Which of these things is NOT important to consider when performing a BIOS upgrade?
A) Have a written or printed backup of the current BIOS configuration settings.
B) Be sure you have your original operating system installation media.
C) Have a backup of the current BIOS version binary or installation file.
D) Only perform the BIOS upgrade when working with a reliable power source.
The un-answer: B) Be sure you have your original operating system installation media.
Although it’s always a good thing to know where your operating system CDs might be, they aren’t going to be important for the BIOS upgrade process. The BIOS upgrade only modifies the boot code of your personal computer hardware, not the contents of your hard drives.
The incorrect (yet responsible) answers:
A) Have a written or printed backup of the current BIOS configuration settings.
Not all BIOS upgrades leave the system with the same configuration settings you started with. It’s always good to have printouts of BIOS configuration screen shots or the important BIOS settings written down somewhere. If everything gets reset, you want to be sure you can easily recover.
C) Have a backup of the current BIOS version binary or installation file.
If the current BIOS just isn’t cutting it, you’ll want to consider downgrading to the original BIOS version. This isn’t often required, but if you ever need to downgrade you’ll be glad you have those earlier BIOS versions available.
D) Only perform the BIOS upgrade when working with a reliable power source.
I speak from experience on this one. If you ever disconnect the power to a computer in the middle of a BIOS upgrade, you’ll be left with a hunk of metal that doesn’t have enough smarts to know how to start the operating system on your hard drive. It’s best if you start the BIOS upgrade and just step away from the keyboard.
 |
Want to know more? Watch “Upgrading and Troubleshooting the BIOS .”A CompTIA A+ certified professional needs to recognize when a BIOS upgrade may be needed, the precautions to take when upgrading a BIOS, and what to expect when the upgrade is underway. In this video, we’ll take you through each upgrade step and show you how some simple planning can make your BIOS upgrades run smoothly from start to finish. |