Windows 7 Seeking Guidance on Updating BIOS: Stable vs. Beta Versions for Old Motherboard

seekermeister

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The used motherboard that I ordered arrived today, and the BIOS version it contains is one of the oldest for this board (703). Therefore I want to update, but am not certain which one to choose, because the two latest versions are marked as betas, and the newest is marked as ONLY being for systems with a certain problem under XP SP 3, as can be seen here:

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I'm quite adverse to doing a flash myself, and would opt to order a new BIOS chip already updated, but as things stand, there wouldn't be much to lose if it went badly, except for a few days waiting for a new chip.

I don't like the idea of anything marked beta, but to go to the last stable version means going back a year or two, which doesn't sound good either. Can anyone offer me something more to go on than just an opinion?
 
Solution
Hmm, I just fired up the HTPC and while it appears to work okay, it still says that the BIOS version is 7.2.2, which doesn't match any of the versions listed on the Asus download page. I thought that I had ordered an updated chip for this motherboard, but it must have only been for the A8N-SLI that I'm replacing.

I got a response for a question that I sent to the BIOS Depot, which I used previously, and they say that they program the chips to version 1409, and claim that they have never had a problem with it, so I think I'm going to order one.
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Are you sure you can even replace the BIOS chip? Most are surface mounted and not replaceable anymore. Just check two Gigabyte and one Asus board and they are not socketed.

I don't like the idea of anything marked beta, but to go to the last stable version means going back a year or two, which doesn't sound good either. Can anyone offer me something more to go on than just an opinion?
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I would avoid the betas too so 1303 seems best. But you say "going back a year or two doesn't sound good" - not sure your point as even the latest beta is 5 years old.
 
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Absolutely. I just remembered (I hate being old) that I still have an old (inop) board of this model, that I had already installed a new chip in, and moved it to the new board. Haven't had time to test it yet, but it should work fine.

EDIT:
I would avoid the betas too so 1303 seems best. But you say "going back a year or two doesn't sound good" - not sure your point as even the latest beta is 5 years old.
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5 years is better than 7.
 
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Hmm, I just fired up the HTPC and while it appears to work okay, it still says that the BIOS version is 7.2.2, which doesn't match any of the versions listed on the Asus download page. I thought that I had ordered an updated chip for this motherboard, but it must have only been for the A8N-SLI that I'm replacing.

I got a response for a question that I sent to the BIOS Depot, which I used previously, and they say that they program the chips to version 1409, and claim that they have never had a problem with it, so I think I'm going to order one.
 
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Solution
It seems that one problem always follow another. When I fire it up, it says that there is a bad CMOS error. I went into the BIOS and reset everything then saved and exited, but it didn't retain my settings and still squawks about a bad CMOS sum. I then used the CMOS reset function on the motherboard (moving a cap from one set of pins to another and then back) and tried again with the same problem appearing. I even tried having it load the default settings but that didn't help either. Is there a possible solution for this other than just returning the motherboard?
 
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Voila! Found the problem. It was a mistake to replace the BIOS chip with the one from my old motherboard. When I replaced the orignal, the BIOS problem vanished. That now makes me wonder if that was the reason that the old motherboard failed? I think that I'm going to order a new chip for both motherboards. Maybe that will revive the old board and I willl have a standby.
 
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5 years is better than 7
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Not if it does not address any issue with your board, and especially not if it turns your board into a brick. Software (firmware, in this case) does not age and go bad with time if the hardware has not changed. So saying 5 is better than 7 is unsound and unfounded logic.

As far as CMOS errors - that normally indicates one of two things; (1) hardware changed or (2) the CMOS battery failed or is failing.

Swapping BIOS chips from board to board may also be a bad idea - unless the boards have the exact same model number AND revision number. It is common for motherboards to go through several revisions during the production span for any particular model. The differences may be minor to significant, but are rarely published.

All this is great for the learning experiences with your own hardware, but not really sound troubleshooting or repair techniques if working on someone else's.
 
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That is the bottom line...I am working on my own hardware, and any consideration only involves my specific situation. Despite other possibilities, three things are now clear...the new motherboard works, it needs a BIOS upgrade, and the safest and easiest means to do so is by replacing the chip, which is now on order.
 
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Going to your motherboard, you seem to have socket 939, it's rather obsolete, and there is no direct support for your motherboard, concerning Windows 7, according to ASUS pages. If you want to use Vista, 1003 should be fine, in BIOS. Windows 7 will probably only come with problems - you need a motherboard that supports it.
 
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Yes, it is a 939, and yes it is somewhat obsolete, but not entirely. More with that particular motherboard than the socket type itself. No, I'm not going to use Vista, I have most of the problems with W7 on that computer ironed out. The only notable exception being that W7 won't use the Nforce 4 drivers that came with the motherboard, or are on the Asus download page. The only one of that group that I need is the one for the storage controller, the rest are extraneous for me. I know that I had that driver working in the past, but I can't remember how I did it? As far as the BIOS number that you suggest, Either you looked at it wrong, or you made a typo, because there is no number 1003.

Strangely, I'm having a lot more problems with loading drivers for XP than for W7. Strangely because the drivers were designed for XP and Vista. In any case, the computer is operational well enough to play videos on, which is it's primary purpose. Because of the computer's is secondary to me, I'm not going to upgrade the motherboard, because that would be an unnecessary expense.
 
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