The video BIOS controls how your operating system interacts with your video card. If your video card is your original card, you must update your system BIOS in order to update the video BIOS. If the video card was purchased separately for an upgrade or replacement, you have the option of updating just the video BIOS. Video BIOS updates are often needed when you've upgraded your operating system or after installing a new video card.
Instructions
1. Determine if you need a system BIOS update or a video BIOS update.
System BIOS: Video card must be the original card that came with the computer or a replacement from the same manufacturer.
Video BIOS: Video card was purchased separately, such as an upgrade or replacement from a different manufacturer than the original.
2. Determine your BIOS manufacturer or video card manufacturer. Download and install Belarc Advisor if you don't know these. See the Resources section to download.
3. Follow the prompts in the installation wizard to install.
4. Scan your system and locate the "Main Circuit Board" area for the system BIOS manufacturer or the "Display" area for the video card manufacturer.
5. Visit the website for the manufacturer you need. For system BIOS, you can also use the link in the Resources section.
6. Locate the "Help", "Support" or "Downloads" section for BIOS downloads at the website.
7. Download the latest BIOS for your system or video card. Read any instructions that come with your BIOS download. Some require a floppy disk, others require a flash drive and others can be run straight from your desktop. Specific instructions vary based on manufacturer.
8. Insert any media required to run the BIOS update and copy the update onto the media. If you can run the update from the desktop, media isn't necessary.
9. For system BIOS updates requiring removable media, restart your computer with the media inserted.
10. Press "F12" for boot options during the boot process and choose your desired media. Allow the update to run without interference. For system BIOS updates or video card BIOS updates, double-click the BIOS update on the desktop and allow the update to run without interference.
Tags: system BIOS, video card, BIOS update, BIOS updates, video BIOS, video card