Heard a senior tech say 'if it's not broke, don't fix it' about BIOS updates - kinda changed how I work

I was helping a guy swap out a PSU at a repair shop downtown last Tuesday, and one of the old-timers was talking to a customer about why their PC was suddenly crashing after a BIOS update they did themselves. He basically said most people flash the BIOS for no real reason, just because a new version exists. I catch myself doing that a lot, especially when a motherboard has been sitting on a shelf for a few months. He pointed out that if your system is stable and you're not having a specific issue or adding new hardware that needs support, you're just rolling the dice on something going wrong. I mean, I've definitely bricked a board before trying to get the latest 'fix' that didn't even apply to my setup. Has anyone else had a BIOS update cause more problems than it solved, or do you always keep them current no matter what?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.karen2d ago

Forget the BIOS, check your power supply first.

sanchez.pat2d ago

so my buddy mike tried to rebuild his old gaming pc last month and forgot the 24 pin wasn't fully seated. his case has this stupid little cable management bar that blocks half the mobo so he didn't see it. system would power on for like 2 seconds then die every time. i told him to check the psu cables not the bios and he felt real dumb after fixing it.