OS update

[xmystical1]

Hello there!! I have a few problems with my comp i am hoping to get help with. 1: the BIOS wont update. it says it does not match. 2: how do i update drivers? 3: and no matter how many times i try i cannot get my system restore to store a restore point.

Now along side all that, the factory made four drives, C: has my OS on it but the memory is full... i knpow i can purchase more and shadow the drive, but is there a way to take from the other 3 drives and give to C drive?

thank you so much!!!!

[victor1221]

Hi and welcome,

First off, can you give us some more detail about your system specifications?

1. If it is a pre-built system, please give us the brand & model. [i.e.DELL XPS 8500 (X8500-6842WT) OR HP ENVY dv6-7210us Notebook]

2. As much as you can, please provide the following of your system:

CPU / Processor: (i.e. Intel core i5-2500K 3.3GHz)

Motherboard: (i.e. Gigabyte GA-Z77-UD3H)

RAM: Number of sticks & Type (8GB, 2 X 4GB DDR3)

Graphics Card installed (if applicable): (i.e. GeForce 9800GT, Radeon HD 4350, or GeForce 210, etc)

Operating system: (i.e. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Service Pack 1 installed)

Currently installed graphics driver version:

You can find most of the above information using a small tool called CPU-Z, and GPU-Z.

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

CPU-Z will show you most/all of the details about the processor that you have, the motherboard that you are using, information about your RAM (memory) and general information about your graphics adapter (graphics card).

GPU-Z is similar to CPU-Z, but is for your graphics adapter. It will also display what drivers you are currently using.

If you can, post screenshots / pictures of the following:

- "CPU" tab from CPU-Z

- "Mainboard" tab from CPU-Z

- "Memory" tab from CPU-Z

- "Graphics Card" tab from GPU-Z

Keep in mind, if this sytem is a pre-built, OEM PC, the chance of you updated the BIOS is very slim. Brands like DELL, Acer, HP, etc, will generally not have BIOS updates / refrain from provinding BIOS updates. This is because if updating the BIOS is performed incorrectly, you could possibly "break" the mainboard.

What drivers are you trying to update? Graphics / display? USB? LAN / network? motherboard chipset?

Anyways, we'll go into that after you give more details about your system.

Regards,

Victor

[David H. Lipman]

1: the BIOS wont update. it says it does not match.

The question is WHY ?

Why do you think you need a BIOS upgrade ?

Usually a BIOS upgrade is to deal with compatibility issues or issues of how the Operating System interacts with the hardware. For example: I remember a BIOS upgrade corrected CPU fan issues on some Dell Latitude notebooks.

Most BIOS upgrades are easy and safe to install. Most Today run as a Windows utility and will cause a reboot of the system and install the BIOS upgrade during that process. Getting the CORRECT BIOS for the platform is crucial. You can't install the BIOS from model X on model Y. Good upgrade utilities will make sure the BIOS upgrade is destined for the correct platform or the utility will generate an error such as a "mismatch" error.

2: how do i update drivers?

Again the question is WHY ?

Why do you think you need a a hardware driver update and for what piece of hardware ?

There are good reasons for getting a hardware driver update. For example a new video driver may correct issues with some software or working with some monitors.

There are two *best* ways to go about it. Through the vendor and through the manufacturer.

For example if it is a Dell computer you would go to the Dell support web site, find your Dell model, choose the OS and choose the hardware and download the driver from Dell.

Let's say that it is a nVidia video card. You would go to nVidia and obtain an update specific to your model video card/chipset for your Operating System.

You will note that sometimes, through Microsoft Windows Updates, you may be offered a new hardware driver. I have seen way to many instances where using the hardware drivers offered from Microsoft's Windows Update services has caused problems for end-users so this is NOT a recommended methodology.

3: and no matter how many times i try i cannot get my system restore to store a restore point.

I am confused.

Are you trying to CREATE a new Restore Point or are you trying to RESTORE to a previously created Restore Point ?

Finally...

"Now along side all that, the factory made four drives, C: has my OS on it but the memory is full... i knpow i can purchase more and shadow the drive, but is there a way to take from the other 3 drives and give to C drive?"

One must understand some facts about computers here.

The main concept of computer storage consists of two types; Primary Storage and Secondary Storage.

* Primary Storage is Random Access Memory (RAM) and is like a very fast scratch pad or blackboard. You can read and/or write to it very, very, quickly and then erase what was there and rewrite/overwrite data extremely often. This RAM is volatile meaning if power is removed, what's in RAM is lost.

* Secondary Storage is slow data storage but with a higher capacity and is non-volatile. That is if power is removed it retains what was stored. This can be a traditional hard disk, Flash RAM or a Solid State Drive.

The *BEST* computer would have the unlimited storage of a Secondary Storage device but the speed of a Primary Storage device. However the cost of this would be way too high for us to purchase. Thus Common Off the Shelf (COTS) computers use a small amount of very fast RAM for Primary Storage and a very large disk drive for Secondary Storage such that it cost is low for all to purchase.

While TECHNICALLY speaking one may be able to call Secondary Storage as "memory" it really isn't so when we use the term "memory" we are always talking about the very fast RAM of a computer and not Secondary Storage devices such as Spindle or Solid State Hard Disks.

So if you are talking about "C:" you are talking about a Disk then you are talking about Secondary Storage, not memory. If your system came to you "partitioned" such that one physical drive is broken up to multiple disk storage volumes ("C:", "D:", "E:"., etc) and there is little free space on drive "C:" then you have a few re-courses. Let us say that "C:" is 60GB with 5GB free and "D:" is 120GB with 100GB free and the total disk size is 180GB. In that case then you can use a software package that re-partitions the drives such that you can virtually move 60GB from "D:" to "C:" such that "C:" is now 120GB with 65GB free and "D:" was reduced to 60GB with 40GB free.

One such software package is Partition Magic. Another is EASEUS Partition Master.

You may have a case where a hard disk is partitioned into multiple drives such as "C:" and "D:" but "D:" does NOT have sufficient free space to repartition data from "D:" to "C:". Lets say that it is a 120GB drive. In this case you can purchase a replacement disk that is larger such as a 250GB drive. Then you would clone data from the 120GB drive to the 250GB drive. Then physically replace the 120GB drive with the 250GB drive. Once that is done you can use a re-partitioning software such that "C:" is has sufficient "breathing" space.

In summation...

You should examine WHY you need to upgrade the BIOS and hardware drivers. Once you have come to a conclusion for a real NEED then you must look at the computer system and determine the exact Make and Model and obtain the EXACT BIOS upgrade for that Make and Model. Then you must look at the specific piece of hardware that "requires" to have an updated driver and obtain that from the system manufacturer (Dell, HP, ACER, Compaq, ASUS, etc) or from the chip-set or device manufacturer (Intel, Broadcom, nVidia, Conexant, SigmaTel, etc.).

Re-partitioning hard disk space can be performed but we have to look at the what is the size of the physical drive and how it is partitioned at the present and if there is free space that can be moved or if you need a larger drive altogether and then re-examine how drives are setup.

Getting down to the "meat" of the problem will need real information about your system which includes...

* Make and Model

* Operating System currently installed

* Hard disk size and what drives are created from it and how space has been allocated

* Specific reasons why you NEED updated hardware drivers and/or an updated BIOS, identifying what is the hardware in question that requires an updated OS driver.