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3.11 BIOS Flash Upgrade Utility
Phoenix Phlash gives you the ability to update your BIOS from a floppy disk without having to install a
new ROM BIOS chip.
Phoenix Phlash is a utility for "flashing" (copying) a BIOS to the Flash ROM installed on your computer
from a floppy disk. A Flash ROM is a Read-Only Memory chip that you can write to using a special
method called "flashing." Use Phoenix Phlash for the following tasks:
Update the current BIOS with a new version.
Restore a BIOS when it has become corrupted.
3.11.1 Executing Phoenix Phlash
You can run Phoenix Phlash to update or replace your current BIOS in Command Line Mode. To execute
Phlash in this mode, move to the directory into which you have installed Phoenix Phlash and type “Phlash”
at the prompt:
C:\PHLASH16 [filename] /BBL /C
Phoenix Phlash automatically updates or replaces the current BIOS with the one which your OEM or dealer
supplies you.
Phlash may fail if your system is using memory managers, in which case the utility displays the following
message:
Cannot flash when memory managers are present.
If you see this message after you execute Phlash, you must disable the memory manager on your system.
To do so, follow the instructions in the following sections.
Disabling Memory Managers
To avoid failure when flashing, you must disable the memory managers that load from CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT. There are two recommended procedures for disabling the memory managers. One
consists of pressing the <F5> key (only if you are using DOS 5.0 or above), and the other requires the
creation of a boot diskette.
DOS 5.0 (or later version)
For DOS 5.0 and later, follow the two steps below to disable any memory managers on your system. If you
are not using at least DOS 5.0, then you must create a boot diskette to bypass any memory managers (See
Create a Boot Diskette, below).
1.
Boot DOS 5.0 or later version. (In Windows 95, at the boot option screen, choose Option 8, "Boot
to a previous version of DOS.")
2.
When DOS displays the “Starting MS-DOS” message, press <F5>.
After you press <F5>, DOS bypasses the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, and therefore does
not load any memory managers.
You can now execute Phlash.
Create a Boot Diskette
To bypass memory managers in DOS versions previous to 5.0, follow this recommended procedure:
1.
Insert a diskette into your A: drive.
2. Enter the following from the command line: Format A: /S
3. Reboot your system from the A: drive.
Your system will now boot without loading the memory managers, and you can then execute Phlash.
Commend:
A:\> PHLASH16 LH500F.102 /BBL /C
Where:
PHLASH16 Phlash command name
LH500F.102 Filename of new BIOS ROM supplied by dealer
/BBL Flash the Boot Block
/C Clear CMOS