Inspiron 1100 bios update

I am trying to update the bios on my friend's Inspiron 1100 from A06 to A22. I have downloaded the ISO file and burnt it to a CD-RW. When I insert the disc in the laptop, press F12 for the boot menu, and select to boot from the CD-ROM drive, everything starts fine. It says the CRC check is OK, then it asks me to press Y to confirm flashing. When I press Y, a red box flashes across the screen and the computer automatically shuts down. Scared that I may have destroyed the BIOS, I turned the machine back on and was surprised (and happy!) to see that WinXP booted up fine. I then proceeded to take out the battery and leave the laptop plugged in to the AC outlet only. This time after I press Y, the red box comes up telling me I must have a fully charged battery in order to flash the bios. So I turn the machine off, put the battery back in, and leave the machine plugged in to the AC outlet overnight. In the morning I notice that the battery icon on the front panel is a solid green. According to my user manual, this means the battery is charging. But after 8 hours of being plugged in with te power off, the battery icon never turned off.

So is my battery having problems? Should I run the machine with the battery only to drain it? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd really like to flash this system's bios to A32 but I need to go to A22 first.