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The method to update the computer BIOS through DOS greatly depends on the motherboard within your computer. The traditional method involves downloading a file from the motherboard manufacturer which will create a DOS boot disk which also includes the firmware update for the motherboard (which is the technical name for the embedded software on the motherboard BIOS that you are attempting to update). However, since many computers now do not come with floppy drives there are newer and easier methods to update the firmware on motherboards. Some manufacturers have Windows-based update utilities which you can simply download and run through Windows, and when your computer restarts the update is applied to the motherboard. Likewise, some motherboards have utilities which are launched using a hotkey (e.g. F6) during bootup, and you can then load the firmware update off removable media including USB thumb drives (as many new motherboards have inbuilt drivers to recognise and use USB devices). As you can see, the method for upgrading the firmware on motherboards greatly depends on the type of motherboard in your computer. Therefore, the best source of information on how to update the firmware on the motherboard is to consult the manufacturer?s website. There you should be able to find downloads and instructions on how to update the motherboard firmware. Be very careful whenever updating the firmware on your motherboard, and read the instructions carefully. Make doubly sure you are following the correct procedure, and are using the correct files. Completing this procedure incorrectly could result in your motherboard firmware becoming corrupted.

Regarding your second question, Windows 2000 and Windows XP do not provide an easy method to create a DOS boot disk. This is because there is very limited benefit of booting into DOS, since the computer hard drives will generally not be accessible through DOS. Windows 2000 and Windows XP prefer to run the NTFS or FAT32 drive format. However, DOS can only natively read and write to FAT file systems. This means that after booting from a DOS boot disk you will not be able to access any NTFS drives. A search of Google for ?dos ntfs? has shown many utilities which claim to allow the read/write of NTFS drives and partitions from DOS, but treat these with caution as they are performing a function which is not natively supported in DOS (and I always get nervous with such utilities, fearing they may corrupt data on the drive being read or written). Only use such utilities at your own risk! In any case, if you wish to create a DOS boot disk perhaps the easiest method is downloading a boot disk off the internet. Many boot disk downloads can be found searching Google for ?dos boot disk?. Just a few caveats. First, be careful downloading any such boot disks off the internet, and only download them from reputable sources (to ensure they are not infected with any viruses, or are otherwise going to cause harm to your computer). Essentially, download the boot disks at your own risk, as I have no idea what may be contained in the download. Second, make sure you observe any relevant copyright laws with respect to the boot disks you may be downloading.