How to Download and Use Awdflash 1.18 to Update Your BIOS

If you have a motherboard with an Award BIOS or a Phoenix-Award BIOS, you might need to update your BIOS to fix some bugs, improve compatibility or performance, or add new features. To do that, you will need a utility called Awdflash 1.18, which is a DOS-based program that can flash your BIOS with a new version. In this article, we will explain what Awdflash 1.18 is, where to download it, how to use it and what precautions to take before flashing your BIOS.

What is Awdflash 1.18?

Awdflash 1.18 is a utility program that helps you to update your BIOS – the code that runs the first moment you boot your PC. It was created by Award Software Inc. to support flashing Award BIOS based data files. The BIOS code is stored on the motherboards on Flash chips since its introduction in 1993. Awdflash 1.18 can read and write data to these flash chips and replace the old BIOS code with a new one.

Awdflash 1.18 is a DOS-based program, which means it can’t be run from Windows or other operating systems. You will need to boot your PC from a floppy disk, a CD-ROM or a USB drive that has DOS installed on it. You will also need to have the BIOS file that you want to flash on the same disk or drive.

Where to download Awdflash 1.18?

You can download Awdflash 1.18 from various websites that offer BIOS updates and tools. One of them is Wim’s BIOS, which is a website that provides information and downloads for all kinds of BIOSes. You can find Awdflash 1.18 under the Award Flasher (awdflash, winflash) utility downloads section.

Another website that offers Awdflash 1.18 is soggi.org, which is a website that provides downloads for motherboard BIOS update/flash utilities. You can find Awdflash 1.18 under the Award / Phoenix-Award BIOS update utilities section.

You can also download Awdflash 1.18 from the website of your motherboard manufacturer or vendor, if they provide it. You can usually find it under the support or downloads section of their website.

How to use Awdflash 1.18?

To use Awdflash 1.18 to update your BIOS, you need to follow these steps:

Download Awdflash 1.18 and the BIOS file that you want to flash from one of the websites mentioned above.
Copy Awdflash 1.18 and the BIOS file to a floppy disk, a CD-ROM or a USB drive that has DOS installed on it.
Boot your PC from the disk or drive that has Awdflash 1.18 and the BIOS file on it.
At the DOS prompt, type awdflash.exe and press Enter.
You will see a welcome screen that shows the version of Awdflash and some options.
Type the name of the BIOS file that you want to flash and press Enter.
You will see a screen that shows some information about your current BIOS and the new BIOS.
Press Y to confirm that you want to flash your BIOS with the new file.
Awdflash will start erasing and programming your flash chip with the new BIOS code.
When the flashing process is complete, you will see a message that says Flash ROM Update Completed – Pass.
Press F10 to exit Awdflash and reboot your PC.

What precautions to take before flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18?

Flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18 is a risky procedure that can potentially damage your motherboard or make your PC unbootable. Therefore, you need to take some precautions before flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18. Here are some of them:

Make sure you have the right BIOS file for your motherboard. You can check the model and version of your motherboard on the boot screen or inside the BIOS setup. You can also use a tool like CPU-Z to identify your motherboard. You can then download the BIOS file from the website of your motherboard manufacturer or vendor.
Make a backup of your current BIOS before flashing it with Awdflash 1.18. You can use Awdflash 1.18 to save your current BIOS to a file by using the /sy option. For example, if you want to save your current BIOS to a file called backup.bin, you can type awdflash.exe /sy backup.bin and press Enter.
Make sure your PC is stable and not overclocked before flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18. You can run some stress tests or benchmarks to check the stability of your system. You can also reset your BIOS settings to default or optimized values.
Make sure you have a reliable power supply and no power interruptions before flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18. You can use a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) or a surge protector to protect your PC from power fluctuations or outages.
Do not turn off or restart your PC during the flashing process with Awdflash 1.18. This can corrupt your flash chip and make your PC unbootable.

How to troubleshoot problems with Awdflash 1.18?

Sometimes, you might encounter some problems or errors when using Awdflash 1.18 to flash your BIOS. Here are some common problems and their possible solutions:

The program file’s part number does not match with your system. This means that the BIOS file that you are trying to flash is not compatible with your motherboard. You need to download the correct BIOS file for your motherboard from the website of your motherboard manufacturer or vendor.
The file size does not match. This means that the BIOS file that you are trying to flash is corrupted or incomplete. You need to download the BIOS file again and make sure it is not damaged or truncated.
Unknown Flash Type. This means that Awdflash 1.18 does not recognize the flash chip on your motherboard. You need to check if your flash chip is supported by Awdflash 1.18 or use a different flash utility that supports your flash chip.
CheckSum Mismatched. This means that the checksum of the BIOS file that you are trying to flash does not match the checksum of the original BIOS file. This can indicate a corrupted or modified BIOS file. You need to download the BIOS file again and make sure it is not tampered with.
Flash ROM Update Failed. This means that something went wrong during the flashing process and your flash chip was not programmed correctly. This can be caused by a power interruption, a hardware failure, a wrong command or a bad flash chip. You need to try flashing your BIOS again with Awdflash 1.18 or use a recovery method to restore your BIOS.

How to use Awdflash 1.18 with command line options?

Awdflash 1.18 supports various command line options that can help you customize the flashing process and perform some advanced functions. You can use these options by typing them after the awdflash.exe command. For example, if you want to flash your BIOS with a file called bios.bin and skip the confirmation prompt, you can type awdflash.exe bios.bin /py and press Enter.

Here are some of the most useful command line options for Awdflash 1.18:

/py: Program Flash ROM Yes. This option skips the confirmation prompt and flashes the BIOS without asking for confirmation.
/sn: Save current BIOS to file No. This option skips the backup prompt and does not save your current BIOS to a file.
/cc: Clear CMOS after Programming. This option clears the CMOS settings after flashing the BIOS.
/cp: Clear PnP (ESCD) after Programming. This option clears the PnP (ESCD) data after flashing the BIOS.
/cks: CheckSum. This option verifies the checksum of the BIOS file before flashing it.
/r: Reboot after Programming. This option reboots your PC after flashing the BIOS.
/f: Force Flashing. This option forces Awdflash to flash your BIOS even if the BIOS file does not match your motherboard.
/wb: Write BootBlock. This option writes the boot block of your BIOS, which is normally protected.
/e: Erase Flash ROM. This option erases your flash chip without programming it.
/? or /h: Help Screen. This option shows a help screen with all the available command line options for Awdflash 1.18.

How to recover from a bad BIOS flash with Awdflash 1.18?

Sometimes, flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18 can go wrong and result in a bad BIOS flash. This can make your PC unbootable or unstable. If this happens, you need to recover your BIOS by using one of the following methods:

BootBlock Recovery. This method relies on the boot block of your BIOS, which is a small section of code that is not overwritten by Awdflash 1.18 and can boot your PC from a floppy disk or a CD-ROM. You will need a disk or a drive that has DOS installed on it and a copy of Awdflash 1.18 and the BIOS file that you want to flash. You will also need to set your PC to boot from the disk or drive first in the BIOS setup. To use this method, follow these steps:

Insert the disk or drive that has DOS, Awdflash 1.18 and the BIOS file on it.
Turn on your PC and wait for the boot block to load.
You will see a message that says Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0 or similar.
You will also see a message that says Scanning BIOS Image in Hard Drive or similar.
If the boot block finds a valid BIOS file on your hard drive, it will try to flash it automatically. If not, you will see a message that says Please insert a diskette into drive A: or similar.
If you see the latter message, type awdflash.exe and press Enter.
Type the name of the BIOS file that you want to flash and press Enter.
Awdflash will start flashing your BIOS with the new file.
When the flashing process is complete, you will see a message that says Flash ROM Update Completed – Pass.
Press F10 to exit Awdflash and reboot your PC.

Hot-Swap Recovery. This method involves swapping your bad flash chip with a good one from another motherboard that has the same flash chip and socket type. You will need another motherboard that works and has an Award or Phoenix-Award BIOS, a pair of pliers or tweezers, and some caution and skill. To use this method, follow these steps:

Turn off both PCs and disconnect them from power.
Open both cases and locate the flash chips on both motherboards. They are usually square or rectangular chips with a sticker that says Award or Phoenix-Award on them.
Carefully remove the good flash chip from the working motherboard using the pliers or tweezers. Be gentle and avoid bending or breaking the pins.
Carefully insert the good flash chip into the socket of the bad motherboard. Make sure it is aligned correctly and firmly seated.
Connect the bad motherboard to power and turn it on.
Boot from a disk or drive that has DOS, Awdflash 1.18 and the BIOS file on it.
Flash your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18 as described above.
Turn off your PC and disconnect it from power.
Carefully remove the good flash chip from the bad motherboard and insert it back into the working motherboard.
Carefully remove the bad flash chip from the socket of the bad motherboard.
Carefully insert the bad flash chip into the socket of the working motherboard.
Connect the working motherboard to power and turn it on.
Boot from a disk or drive that has DOS, Awdflash 1.18 and the BIOS file on it.
Flash your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18 as described above.
Turn off your PC and disconnect it from power.
Carefully remove the bad flash chip from the working motherboard and insert it back into the bad motherboard.
Close both cases and reconnect both PCs to power.

Conclusion

Awdflash 1.18 is a useful utility that can help you update your BIOS if you have a motherboard with an Award BIOS or a Phoenix-Award BIOS. It can flash your BIOS with a new version that can fix some bugs, improve compatibility or performance, or add new features. However, flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18 is also a risky procedure that can potentially damage your motherboard or make your PC unbootable. Therefore, you need to take some precautions before flashing your BIOS with Awdflash 1.18, such as making sure you have the right BIOS file, making a backup of your current BIOS, ensuring your PC is stable and not overclocked, and having a reliable power supply and no power interruptions. You also need to know how to troubleshoot some common problems or errors that might occur when using Awdflash 1.18, such as mismatched part number, file size, flash type or checksum, or flash ROM update failure. You also need to know how to recover your BIOS from a bad flash with Awdflash 1.18, using methods such as boot block recovery or hot-swap recovery. If you follow these steps and tips, you can use Awdflash 1.18 to update your BIOS safely and successfully.

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