Invisible wrote:
> Sure. Assuming you can figure out how to make an MS-DOS boot disk, load 
> the BIOS image from somewhere (not from the HD, because there aren't any 
> DOS drivers for the RAID controller), and reflash the BIOS. It's not a 
> trivial undertaking.

Yes, is not trivial but once you know how to do it is easy, you can put 
everything on a CD you don't need anything else:

Make a Boot-CD with a burning app., I use Nero 6.6 (yeah is old but fast 
and reliable), then add a 8.3 folder and put the BIOS and the flash 
utility, burn it at the slowest speed possible (I recommend 1X) always 
with very on. Nero 6.6 uses DR-DOS, which has NTFS drivers, among other 
drivers, in case the flash utility needs to load the BIOS with write 
rights (is dumb, I know, BIOS are not written but that's the way the 
flash utility works in rare occasions, if you have only RAID try a USB 
Flash sitck). That's it, just skip (F8) some drivers that you don't need 
(keyboard, display, NTFS, FAT32, USB, etc) in case the flash utility 
gives a "Out of memory" message error.

  If you still need more memory it gets a little complicated but it can 
be solved if you're patience enough:
- Download a virtual floppy 
(http://chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vfd.html), is fairly simple, 
"create a floppy" on the HDD, boot formate it with WinXP (will create a 
WinME boot floppy). Here you might want to edit 'autoexec.bat' and/or 
'config.sys' to save even more memory (remember to save the floppy). Go 
to your burning app. and indicate it to use the created floppy on the 
virtual drive, and from here is just the same as before.

Modern BIOS now are like drivers, the BIOS updater runs on the given OS 
and it just need a reboot, is really easy.

Sometimes a BIOS update is necessary for the MoBo to perform at peak 
speed, I have experience this first hand with a couple of Intel D865 
MoBos, they increased their speed by a fair 50-80%, they're slow out of 
the box, so don't be afraid to update your BIOS.

> I'm reminded of the synthesizer I saw reviewed. The reviewer was rather 
> critical of the fact that 1) it crashes a lot, and 2) in order to edit 
> *all* of the parameters, you need to use the Mac-based editor program, 
> which costs additional money...

That would be a most troubled product, bad luck I guess.

Cheers.

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