Need bios update for Gateway essential 500

Copy and paste the following link into your web browser:
https://www.alphr.com/upgrade-windows-8-1-to-windows-10/

Windows 8 is 'old hat' now and you may have difficulty in upgrading, if it is actually still possible.

Your computer is old? There's (old) 32 bit computers and more modern 64 bit computers. An operating system is designed for either 32 bit or 64 bit.

What you can try is another OS such as Linux. Run it as a 'live version' to see if you like it before you install/use it. All you need is a usb drive or dvd that can be written to.
1. Download rufus
https://rufus.en.lo4d.com/windows

2. Download a Linux iso image - such as Desktop Ubuntu (it will download into the downloads folder)
https://ubuntu.com/#download

3. Insert the USB drive into your computer

4.Open rufus - navigate to the download folder and install Ubuntu onto the USB drive. (simply copying and pasting the files will NOT work. You have to make a bootable USB. Rufus does this for you.

You now have a portable OS on a USB.

5. Restart your PC and open the bios settings. Navigate to the boot sequence and change the first boot device to USB. Press F10 and exit. Your PC will then restart and run Linux from the USB. No changes are made to your computer.

You can either run Linux 'live' from USB or click on the desktop icon which says install onto computer.
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If you wish - instead of putting Linux Ubuntu onto USB you can burn the downloaded .iso file onto dvd and choose cd/dvd drive as first boot device.

Again, simply copying and pasting the Linux image onto dvd will not work. You must make it bootable. I you don't have the software try installing k3b:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/k3b/

It's all actually quite easy to do.

There should be no need to play around with your bios settings. Linux will install on a brand new hard drive as the sole operating system, or on an existing hard drive alongside Windows without any problem.

If you haven't already got a Linux distro, have a look at
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

Download whichever version of Ubuntu you prefer (LTS- the long term support version is recommended).

When the .iso file containing the operating system had downloaded, burn it onto a dvd, or install it on a usb drive.

Insert the dvd into the drive and restart or switch off/switch on the computer. The dvd will then kick in and offer you the choice of trying Ubuntu without installing, or a full install.

If you're using a new, empty hard drive just follow the on screen instructions and Ubuntu will install as the sole operating system.

If you already have Windows on your hard drive Ubuntu will give you the choice of either erasing Windows or installing Ubuntu alongside Windows. It's your choice.

Installing Ubuntu alongside Windows creates a dual boot hard drive. At start up you just choose which OS to use - Windows or Ubuntu. If creating this dual-boot system Ubuntu puts a (Linux) boot loader into the Windows OS so that Linux is recognised.

If you save the Ubuntu file to a usb drive you then have to change the bios settings so that your computer uses USB as the first boot device. Then restart your computer so that it boots in from your usb .. and Ubuntu will begin installing.

Whichever you use - dvd or usb - during the installation process Ubuntu will ask you how many GB of hard drive space it should use? You do not need to physically partition the hard drive. Linux will do it for you.

If it's a desktop PC you are using with Windows on the first hard drive and are fitting a second hard drive to install Linux on, or have installed Linux on the second hard drive .. and find that Linux doesn't appear at start up, it's because there's no Linux boot loader in Windows.

I quit using Windows many years ago.

Check out this:
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows

This gives instructions on how to download, and create a ubuntu bootable USB stick.

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/try-ubuntu-before-you-install

This will give instructiosn on how to load and install from said USB.

You will need:
A working computer with Windows
A 2GB or larger USB stick
Internet connection

After you've made your USB stick, when booting up the computer you wish to install ubuntu on be sure you have the USB stick inserted when powering it on. When the start screen comes up press ESC to enter the BIOS or boot order. Select the USB stick from within the BIOS boot order menu, or the USB stick from the boot options menu.

Load ubuntu, install, enjoy.

Good luck!

Get the restore disc from Restore.com it should clear up the problem..Better yet dump Vista (Windows) altogether and and install ubuntu for free eg. Zorin 9OS 32 bit system. It is kept current until 2019. wheras Vista and Windows XP are not kept current and are vulnerable to hackers. With older systeme there maybe intitial problems getting the wifi and wireless printer to work..(go to linux or Ubuntu forums for help. The Ubuntu system is fast compared with any thing Windows puts out..

Just re-installed Ubuntu and let the installation load the broadcom b43 driver. If it doesnt the firmware need to be updated.
Here is a step by step install and firmware update for the b43 as well .

http://www.itadmintools.com/2011/11/getting-your-linksys-wireless-adapter.html

Hi there,

Ubuntu linux will work with just about any device you have. The best way you can check to make sure that the camera and sound system work for sure is to burn Ubuntu to a CD, and when you boot from the CD you will have the option to run Ubuntu from the disc instead of installing it from the disc. This will allow you to try it before you do a full-blown install. Make sure you can connect to the internet though when you do this, so that if you need additional drivers to make the camera or sound system work you can download them.

Download the following Linux ISO images and burn them into CDs.
Ubuntu, Damn Small Linux or Puppy Linux...

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/download.html
http://www.puppylinux.com/download/

Go into the system BIOS and change the Boot Priority to CD-ROM
Load up one the Linux version above, and recover (copy & paste) data
from your corrupted Hard Drive to another Good hard drive.

Your problem is that you have formated it with Linux file system if you want to use it on Windows you need to reformat using Fat32 or NTFS file systems. You can also use
Explore2fs

Good Luck!

Try running linux on it. Linux will run much better on older hardware. Depending an the specs of the system, it may not be able to handle running windows. Try ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com). If it used to run Windows XP or 98 and it wont now, try checking the hard drive. It may be corrupt. You can find hard drive check tools all across the web, google for drive fitness test by hitachi, it works great. Burn to a disk and boot to it on the older machine and do a full advanced test on the drive.

Ubuntu is up to 8.04. They made a lot of improvements to the network interface. You should upgrade. Go to "system-administration-software sources-" click on the updates tab and then select normal updates under release upgrade in the updates tab. Ubuntu will then tell you that you have updates. State the update manager and click on the option to upgrade to the next version up. If you aren't sure how to do this write me back and I will help you.