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Kona - Don't worry about boot disks. Even if you decided to go with something like an "EasyDisk" (or other such USB flash device), most of these are actually bootable. You can set it up as a boot disk quite easily, if your system supports "Boot to USB" in it's BIOS. All my techs have been issued 256MB drives and they keep all their tools on one device that fits in their shirt pocket.
As for flashing your BIOS, most all of the newer motherboards will actually let you flash the BIOS in Windows. I didn't trust it at first, but it actually works quite well on the Intel and ASUS motherboards.
Don't buy a "manufactured" PC. They almost always have a ton of crap pre-installed and they don't usually give you a copy of Windows or drivers. They love their little "restore CD's." It helps on their tech support. If your computer locks up for any reason, they'll tell you to insert your "restore CD" and put the system back the way it came out of the box, losing your data at the same time.
The next time you or a friend need a system, get a friend or a GOOD local shop to build you one. I think you'll find you will get a great PC for at or below the big guy's prices. The only thing the "big guys" had for them was their tech support being 24/7, but now that has been moved overseas to India. I had to deal with them today for one of my clients that owns a Dell. Took me six hours to get them to understand and admit his hard drive was bad. (Not Fun)
Anyhow.. In my opinion, the floppy has outlasted it's usefulness and it's time for retirement. Better, faster technology is here and it's ALMOST as cheap.
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