What are the Best Tips for BIOS Recovery?

The basic input/output system (BIOS) of a computer is a crucial part of the computer and any type of updating or BIOS recovery should not be performed unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary to perform such a recovery, however, then the steps taken will usually depend on what type of BIOS the system has, and this often depends on the brand of motherboard in the computer. The BIOS recovery will often require the use of a boot disk or similar device that has the BIOS on it and will load up and recover the BIOS on computer startup. Other systems may require a jumper on the motherboard be removed to allow recovery, and anyone performing this type of work should be sure he or she really knows how to complete the recovery.

On a computer, the BIOS is responsible for starting the computer and immediately recognizing the hardware connected to the motherboard, before handing operations of the computer over to an operating system (OS). Without the BIOS on a motherboard, a computer is unable to properly start up and begin regular operations. This means that if the BIOS is damaged or corrupted, the entire computer can be virtually useless and a BIOS recovery may be necessary, or else the motherboard may need to be replaced completely.

One of the best tips regarding BIOS recovery is simply that anyone not truly qualified to be working with the BIOS on a computer should not do it. The same rule often applies to BIOS flashing as well, and the less a person does to potentially interfere with his or her computer’s BIOS, the better he or she will likely be. If corruption has occurred and BIOS recovery is necessary, however, then there are some simple methods that can be followed to perform the recovery.

Most types of BIOS on a motherboard can be recovered through the use of a boot disk either on a floppy disk or a thumb drive connected through a universal serial bus (USB) port. This recovery program can usually be downloaded from the motherboard manufacturer and copied onto the disk or drive. It may require a certain file name to be properly recognized for BIOS recovery, but this depends on the BIOS being recovered.

The disk or drive is then inserted into the computer while it is shut down, and the system is then started up. As long as the BIOS can be recovered through this type of method, it will likely install the new BIOS and overwrite the corrupted system. The computer can then be restarted, the disk or drive removed, and the recovery is complete. Some motherboards may also require that a physical jumper be removed from pins on the motherboard to allow BIOS recovery. Specific information should be considered based on the type of motherboard and BIOS being worked upon, and only qualified individuals should attempt to recover the BIOS on a computer.