METHOD FOR UPDATING BASIC INPUT/OUTPUT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REPAIRING THEREOF

• US 20100064127A1
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Ming-Jen
• Granted Patent: US 8,341,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1433 during software upgrading
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1666 where the redundant component is memory or memory area

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for updating a basic input/output system (BIOS) and method for repairing the BIOS. A part of a program code of the BIOS is stored in a backup memory block in advance. If the BIOS fails to update, the backup program code can be adopted to start up a computer system and then the BIOS will be repaired.

Claims

1. A method for updating a basic input/output system (BIOS), the BIOS being stored in a non-volatile memory comprising a first region used to store a part of program code of the BIOS, and the method comprising:

reading a descriptor table to obtain an address data in the descriptor table, wherein the address data is used to point to an address of the BIOS in the non-volatile memory and the address data points to an original address of the BIOS;

copying the part of the program code in the first region to a backup memory block;

changing the address data in the descriptor table so that the address data points to the backup memory block;

clearing the first region;

writing an updated program code in the first region; and

restoring the address data in the descriptor table so that the address data points to the original address.

2. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory further comprises a second region used to store a main BIOS of the BIOS.

3. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 2, further comprising the following before copying the part of the program code in the first region to a backup memory block:

clearing the second region in the non-volatile memory; and

writing an updated main BIOS in the second region.

4. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 3, wherein the part of the program code is a program code of a boot block in the BIOS.

5. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 4, further comprising the following after writing the updated main BIOS to the second region:

determining whether to update the boot block in the BIOS; and

performing the steps a˜

f if it is determined to update the boot block in the BIOS.

6. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 1, wherein the step b further comprises:

copying all program code of the BIOS to the backup memory block.

7. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 1, wherein the step of reading a descriptor table to obtain an address data in the descriptor table, further comprises:

reading the descriptor table through a computer chip.

8. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 1, wherein the method is applied in a computer system and further comprises the following before:

reading a descriptor table to obtain an address data in the descriptor table,

detecting whether the computer system supports a descriptor mode.

9. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the updated program code from a peripheral device; and

storing the updated program code in a random access memory.

10. The method for updating the BIOS according to claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory is a flash memory.

11. A method for repairing a basic input/output system (BIOS), suitable for a computer system, comprising:

detecting whether the computer system is in a descriptor mode;

reading a backup program code of the BIOS according to the descriptor mode; and

using the backup program code to start up the computer system and repair the BIOS.

12. The method for repairing the BIOS according to claim 11, wherein the step of reading the backup program code of the BIOS according to the descriptor mode comprises:

reading a descriptor table from the descriptor mode;

obtaining an address of the backup program code from an address data in the descriptor table; and

reading the backup program code.

13. The method for repairing the BIOS according to claim 11, further comprising the following after reading the backup program code of the BIOS:

executing the backup program code to initialize elements in the computer system.

14. The method for repairing the BIOS according to claim 13, the step of using the backup program code to start up the computer system and repair the BIOS further comprising:

receiving an updated program code from a peripheral device; and

storing the updated program code in a random access memory.

15. The method for repairing the BIOS according to claim 14, wherein the BIOS is stored in a non-volatile memory and the method further comprises the following after storing the updated program code in the random access memory:

writing the updated program code in the non-volatile memory.

16. The method for repairing the BIOS according to claim 15, wherein the non-volatile memory is a flash memory.