Bootable FreeDOS Live image for BIOS upgrade

Download Link: http://pingtool.org/downloads/fd11src_live.iso

I was struggling with BIOS upgrades for our new Dell servers, as Dell didn’t provide bootable ISO image for BIOS upgrades.
After searching for DOS bootable images I have found FreeDOS project.

Unfortunately FreeDOS 1.1 LiveCD mode is not supported out of the box.

Using modified iso image from this page you can boot directly to DOS without need to install anything:

To add your own files to the iso, just use trial version of Magic ISO Maker (300MB maximum), or some similar program.
Just put your custom files in FREEDOS folder and after booting you will be able to run them in DOS environment.

After boot process is complete run dir command to see what files are in current directory.

[code]E:\FREEDOS> dir[/code]

On the following picture you can see that Dell BIOS update utility – M620-0~0.EXE is present in the directory.

The only thing left is to execute it:

[code]E:\FREEDOS> M620-0~0.EXE[/code]

This Bootable DOS ISO was tested on HP, DELL, Supermicro iKVMs and on VmWare.

Download Link: http://pingtool.org/downloads/fd11src_live.iso

32 thoughts on “Bootable FreeDOS Live image for BIOS upgrade

  1. Thanks for providing this download, it REALLY saved my bacon. For some reason the latest freedoms only allows an install from disk option. I used this to update a RAID controller firmware and it worked great. Thanks again!

  2. большинство утилит идут на английском если в школе не заставили учить щяс бы смотрел на английский как баран на новые ворота 🙂

  3. BIOS upgrade tool of SumerMicro (afudosu) can not be execute because too few free memory is available. 320K from 611K. Problem memory allocation.

    • Спасибо, но по моему гораздо проще добавить необходимый ехе-шкник в готовый iso 🙂

  4. Hello can i edit this bootable iso so i can add bios update files,but without corrupting iso itself.Sorry if my english is bad i hope you understood me.

  5. Is there a way to point to a batch file instead of going to e:\Freedos? I want it to go to the dos environment and then run a bios update script automatically.

  6. I was having difficulty locating a bootable DOS ISO in order to flash the latest BIOS version onto my motherboard. This helped. Thanks for sharing this!

  7. Thank you for the guidance – successfully updated the BIOS on MSI – 7376 Platinum motherboard, running Linux Operating Systems. Most grateful!

    • I did nothing to be honest – Live option was just commented out in the original FreeDos image, I just found the correct line to uncomment 🙂

  8. my dell won’t post. it goes to the dell splash screen and then goes to a black screen. It’s like it has no bios at all. The color of the light is complete orange which doesn’t blink at all. If I push the buttons for diagnostics it says “diagnostics starting” but then goes no further, just black screen.

    Is this dell beyond repair and could it even boot this iso given that it doesn’t seem to have a bios to begin with?

    thanks

  9. Worked like a charm. Saved me a LOT of trouble getting my ASUS BIOS back in working order after some sudden mysterious boot problems.
    THANK YOU!

  10. Hi,

    I am using Supermicr server and i am trying to upgrade BIOS .
    but when i execute command AMI.BAT i am getting following error

    E:\FRERDOS>AMI.BAT X8DTTH4.422
    rename:unkown error
    Bad command or filename – “AFUDOS.EXE”.
    File not found. – AFUDOS.EXE

    we have AFUDOS file in directory but it is in smc format

    Please Help me

    • @echo off

      REN AFUDOS.SMC AFUDOS.EXE

      AFUDOS.EXE %1 /P /B /N /K /R /C /L2

      REN AFUDOS.EXE AFUDOS.SMC

      BIOS updater script AMI.BAT wants to be smart, and it renames AFUDOS.SMC to AFUDOS.EXE, runs it, then renames it back. Which means that it’s not usable from read-only media.

  11. Still useful in the future world of 2019. Used to update BIOS on Supermicro X11SSM-F.

    A tip to any other future users: This ISO boots into E: drive which is not writable. Change to C: drive and then run FLASH.BAT.

    Another tip: I used isomaster on a Ubuntu system to open and add the BIOS files.

  12. Hi There, thanks for this great boot iso, please can you help?

    I need to run a command at boot , what the best way to do this? do I add it to SETUP.BAT or add an additional AUTOEXEC.BAT.

    Any help is much appeciated
    Thanks

  13. Tried it out on a Dell Inspiron Mini 1010, and after a bit effort, the laptop was bricked. I don’t know for sure it was due to this software in particular…I got the bios update from Dell, and used PHLASH16 to do the write. Partway through the flash, the screen went black, and the both power LEDs lit solid. It also started making a constant, loud buzzing.

    I don’t know if this was a failure of this platform (it might have crashed) or a failure of Phlash.

    Anyone want a cheap paperweight?

  14. I was also flabbergasted to learn I couldn’t create a normal functioning USB stick nor CDRom to be able to update the BIOS firmware. This ISO did the trick, so many thanks for sharing and caring!

  15. OK my fellow usb live boot able fans, usb sticks are a pain in my ass.
    When i found this website i was convinced it would work. The iso was prepped by a person how knows this in en out, it had been tested. So i downloaded the file en started to prepare 1 x 16 bg usbstick formatted to fat32, 1 primary partition was 14 gb, boot partitie was 2 gb 1 bootflag on the boot partition. Now i must admit i tried many live usb bootable devices. Thid website claimed that i only have to add the iso to the stick no extra work necessary. Well this is not true or i am really dumm. Some of my live usb sticks do work but most wont work, now en then im lucky so i know i could do it.
    I am getting elliptical attacks from the data tsunami that overwhelms me. I love Linux i bought my first book red hat 1.0 with cdrom at een computer fairy in the Netherlands giant building packed with people who love to tinker their own sytems, Dell just started making desktop.
    The problems i have are: Not al machines use EUFI 1 uses Legacy
    1 machine is 32-64 bit the rest 64bit they all run on mint20.2 some usbsticks need a small sdcard, these sticks are often USB 3.0 while my ports at most machies are just 2.0
    Then my biggest probleem is to understand the setup from bootloader, what kind which brand ? can i install more then 1 into the boot loader.
    It is also that often i need to update the fstab, and i need to update or adjust the .. i reallly do not understand what this means. The Fstab i can read write but i do not know what to type specifiek fstab path. And i was told make it in the safe version and kopie it to the bootdevice.
    And then finally the grup file i as noob get nervous from that work. In the grub file you set the path between a device and the standard grub file with it mouniting point . I also know that i can make and change the data in grups.d.
    The problems: Etcher complains that the freshly downloaded iso from this site is not accpeted due to a missing partition table, i ignore that and continu. I have read that you must first finish your bootable usb and then add a partitontable.But when i add a partiton table in gparted it formats my bootable live gpartiso and i have noting left.
    The primary priority is to make a freedos bootable floppy or usb stick or ssd hd 40 gb but none work and i have tried so much. Conclusion i am overseeing something i am a Windows child that abandonded MS FB Google Apple Tik Tok Twitter en Youtube vin self training to dominate the CLI.
    But i fail, i have ruined some hard disks i have ruined many boot loaders en grups fstabs etcetc.

    I have a second hand dell 9010 bought for the kids it will be their first real desktop and the machine is terrorizing me met with an unpredictable NO POST, Power button codes and system beeps. The nasty machine only seems to be willing to start if i use the jumper on password en remove it as soon the pins do not touch the jumper it wil try to POST. It is completely dead when the battry is in place and itr boots when i remove it ? If i had some monrey i would buy one for them butr i am a poor sucker. Cannott buy buy buy and throw away the machine, besides i want to repair.
    I need to build a freedos bootable device that will allow me to boot into dos on my linux machine and then install the dell 9010MTA30.exe bios update. Now experts say never flash a sick desktop only flash good working machines. But i am so f**king desperate that am willing to to perform to update that bios. Dell is old has no modern bios flash update in menu it cannot do the fancy dell tests.

    So i use etcher, netbootin, rufus to deploy the iso on the destination drive and i use iso master to add files into the iso and to close the task and give the new iso a name. but then etcher says this iso is not bootable partition. table is missing has partition table it then aborts the operation. I do not have the time to master this part of linux, so i try and error a lot. Many trhanks and please i know i am a chaotic writer and repairfreak, it is my ADHD that dictates my soul.

    Greetings from the cave in Amsterdam

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