Hello friends! In today's article, we are with you update the BIOS of the ASUS motherboard... This is a serious matter and must be treated accordingly. The process of updating the BIOS of any motherboard, although very simple, but any mistake in it will cost you dearly - you will have to return the motherboard to life in the service center, since you probably do not have a special programmer. At the beginning of the article, I will briefly remind you what BIOS is.
How to update BIOS on an ASUS motherboard
BIOS is the most important element of a computer - a microprogram written on a microcircuit, which in turn is located on motherboard.
BIOS - provides basic OS access to the hardware capabilities of the computer. In simple words, the BIOS explains to the operating system how to use this or that computer component.
Immediately after switching on system unit, BIOSchecks all devices ( POST procedure) and if any component is faulty, thena signal is heard through a special speaker by which a faulty device can be identified. Eif everything is fine, BIOS will start looking for the OS bootloader code on the connected drives and find it passes the baton to the operating system.
Now about the not very good. The BIOS update process itself lasts a couple of minutes, but if at this time, the electricity in your house will be cut off, and your computer is not connected to an uninterruptible power supply(UPS), then the firmware will malfunction and you simply will not turn on the computer. To restore, you will have to look for a special programmer ( BIOS recovery- the topic of a separate article).
I must say that manufacturers have foreseen the seriousness of the issue at the dawn of the production of motherboards. completely excluded the possibility of updating or BIOS flashing,only recently, BIOS began to be equipped with a special program for its update. But still,BIOS update of any motherboard usually happens once in its life, and sometimes never at all.
The most important rule is if the work of a computer or laptop youquite satisfied, then nothing needs to be updated, but eif you still decideupdate BIOS, then there must be good reasons. Here is some of them.
Your BIOS does not have any new features. For example, no technology AHCI, but there is only an outdated IDE, but you bought a new one HDD interface SATA III (6 Gb / s) or solid-state in general SSD drive... Technology AHCI will allow your drive to use modern capabilities and the operating system on the new hard drive will run faster than in the IDE. Having visited the website of the manufacturer of your motherboard, you saw that a new update was released on BIOS, you also found out that after the update, your motherboard will supportAHCI! In this case, you can update the BIOS without hesitation.
A friend of mine lost sound on his computer reinstalling windows and the drivers did not help, he decided that the built-in sound card and bought a discrete one, so the system worked for 7 years, then the processor had to be replaced on this computer, this required updating the BIOS, after the update the built-in sound card worked.
One more case. The client was constantly rebooting the computer and reinstalling operating system did not help, replaced everything that was possible in the system unit, did not change only the motherboard and processor. Finally, we decided to install a new firmware on the BIOS and it helped!
In the "System Information" window that opens, we see the BIOS version - 2003
Now go to the official website of the manufacturer of our motherboard ASUSP8Z77-V PRO and choose "Drivers and utilities"
We select any operating system and open the "BIOS" item. We see that there is an update 2104 (a newer version than ours).
Click on the "Global" button and download the firmware.
Fresh firmware for BIOS (P8Z77-V-PRO-ASUS-2104.CAP) downloaded in the archive. We extract it from the archive and copy it to USB-f Leshka. The firmware weighs 12 MB.
The USB flash drive must be formatted in file system FAT32 and apart from updating to BIOS should not contain anything.
Reboot and enter BIOS.
In the initial BIOS window we see old version firmware 2003.
We press "Additionally" and we go to additional settings BIOS.
(Click on the screenshot with the left mouse to enlarge)
We enter the "Service" tab
Select the BIOS firmware utility - ASUS EZ Flash 2 or you may have ASUS EZ Flash 3.
In the ASUS EZ Flash 2 window we see our USB flash drive with firmware P8Z77-V-PRO-ASUS-2104.CAP.
Left-click on the firmware file.
Click "OK"
Update BIOS?
Updating the BIOS in the motherboard Gigabyte board is performed in the event of a problem, to obtain support for new hardware and to improve performance, etc. If the computer is operating normally, you should not flash the BIOS unless you really need to.
BIOS - the basic output-output system, is a microcircuit with microprograms that check and configure the computer hardware, ensure that the operating system is loaded. Modern computers are replacing the traditional BIOS interface with the modern UEFI interface. BIOS chip located on the computer's motherboard.
BIOS chip manufacturers periodically release updates that fix bugs and improve the BIOS code for greater compatibility and efficiency. In some cases, it may make sense to update the BIOS firmware to troubleshoot problems or to improve compatibility with new devices connected to the computer.
It should be borne in mind that updating the BIOS will lead to a loss of warranty. Gigabyte Company draws attention to the fact that in this case, you are solely responsible for possible malfunctions or for equipment failure. If you do not dare to do the BIOS firmware yourself, contact the specialists of the service center or a computer workshop.
Pay attention to the prerequisite that must be followed when updating the BIOS: during the BIOS update process, a power outage can lead to irreversible consequences. Therefore, take care of an uninterruptible power supply that must be connected to the computer while flashing the BIOS to prevent unexpected power outages.
Why did I perform a BIOS update on my computer
A few years ago, a motherboard on my computer failed. It happened, as always unexpectedly, at the most inopportune moment. I had to do a forced upgrade on my PC, I had to replace almost all the computer hardware.
A specific configuration was assembled, based on a motherboard manufactured by the Taiwanese company Gigabyte from parts available in a computer store. The motherboard has a BIOS from AMI - AMI BIOS UEFI.
Gigabyte motherboards support DualBIOS technology. There are two BIOS chips on the system board: the main one and the backup one. In case of failure of the main microcircuit, the BIOS will be restored from a backup copy. In this case, the computer will continue to work. Otherwise, without a backup BIOS, the motherboard would have to be replaced, if there is no way to replace the failed microcircuit.
One day, after turning on the computer, I saw the message: “The Main BIOS is corrupted. The system will be recovered from the Backup BIOS ... ". This message is translated into Russian: “The main BIOS is corrupted. The system will be restored from the BIOS backup. Do not press the power and reset buttons, wait a few minutes for the process to complete. The main BIOS is being updated. "
The BIOS was restored fairly quickly, the operating system booted and continued normal operation. But, upon subsequent switching on of the computer, the BIOS was restored from the backup copy.
I realized that it is necessary to update the BIOS firmware to new version... For the correct choice, pay attention to the chipset revision (I have rev.1.1), which can be seen directly on the motherboard or on the box from the motherboard.
Using specialized programs, for example, you can get some information about the BIOS version installed on your computer in advance. I had version F2, it is no longer on the official site. The latest BIOS version available for my motherboard is F8.
The official Gigabyte website offers three options for updating the motherboard BIOS microcode:
- Updating the firmware directly from the BIOS using Q-Flash utilities(probably the safest way).
- Updating BIOS using @BIOS proprietary utility from Windows.
- Updating BIOS using a DOS utility that needs to be written to external media.
The first two methods are the easiest to use. Novice users may experience difficulties when using Q-Flash in the UEFI BIOS interface. Therefore, in this article we will look at the easiest way: using the @BIOS utility to flash the BIOS on a Gigabyte motherboard.
Updating BIOS on a Gigabyte Motherboard Using @BIOS Utility
The @BIOS utility runs directly from a running Windows operating system. BIOS flashing to the new version takes place in graphical mode.
First you need to download @BIOS from Gigabyte's official website. Unpack the archive, install the program on your computer.
When updating the BIOS, you should be careful:
- Make sure the BIOS version matches your motherboard model.
- Do not interrupt the BIOS flashing process.
- Make sure that you have a power source that you need to use to prevent a power outage from the mains.
- During the upgrade, the operating room Windows system should work stably on the computer.
- Close programs and connections.
To update the BIOS on a Gigabyte motherboard, follow these steps:
- In the Start menu, in the list of programs, find GIGABYTE, click on it, launch the @BIOS program. The utility window will display information about the motherboard model, version and manufacturer of BIOS. On the right side of the @BIOS window there are buttons:
- Update BIOS from GIGABYTE Server - update BIOS from Gigabyte servers.
- Update BIOS from File - update the BIOS from a file previously downloaded to the computer.
- Save Current BIOS to File - saves the current BIOS to a file.
- About @BIOS - information about the program.
- Save the current BIOS to a file on your computer (just in case). Click on the "Save Current BIOS to File" button, select a save location, wait for the operation to complete. If the BIOS is damaged, then there is no point in saving it.
- Click on the Update BIOS from GIGABYTE Server button.
- In the window that opens, select the server from which you want to download the new BIOS firmware. By default, the closest server from the user is offered for selection.
- Confirm your choice to download the BIOS version. The window contains information about the motherboard model, chipset revision, BIOS version selected for updating. Note that for some reason this window showed the BIOS version F7, the latest version of F8 was installed on the computer.
- The file is being loaded from new firmware BIOS to the computer.
Despite the fact that the processor Intel Core The i5-5675C is detected and everything works, you need to install a BIOS that officially supports the fifth generation processors. We go to the official website on the page with the description of the motherboard MSI Z97A GAMING 6, then to the Compatibility section and look current version BIOS for Intel processors Broadwell. The screen is clickable.
V latest version BIOS announced: support for 5th generation Intel Core processors, bug fixed when working with EDRAM (BDD89) and integrated Intel graphics Iris Pro requires VGA driver 10.18.14.4206 or higher. Click on the button: Download.
Unpack the downloaded archive 7917vA1.zip in the root folder of the USB drive (the main thing is the file E7917IMS.A10). Go to the BIOS in the M-Flash section and highlight: Select one file to update BIOS and ME, press Enter. We choose USB stick with BIOS and press: Enter on the keyboard.
Select E7917IMS.A10 and press: Enter.
Next, the computer will automatically restart and the process will start BIOS updates... In the message that appears, we are informed that we cannot remove the USB drive or turn off the computer until the BIOS update is completed.
New BIOS version: E7917IMS V10.1.
After the update, new BIOS options will become available in the Overclocking section: EDRAM Ratio and Adjusted EDRAM Frequency.
EDRAM Ratio - here we can adjust the eDRAM frequency multiplier (L4 cache, 128 MB) or disable it altogether (Disabled). This is necessary in order to keep the cache frequency around 1.8GHz, for example, when overclocking the base frequency (BCLK). But you can also increase the clock frequency of the cache in this way.
The functionality and interface of the BIOS get at least some serious changes quite rarely, so there is no need to update it regularly. However, if you assembled a modern computer, but on the motherboard MSI board an outdated version is installed, it is recommended to think about updating it. The information below is only valid for MSI motherboards.
Depending on how you decided to update, you will have to download either special utility under Windows, or the files of the firmware itself.
If you decide to update from the utility built into the BIOS or from the DOS line, then you will need an archive with the installation files. In the case of the utility that runs under Windows, you may not need to download the installation files in advance, since the utility has the ability to download everything you need from MSI servers (depending on the type of installation chosen).
It is recommended to use the standard methods for installing BIOS updates - built-in utilities or the DOS line. Updating through the operating system interface is dangerous because in the event of a bug, there is a risk of interrupting the process, which can lead to serious consequences up to the failure of the PC.
Stage 1: Preparatory
If you decide to use standard methods, then you need to make the appropriate preparation. First, you will need to find out information about the BIOS version, its developer and the model of your motherboard. All this is needed so that you can download the correct version of BIOS for your PC and make backup already existing.
For this you can use both the built-in Windows tools and third-party software. In this case, the second option will be more convenient, so the further step-by-step instruction considered on the example of the AIDA64 program. She has user-friendly interface in Russian and a large set of functions, but at the same time it is paid (although there is a demo period). The instruction looks like this:
Now download all BIOS update files from MSI official website using this guide:
To perform the installation using the standard method, you need to prepare a USB stick or CD / DVD in advance. Format the media to the file system FAT32 and drop the installation BIOS files from the downloaded archive. Make sure that there are elements with extensions among the files BIO and ROM... The update will not be possible without them.
Stage 2: Flashing
At this stage, consider standard method flashing using the utility built into the BIOS. This method good because it is suitable for all devices from MSI and does not require any additional work other than those discussed above. Immediately after you have dropped all the files on the USB flash drive, you can proceed directly to the update:
Method 2: Update from Windows
If you are not too advanced user PC, you can try updating through a special utility for Windows. This method suitable exclusively for users stationary computers with motherboards from MSI. If you have a laptop, it is strongly recommended that you refrain from this method, as it may cause it to malfunction. It is noteworthy that the utility is also suitable for creating a bootable USB flash drive for updating via the DOS line. However, the software is only suitable for updating via the Internet.
The instructions for working with the MSI Live Update utility are as follows:
Method 3: Via a DOS line
This method is somewhat confusing, as it involves creating a special bootable USB flash drive for DOS and working in this interface. Inexperienced users are strongly discouraged from updating using this method.
To create a flash drive with an update, you will need the MSI Live Update utility from the previous method. In this case, the program itself will download all the necessary files from the official servers. Further actions are as follows:
Now you have to work in the DOS interface. To enter there and do everything right, it is recommended to use this step-by-step instruction:
Updating the BIOS on MSI PCs / Laptops is not that difficult, and there are a variety of ways to choose the one that works best for you.
