Need to notice or check the current BIOS version on your laptop or desktop estimator? The BIOS or UEFI firmware is the software that comes installed on your PC motherboard past default and that detects and controls the built-in hardware including hard drives, video cards, USB ports, memory, etc.

Whether you demand to update the BIOS or not is something I've written about previously and the basic premise of that commodity was non to update unless you really take a specific need to.

So how do you become about figuring out if y'all demand to update the BIOS on your computer? Well first you'll need to figure out the current version of the BIOS. In this article, I'll explicate multiple ways yous tin determine the BIOS version. Once you take the electric current version, you can visit the manufacturer's website to see what the latest version is.

Arrangement Information

Click on Start, choose Run and type in msinfo32. This will bring up the Windows Organisation information dialog box.

system information bios

In the System Summary section, yous should meet an item called BIOS Version/Appointment. At present you know the electric current version of your BIOS.

Command Line

Another piece of cake way to decide your BIOS version without rebooting the motorcar is to open up a command prompt and type in the following command:

wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion

bios version cmd

The command line will just give you the version number of the BIOS and that'southward pretty much it. However, at that place are more commands that volition get yous a bit more info.

wmic bios get biosversion

wmic bios become version

get bios version cmd

Windows Registry

Just about everything in Windows is stored in the Registry and the version of the BIOS is no exception! Go to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\Clarification\System

And you'll see several keys related to the BIOS, including SystemBiosDate, SystemBiosVersion, VideoBiosDate, and VideoBiosVersion.

registry system bios

Windows Startup

Another method to decide the BIOS version on your computer is to merely restart the reckoner. Some computers, including Dell, show you the BIOS version number when the estimator first boots upwardly.

dell bios

If not, you can enter the BIOS setup past pressing F12, DEL, F10 or F12 when information technology shows up during startup. Other computer manufacturers may have a different key to enter setup, but it will usually tell you which cardinal to printing.

bios version

Since the BIOS interface is different for just about every computer manufacturer, you will accept to navigate effectually until y'all see BIOS Revision or BIOS Version.

If you are using a newer calculator running Windows 8 with UEFI instead of the traditional BIOS, you won't exist able to press any fundamental during startup. In those cases, you lot take to kicking to the Organisation Recovery Options screen. Once there, you accept to click on Troubleshoot so Avant-garde Options.

This is the aforementioned method for getting Windows 8 into Safety Mode, but instead of clicking on Startup Settings, yous should click on UEFI Firmware Settings. Annotation that you won't see this choice if your BIOS isn't UEFI.

uefi firmware settings

Third Party Software

If you'd prefer to utilize a 3rd-party utility that tin can give yous other data most your calculator too, then a skillful option is Speccy. It'south from the same company that created CCleaner, one of the best maintenance tools for Windows PCs.

bios speccy

Click on Motherboard and then you'll run across a section chosen BIOS that gives you lot the Brand, Version and Date of the BIOS. The program besides gives you a lot of other system info on CPU, RAM, Storage, etc.

Conclusion

So those are pretty much all the unlike means you tin can determine your BIOS version. Updating your BIOS is something you should only exercise if needed and with corking caution. A failed BIOS update can brick your entire reckoner and force you lot to spend a lot of money getting information technology repaired.

When updating the BIOS, at that place is no unmarried mode to go nigh it. Each motherboard manufacturer has their ain ready of tools for updating the BIOS. Some take the options in the BIOS itself to update, others require you lot to boot from a USB drive and flash the BIOS that way.

Each BIOS file will usually come in a compressed archive packet that includes a ReadMe text file. Information technology's essential you lot read that file because it will have exact instructions for updating the BIOS.

The just method of updating the BIOS that yous should avert is the Windows pick. This is usually a Windows awarding you can download and run from within Windows to flash the BIOS. The problem is that it can fail since Windows is nonetheless running and it'south usually not even recommended past the manufacturers themselves. It is the easiest way, but it carries the well-nigh gamble of failure.