Be careful to keep the angle to which it’s raised shallow or you’ll risk bending the legs of the chip. Insert the blade under one end of the chip and gently lever it until it begins to lift from the socket.
Proper identification of the latter will generally require that you peel off all stickers on top of the chip to reveal the information printed directly on the chip itself.Ī DIP chip can be removed using a small flat blade screwdriver or pocket knife. Some require that you send them your BIOS chip for reprogramming, others will simply send you a new chip provided you can provide them with the necessary detailed information on your motherboard and existing BIOS chip. The replacement option may also appeal to some who actually have flashable BIOSes … but also have a nervous disposition! Notwithstanding the efforts motherboard manufacturers have made in recent years to simplify the process, the fact remains since flashing overwrites your existing BIOS, it has the potential of rendering your PC unusable should anything go wrong during the process or should you inadvertently use an incorrect BIOS file.įor older motherboards there are a number of companies that provide a specialist BIOS chip replacement service. During this period they should be able to provide you with a patched BIOS containing the latest enhancements and bug fixes. Motherboard manufacturers generally provide a BIOS upgrade service for a limited period after a particular model of motherboard comes to market. This involves physically removing the existing chip and either replacing it after its been reprogrammed with the later version of BIOS code or exchanging it for a completely new chip.
Spi programmer for intel bios chip update#
If your BIOS isn’t flashable it’s still possible to update it – provided it’s housed in a socketed DIP or PLCC chip. These are also referred to as flash PROM or flash ROM, the process by which they’re updated being known as flashing. Modern-day motherboards have EEPROM BIOS chips that can be reprogrammed by software.