What’s the best way to backup your BIOS?

You’re planning to update your BIOS to a new version, and you’d like to make sure you don’t lose any of your current BIOS settings. What’s the best way to guarantee a good backup of your BIOS information?

A) Use the built-in BIOS backup utilities

B) Print each BIOS configuration screen or copy the parameters down manually with pen and paper

C) Third-party applications can image the entire drive, including the BIOS settings

D) The BIOS is hardware based, and doesn’t require a backup

E) Place your computer on top of a flatbed scanner and digitize a perfect copy

The answer: B) Print each BIOS configuration screen or copy the parameters down manually with pen and paper

The BIOS is software that starts when your computer is powered on. The configuration of the BIOS will determine how your computer’s hardware will be used. If the BIOS configuration is incorrect, your hardware may not work properly or perform effectively. There’s no built-in BIOS backup utility, and third-party software isn’t designed to backup a BIOS. In many cases, the fastest solution is to simply write down the important BIOS settings on a piece of paper.

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.