tyan is not able to replace mis-used or damaged BIOS chips in the event of a BIOS flash failure.  Please contact your dealer for replacements or warranty service.  BIOSMAN Inc. (http://www.biosman.com) sell replacement BIOS chips with whatever BIOS version you would need to the public.

    Tyan uses 3 different BIOS for its motherboards.  We use Award, AMI and Phoenix core BIOS.  The Award BIOS uses a .bin file extension while the AMI and Phoenix BIOS use a .rom extension.  If you BIOS ends in an .exe or .zip then you need to unzip the file into its primary parts of:  BIOS file, flash utility, .txt file and batch file.

    Never flash a BIOS while in any Operating System (Win95, Win98SE, Win98ME, WinNT, Win2k, WinXP or Server 2003).  Always follow the precise instructions for how to flash a BIOS correctly.      NOTE:   For WinNT users, after flashing your BIOS, you may need to reinstall the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) for NT to recognize the new BIOS information.

    After flashing your BIOS or upgrading your BIOS it is always a good practice to physically clear the CMOS jumper.  Even though the flash utility has a trigger that should clear the CMOS after the flash it does not always complete this.  To be 100% sure that the flash has taken place clear the CMOS jumper and unplug the power supply from the motherboard.  Wait for 10 minutes and then reset the CMOS jumper back to pins 1 and 2 and plug the power supply back to the motherboard.  This will make sure that the flash is correctly applied to the motherboard.
     

  How to Flash the BIOS:

Basic Definitions:

  • Boot Disk - Refers to either a Windows 95 or Windows 98 boot disk.  Any other type of boot disk might load memory resident programs which will interfere with the flash process.  Make sure you hit the F5 key when the boot disk starts running to insure no other programs are loaded in the back ground without your knowledge.
     
  • Utility - Refers to the flash program that is required to get the BIOS file programmed into the motherboards' BIOS chip.  For more details regarding what BIOS utility, please go: http://www.tyan.com/support/html/flash_utilities.html
     
  • File to program - Refers to the actual bios file that is downloaded from the website.  You must always run a winzip program on the downloaded file to insure that it is in the appropriate .rom or .bin format before flashing the BIOS.
     
  • Hard boot - This refers to turning off the system's power and turning it back on.
     

Original Flash Method:

    Two separate diskettes are needed.  The first diskette is the Windows 95/98 Boot Disk.  The second diskette should contain the flash utility and the file to program (unzipped) with no other files on the diskette.  Procedure:
     

    1. Hard boot the system using the boot disk.
    2. Make sure that you hit the F5 key when the book disk first starts running to make sure no other programs are loaded in the background without your knowledge.
    3. You will come to an A: prompt.  Remove the first diskette.
    4. Insert the second diskette containing the flash utility and the file to program.  Type "dir" to check the disk contents.
    5. Type in the name of the flash utility followed by a space, followed by the file to program and any special triggers that would be required after the file program name.  As a general rule all Award based bios flashes use the /py /sn /f /cc /r at the end of the flash utility to work correctly.  AMI as a general rule uses /a /b /c at the end of their flash utility to work correctly.  Not all flash utilities or versions require triggers on the end of the flash line.  If there are special triggers to add on the end of the flash utility it would be stated in any FAQ's that would be on the website.  EXAMPLE:  flashv73 1854v107.bin /py /sn /f /cc /r (enter key) or phlash16 2460v104.rom (enter key)
    6. Clear the CMOS jumper.  Reboot system and the flashed version of the BIOS should now be seen during the POST screen details.
       

Batch File Flash Method:

    Motherboards that currently support this method:  1854, 2080, 2090, 2095, 2098, 2099, 2266, 2390b, 2425, 2460, 2462, 2466N, 2466N-4M, 2468, 2469, 2495, 2505t, 2507t, 2515, 2518, 2567, 2603, 2662, 2665, 2668, 2688, 2707, 2720, 2720-533, 2721, 2721-533, 2722, 2723, 2725, 2726, 2727, 2850, 2880, 2885, 3022, 5101, 5102
     

    1. Download the zipped files from the Tyan website.
    2. Unzip the package to the 4 component files (batch file, .txt file, flash utility and bios file) and place them on a second diskette.
    3. Hard boot the system using the boot disk.
    4. Make sure that you hit the F5 key when the boot disk first starts running to make sure no other programs are loaded in the background without your knowledge.
    5. Simply type in flash and the rest will be handled by the files included in the downloaded zip file.
    6. Clear the CMOS.  Reboot system and the flashed version of the BIOS should now be present on your monitor.
       

USB Flash Key Method:

    BIOS must be able to boot to USB bootable devices.  Not all core bios versions have USB as a bootable option.  Double check your documentation if you are unsure if this option is supported.
      

    1. Make the USB Flash key bootable
    2. Insure that you have the command.com, IO.sys and MSDOS.sys files on the USB key so that it will be bootable.
    3. Place the unzipped batch files (batch file, flash utility, bios file and .txt file) on the USB key.
    4. Make sure that the USB Flash Key is at the top of the boot order in your bios so that when the motherboard is turned on it will immediately boot to the USB Flash Key and boot cleanly to an A: prompt.
    5. Simply type in flash at the A: prompt and the rest will be handled by the batch file itself.
    6. Clear the CMOS.  Reboot system and the flashed version of the BIOS should now be present on your monitor.

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