BIOS - Added processor updates: Worth the updating risk?

Hi group

I use computers since a very long time, well before Internet was part
of our life. However I never flashed a BIOS in a modern PC computer
although I have programmed hundreds of chips.like ROMs, CPUs and so
on.

I have revamped an old computer I wish to use as my "LAN server",
installing Windows 2000. Specs: MOBO Intel SE440BX-2, Pentium II 400
MHz, 256MB RAM, 3 HD etc. Chipset is 82443BX and 82371EB.
Current BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0023.P16.
Updated BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0024.P17.

Acording to Intel's documentation there are only two fixes in this
update:

-Correct ACPI reporting of ComB when set to IRDA mode
-Added processor updates.

Per my experience I see no reason to update the BIOS casue the MOBO
works fine, besides I don't use IrDA. However, I'm not sure if the
"Added processor updates" is worth the flashing risk.

Wiil appreciate any comments?

"lesm" <luis.e.suarez@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1177862534.371884.55990@y80g2000hsf.googlegro ups.com...
> Hi group
>
> I use computers since a very long time, well before Internet was part
> of our life. However I never flashed a BIOS in a modern PC computer
> although I have programmed hundreds of chips.like ROMs, CPUs and so
> on.
>
> I have revamped an old computer I wish to use as my "LAN server",
> installing Windows 2000. Specs: MOBO Intel SE440BX-2, Pentium II 400
> MHz, 256MB RAM, 3 HD etc. Chipset is 82443BX and 82371EB.
> Current BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0023.P16.
> Updated BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0024.P17.
>
> Acording to Intel's documentation there are only two fixes in this
> update:
>
> -Correct ACPI reporting of ComB when set to IRDA mode
> -Added processor updates.
>
> Per my experience I see no reason to update the BIOS casue the MOBO
> works fine, besides I don't use IrDA. However, I'm not sure if the
> "Added processor updates" is worth the flashing risk.

Is the computer working fine? Then you shouldn't need any updates.

Of course, with an old PC it might be worth the risk just for the
experience.

Noozer wrote:
> "lesm" <luis.e.suarez@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1177862534.371884.55990@y80g2000hsf.googlegro ups.com...
>> Hi group
>>
>> I use computers since a very long time, well before Internet was part
>> of our life. However I never flashed a BIOS in a modern PC computer
>> although I have programmed hundreds of chips.like ROMs, CPUs and so
>> on.
>>
>> I have revamped an old computer I wish to use as my "LAN server",
>> installing Windows 2000. Specs: MOBO Intel SE440BX-2, Pentium II 400
>> MHz, 256MB RAM, 3 HD etc. Chipset is 82443BX and 82371EB.
>> Current BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0023.P16.
>> Updated BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0024.P17.
>>
>> Acording to Intel's documentation there are only two fixes in this
>> update:
>>
>> -Correct ACPI reporting of ComB when set to IRDA mode
>> -Added processor updates.
>>
>> Per my experience I see no reason to update the BIOS casue the MOBO
>> works fine, besides I don't use IrDA. However, I'm not sure if the
>> "Added processor updates" is worth the flashing risk.
>
> Is the computer working fine? Then you shouldn't need any updates.
>
> Of course, with an old PC it might be worth the risk just for the
> experience.
>
>
The processor updates deal usually with reporting correctly what the
newer processors are.. As long as what it says your processor is, is
correct then forget it.

On 29 Apr 2007 09:02:14 -0700, lesm
<luis.e.suarez@gmail.com> wrote:

>Hi group
>
>I use computers since a very long time, well before Internet was part
>of our life. However I never flashed a BIOS in a modern PC computer
>although I have programmed hundreds of chips.like ROMs, CPUs and so
>on.
>
>I have revamped an old computer I wish to use as my "LAN server",
>installing Windows 2000. Specs: MOBO Intel SE440BX-2, Pentium II 400
>MHz, 256MB RAM, 3 HD etc. Chipset is 82443BX and 82371EB.
>Current BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0023.P16.
>Updated BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0024.P17.
>
>Acording to Intel's documentation there are only two fixes in this
>update:
>
>-Correct ACPI reporting of ComB when set to IRDA mode
>-Added processor updates.
>
>Per my experience I see no reason to update the BIOS casue the MOBO
>works fine, besides I don't use IrDA. However, I'm not sure if the
>"Added processor updates" is worth the flashing risk.
>
>Wiil appreciate any comments?


You don't need the updated bios to support a PII-400, it
will have no gain. Because you are running Win2k with ACPI
power management, it is good that you have the P16 bios
instead of the original shipping bios, but no further bios
update is required.

I assume you are aware that motherboard has hard drive size
limitations. I believe it supports up to 128GB, and it only
has ATA33 support. To increase these parameters a PCI
ATA133 controller card might be used.

On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:57:51 -0400, Pen
<pen34usnospam@hotmailnospam.com> wrote:


>The processor updates deal usually with reporting correctly what the
>newer processors are.. As long as what it says your processor is, is
>correct then forget it.


It's even more forgiving than that, it could call the
processor something completely wrong but so long as the FSB
speed wasn't manually set wrong (is left in "auto" mode,
though on that board I think there is no mode other than
auto), the processor multiplier is locked.

Unfortunately, past a certain point (bios version) the bios
on that particular board will unnecessarily halt for no good
reason- Intel set it to refuse to run if it can't ID the
processor. The primar impact of this was to those who
wanted to use a slotket adapter to run socket 370 coppermine
P3 or Celeron on that board. They couldn't use the
last/newest bios, had to use one before a certain revision,
but at the moment I don't recall which revision was the
break-point.

Thanks a lot for all responses.

Regarding the "processor updates", at first I thought that Intel
referred to some sort of "function". Some years ago we talked about
microprocessors to avoid such ambiguity.

kony wrote:
> On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 12:57:51 -0400, Pen

> Intel set it to refuse to run if it can't ID the
> processor. The primar impact of this was to those who
> wanted to use a slotket adapter to run socket 370 coppermine
> P3 or Celeron on that board. They couldn't use the
> last/newest bios, had to use one before a certain revision,
> but at the moment I don't recall which revision was the
> break-point.

This is a very interesting point kony. Since I use Intel processors
only I never thought of such possibility.

Thanks to all again.

On Apr 29, 1:51 pm, kony <s...@spam.com> wrote:
> On 29 Apr 2007 09:02:14 -0700, lesm

> I assume you are aware that motherboard has hard drive size
> limitations. I believe it supports up to 128GB, and it only
> has ATA33 support. To increase these parameters a PCI
> ATA133 controller card might be used.

Yes, the computer has two 30GB drives and have installed an external
USB 250GB drive which is enough for my needs. However there is some
speed limitation due to the USB 1.0 the mobo has.

"lesm" <luis.e.suarez@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1177906306.566435.109320@p77g2000hsh.googlegr oups.com...
> On Apr 29, 1:51 pm, kony <s...@spam.com> wrote:
>> On 29 Apr 2007 09:02:14 -0700, lesm
>
>> I assume you are aware that motherboard has hard drive size
>> limitations. I believe it supports up to 128GB, and it only
>> has ATA33 support. To increase these parameters a PCI
>> ATA133 controller card might be used.
>
> Yes, the computer has two 30GB drives and have installed an external
> USB 250GB drive which is enough for my needs. However there is some
> speed limitation due to the USB 1.0 the mobo has.

A cheap PCI card with USB2 on it would be well worth the investment if you
move a fair amount of files to the USB drive.

"lesm" <luis.e.suarez@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1177862534.371884.55990@y80g2000hsf.googlegro ups.com...
> Hi group
>
> I use computers since a very long time, well before Internet was part
> of our life. However I never flashed a BIOS in a modern PC computer
> although I have programmed hundreds of chips.like ROMs, CPUs and so
> on.
>
> I have revamped an old computer I wish to use as my "LAN server",
> installing Windows 2000. Specs: MOBO Intel SE440BX-2, Pentium II 400
> MHz, 256MB RAM, 3 HD etc. Chipset is 82443BX and 82371EB.
> Current BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0023.P16.
> Updated BIOS is 4S4EB2X0.86A.0024.P17.
>
> Acording to Intel's documentation there are only two fixes in this
> update:
>
> -Correct ACPI reporting of ComB when set to IRDA mode
> -Added processor updates.
>
> Per my experience I see no reason to update the BIOS casue the MOBO
> works fine, besides I don't use IrDA. However, I'm not sure if the
> "Added processor updates" is worth the flashing risk.
>
> Wiil appreciate any comments?

I agree with Noozer - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

On Apr 29, 11:45 pm, "Noozer" <dont.s...@me.here> wrote:

> A cheap PCI card with USB2 on it would be well worth the investment if you
> move a fair amount of files to the USB drive.

Yes, that's a good idea. I will order that together with an
additional 256MB RAM.
I also though in a Pentium III at a maximum 650 MHz allowable but
maybe that's not a good idea for such an old mobo. Sooner or later
the mobo will die and I will end with a PII and PIII siiting in a
closet as arqueological dinosaurs.

Thanks to all again.