BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. It’s a set of statements code that resides on a chip on yours system’s motherboard. When a computer boot up, it looks in the chip for BIOS for instructions on where to find the operating system and among many other things, BIOS is also further responsible for facilitating communication between the core operating system and the hardware.
BIOS updates are less frequently released by Gateway. Unless you are having a specific issue like facing compatibility issue while installing new hardware that is resolvable through BIOS update, only then you should choose to update your BIOS.
Before updating BIOS, it is highly recommended that you backup your data from your system.
Method 1: Through a Windows Operating System
To update your BIOS on your Gateway computer/laptop, you will first have to check which is the current version of BIOS on your system.
Press the Windows key + R. In the run window dialog box, type msinfo32 and press Enter. A System Information window will open.
In that window, make sure the title “System Summary” is selected in the left pane. In the larger right pane, locate BIOS Version/Date. The value against it will be your BIOS version. Value against OS will be your Operating system. Value against System type will be it’s bitness. If its x64, you have a 64 bit windows. If its x86, you have a 32 bit windows. Value against “System Mode” will be your exact system model. Note all of this exactly the way it can be seen, you’ll need it in further steps.
You can use serial number to search on Gateways website for drivers. To know your serial number, press Windows key + R. In the Run dialogue box that appears, type cmd and press the Enter key.
In the black cmd window, type the following command:
wmic bios get serialnumber
Press Enter to run the command. Note down all the characters under “Serial Number” which is your Serial number.
Now to check for BIOS updates, go to http://us.gateway.com/gw/en/US/content/drivers-downloads on your internet browser.
Enter your serial number below “Search by Serial Number or SNID” or enter your system’s model (e.g. PX9480M) under “Search by Product Model” or you can search yourself manually for your model under “See my product from a list” by first selecting the type, then model and then the series and eventually your exact system model.
Now select your exact system’s model in the search results.
Your model’s support page will open below. Make sure “Latest” is selected on the left.
Select your operating system you noted down before next to “Operating System:”
Now click BIOS in the category row.
Check for updated BIOS in the version and date column. If a newer version exists, then press the “Download” button to the far right of it. If no updated version file is available or there is no BIOS update file at all then you already have the latest version, and if your operating system is not listed then you can’t install the BIOS update through this method on your current operating system. But you can use the downloaded file in Method 2.
The downloaded will be an application (e.g. Q5WV1113.exe). Make sure all running application in the background are closed, and when you are ready, run it. Now follow the on-screen instructions to update your BIOS.
If the downloaded file was in zip format (e.g. BIOS_Gateway_1.13_A_A.zip), double click to open it. Open the single folder that is there. In the folder there will be a file named winphlash.exe. Run it. Click the Flash BIOS button at the bottom.
Follow the on-screen instructions to the last word. Do not turn off your computer or laptop in any case until the updating process is 100% complete. In case of laptop, make sure the battery is present in the laptop and the AC adapter is connected with it the whole time the update of BISO takes place.
Method 2: Through A Bootable Flash drive
Your system model will be written on your system’s body, and the serial number will be printed on a sticker at eh bottom of your laptop or on the bottom right of your CPU’s right panel.
To know the current BIOS version, access BIOS setup press F1 repeatedly while powering your system on. On some older models its F2. Once in BIOS setup you can easily see which BIOS version you have.
Now download latest BIOS version by the page shown in Method 1.
Connect the Flash drive you’re going to make bootable with your system. Press Windows key + E to open windows explorer. Back up the data if any from the Flash drive.
Download Rufus from this link. We will use it to make the Flash drive bootable. Open the downloaded file.
Select your Flash drive under Device. Select FAT32 in the drop down menu under File system and select FreeDOS next to “Create a bootable disk using”. Click Start.
Click close when the process is complete.
If the downloaded BIOS update file is an application (e.g. Q5WV1113.exe), then simply copy it to the Flash drive. Note down the exact name of the file.
If it’s a zip folder, (e.g. BIOS_Gateway_1.13_A_A.zip), double click to open it. Open the single folder that is there. Open the folder named DOS. Copy all of its content to the flash drive you just made bootable.
Now connect the Flash drive to the target system whose BIOS you want to flasg/update. Power it on. Press the ESC or F10 key (Or F12 in some models) while the Gateway screen is flashed during the startup process to access boot menu.
In some models, you may have to enable boot options by going into BIOS setup through F2 or F1, then going into the Main tab, navigate to F12 Boot Menu, make sure it’s enabled. Save changes and restart your system.
Now in the boot menu, highlight your Flash drive/USB from the boot menu. Press Enter to boot from it.
A command prompt window will appear. Type C: and press Enter.
Type dir to list the files on the flash drive.
Now type the exact file name of the BIOS update executable file you copied e.g. Q5WV1113.exe and press Enter. If you copied the contents of the zip folder, then type autoexec.bat and press Enter.
Follow the on-screen instructions. Do not turn off your computer or laptop in any case during the updating process. In case of laptop, make sure the battery is present in the laptop and the AC adapter is connected with it the whole time.
This guide covers the BIOS flashing of the most common of the models. If the methods here didn’t worked for you, then tell us your exact model and we will get its specific method for BIOS flashing in our next guide.
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