Author Topic: Off topic/Bios  (Read 2620 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline midnight

  • Massive Poster
  • ****
  • Posts: 2462
  • Never Be Rude
Off topic/Bios
« on: November 09, 2019, 12:36:25 AM »
I have a new PC, got on Support Assist, it scanned my PC and showed Urgent, Update Bios but I haven't updated it yet because I'm afraid it might mess up my PC.  I would like to know if it's safe for me to update
.

Offline midnight

  • Massive Poster
  • ****
  • Posts: 2462
  • Never Be Rude
Re: Off topic/Bios
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2019, 05:11:25 PM »
I know this post was off topic but I thought maybe someone would advise me about whether or not this would be safe for me to do.   :(
.

Offline Michael (alan1998)

  • Massive Poster
  • ****
  • Posts: 2768
  • Volunteer
Re: Off topic/Bios
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2019, 09:19:16 PM »
I know this post was off topic but I thought maybe someone would advise me about whether or not this would be safe for me to do.   :(

Custom built PC or one from an OEM such as Dell/HP/Asus/Acer etc? BIOS updates don't provide much benefit, especially if the system is an older one (such as mine). They don't fix much, aside from maybe a bug or two, with a specific piece of hardware. Even as a security guy, it's highly unlikely that anyone is putting BIOS rootkits on your PC as an end user.

On the other hand, if you're running bleeding edge technology, you may see a significant increase in compatible hardware, and performance as kinks are worked out.

Personally: I wouldn't bother it. A lot can go wrong, and not much benefit in it (to my knowledge at least)
VOLUNTEER

Senior Security Analyst; Sys Admin (Linux); Forensics/Incident Response.

Security is a mindset, not an application. Think BEFORE you click.

Offline bob3160

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Probably Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 48524
  • 64 Years of Happiness
    • bob3160 Protecting Yourself, Your Computer and, Your Identity
Re: Off topic/Bios
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2019, 12:19:35 PM »
I have a new PC, got on Support Assist, it scanned my PC and showed Urgent, Update Bios but I haven't updated it yet because I'm afraid it might mess up my PC.  I would like to know if it's safe for me to update
The updates are coming from the manufacturer and since this is still a new PC,
keep it new by keeping it updated.
Be sure to follow all instructions and, create a way to restore your system if something goes wrong
before you install the recommended updates.
Free Security Seminar: https://bit.ly/bobg2023  -  Important: http://www.organdonor.gov/ -- My Web Site: http://bob3160.strikingly.com/ - Win 11 Pro v22H2 64bit, 16 Gig Ram, 1TB SSD, Avast Free 23.5.6066, How to Successfully Install Avast http://goo.gl/VLXdeRepair & Clean Install https://goo.gl/t7aJGq -- My Online Activity https://bit.ly/BobGInternet

Offline Michael (alan1998)

  • Massive Poster
  • ****
  • Posts: 2768
  • Volunteer
Re: Off topic/Bios
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2019, 03:51:57 PM »
I have a new PC, got on Support Assist, it scanned my PC and showed Urgent, Update Bios but I haven't updated it yet because I'm afraid it might mess up my PC.  I would like to know if it's safe for me to update
The updates are coming from the manufacturer and since this is still a new PC,
keep it new by keeping it updated.
Be sure to follow all instructions and, create a way to restore your system if something goes wrong
before you install the recommended updates.

Bob - while I certainly agree that keeping your system up-to-date is very important, a bricked BIOS update will yield an unresponsive computer until it's shipped back the the OEM (at which point, it's not uncommon for them to have your system for weeks while they fix the issue). Most modern OEM systems have no way of resetting a bricked BIOS. No built in board reflashing, no USB support to get that done. BIOS updates are a potentially very dangerous, unnecessary risk, especially in this case, given everything works just fine.

Now, if you were looking to flash a custom board to support newer models of CPUs, that's a slightly different story, as the rewards outweigh the risks involved.
VOLUNTEER

Senior Security Analyst; Sys Admin (Linux); Forensics/Incident Response.

Security is a mindset, not an application. Think BEFORE you click.

Offline Pondus

  • Probably Bot
  • ****
  • Posts: 37507
  • Not a avast user
Re: Off topic/Bios
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2019, 10:10:19 PM »
Quote
BIOS updates are a potentially very dangerous, unnecessary risk, especially in this case, given everything works just fine.
Yea but @-midnight is a special case, she like to fiddle around with things that work and make them not working    ;D





« Last Edit: November 11, 2019, 10:16:22 PM by Pondus »

Offline Michael (alan1998)

  • Massive Poster
  • ****
  • Posts: 2768
  • Volunteer
Re: Off topic/Bios
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2019, 01:34:54 PM »
Quote
BIOS updates are a potentially very dangerous, unnecessary risk, especially in this case, given everything works just fine.
Yea but @-midnight is a special case, she like to fiddle around with things that work and make them not working    ;D

Well, that's up to her. But this likely isn't something she (or even I, or any of my coworkers) could easily repair if it goes south.

@midnight, what's the make and model?
VOLUNTEER

Senior Security Analyst; Sys Admin (Linux); Forensics/Incident Response.

Security is a mindset, not an application. Think BEFORE you click.

Offline midnight

  • Massive Poster
  • ****
  • Posts: 2462
  • Never Be Rude
Re: Off topic/Bios
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2019, 09:35:26 PM »
@Michael,
I am not going to update the BIOS. 
.