How to Flash the P5E3 Deluxe BIOS
The motherboard in a personal computer has a BIOS (Basic/Input Output System) chip, which stores hardware configuration and time and date settings. Updating the BIOS in an ASUS P5E3 can help correct problems with hardware compatibility errors or unexplainable system crashes. Performing a BIOS update on the P5E3 motherboard is not too difficult, but it does require some patience and attention to detail.
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Instructions
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Direct your Web browser to the ASUS Global Support Site (see Resources). Enter the term "P5E3" in the search box in the top right-hand corner of the page, then press the "Enter" Key. On the search results page, you will see a link to the download page for the P5E3 motherboard.
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Click the link labeled "P5E3 related files for download." Select your operating system from the available choices when the pop-up screen appears, then click the "Search" button.
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Click on the "BIOS" link. After the results page appears, click on the BIOS version link with the most recent release date.
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Click the "Global" download link (has a small picture of a green floppy disk icon next to it). Browse to the folder on your computer where you want to save the BIOS file, then click the "OK" button.
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Open "Computer" or "My Computer," then browse to the folder where you saved the BIOS file. Insert a blank floppy diskette into your computer's floppy drive. Highlight the BIOS with your mouse, then press the "Ctrl" and "C" keys at the same time. Open the floppy disk drive in "Computer" or "My Computer" and then press the "Ctrl" and "V" keys simultaneously to copy the file to the disk.
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Right-click on the BIOS file, then click the "Extract Here" option on the pop-up menu. A second file will appear in the list of files on the floppy disk. Delete the original, compressed BIOS file. Write the name of the second file on a piece of paper.
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Shut down your computer. Restart the PC and ensure that the floppy disk is still in the floppy drive.
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Press the "Alt" and "F2" keys at the same time as soon as the PC displays the Power-On Self Test (POST) screen. The ASUS EZ Flash utility screen will appear. The POST process runs when you first start the PC and displays the amount of RAM and the processor type, size and model of the hard drive installed in your computer.
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Press the "1" key to select the "Save Current BIOS to File" option, then, press the "Enter" key. The ASUS EZ Flash utility will write the current BIOS file to the floppy disk. Press the "Esc" key to exit the utility and restart the computer.
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Press the "Alt" and "F2" keys again during the POST to restart the ASUS EZ Flash utility.
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Press the "2" key to select the "Update BIOS Including Boot Block and ESCD" option, then press the "Enter" key. Type the name of the BIOS file into the input box when requested (get it from the piece of paper). Press the "Y" key to confirm you want to overwrite the BIOS.
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Press the "Y" key when the EZ Flash utility displays the message "Update Main BIOS Area."
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Wait as the EZ Flash utility overwrites the current BIOS file. After the utility displays a confirmation screen indicating the BIOS update is complete, press any key to exit the utility and reboot your computer.
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Tips & Warnings
You will need to reset the BIOS settings after the update. To enter the BIOS, press the "Delete" key as soon as the computer starts the Power-On Self Test.
The EZ Flash BIOS utility is included in the firmware of most P5E3 motherboards. If your P5E3 motherboard does not include the utility, download it from the same page as the BIOS update file.
Only update the BIOS in the P5E3 motherboard if you have tried everything else and are relatively sure the updated BIOS will solve your hardware compatibility issues. See the ASUS support site for information on issues corrected with a particular BIOS revision. A mistake during the Flash process might lead to the BIOS chip on the motherboard becoming damaged and unusable.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit bios chip image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com
