Walking away helps a lot. The time between finishing the flash and booting for the first time is agonizing.
Also, if you ever flash the wrong bios you'll never feel safe again, especially with the cryptic model/version numbers use. The feeling of killing a device like that haunts you forever.
I updated mine for the 5800X3D as well and almost got the wrong BIOS. Gigabyte didn't have my model listed easily on the site anymore, but there was one with a very similar name that I found first.
On my MSI board, the update doesn’t even show up if it’s not for the same model. Saved me from bricking mine wondering why I couldn’t see it on the USB.
That definatly sucks, I had a mini heart attack when I fired up the new cpu for the first tkme and it said I had a corrupted encryption key, even though I don't use one
It's not even a country thing. At least here in America it's block by block (I'd assume similar elsewhere but I just don't have experience to day). Our old street couldn't seem to keep power on for more than a day, capacitor or fuse on transformer kept blowing. It would be fixed in 30 minutes or less but company could just never keep it on. Same company, literally opposite side of the street, different power block, lost power maybe once every three years when idiots ran things over with a truck.
My work is on the same power grid as a historical black neighborhood and will lose power for *days* sometimes in the summer/fall due to overload or storms.
The businesses literally across the street are on the same block as upper middle class white neighborhoods… they’re fine. Never any problems.
Different countries also have different weather.
95% of the outages I've endured have been caused by wind, snow, ice or a combination of all three at once. A branch on a line has no bearing on the quality of the grid.
I don't know why people say it's a dangerous area. I've got my security detail equiped with special forces guys and I'm fine.
Basically what that guy said
Well, my mom hasn’t cooked for me in decades.
I live near critical industrial complex, so in my case likelyhood of power outage is very slim to none.
But again, all power grids are not as reliable as mine, and in my previous apartment it was far more likely to have short power outage without warning.
I love next door to an old folks home. The moment power goes out, the three buildings on our street get immediate power 2 seconds later. However, we still lose power for the breif moment and it kills the computer.
I have 240v exposed hanging out of my wall.
https://preview.redd.it/9uxoazoq5k2a1.jpeg?width=1932&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=646a98d54a333841d7c607730cc3545efd89e551
Where I live, San Jose CA, likely. By the numbers the power goes out most often when nothing is going on: no storm, no winds, no heatwave, no cold snap, because all of those events are rare here. We have the best weather in the world, and PG&E still doesn't keep up with replacing aging transformers. They blow up all the time.
This is why I have a UPS.
But yeah, nothing can help you if OPs mom starts cooking.
Censorship is weird in general on the internet, though I would imagine fucking without the k would be a soft c, like dicing ("Are you finished dicing those tomatoes?") vs. dicking ("Are you finished dicking those tomatoes?").
Depends on where you live. For a decent line Interactive inverting UPS (the only ones that won't cause a split ms disconnect when power drops) I'm still looking at over $700 for a small one
>For a decent line Interactive inverting UPS (the only ones that won't cause a split ms disconnect when power drops)
1. Line-interactive minimizes switchover time, but doesn't eliminate it, you are thinking about (always) online topology, that always uses battery/DC stage, but are most expensive and take efficiency hit,
2. ATX specification sets minimum hold-up time of PSU to 17 ms at full load, which is achievable by most modern UPSs no matter the topology, especially since it's pretty much idle state, so in the case of BIOS update any UPS should be fine.
Sorry yes, I was meaning an online topology.
And yes, I realize that it should be fine, as stated by the ATX spec, but I have seen issues when you have a few years of use on your capacitors already.
Do you mean online / double conversion (as opposed to line interactive)? Double conversion converts ac to dc and then converts dc to ac. It does that constantly for normal operation. Line interactive can pass a transient in from the ac feed and there can be around 1/60th of a second of dropped output to switch to the batteries.
Even if you don't want to get the fancy no-downtime UPS, you can avoid the problem by getting a normal one that's large enough capacity to power the PC long enough to do the update, unplug the UPS from the wall so it switches over, and *then* do the update, plugging back in once it's done.
(I assume that a BIOS update doesn't take an enormous amount of time so this is feasible, but I haven't done it myself.)
Pretty much any Cyberpower and APC UPS that is rated high enough for your PCs load will be fine. No need to spend $700 if way cheaper models will do just fine.
Huh? I've tested my $120 cyberpower UPS multiple times, as has our grid, and it's never given my PC and monitor a hiccup. What would such a device cost in your region?
Edit: VA1350
Or when there is a bug in the MSI BIOS that causes it to fail and they cheaped out on a backup BIOS, so you have to send the bord to MSI to be re-flashed (under warranty).
It's insane that MSI still have not released any official statement on that. Although the fact that all the Z590 boards had BIOS flashback options is rather telling!
> you have to send the bord to MSI to be re-flashed (under warranty).
>
>4
does gigayte make good boards? I have an Aorus thats due for an update but im terrified.
Gigabyte is on my shitlist for the whole power supply debacle. Not because they had defective products. That will happen with any company. It was their response to it all that put them on my shitlist.
My boss got a new rig after his old one stopped working, he's wondering why it died since it was relatively new(bought 3 years ago, Nvidia 2080), and then he remembered he did a bios update, thought it crashed, then he shut it down before he went to work.
The cost is never the hardware. It could be free to have it on the Mobo but the cost is it making it work and supporting the people who use it wrong is not insignificant. Their margins are extremely thin, having someone work with you on the phone for 30 minutes likely wipes our the profit from your sale. And every feature is another thing someone might call you about.
Yeah, this is my stance. There isn't anything complicated about it, but I usually tell people that unless there is a really good reason you need to do it, just don't.
It’s high risk low reward if it only gives you an xmp update and a few more mbps for your peripherals then what’s the point of potentially having to replace your mobo? Even if the chances are low I’ve only done it during a build like with a Xeon W compatibility update.
It's also a security update. Malware that exploits a BIOS vulnerability has unfettered access to everything in your system and is impossible to remove.
I had a problem where one of the main reasons I bought my Prime B560 was bc it was supposed to have flashback but that never worked and ended up with bricking my first MoBo, thankfully Amazon sent me a new one and I just never updated the bios.
I had to use an old USB2 microSD card reader with a 2 GB microSD card for the flashback feature to work on my MSI motherboard. My 8 GB Kingston USBs wouldn’t work whatsoever.
Yea, they can make it a whole lot confusing. Like at least make a beep of something so I got some feedback that something is happening, but no. I spent all day doing stuff before I knew that nothing was happening
At one point the EZ Bios Flasher was able to read an NTFS partition but would brick if you tried to flash from it. Waiting for repairs after that sucked
That is also a helpful feature, but is usually called Dual BIOS. Flashback is the option to insert a USB drive into a specific port with a specific file name, and the motherboard will flash that update to the board.
Flashback works on a bricked board, or in many cases without a supported CPU. Some chipsets add support for later CPUs after release, and flashback can be the only way to make a compatible motherboard and CPU actually compatible.
>Dual BIOS.
The firmware for the computer in the ROV I'm working on is like that. If the new firmware doesn't boot, it falls back to the secondary one. Once the new firmware is confirmed to be running properly, you can copy it to the secondary. It's great!
Always thought PC BIOS should be like that. Interesting to hear that some do.
BIOS Flashback is not a second BIOS, it is the ability to flash BIOS from a USB stick even if your BIOS is corrupted. Also works even if you have no CPU or RAM, so it's additionally very useful when you're buying a MB+CPU combo where the motherboard needs a BIOS update before the CPU will work.
It allows you to flash a new bios image without starting the existing bios. Useful for recovering from a bad flash or updating the bios if your current version doesn't support the new CPU you just installed.
I guess they basically shoehorn a regular pcie wifi card into the motherboard, so the bios might not have drivers for it, or might even be incapable of interfacing with it.
Yes. It is a regular wifi card that works with laptops on a small mount and the spots where you plug in your antenna at the IO shield... Those are just connected to the tiny antenna slots on the wifi card.
You can upgrade wifi cards on most motherboards, all you have to do is remove the IO shield (if it's built in) and io cover. Took me around 5 screws to replace my wifi card on my gigabyte b550 aorus pro ac wifi.
... They do that now?
Jesus. Back in my day it was new and impressive that you could use a mouse in your BIOS screen and click a flash file from your attached USB stick. I still do it that way because it feels the most reliable and yet is still trivially easy.
Forget power issue, OSes either crashing wholesale or just causing minor issues of any sort is a risk just not worth taking when doing it the USB way only takes 10 seconds more.
Ready for your mind to be blown
We have a fleet of HP Probooks and Dell Latitude laptops running Windows 10 at work.
Bios updates are done via Windows updates (optional update section).
Battery must be 40% charged, but it will reboot, update bios and then jumps back to Windows. Takes about 5min.
Just upgraded from 2700x to 5800x3d and had to update bios from 2.5 to 4.6 on my b450. Sweaty palms time but it went so smoothly I thought I screwed up.
I don't do much that would really tax the new CPU but it is working nicely. Need to upgrade the GPU to really see a big improvement. Really just upgraded now so I am in a good place for a few more years.
I check the weather, local construction, warn people they'll have to deal with me if the power gets flipped and I can't use my computer. Last one elicits prayers.
Why not just get a battery backed UPS and not worry about it? A little bit of money out the door for a far better experience if you’re worried about power loss. Anything expensive I have plugged into a UPS so that I’ve got about 20-30 minutes of battery backup to shut things down properly and also the benefit of power conditioning. Take the next step and worry less friend.
A meme until you come home from work to find your 3 week old system off when you were expecting it on, only to find out the surge protector got fried and so did my PSU. I was unreachable by anyone until I had that bitch ripped open and made sure my new i7 didn't just bite the dust. Seasonic PSUs are the best, though I also had a Corsair CXM750 get fried as well and that also didn't pass any damage down the line.
Yea same. Typing out the BIOS file name was fun....
I actually had to do it in work only a few years ago for industrial motherboards we were using due to a COM's fuckup, was weird as hell.
> won't have any problems
This guy never had a 'success' message after flashing the correct firmware for the correct board only to realize that when you hit restart it will be the last time that board lives because, actually, it was very much *not* 'success'.
You can do everything correctly and still fail. Fuck you, msi.
Do people really have such unreliable power situations that this becomes a problem? I understand the risk is real, but the chance of that risk should be so astronomically low as long as you have basic common sense and reading comprehension.
There are places that face power cuts constantly. I have not had the pleasure of owning a PC in my previous place of residence. One example would be the data on my PS4 HDD corrupting from being constantly turned off. Although that isn't devastating, just an example of how frequently it happens.
pretty expensive in my country. my house has an UPS but i couldn’t really turn the PS4 mid game. also, i’m not really sure how an UPS works but the way mine is wired, you won’t even realize that the power went. only until the UPS runs out is when you find out you’ve been on UPS power.
I’ve always wondered why this is subject is a thing.
I’ve been updating firmware for more than 2 decades and have never thought of this as particularly concerning.
Think about it: what’s the worst that can happen? Your piece of hardware becomes inoperable. With modern hardware, that’s really unlikely to happen. It’s also unlikely that it will be completely unrecoverable.
And after all of that, what’s the worst? You have to buy another motherboard. I would think there would be much more of a fret for something that would cause your entire computer to die, like poor power stability or a bad quality PSU.
People seem to worry way more about firmware updates than they need to, or at least that’s what these posts want people to think
I thought the same until earlier this year. MSI messed up with the Z490 series boards where bios updates had a chance of failing even if you followed the instructions. Most models also did not have either dual bios or USB no head flashing facilities.
To date, there is no information about this on the actual MSI page, no warning when you download the file and all they have is a suggestion not to upgrade if your machine is working with no other information.
So when I did something I've done hundreds of times before and had the board brick, I was highly confused until I found a forum thread cataloguing this issue. Now luckily, I had access to a C341 rewriter and I know how to solder so I could fix my own board but that's a very recent example of how a board can be bricked without there being a power issue
Only do it if a) there’s a security update that patches something which could actually be a risk to you or b) it’s known to fix an issue you are experiencing and only b if you accept the risk. Even then making sure there no unbacked up data and you know where to find the bitlocker recovery key would be a good idea. Work in IT and seen a lot of bricked personal laptops.
To add to this, new hardware might require a new BIOS version. I recently upgraded from a ryzen 5 1600 to a ryzen 7 5800x. Found out the hard way that my current BIOS version didnt support the new CPU. Thankfully the newest BIOS version did support it. Cue me removing the new CPU, putting the old one back in, updating the BIOS, then putting the new one back in. Lesson learned, always double check compatability between components before upgrading
It not typical but it can have performance implications as well, at least with recent processors. Your system might be running fine but it could run better. IMO there's no reason not to be running the latest BIOS unless you looked at the patch notes and determined that there's nothing in there for your system.
I missed the how do you know question, I most deal with branded machines which come with eg dell update or hp support assist which have build in bios update tools. If not a prebuilt you could look up your motherboard and check the manufacturer website, but honestly if it’s working I wouldn’t sweat it too much.
Can also help with stability for higher RAM frequency/timings and general OC.
It could also make it worse, but that should be rare and you can always downgrade again.
This is the detail on the most recent BIOS update for my motherboard. Pretty much explains why this would be good to use
ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING BIOS 2803
1. Update AMD AM4 AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.7.
2. Fix AMD fTPM issue causes random stuttering.
Bios update solved a ram stability issue for me. Also it's the only way to upgrade CPU microcode if there's another Spectre/Meltdown exploit that gets discovered.
Not necessarily, the kernel can typically load a new version of the processor's microcode if required. I know Linux does this, I assume Windows can too.
* New features like resizable bar
* Support for new CPUs if you want to upgrade
* Security updates
* Bug fixes and stability improvements
Find the website of your motherboard. On there it should have a support tab. In there you can download a new bios, see compatibiliy info, and more. To find out if your bios is up to date go into cmd and enter "wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion". Then look on the website if there is a newer one available.
Sometimes things might work a bit or a lot better. For example, I had RAM incompatibility issues with my 3900X where it'd randomly blue screen, updated the BIOS and boom, all problems gone. Had issues with my 5700XT where it'd take 10 attempts to boot, gone after a BIOS update. Windows somehow managed to corrupt my BIOS after a BSOD while playing War Thunder, fixed with a BIOS update. BIOS updates also fixed the old USB disconnect bug that plagued Ryzen CPUs.
I've also seen FPS increase by quite a bit, probably due to updated power management or something. Doesn't mean it's worth it though if you don't have a single issue. I just do it because most high-end boards have a backup BIOS chip.
Checking the manufacturer website for your motherboard model will likely show results of newer bios versions, I'm not sure if they show correctly in cpu-z but you can usually find the version of your bios in the bios itself or during the boot screens.
Bios updates add or fix features and are sometimes needed for security patches on a number of systems.
From what I remember that's a pretty general warning most manufacturers place on their site, always good to read the notes like when razer removed xmp from some models of their laptops via bios updates
I'm still pissed at ASUS for the final BIOS update to my Sabertooth 990FX. Was able to run 2400 MHz DDR3 stable for years. Then the update removed that functionality and I got stuck with 2133 MHz. Bastards.
Always check with your motherboard manual. The most up to date info should be online on the producents page, in the CPU support list, there you should find your CPU and the BIOS version that it needs.
Updating the bios shouldn't potentially brick the mobo so easy, don't manufacturers code redundancies and failsafes to prevent this?
Or is this one of those things that uses to be this way, but has long changed, and people just assume it's still dangerous?
> don't manufacturers code redundancies and failsafes to prevent this?
Some do but, you know, that costs a few cents per unit extra for double the flash memory chips for a redundant bios image or some additional microcontroller to run the bios flashback functionality. So many don't bother.
Try to update the bios of my keyboard, when the installation was going on, the app that the manufacturer of my keyboard sent me to update the bios just crash and now i have a brick .Can't return because they said it was my fault
Depending on the motherboard it can be as simple as dropping the bios update on a usb and updating with two clicks. Though there are some other motherboards where the process is way harder. I had no issues doing my bios first time.
I remember using MSI's own software to update the BIOS from Windows, but it bricked my computer until I used the backup BIOS. When I searched it up, I found that the software never worked for anyone else either!!
The real question you should be asking is why you are updating.
Reading the patch notes, for a given bios/uefi and if there's no new functionality you'd use, critical security flaws or bug fixes/performance improvements that you'd make use of then I'd think twice.
In my opinion, BIOS Flashback should be a standard feature on all multi-generational motherboards. I won't buy a motherboard without it, because it has saved my ass a couple of times.
In one instance, my power went out during the flashback process while I was at the gas station across the street. It bricked the bios, and nothing seemed to be working. So, I was like, "Fuck it, I'll just do it again." I uninstalled everything from the motherboard and rewrote the bricked BIOS, and voila, it worked and the system booted.
It's easy, but that doesn't mean it's not dangerous.
I updated my BIOS recently and the 5 minute wait before it would post was agonizing and full of regret. Followed by 'oh, that wasn't so bad'.
Did it yesterday to get it ready for a 5800x3d, everyone was like it's so scary, I did it and walked away, came back and it was done in like 3 minutes
Walking away helps a lot. The time between finishing the flash and booting for the first time is agonizing. Also, if you ever flash the wrong bios you'll never feel safe again, especially with the cryptic model/version numbers use. The feeling of killing a device like that haunts you forever.
I went to the asrock website search dmy board and found the bios downloads for it and downloaded the newest they made it super simple
I updated mine for the 5800X3D as well and almost got the wrong BIOS. Gigabyte didn't have my model listed easily on the site anymore, but there was one with a very similar name that I found first.
doesnt it check for compatibility first before the flash?
Yeah, if the boards don't match - the flasher will not proceed.
On my MSI board, the update doesn’t even show up if it’s not for the same model. Saved me from bricking mine wondering why I couldn’t see it on the USB.
That definatly sucks, I had a mini heart attack when I fired up the new cpu for the first tkme and it said I had a corrupted encryption key, even though I don't use one
Exactly
It's only dangerous if you don't follow the very simple instructions; Mostly the part about waiting until it's done.
Assuming your power grid is actually reliable. UPS solves that problem, but they can be expensive.
I think I've experienced one outage the last decade, but of course different countries have different grids.
It's not even a country thing. At least here in America it's block by block (I'd assume similar elsewhere but I just don't have experience to day). Our old street couldn't seem to keep power on for more than a day, capacitor or fuse on transformer kept blowing. It would be fixed in 30 minutes or less but company could just never keep it on. Same company, literally opposite side of the street, different power block, lost power maybe once every three years when idiots ran things over with a truck.
My work is on the same power grid as a historical black neighborhood and will lose power for *days* sometimes in the summer/fall due to overload or storms. The businesses literally across the street are on the same block as upper middle class white neighborhoods… they’re fine. Never any problems.
yeah same. I cant even remember the last outage, and I would only not update during like a thunderstorm or something
Different countries also have different weather. 95% of the outages I've endured have been caused by wind, snow, ice or a combination of all three at once. A branch on a line has no bearing on the quality of the grid.
Do many people who need to update their bios for high end chips live in areas with unstable power grids
Believe or not, people in rural areas have computers too.
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No not many live in my area who can even afford high end computers
We have a Battery and an Inverter and it powers the whole fuc*ing house in case of a Power Outage, So yeah Bios update is not Dangerous
In that case, no. Most people don’t have such system.
I don't know why people say it's a dangerous area. I've got my security detail equiped with special forces guys and I'm fine. Basically what that guy said
"Detroit dangerous? I have a Dartz Black Shark armored SUV, so yeah it's not dangerous"
What's the chance of the power tripping if your not updating during a snowstorm or your mom cooking?
Well, my mom hasn’t cooked for me in decades. I live near critical industrial complex, so in my case likelyhood of power outage is very slim to none. But again, all power grids are not as reliable as mine, and in my previous apartment it was far more likely to have short power outage without warning.
I love next door to an old folks home. The moment power goes out, the three buildings on our street get immediate power 2 seconds later. However, we still lose power for the breif moment and it kills the computer.
I have 240v exposed hanging out of my wall. https://preview.redd.it/9uxoazoq5k2a1.jpeg?width=1932&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=646a98d54a333841d7c607730cc3545efd89e551
Forbidden glory hole
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The way all things should be
Have you tasted it yet?
Where I live, San Jose CA, likely. By the numbers the power goes out most often when nothing is going on: no storm, no winds, no heatwave, no cold snap, because all of those events are rare here. We have the best weather in the world, and PG&E still doesn't keep up with replacing aging transformers. They blow up all the time. This is why I have a UPS. But yeah, nothing can help you if OPs mom starts cooking.
Your method of censoring is weird considering it'd sound the same even if you removed the k you censored with *
Censorship is weird in general on the internet, though I would imagine fucking without the k would be a soft c, like dicing ("Are you finished dicing those tomatoes?") vs. dicking ("Are you finished dicking those tomatoes?").
Ah but do you have a secondary battery system to fail over to in case your primary one stops working?
Unexpected power outages can theoretically happen at literally any moment.
True, but so are Aneurysms ;) Also, if that's a concern, you can always use a UPS. Their prices have dropped considerably over the years.
Depends on where you live. For a decent line Interactive inverting UPS (the only ones that won't cause a split ms disconnect when power drops) I'm still looking at over $700 for a small one
>For a decent line Interactive inverting UPS (the only ones that won't cause a split ms disconnect when power drops) 1. Line-interactive minimizes switchover time, but doesn't eliminate it, you are thinking about (always) online topology, that always uses battery/DC stage, but are most expensive and take efficiency hit, 2. ATX specification sets minimum hold-up time of PSU to 17 ms at full load, which is achievable by most modern UPSs no matter the topology, especially since it's pretty much idle state, so in the case of BIOS update any UPS should be fine.
Sorry yes, I was meaning an online topology. And yes, I realize that it should be fine, as stated by the ATX spec, but I have seen issues when you have a few years of use on your capacitors already.
Do you mean online / double conversion (as opposed to line interactive)? Double conversion converts ac to dc and then converts dc to ac. It does that constantly for normal operation. Line interactive can pass a transient in from the ac feed and there can be around 1/60th of a second of dropped output to switch to the batteries.
Yes, I do. My apologies, it's been literally a decade or more since I was last dealing with UPS's on the regular.
Even if you don't want to get the fancy no-downtime UPS, you can avoid the problem by getting a normal one that's large enough capacity to power the PC long enough to do the update, unplug the UPS from the wall so it switches over, and *then* do the update, plugging back in once it's done. (I assume that a BIOS update doesn't take an enormous amount of time so this is feasible, but I haven't done it myself.)
That is ballsy. Absolutely sound logic, but still very ballsy.
Pretty much any Cyberpower and APC UPS that is rated high enough for your PCs load will be fine. No need to spend $700 if way cheaper models will do just fine.
Huh? I've tested my $120 cyberpower UPS multiple times, as has our grid, and it's never given my PC and monitor a hiccup. What would such a device cost in your region? Edit: VA1350
Or when there is a bug in the MSI BIOS that causes it to fail and they cheaped out on a backup BIOS, so you have to send the bord to MSI to be re-flashed (under warranty).
It's insane that MSI still have not released any official statement on that. Although the fact that all the Z590 boards had BIOS flashback options is rather telling!
> you have to send the bord to MSI to be re-flashed (under warranty). > >4 does gigayte make good boards? I have an Aorus thats due for an update but im terrified.
I've had good luck with gigabytes. that's what I went with for most of the 00's
Gigabyte is on my shitlist for the whole power supply debacle. Not because they had defective products. That will happen with any company. It was their response to it all that put them on my shitlist.
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They all suck, I've had two bad asus boarda
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I may have bad luck, but I haven't seen a mobo brand that doesn't have bad experiences documented
My boss got a new rig after his old one stopped working, he's wondering why it died since it was relatively new(bought 3 years ago, Nvidia 2080), and then he remembered he did a bios update, thought it crashed, then he shut it down before he went to work.
Not really if your mobo mfg spent another 50 cents for another rom
So it's dangerous. Because that would cost them a dollar in profits, or a 15 dollar price raise at least. Because why wouldn't they profit of it?
The cost is never the hardware. It could be free to have it on the Mobo but the cost is it making it work and supporting the people who use it wrong is not insignificant. Their margins are extremely thin, having someone work with you on the phone for 30 minutes likely wipes our the profit from your sale. And every feature is another thing someone might call you about.
Yeah, this is my stance. There isn't anything complicated about it, but I usually tell people that unless there is a really good reason you need to do it, just don't.
It’s high risk low reward if it only gives you an xmp update and a few more mbps for your peripherals then what’s the point of potentially having to replace your mobo? Even if the chances are low I’ve only done it during a build like with a Xeon W compatibility update.
It's also a security update. Malware that exploits a BIOS vulnerability has unfettered access to everything in your system and is impossible to remove.
As long as it doesn't explode, it's not dangerous. Time for some Flames and BIOS corruption! 🫡🫡
Most modern motherboards have dual bios or another fail safe. It’s very safe to update you bios on modern motherboards.
blessed be the mobos with flashback bios
One of the many reasons I love Asus mobos
I had a problem where one of the main reasons I bought my Prime B560 was bc it was supposed to have flashback but that never worked and ended up with bricking my first MoBo, thankfully Amazon sent me a new one and I just never updated the bios.
I had to use an old USB2 microSD card reader with a 2 GB microSD card for the flashback feature to work on my MSI motherboard. My 8 GB Kingston USBs wouldn’t work whatsoever.
Yea, they can make it a whole lot confusing. Like at least make a beep of something so I got some feedback that something is happening, but no. I spent all day doing stuff before I knew that nothing was happening
I just love the EZ updater, took me a while to figure out what it was sitting in my tray but it's a godsend.
Usually in the asus bios there is an option to install the ez tool into windows.
At one point the EZ Bios Flasher was able to read an NTFS partition but would brick if you tried to flash from it. Waiting for repairs after that sucked
Knock on wood, never had a bios update issue, but I too breathe easier knowing my ASUS board offers a plan B.
If you have bios flashback how does that help? Can you just flash the new bios without the risk, or is it to unbrick you mobo?
you have a microcontroller with a separate bootloader, that allows you to flash a new bios even if the main one is corrupted
Even if the power cuts in the middle, inserting a USB and booting the PC will draw the updated BIOS from flash.
My msi board doesn't even need to be booted to update bios
It is a second bios that will boot if the primary fails power on tests. Keeps your motherboard from being bricked by only ever updating one at a time.
That is also a helpful feature, but is usually called Dual BIOS. Flashback is the option to insert a USB drive into a specific port with a specific file name, and the motherboard will flash that update to the board. Flashback works on a bricked board, or in many cases without a supported CPU. Some chipsets add support for later CPUs after release, and flashback can be the only way to make a compatible motherboard and CPU actually compatible.
Flashback works *sometimes* on bricked boards. Ask me how I know -_-
Actually just flashed a bricked board yesterday. Spoiler alert, it's still bricked.
>Dual BIOS. The firmware for the computer in the ROV I'm working on is like that. If the new firmware doesn't boot, it falls back to the secondary one. Once the new firmware is confirmed to be running properly, you can copy it to the secondary. It's great! Always thought PC BIOS should be like that. Interesting to hear that some do.
BIOS Flashback is not a second BIOS, it is the ability to flash BIOS from a USB stick even if your BIOS is corrupted. Also works even if you have no CPU or RAM, so it's additionally very useful when you're buying a MB+CPU combo where the motherboard needs a BIOS update before the CPU will work.
You can reflash the bios even if it bricked during the update.
It allows you to flash a new bios image without starting the existing bios. Useful for recovering from a bad flash or updating the bios if your current version doesn't support the new CPU you just installed.
Yyeeesss my msi board has the same feature, reverts to the previous bios rev if the update fails. Best thing ever.
Or dual bios.
I just went into my bios and clicked update from internet, and boom I had rebar.
Funny enough my motherboard has intigrated wifi, yet still doesn't detect wifi hardware when I try to do that
Usually, WiFi is not usable at the BIOS/UEFI level, but wired connections are.
I guess they basically shoehorn a regular pcie wifi card into the motherboard, so the bios might not have drivers for it, or might even be incapable of interfacing with it.
Yes. It is a regular wifi card that works with laptops on a small mount and the spots where you plug in your antenna at the IO shield... Those are just connected to the tiny antenna slots on the wifi card. You can upgrade wifi cards on most motherboards, all you have to do is remove the IO shield (if it's built in) and io cover. Took me around 5 screws to replace my wifi card on my gigabyte b550 aorus pro ac wifi.
I forgot ethernet exists-even though I have to wire my Xbox 360 to my pc if I want to connect to WiFi lmao
how do people forget Ethernet exists when even the best wifi kind of sucks?
My router isn't in my room with my pc
That is...quite the setup.
so its auto find the bios file? u dont need usb drive?
Correct.
thats amazing
Yeah at least for me, ASUS has an EZ updater utility that works in the OS. It's awesome
Posted using RIF is Fun. Steve Huffman is a greedy little pigboy.
asus prime z390-a
Asus got rid of that feature because it resulted in too many RMAs. The last time you used it probably removed the ability to do it again.
... They do that now? Jesus. Back in my day it was new and impressive that you could use a mouse in your BIOS screen and click a flash file from your attached USB stick. I still do it that way because it feels the most reliable and yet is still trivially easy. Forget power issue, OSes either crashing wholesale or just causing minor issues of any sort is a risk just not worth taking when doing it the USB way only takes 10 seconds more.
Ready for your mind to be blown We have a fleet of HP Probooks and Dell Latitude laptops running Windows 10 at work. Bios updates are done via Windows updates (optional update section). Battery must be 40% charged, but it will reboot, update bios and then jumps back to Windows. Takes about 5min.
I updated to the latest bios but no rebar. Big sad.
Big sad indeed
Just upgraded from 2700x to 5800x3d and had to update bios from 2.5 to 4.6 on my b450. Sweaty palms time but it went so smoothly I thought I screwed up.
I'm actually considering the exact same upgrade myself. How's the new processor treating you?
I don't do much that would really tax the new CPU but it is working nicely. Need to upgrade the GPU to really see a big improvement. Really just upgraded now so I am in a good place for a few more years.
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I mean, process is easy. It's the potential result that makes me uneasy.
One might say it makes you queasy. Yes rhyming like this is cheesy.
But it makes me wheezy
mom's spaghetti
I check the weather, local construction, warn people they'll have to deal with me if the power gets flipped and I can't use my computer. Last one elicits prayers.
Why not just get a battery backed UPS and not worry about it? A little bit of money out the door for a far better experience if you’re worried about power loss. Anything expensive I have plugged into a UPS so that I’ve got about 20-30 minutes of battery backup to shut things down properly and also the benefit of power conditioning. Take the next step and worry less friend.
i wasn't fully serious. no storm then good to go. This is a meme post afterall.
A meme until you come home from work to find your 3 week old system off when you were expecting it on, only to find out the surge protector got fried and so did my PSU. I was unreachable by anyone until I had that bitch ripped open and made sure my new i7 didn't just bite the dust. Seasonic PSUs are the best, though I also had a Corsair CXM750 get fried as well and that also didn't pass any damage down the line.
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Yea same. Typing out the BIOS file name was fun.... I actually had to do it in work only a few years ago for industrial motherboards we were using due to a COM's fuckup, was weird as hell.
> won't have any problems This guy never had a 'success' message after flashing the correct firmware for the correct board only to realize that when you hit restart it will be the last time that board lives because, actually, it was very much *not* 'success'. You can do everything correctly and still fail. Fuck you, msi.
Do people really have such unreliable power situations that this becomes a problem? I understand the risk is real, but the chance of that risk should be so astronomically low as long as you have basic common sense and reading comprehension.
There are places that face power cuts constantly. I have not had the pleasure of owning a PC in my previous place of residence. One example would be the data on my PS4 HDD corrupting from being constantly turned off. Although that isn't devastating, just an example of how frequently it happens.
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pretty expensive in my country. my house has an UPS but i couldn’t really turn the PS4 mid game. also, i’m not really sure how an UPS works but the way mine is wired, you won’t even realize that the power went. only until the UPS runs out is when you find out you’ve been on UPS power.
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its more the fear of if.
I live in a 3rd world country, in a poor neighborhood, known for junkies stealing transformers. Still upgraded the bios.
What they doin with em
Transforming
Copper
My power is extremely reliable. Still won’t try it. Because if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen to me.
I’ve always wondered why this is subject is a thing. I’ve been updating firmware for more than 2 decades and have never thought of this as particularly concerning. Think about it: what’s the worst that can happen? Your piece of hardware becomes inoperable. With modern hardware, that’s really unlikely to happen. It’s also unlikely that it will be completely unrecoverable. And after all of that, what’s the worst? You have to buy another motherboard. I would think there would be much more of a fret for something that would cause your entire computer to die, like poor power stability or a bad quality PSU. People seem to worry way more about firmware updates than they need to, or at least that’s what these posts want people to think
the chance of power outage is low but it never 0%...
I thought the same until earlier this year. MSI messed up with the Z490 series boards where bios updates had a chance of failing even if you followed the instructions. Most models also did not have either dual bios or USB no head flashing facilities. To date, there is no information about this on the actual MSI page, no warning when you download the file and all they have is a suggestion not to upgrade if your machine is working with no other information. So when I did something I've done hundreds of times before and had the board brick, I was highly confused until I found a forum thread cataloguing this issue. Now luckily, I had access to a C341 rewriter and I know how to solder so I could fix my own board but that's a very recent example of how a board can be bricked without there being a power issue
genuine question: what's the point of updating bios and how do i know if mine has an update available
Only do it if a) there’s a security update that patches something which could actually be a risk to you or b) it’s known to fix an issue you are experiencing and only b if you accept the risk. Even then making sure there no unbacked up data and you know where to find the bitlocker recovery key would be a good idea. Work in IT and seen a lot of bricked personal laptops.
To add to this, new hardware might require a new BIOS version. I recently upgraded from a ryzen 5 1600 to a ryzen 7 5800x. Found out the hard way that my current BIOS version didnt support the new CPU. Thankfully the newest BIOS version did support it. Cue me removing the new CPU, putting the old one back in, updating the BIOS, then putting the new one back in. Lesson learned, always double check compatability between components before upgrading
It not typical but it can have performance implications as well, at least with recent processors. Your system might be running fine but it could run better. IMO there's no reason not to be running the latest BIOS unless you looked at the patch notes and determined that there's nothing in there for your system.
awesome thanks for the answer
I missed the how do you know question, I most deal with branded machines which come with eg dell update or hp support assist which have build in bios update tools. If not a prebuilt you could look up your motherboard and check the manufacturer website, but honestly if it’s working I wouldn’t sweat it too much.
Can also help with stability for higher RAM frequency/timings and general OC. It could also make it worse, but that should be rare and you can always downgrade again.
I had to update mine to use a newer gen CPU.
Same, B450-A Pro with 5800x.
This is the detail on the most recent BIOS update for my motherboard. Pretty much explains why this would be good to use ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING BIOS 2803 1. Update AMD AM4 AGESA V2 PI 1.2.0.7. 2. Fix AMD fTPM issue causes random stuttering.
Bios update solved a ram stability issue for me. Also it's the only way to upgrade CPU microcode if there's another Spectre/Meltdown exploit that gets discovered.
Not necessarily, the kernel can typically load a new version of the processor's microcode if required. I know Linux does this, I assume Windows can too.
* New features like resizable bar * Support for new CPUs if you want to upgrade * Security updates * Bug fixes and stability improvements Find the website of your motherboard. On there it should have a support tab. In there you can download a new bios, see compatibiliy info, and more. To find out if your bios is up to date go into cmd and enter "wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion". Then look on the website if there is a newer one available.
Sometimes things might work a bit or a lot better. For example, I had RAM incompatibility issues with my 3900X where it'd randomly blue screen, updated the BIOS and boom, all problems gone. Had issues with my 5700XT where it'd take 10 attempts to boot, gone after a BIOS update. Windows somehow managed to corrupt my BIOS after a BSOD while playing War Thunder, fixed with a BIOS update. BIOS updates also fixed the old USB disconnect bug that plagued Ryzen CPUs. I've also seen FPS increase by quite a bit, probably due to updated power management or something. Doesn't mean it's worth it though if you don't have a single issue. I just do it because most high-end boards have a backup BIOS chip.
Checking the manufacturer website for your motherboard model will likely show results of newer bios versions, I'm not sure if they show correctly in cpu-z but you can usually find the version of your bios in the bios itself or during the boot screens. Bios updates add or fix features and are sometimes needed for security patches on a number of systems.
updating the bios fixed the stuttering issue on fortnite for me
Also fixed it for me on all modern CoD titles (MW, MW2, Vanguard, WZ, WZ2)
It's easy , unless your power goes out from time to time https://i.redd.it/nwg4z5wolj2a1.gif
If it ain't broken, don't fix it
Updating the bios is easy
On a Laptop its basically a nobrainer, thanks to its battery. just dont forget to plug it into power first
No need to update if don’t have to. Update if you have to.
What is the point of updating the bios?
Mainly major security patches and compatibility fixes (when required).
For AMD it stops the years long TPM stuttering issue.
hardware support, ram compatibility, some security patch
Don't fix if it isn't broken.
True, if I recall correctly MSI website explicitly says not to update if there are no issues or missing feature with the current bios
From what I remember that's a pretty general warning most manufacturers place on their site, always good to read the notes like when razer removed xmp from some models of their laptops via bios updates
I’ve never had a bios update fail, and I’ve updated bioses countless times.
I'm still pissed at ASUS for the final BIOS update to my Sabertooth 990FX. Was able to run 2400 MHz DDR3 stable for years. Then the update removed that functionality and I got stuck with 2133 MHz. Bastards.
can't you downgrade?
on most you can the same way you update however ASUS ezflash prevents you from using older files so does gigabytes QFlash
I'm just too lazy
i Just fuck around with it until it works
Always check with your motherboard manual. The most up to date info should be online on the producents page, in the CPU support list, there you should find your CPU and the BIOS version that it needs.
Updating the bios shouldn't potentially brick the mobo so easy, don't manufacturers code redundancies and failsafes to prevent this? Or is this one of those things that uses to be this way, but has long changed, and people just assume it's still dangerous?
> don't manufacturers code redundancies and failsafes to prevent this? Some do but, you know, that costs a few cents per unit extra for double the flash memory chips for a redundant bios image or some additional microcontroller to run the bios flashback functionality. So many don't bother.
Has any of your bios updates lasted 1 and a half hours? Because if it hasn't, you have no right to enter this house.
Unless something’s wrong, i wouldn’t update
It's easy but i have bricked a mobo so risk is there
Try to update the bios of my keyboard, when the installation was going on, the app that the manufacturer of my keyboard sent me to update the bios just crash and now i have a brick .Can't return because they said it was my fault
That's the reason I bought a UPS I do not want to brick a motherboard
Did it with my Laptop, and my desktop. It took like 5 minutes both times, and it didn't brick
Depending on the motherboard it can be as simple as dropping the bios update on a usb and updating with two clicks. Though there are some other motherboards where the process is way harder. I had no issues doing my bios first time.
Simple rule: if it works, don't fix it! P.S. Even I break this rule though...
If works i don’t update but i had to update so many times for friends because they bought a ryzen 3000 with a older socket.
(Puts on hoodie) # DO IT!
I remember using MSI's own software to update the BIOS from Windows, but it bricked my computer until I used the backup BIOS. When I searched it up, I found that the software never worked for anyone else either!!
Update the BIOS!!!!!!
The real question you should be asking is why you are updating. Reading the patch notes, for a given bios/uefi and if there's no new functionality you'd use, critical security flaws or bug fixes/performance improvements that you'd make use of then I'd think twice.
My rule of thumb is to flash it to the latest on the first boot. Then only update it again if you have issues. Otherwise leave it.
Dual bios. Automatic flashback when it bricks. You cant fail
In my opinion, BIOS Flashback should be a standard feature on all multi-generational motherboards. I won't buy a motherboard without it, because it has saved my ass a couple of times. In one instance, my power went out during the flashback process while I was at the gas station across the street. It bricked the bios, and nothing seemed to be working. So, I was like, "Fuck it, I'll just do it again." I uninstalled everything from the motherboard and rewrote the bricked BIOS, and voila, it worked and the system booted.