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Do BIOS Upgrades Really Matter?

Posted by Cliff on from the jumping-off-of-the-upgrade-merry-go-round dept.

inkfox asks: "It seems that whenever one buys a motherboard, there's already a BIOS upgrade available by the time you get your hands on it, usually dealing with some degenerate hardware behavior. Given that Linux and Windows 2000/XP replace all BIOS routines once loaded, do these upgrades really matter? If a system is successfully booting, is a BIOS upgrade more a risk than it is preventive maintenance?" This may be true, but what if you are running an OS that depends on the BIOS? If the BIOS is replaced by a specific OS, then BIOS upgrades can't really hurt anything, can they?

1 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. What? The BIOS is "loaded" by the OS? by delus10n0 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Given that Linux and Windows 2000/XP replace all BIOS routines once loaded, do these upgrades really matter?

    Uhh, last time I checked, you still needed a BIOS to run an OS, chief. And that BIOS isn't "replaced" by Windows or Loonix or FreeBSD or any OS. Certain parts of the OS might interface with the BIOS (re: ACPI, IRQ tables, etc.), but certainly doesn't "bypass" the BIOS.

    So yes, BIOS upgrades do matter. Not to mention most of the time upgrading your BIOS will allow you to run "newer" hardware in older motherboards. Faster CPU/RAM, etc.

    Why is this even an "Ask Slashdot" question? And why didn't the SlashDot editor catch the fact that this guy is a moron?

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