Acer TravelMate 4220 TravelMate 4520/4220, Extensa 4420/4120 Service Guide - Page 34

BIOS Flash Utility The BIOS flash memory update is required under the following conditions: T When there are new versions of system programs T When new hardware options are installed T When the BIOS has been corrupted and you need to restore it BIOS Flash Precautions T If you do not have a crisis recovery diskette at hand, create a Crisis Recovery Diskette in Windows XP of Vista before you use the flash utility. T Do not install memory-related drivers (XMS, EMS, DPMI) when you use the flash utility. T Place the computer in AC mode during the BIOS flash procedure. If the battery pack does not contain enough power to finish the BIOS flash, you may not able to boot the system because the BIOS is not completely loaded. To flash the BIOS: 1. Prepare a bootable diskette. 2. Copy the flash utilities to the bootable diskette. 3. Boot the system from the bootable diskette. The flash utility will automatically be executed. 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the flashing of the BIOS. BIOS Recovery If a BIOS flash procedure fails to complete, perform a BIOS recovery procedure by using the Crisis Recovery Diskette. During this procedure, the system will force the BIOS to enter a special BIOS block, called boot block, to boot up the system with minimum BIOS initialization. To perform BIOS recovery: 1. Make sure the power cord is connected to the computer. 1. Attached a USB floppy drive to the computer. 2. Insert the Crisis Recovery Diskette into the floppy drive. 3. Press and hold the Fn+Esc keys, then press the power button . This initialize the BIOS recovery process. The boot block BIOS will start to restore the failed BIOS code. Short beeps should be heard during this process. Once the process is completed, a long beep should be heard. 4. Turn off the computer once the process is complete. 5. Turn on the computer again and flash the BIOS. Refer to the previous instructions. 24 Chapter 2