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Flashing Your BIOS From The Linux Desktop

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  • #11
    Well, reading the experiences of the users here I'm quite happy my laptop manufacturer provided a bootable FreeDOS image to upgrade the BIOS. Since following that path wasn't a problem I used it.

    OTOH if I was on a netbook (no optical drive) and was offered a choice between run-time Windows utility and a CD image with freedos, I'd probably explore this flashrom utility to avoid reboots.

    What I want to know though - does it handle only motherboards or is it useful for CD/DVD burners/HDDs etc.? Basically, how do I "mtkflash" under Linux?

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    • #12
      Something like this would be also great for flashing CD/DVD drives and HDD firmware..definitely should be worth adding such features. Definitely a must for those machines without a floppy or a CD/DVD drive

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      • #13
        Yeah. This is such a treat for my eyes. To finally see coreboot getting REALITY. I followed the project when it was still LinuxBios from time to time but besides a few Tyan boards nothing would work, sometimes the project seemed abandoned. But with all that embedded stuff and generally more Linux request in the world there is so much neat stuff now... LinuxBIOS for many Boards and now also to have a utility which will soon be able to do a flash job on so many BIOS media. AWESOME! I really appreciate this project.
        I mean, okay, as long there could be FreeDOS used, or when you had a BIOS built in flash routine which would work system independently it wouldn't be that much of a problem but still it is a great development. I mean, not every board is Gigabyte or Asus in-bios-flasheable or not every vendor supports a DOS flashing utility. (though I would never buy anything that would be windows only)
        I guess it will also be helpful on laptops or netbooks in case you don't have an internal/external floppy or such.

        And imagine flashing all that other firmware... yet I had to use Windows to make my DVD region free.
        Stop TCPA, stupid software patents and corrupt politicians!

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        • #14
          Flashing a kernel directly to BIOS

          Just wondering, how feasible is it to flash a BIOS with some ROM form of a linux kernel and initrd?

          Is there a project that offers something like this?

          Well it seems it is possible... http://www.hermann-uwe.de/blog/linux...y-in-flash-rom
          Last edited by markc; 04 May 2009, 09:53 PM.

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          • #15
            Let me share a cool trick, if you often have to reprogram a flash

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            • #16
              Originally posted by bridgman View Post
              If you have any kind of power management running chances are pretty good that there are occasional calls into the BIOS happening... and if one of those calls happens while the BIOS ROM is blank, that would be a problem.
              i didnt think any modern operating system made bios calls.


              the flashrom utility looks great, now i just need something from coreboot to replace the crappy bios i am stuck with now. (asus and gigabyte bios suck)

              matt

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              • #17
                Originally posted by mattmatteh View Post
                i didnt think any modern operating system made bios calls.


                the flashrom utility looks great, now i just need something from coreboot to replace the crappy bios i am stuck with now. (asus and gigabyte bios suck)

                matt
                I don't understand this. I have to configure how much memory I want to use for the IGP in the BIOS, and Linux really respect this. So Linux must make some sort of call to the BIOS, eventhough I have also heard that Linux doesn't use the BIOS for anything...

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                • #18
                  Originally posted by Louise View Post
                  I don't understand this. I have to configure how much memory I want to use for the IGP in the BIOS, and Linux really respect this. So Linux must make some sort of call to the BIOS, eventhough I have also heard that Linux doesn't use the BIOS for anything...
                  BIOS provides some system information using acpi tables that kernel reads for initialising system. BIOS also provides some basic hw access which isn't used.

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                  • #19
                    If I flash my bios from windows and it dies. I can swear at the motherboard manufacturer.

                    If I flash my bios from linux and it dies. Who do I swear at?

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                    • #20
                      Originally posted by cruiseoveride View Post
                      If I flash my bios from linux and it dies. Who do I swear at?
                      The guy that told you it was a good idea.

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