flashing bios...

when flashing a motherboards bios....is a "rom" file format the same as a "bin" file format??
need to know...thanks if anybody can help

my motherboard is a: soyo plus dragon 2 865pe chipset, in the manual it says it uses the rom file format for its bios, but on the soyo website where i'm getting the updated bios from it gives me three different formats to choose from: "bin"/"exe"/and "zip"......

anybody, anybody......??

@gatekeeper

Hmm dont know exactly if *.rom is the same as *.bin.

As far as I know the *exe and *.zip contain the files needed to progarm the BIOS which in your case seems to be an AWARD BIOS so a common used. The *.bin file and a file called awardflash.exe should be contained both in the selfextracting archive (*.exe) and in the compressed Winzipfile (*.zip)

Normally there is an instruction how to flash your BIOS and either found this on the soyo page:

Important Notes about BIOS Upgrades
Warning!
Updating your BIOS constitutes a risk! If flashing goes wrong, it may render your motherboard unbootable thus requiring you to send your motherboard or BIOS chip in for re-flashing (RMA).

1. The BIOS of all SOYO motherboards come from Award or AMI. Make sure you download the right BIOS for your motherboard before you proceed with BIOS update.
2. Do not power off the system during the BIOS update.
3. Updating the BIOS is a dangerous task and should be performed under proper guidance and your own risk. Soyo will not be responsible for any damage and loss caused by an unsuccessful BIOS update. A BIOS update is recommended only when it fixes existing problems.

IDENTIFYING YOUR BIOS
Some Soyo motherboards use Award BIOS, while other more recent ones utilize AMI BIOS. BIOS information is indicated at the top left corner of the monitor in the Power On Self Test (POST) process. It is very important to know exactly the type of the BIOS in use and update it accordingly:

UPDATING AMI BIOS
1. AMI BIOS comes in the following three formats: *.rom: This file format contains only the BIOS update file. The download of corresponding AMI flash utility is needed. -- KB Article 269
2. *.exe: This executable file contains both *.rom file and AMI flash utility and will self-extract to a designated storage media (usually a floppy disk) upon double-clicking it. -- KB Article 270
3. *.zip: This compressed file also contains *.rom file and AMI flash utility. Additionally, a compression utility, like Winzip, or WinRAR, will be needed to extract the file to a designated storage media (usually a floppy disk). -- KB Article 271

UPDATING AWARD BIOS
1. AWARD BIOS comes in the following three formats: If your BIOS format is .bin follow the instructions in KB Article 215 -- If your BIOS upgrade is available as only a .bin file
2. If your BIOS format is .exe follow the instructions in KB Article 216 -- If your BIOS upgrade is available as only a .exe file
3. If your BIOS format is .zip follow the instructions in KB Article 217 -- If your BIOS upgrade is available as only a .zip file

**This BIOS update includes all updates that were made in previous BOIS.

It seems your motherboard comes with the Award BIOS but please check it out yourself to be sure:
Soyo Page

SY-P4I865PE Plus DRAGON 2 (Prescott-Ready)

SY-P4i865PE Plus Dragon 2 featurning the Intel i865PE chipset supports the latest Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478 Prescott Processor*

D: Dual Channel DDR400/333
R: New Serial ATA
A: Onboard 6-Channel Audio
G: Extreme 8X AGP Support
O: Flexible Overclocking Options
N: 10/100 Ethernet
2: Next Generation Dual DDR, 800MHz FSB, Dual High Speed I/O (USB 2.0/Firewire--Optional)

Specifications
Processor
* Pentium 4: 1.4GHz - 3.4GHz
* Celeron: 1.7GHz - 2.8GHz
* Click here for maximum CPU support
Chipset Type
* Intel i865PE
Chipset Description
* Intel i865PE (Springdale ) / ICH5 chipset
* Supports 800, 533 and 400 MHz FSB
Form Factor
* ATX
Memory Type
* Dual DDR400/333/266
Memory Description
* Three 184-pin DDR SDRAM 2.5V DIMM sockets
* Support DUAL channel DDR 400/333 up to 3GB
Expansion Slots
* Five 32-bit Bus Mastering PCI slots (V2.2 compliant)
* One AGP slot (support 4x/8x mode with 1.5v)
IDE Description
* IDE
* Two channes parellel ATA connectors
* Serial ATA
* Two channels Serial ATA ports
* ICH5 integrates Serial ATA
Audio Description
* On board CMI 9739A audio codec chip providing 6-channel audio
IO Port Description
* Two RS-232 serial ports (16550 UART compatible)
* One parallel printer port (SPP/EPP/ECP mode)
* One FDD port (Supports 3 mode, 1.2/1.44/2.88 MB FDD
* On-board IrDA/FIR ports with optional cable for transceiver
* 8 * USB 2.0 ports (4*rear, 4*pin header)
IO Connection Description
* PS/2 Mini-DIN mouse & keyboard ports
* Two USB ports
* One D-Sub 25-pin female printer port
* Two D-Sub 9-pin male serial ports
* Two USB ports
* 0ne RJ45 connector
* Audio I/O: LINE-Outx1 , LINE-Inx1, MIC JACK x1
BIOS Description
* Award PCI BIOS with ACPI function
* Supports multiple-boot from E-IE/SCSI/CD-ROM/FDD LS120/ZIP
* 2 Mb Flash ROM
Health Monitoring Description
* On-board voltage monitors for +3.3V, +12V, VCORE, DIMM, AGP
* CPU fan speed monitor
* CPU temperature monitoring through flexible thermal sensor
Dimension Description
* Four layers, 30.5 cm x 22.5 cm (12� x 8.8�)
* ATX form factor

Certification
* FCC Class B and CE EMI Regulation Compliant
Compatibilities
WinXP / Win2000 / WinNT / WinME / Win98SE / Linux / FreeBSD
Warranty
All SOYO products are designed to offer stability and flexibility, and are tested to ensure highest reliability. We offer a 1 year limited warranty on this SOYO product.

This should answer all your questions.

Please be careful and take time before flashing to ensure all goes as planned! :thumbup:

thanks dude!, but see how it says my bios is a 2 mb "rom" type. When I go to thier site to download the new bios it gives me these three diferent types "zip" "exe" and "bin" to choose from.......sooo I'm unsure which one to dl, or does it matter? I know i'm looking in the right section too, because i've double checked.

anybody, anybody??

heh, every BIOS is on a ROM chip. It doens't make any difference which file you gonna go to download as any of these will work if you flash your BIOS right.
There should be an instruction on the site, just follow it and you should be set.

ok...thank you