It is sometimes possible possible to perform an BIOS upgrade even though the HD is blank...

During POST (i.e. memory counting right after you turn on your PC), press the Pause key. See if there is a message telling you to press a key to enter the BIOS programmer. The problem here is that the BIOS programmer name varies a lot, depending on the motherboard manufacturer. AWFLASH, QBIOS, QFLASH, EZFLASH and FLASH UTILITY are some of the names you may find.

From what the article said, the most common keystroke to enter the BIOS programmer is ALT-F2
sometimes, you will have this option in your SETUP as well. If this is available, just put the .bin or .rom file onto a floppy, back up the old bios, replace it with the new one, and reboot.

more info here:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/33/3