I was trying to do a BIOS Flash with a DOS Bootable Diskette, and got the following warning just before installing the update files: "The Boot Block Code Is Different. The Boot Block will be flashed if you continue."

I aborted the flash, since I didn't know what this meant, but it certainly sounded like a warning to me.

Can't find a clear explanation online.

Can anyone explain this in simple terms?

Also, would it be a bad idea to continue the flash with this warning? There is no BIOS restore function.

Thank you...

Have you looked here?

How to fix Boot Block | eHow.com (http://www.ehow.com/how_2185633_fix-boot-block.html)

Hi CD. Thought I'd try another forum category on this one. Not getting much feedback on the whole Boot Block business in Computers for Beginners. So here you are. Thanks for answering.

Wholly Molley. I didn't understand one word of that article. If you do, then I have a whole new level of respect for you.

I still don't know if Boot Block is a problem, or something that is part of the BIOS.

My warning message just said that "the Boot Block Code is Different, and will be flashed". Since I have no idea about this Boot Block, I can't tell if flashing the Boot Block because it's code is different is a good or a bad thing.

I need "simple" here my friend. So far this is way over my head... :-)

The Dell site where you got the bios from may have an explanation. Its possible that they boot block needs to be rewritten for the A09 flash for some reason. They do not allways have explainations for that kind of stuff but look for words with * added and then look at the bottom of the page for an explanation. A bios chip is made of two parts the actual bios files and the boot block. Typically the boot block stays the same and new bios files are added to the flashable part of the chip only. I have personally never ran across your warning in all the flashes I have done which leads me to believe you might have the wrong bios or the bios chips boot block is also infected as to your other post about the hard drive. Bios or cmos can be infected but its rare.

Again App. Thank you (for answering both posts). Now I think I have a bit of a handle on what I am dealing with.

I went back to the Dell Site. Every Dell computer has a "Service Tag". It's specific to that individual computer and identifies all versions of hardware installed. You can enter the Service Tag to search for the correct BIOS version for that specific PC. I did so, and it gave me the same, and only BIOS update of A09.

However, there is a "Compatibility" button associated with this BIOS download. It turns out that the list of operating systems does not include XP, which is what I am running (only up to Win2000). Since the release date of the A09 BIOS was Feb '03, and I'm pretty sure XP was around by then, do you think I am getting this Boot Block Code warning because XP in not compatible? (Which would be odd since XP works fine with vA02 from 2001).

Thanks...

Update: Just did a chat session with Dell Tech Support. They say the reason for the Boot Block Code warning is that vA09 BIOS is not compatible with XP.

However, I got the feeling that the rep I was chatting with was in an entry level position, and wasn't totally sure about what she was saying.

In any case, I'm going to let this go, and stick with ver A02. It works!

BTW, is there some way to close a thread, so people don't keep responding? I still get email notifications for questions I have asked ages ago.

Thanks all...

Well, if A02 will run XP I can not see why in the world a newer one cannot. Unless they released a few different ones to satisfy customers with older PC's as well as newer. Another option for you would be to go to the Dell site again, but instead of using the auto finder, try using the model number and manually trace it down. I would suspect that at some point they will ask what OS you have and that will give you the right one. I have seen where an OEM manufacturer will list several bios with OS requirements, but just to offer 1 without asking for your OS seems silly. Are you sure the original motherboard is in the machine? Could it be a refurbished unit?

I agree. I'm pretty sure A09 would work with XP. But that brings be back to the original question. What was this Boot Block Code warning about?

I may have some insight on her answer. This model is so old that it was never qualified for XP. By then they had moved on to newer models. The PC is only "officially" qualified through Win2000. That is probably what the rep saw in her knowledge base.

Since my PC is working with A02, and I have no easy way to restore the BIOS if this Boot Block thing prevents me from reloading A02, I just can't take the chance to flash it. I'm very curious, but it's not worth destroying the computer over.

I don't know what else to say, except thanks for the interest and assistance.

And to your point, I have tried to find another version of the Bios for XP, and there actually is one, but it is not a full BIOS upgrade. It is some very minor bug fix that has nothing to do with my PC. If you're interested in seeing it, here is the link: http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=2684&l=en&s=pub&releaseid=R43627&SystemID=DIM_PNT_P4_8100&servicetag=J623J01&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=816&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=1&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=0&libid=1&typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&source=-1&fileid=51284

Thanks again...