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You probably shouldn't update your BIOS, but sometimes you lot need to. Here'due south how to check what BIOS version your computer is using and flash that new BIOS version onto your motherboard as apace and safely as possible.

RELATED: Exercise You Need to Update Your Computer's BIOS?

Be very conscientious when updating your BIOS! If your calculator freezes, crashes, or loses power during the process, the BIOS or UEFI firmware may be corrupted. This will render your computer unbootable—it'll exist "bricked."

How to Cheque Your Current BIOS Version in Windows

Your computer's BIOS version is displayed in the BIOS setup menu itself, simply you don't have to reboot to bank check this version number. At that place are several means to meet your BIOS version from within Windows, and they work the same on PCs with a traditional BIOS or a newer UEFI firmware.

RELATED: What Is UEFI, and How Is It Unlike from BIOS?

Cheque Your BIOS Version at the Command Prompt

To cheque your BIOS version from the Command Prompt, hitting Outset, type "cmd" in the search box, and so click the "Command Prompt" result—no need to run it as an ambassador.

At the prompt, blazon (or copy and paste) the following command, and then hitting Enter:

wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion

You'll see the version number of the BIOS or UEFI firmware in your current PC.

Check Your BIOS Version by Using the System Information Panel

RELATED: How to Open the System Information Panel on Windows 10 or 8

You can likewise find your BIOS's version number in the System Information window. On Windows seven, 8, or 10, hit Windows+R, type "msinfo32" into the Run box, and then hit Enter.

The BIOS version number is displayed on the System Summary pane. Wait at the "BIOS Version/Date" field.

How to Update Your BIOS

Unlike motherboards use dissimilar utilities and procedures, then there'south no one-size-fits-all ready of instructions here. However, you'll perform the aforementioned basic procedure on all motherboards.

RELATED: How to Check Your Motherboard Model Number on Your Windows PC

First, caput to the motherboard manufacturer's website and find the Downloads or Back up page for your specific model of motherboard. You should see a list of available BIOS versions, along with whatever changes/issues fixes in each and the dates they were released. Download the version to which yous desire to update. You'll probably want to grab the newest BIOS version—unless you have a specific need for an older i.

If y'all purchased a pre-congenital calculator instead of building your ain, head to the computer manufacturer's website, look upwards the figurer model, and look at its downloads page. You'll find any available BIOS updates at that place.

Your BIOS download probably comes in an archive—usually a Aught file. Extract the contents of that file. Within, you'll find some sort of BIOS file—in the screenshot below, it's the E7887IMS.140 file.

The archive should also contain a README file that will walk you through updating to the new BIOS. You should check out this file for instructions that apply specifically to your hardware, just we'll effort to cover the nuts that work beyond all hardware here.

RELATED: What You Need to Know Virtually Using UEFI Instead of the BIOS

You lot'll need to choose one of several different types of BIOS-flashing tools, depending on your motherboard and what information technology supports. The BIOS update's included README file should recommend the ideal option for your hardware.

Some manufacturers offering a BIOS-flashing option directly in their BIOS, or as a special key-printing option when y'all kick the calculator. Y'all re-create the BIOS file to a USB drive, reboot your computer, so enter the BIOS or UEFI screen. From there, you choose the BIOS-updating choice, select the BIOS file you placed on the USB drive, and the BIOS updates to the new version.

RELATED: What You Need to Know Near Using UEFI Instead of the BIOS

Yous generally access the BIOS screen by pressing the appropriate key while your estimator boots—it's oftentimes displayed on the screen during the boot procedure and will be noted in your motherboard or PC's manual. Common BIOS keys include Delete and F2. The process for entering a UEFI setup screen can be a flake unlike.

There are also more traditional DOS-based BIOS-flashing tools. When using those tools, you lot create a DOS alive USB drive, and then copy the BIOS-flashing utility and BIOS file to that USB drive. You so restart your estimator and kicking from the USB drive. In the minimal DOS environment that appears later the reboot, you run the appropriate command—ofttimes something like wink.bat BIOS3245.bin—and the tool flashes the new version of the BIOS onto the firmware.

RELATED: How to Create a Bootable DOS USB Drive

The DOS-based flashing tool is often provided in the BIOS annal you download from the manufacturer's website, although you may accept to download information technology separately. Look for a file with the .bat or .exe file extension.

In the by, this procedure was performed with bootable floppy disks and CDs. We recommend a USB drive considering information technology's probably exist the easiest method on modern hardware.

Some manufacturers provide Windows-based flashing tools, which y'all run on the Windows desktop to flash your BIOS and and then reboot. We don't recommend using these, and even many manufacturers who provide these tools caution against using them. For example, MSI "strongly recommends" using their BIOS-based menu option instead of their Windows-based utility in the README file of the sample BIOS update we downloaded.

Flashing your BIOS from within Windows can event in more problems. All that software running in the background—including security programs that may interfere with writing to the computer's BIOS—tin crusade the procedure to fail and corrupt your BIOS. Whatever organization crashes or freezes might also consequence in a corrupted BIOS. It'south amend to be prophylactic than sorry, and then we recommend using a BIOS-based flashing tool or booting to a minimal DOS surroundings to wink your BIOS.

That'southward it—later you run the BIOS-flashing utility, reboot your reckoner, and the new BIOS or UEFI firmware version loads. If there's a problem with the new BIOS version, you may exist able to downgrade it by downloading an older version from the manufacturer's website and repeating the flashing process.