If you already have the BIOS Image Update Utility from Intel, you only need to download the image file. The image files are about 190k, while the full downloads are about 500k. The BIOS Release Notes outline the features and errata added or changed in each BIOS.

WINDOWS 95 Users: I've had some questions about my recommendations for which BIOS is best for Windows 95. If you're using Windows 95, I recommend using BIOS P09. It is the most stable BIOS version for Windows 95, and until recently, the later versions didn't offer any significant advantages. BIOS P10 and above offer ACPI support, which is supported by Windows 98, but not Windows 95. However, the later BIOS versions do add support for the fast Celeron processors. If you want to upgrade your system to use one of the faster Celeron processors and Windows 95, then I suggest using BIOS P14. Otherwise, I suggest you stick with P09.
 

BIOS 4A4LL0X0.86A.0031.P14   LATEST RELEASE    BEST FOR WINDOWS 98
[BIOS Image and Update Utility]
[BIOS Image Only]
[BIOS  Release Notes]
 

BIOS P14 was released on April 22nd. Intel has finally started to address some of the problems that have existed since BIOS P10, such as the problems with USB speakers and USB hubs. They've also added support for the 433 MHz Celeron processors. While not officially sanctioned by Intel, this BIOS version also gives you the clock multiplier settings to allow you to use the 466 MHz PPGA Celeron processors with a PPGA-Slot 1 converter board. Here are the release notes:

• Fixed issue with LDCM/NVRAM corruption.
• Fixed issue with USB speaker not working with USB legacy disabled.
• Fixed issue with S3 Savage4 AGP video card when AGP aperture = 256MB.
• Fixed issue with POST delay when powered USB hub attached.
• Fixed issue with user flash hang at video initialization.
• Fixed issue with small logo not visible during POST.
• Fixed issue with security holes in BIOS Setup.
• Fixed DMI memory capacity information.
• Removed L2 ECC support option when Celeron™ processor is installed.
• Added new processor updates for Celeron™ processor with 128KB L2 cache.
• Added support for 433 MHz Celeron™ processors.

 

BIOS P13 was released on February 26th. This appears to be a maintance release to fix Intel's issues. None of the user issues that have been in place since BIOS P10 appear to have been addressed. Here are the release notes:

• Fixed issue where CK3D Spread Spectrum clocking mode is not enabled for Intel® Celeron™ processors.
• Fixed issue where [Ctrl]-[Alt]-L does not function as a hotkey under Windows.
• Removed support for security hot key [Ctrl]-[Alt]-L.

BIOS 4A4LL0X0.86A.0029.P12
[BIOS Image and Update Utility]
[BIOS Image Only]
[BIOS  Release Notes]
 

BIOS P12 was released on November 19th. Intel corrected the issue where the on-board audio could not be enabled in BIOS P11. Otherwise, BIOS P12 is identical to BIOS P11 as far as I can tell. Here are the release notes:

• Fixed issue where on-board audio is not being enabled when ENABLED in SETUP.

Intel did do a good job of releasing this BIOS revision in a relatively short amount of time. Ten days is pretty outstanding when their track record for BIOS releases is considered. However, they still have not addressed any of the issues that surfaced with the release of P10, such as the USB problem and the serial/parallel port problem. Intel has tipped their hat and shown us that they can fix BIOS problems in a number of days. This can only lead me to believe that Intel is choosing not to fix the problems that the users identified over two months ago. Intel really needs improve their ability to stand by their work.

BIOS P11 was released on November 9th. A new version was posted on November 10th, which contained a different P11-0028.DOC file. Intel has apparently unofficially recalled it as of November 11th, as they have removed it from their website and replaced it with BIOS P10. Here are the release notes for BIOS P11:
 

• Fixed foreign language text which extended beyond the borders in Setup.
• Fixed wrap around problem with Spanish and Italian AGP help strings.
• Added support for updating the ACPI FACP OEM Revision field based on BIOS build date. This is required for submission into Microsoft's NT 5.0 "Good BIOS" table
• Added fix for IBUAPI hanging on reads when HIMEM.SYS is not loaded.
• Fixed SMBIOS 2.1 code to terminate all structures with two null characters.
• Fixed the problem where changing the chassis type using MFGDMI or OEMDMI would result in the boot status byte being changed instead. This was specific to DMI table structures.
• Fixed a problem with SMBIOS where the BIOS would hang at POST code BAh.

Unfortunately, none of the major problems that existed with BIOS P10 were addressed, such as the inability to disable the serial and parallel ports through the BIOS. So far, it runs exactly the same as BIOS P10 on my machine -- no noticeable differences as far as stability goes.

However, for those users who rely on the Yamaha onboard audio, there are some new problems. The onboard audio components are no longer recognized by Windows 9x or NT 4.0/SP4 so if you rely on the onboard audio, stick with BIOS P10. If you have the AL440LXNA, this won't be a factor.

There also appears to be a new and interesting bug in the BIOS Setup. In the Peripheral Configuration submenu, Serial Port A seems to default to Enabled, regardless of what it is set to. To demonstrate this, set Serial Port A to Disabled, save the configuration, and reboot. If you enter the setup again, you'll find that Serial Port A has gone back to the Enabled setting. This is a moot point for now though, since the serial and parallel ports can't be disabled through the BIOS. This bug may be dependent on the PBA number of the motherboard, since not everyone experiences the problem.

I had no problems doing the upgrade from BIOS P10 to P11. However, since there really aren't any improvements in this BIOS that you can't live without, and a few more bugs, I'd stick with BIOS P10.

UPDATE: Intel released the following statement regarding BIOS P11 on 11/13/98:

BIOS 11 for the AL440LX was posted to address an issue with the AL440LX and 300A & 333 MHz Intel(r) Celeron(tm) processors.  Intel became aware of some issues with AL440LX BIOS 11, in regards to its operation with onboard audio with various operating systems.  Intel decided to remove BIOS 11 from the web and is developing a new BIOS.  Intel is aware of the root cause of this problem and will have this resolved in the next BIOS version.   If you have previously downloaded BIOS 11 and are not able to use the onboard audio, then we recommend that you use BIOS 10.  If your motherboard does not have onboard sound then there should not be an issue with using BIOS 11.

It's nice to Intel own up to things for a change!

BIOS 4A4LL0X0.86A.0027.P10
[BIOS Image and Update Utility]
[BIOS Image Only]
[BIOS  Release Notes]

 
On September 12th, Intel posted a new version of BIOS P10 on their website (525,112 bytes). The only difference between this version and the version posted on August 25th (524,399 bytes), is an errata in the BIOS Release Notes changing the full screen color logo support from 256 colors to 16 colors. This was apparently a typo in the original release notes, since Intel's utility only supports 16 colors.

BIOS P10 was released on August 25th. This release added several new features, including ACPI, dual video card, and 16 color full screen POST logo support. Several issues, such as the infamous suspend problems, were also addressed. If you are still using Windows 95, I suggest you stick with BIOS P09. Windows 95 doesn't support ACPI or dual monitors, which were the big two features added to this BIOS.

This is by far the most challenging BIOS upgrade yet, and I highly suggest waiting until the weekend before performing the upgrade. A pitcher of margaritas makes the process a little less painful as well! :) If you're going to upgrade, make sure to check out my Installation Guide for BIOS P10.

I have also noticed a few quirks:

• Disabling the serial and/or parallel ports in the BIOS does not disable the port if the Plug & Play O/S setting in the BIOS is set to yes. Windows 98 is still able to configure the ports, which can cause some conflicts. The ports remain disabled in this configuration in BIOS P09 and can also be disabled through the device manager.
• You can either display the "Diagnostic Data" (the BIOS post messages) or a user logo, but not both. The "overlay" ability in P09 seems to have been removed.

If you're having problems getting ACPI to work properly and are using Norton Anti-Virus 4.0, try uninstalling NAV and see if your problems go away. There are some known issues with ACPI and NAV 4.0. Fortunately, all of these problems were corrected with Norton Anti-Virus 5.0.

Here are the release notes for BIOS P10:

•  Fixed issue where “Unattended Start” was not functioning correctly.
•  Added support for 16 color full-screen POST logo.
•  Added ACPI support to bios.
•  Added "Boot Time Diagnostic Screen" option to the SETUP BOOT menu.
•  Added "QuickBoot Mode" option to the SETUP BOOT menu.
•  Fixed issue where the Inactivity Timer was accessible when the User Security Level was "View   Only" or "Limited  Access".
•  Added "Memory Size Decreased" error logging to the BIOS
•  Fixed the issue where setting incorrect timing for memory could cause performance degradation.
•  Fixed issue where system could wake up from SUSPEND when Resume on Ring is DISABLED  in Power Management.
•  Fixed issue where a transition to ACPI mode could cause RTC alarms to be set incorrectly.
•  Suppress display of password hash in "System Disabled" popup.
•  Added support for "Memory Decreased" error logging in SMBIOS 2.1
•  Added support for multiple video card boot options.

BIOS 4A4LL0X0.86A.0024.P09      BEST FOR WINDOWS 95
[BIOS Image and Update Utility]
[BIOS Image Only]
[BIOS  Release Notes]
 

BIOS P09 was released on May 4th. Some of the problems that have plagued the AL440LX have finally been addressed:

• Fixed an issue with “Unattended Start”.
• Resolved an issue where APM cannot be disabled in Windows* 95, even if APM is disabled in the BIOS.
• Fixed an issue with the Wake-on-LAN™ feature.
• Resolved an issue where certain SCSI adapters will fail during Windows NT* 4.0 SETUP.
• Fixed an issue with IrDA support.
• Fixed the issue where a phone ring will always wake up the system, regardless of the “On Modem Ring” setting in BIOS Setup.

I haven't found any new bugs in BIOS P09. Many of the bugs that existed in 8, with the exception of those listed above, still remain. BIOS P09 ran well on my machine. I haven't heard reports of any significant problems that can be traced to BIOS 9 and not BIOS 6 or higher. So, my suggestion is to go with P09. If you have problems that you can't resolve, you may want to try downgrading to P05.

BIOS P09 works well with Windows 98. If you're upgrading to Windows 98, you may consider a BIOS upgrade at the same time.

BIOS P08 was released on April 17th. Intel didn't address any of the problem issues it need to, but instead added support for new Intel hardware. (imagine that!)

• Added support for Intel® Celeron™ processors in POST, SETUP, and DMI.
• Fixed issue where Intel BIOS Update utility would not display OEM logo file.  (I was really worried about this!)
• Added support for PIIX4E.
• Changed After Power Failure default to “Last State”

I've also discovered a problem with BIOS recovery using BIOS 8. Page 43 of the manual describes how to do a BIOS recovery should your BIOS get corrupted for some strange reason. I was unable to do a successful recovery using BIOS 8. However, it was possible to do a recovery using BIOS 5 or 7 and then use the flash utility to upgrade to BIOS 8. What does this mean for you? Make sure you have a BIOS disk with version 5 or 7 on it in case you ever need to recover your BIOS. Make sure that you only keep one version of the BIOS on your "recovery" disk.

The shutdown problems discovered in BIOS 6 and 7 still exist when using Intel's Bus Master IDE drivers, so if you want to upgrade to P08, make sure that you are using Microsoft's Bus Master drivers. I've done some recent testing and found that Microsoft's drivers work better than Intel's anyway. Click here for more information on the great Bus Master debate.

BIOS 5 was still the last "good" release, however, you'll need at least BIOS 6 if you have a 333mHz processor. BIOS 6 and 7 also corrected some USB issues, so if you're having problems there, especially with USB keyboards, I suggest you use BIOS 8.

Here is my guide for installing BIOS 8.
 

BIOS 7 is much better than BIOS 6, but is still a bit buggy in my opinion. The biggest problems seem to be a conflict with Intel's Bus Master IDE drivers and shutdown problems with Windows 95. Here is my guide for installing BIOS 7.

Avoid it like the plague.

BIOS 6 represents a major core upgrade. Unfortunately, this version of the BIOS is very buggy -- the worst in my opinion. Intel's tech support told most people who had problems with their computers to switch back to BIOS 5, and had both versions available on their site for awhile. If you load images into the user logo area of the BIOS, be aware that BIOS images don't work with this version. I suggest BIOS 5 or 7.

BIOS 5 seems to be the best release that Intel has put out so far. However, it only supports processor speeds of up to 300mHz, so if you have one of the 333mHz CPUs, you'll need to use BIOS 7.

BIOS 4A4LL0X0.86A.0013.P03
[BIOS Image and Update Utility]
[BIOS Image Only]
[BIOS  Release Notes]

BIOS 4A4LL0X0.86A.0012.P02
[BIOS Image and Update Utility]
[BIOS Image Only]
[BIOS  Release Notes]
 

BIOS 2 is the original shipping version of the AL440LX BIOS.