In the event of problems with the motherboard, the purchase of new equipment for the system unit in the BIOS may cause errors. In some circumstances, updating the BIOS is sufficient. But you need to do it with caution and only in those cases when it is really necessary.
Reasons for reflashing
With the help of BIOS, the joint work of all equipment located on the motherboard is ensured. And since processors and RAM are changing quite rapidly, there is a need to improve the compatibility of these devices with the motherboard. With the right approach, it is possible, of course, to harm a computer or other devices with an installed OS, but it tends to zero. The process, as a rule, is short and takes from several seconds to a minute.
Sometimes a flashing may be recommended by the motherboard manufacturer, and this is due to the fact that at the manufacturing stage no defects were noticed
Definition of the current version
Before updating BIOS, you need to check which version is installed on your computer. The newest of them can solve the problems that arise when working with some processors and motherboards, and perhaps you have the latest version.
Verification can be done using OS tools. For example, on Windows, it is carried out through the command line by entering:
- wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion.
In addition, you can use third-party software, for example, msinfo32 or AIDA64.
In other operating systems, which are becoming more widespread as desktop and having the greatest distribution among server - GNU / Linux - this check is carried out through the terminal (console):
- dmidecode -s bios-version.
This command is executed with administrative rights.
Download update
BIOS updates for different motherboard manufacturers are slightly different. They are united by common methods, but the tools, files and instructions are different.
First of all, you need to find out the name and model of the motherboard. This can be done by opening the system unit, finding sales receipts for the purchase of computer components or using special programs that display available information about the equipment.
You need to download the firmware provided by the manufacturer. Searching through a search engine is not worth it, because you can find one of them that can lead to malware infection on computers.
Updates usually come in zip format. After downloading, they need to be written to a boot disk or flash drive.
USB update via BIOS
Motherboards, as a rule, have special modes through which BIOS updates can be installed. You can run it directly from this program or using hot keys after the computer is started.
Updating the BIOS through the BIOS is carried out by installing the first boot device of the one on which the new version of the downloaded firmware was unpacked. After booting from this media, you may need to indicate where the installation file is located.
Gigabyte Motherboard Update Using Q-Flash
Here it is possible to use the previous version. In addition, the BIOS update of Gigabyte-boards can be implemented using the Q-Flash mode:
- To activate it, during the start of loading the system unit, click the End button.
- Files with updated firmware should already be on the appropriate media.
- After choosing this mode, it starts to browse files, in it we select the item “Update BIOS from the drive”.
- Then we indicate the device on which the firmware is saved.
- After confirmation, by pressing the Enter key, a fairly long period of updating the microsystem code starts.
The recording process cannot be interrupted, as this will contribute to the failure of the computer, and then it will be possible to “revive” it only using special equipment.
Update for Gigabyte motherboards from various OS
In addition, the update for this card can be performed from under Windows using the @BIOS flasher program. It is downloaded from the manufacturer’s website, where you need to select the boot option that matches the configuration of the computer.
- After that, we launch the program for updating the BIOS, after killing processes that consume a lot of memory and heavily load the processor and close running programs.
- What's next? In the launched application, select "Update BIOS from a file", indicate where the unpacked firmware is located and begin the recording process.
- After a short period of time, the update will complete.
Similar actions can be performed using GNU / Linux distributions. There, in the ways designed to install programs in this particular distribution, you need to install the flashrom package.
Before updating, it is better to keep the old firmware, so that in case something goes wrong as planned, it can be used later. To do this, the command is given from the root in the terminal:
- #flashrom -r {file_name in which_saved_firmware} .bin;
where {file_name_to_save_firmware_save_file} is the name that is given directly to the firmware.
Then we give the command to install the new firmware in the BIOS using the same command, only instead of the -r switch we enter the -w switch and, accordingly, the name of the new version file. The program can check the installed version (additionally specify the -v switch), and also make the output informative (the -V switch). There are other keys that can be found using the help.
If several chips are used on the motherboard, the choice is made with the -c key.
This system allows not only flashing BIOS, but also saving or recording by loading the nvram module. Then, from the root, using the dd program, it is read from this device to a file:
- dd if = / dev / nvram of = {file_name} .bin.
Settings can be written back by swapping if and of.
Flashing BIOS MSI motherboard
In this case, flashing can be carried out using any available method. The company itself produces the Live Update program, which is capable of updating BIOS for MSI boards in computers. It is undesirable to use it in other gadgets, since such use can lead to unexpected errors, which then will be difficult to fix.
The program is run with administrative rights. It is better not to use the automated version of the firmware, since there are reviews that it does not always work correctly, it is better to download the archive and unzip it.
In the tab "System Information" click on the "Scan" button. The application will search for the necessary firmware, and then click on "Install in Windows".
Updating can also be done when the computer boots, by choosing the M-Flash option. When using it, the input is carried out in BIOS and this name is searched for there. In the option “M-Flash Function as” we set: “Updating the BIOS”.
You can install it like Gigabyte, using the device with the recorded firmware, as the first boot.
On GNU / Linux, the steps are the same as described above.
Flashing BIOS of the HP motherboard on a laptop running Windows
Consider the example of this manufacturer, how to implement a flashing in a laptop.
On his website, download the WinFlash application. BIOS updates on HP laptops with appropriate motherboards are carried out using this program by clicking on the "Start" button. The program will do the rest itself. You can also use the Phoenix Tool.
If suddenly something went wrong:
- Take a flash drive, format it in fat.
- Overwrite the file with the firmware with the extension .fd on it and rename it to a file with the extension .bin.
- Disconnect both the power and the battery, and then press the Super (Win) + V key and hold until the power turns on.
The computer will squeak, but will restore the previous BIOS version.
Flashing BIOS of the HP motherboard on a laptop running GNU / Linux
In GNU / Linux, firmware can be downloaded from the official HP website. True, it will be in EXE format, but it can be unpacked either using wine, or using the 7z program. Only 3 files will be needed from the whole list: one with the extension .bin, the other with .efi and the third with .sl12.
- In the boot section / boot / efi / EFI, create the HP / BIOS folders.
- In it, we create the New directory, in which we place the bin-file, and in the HP / BIOSUpdate directory we place the two remaining files.
- We reboot the laptop, press Esc (F10) (see what is written below) and select File → Update System BIOS.
The firmware is updated when the power is on. The process continues for several minutes. FS on the flash drive should be FAT32 ESP. If you have a network Internet, you can update directly through it using the same menu.
BIOS update for AsRock motherboard
This board has an Instant Flash program integrated into BIOS. With its help, the chip code is rewritten.
The BIOS update of the Asrock-board does not occur in the OS, but through the BIOS shell itself, so here the user intervention is minimal.
You can also upgrade from Windows. To do this, find the downloaded firmware, unpack it and run it with administrative rights. The update will be performed automatically from the command line.
Actions after flashing
You need to study the instructions on your motherboard. If no additional actions are provided there, then they do not need to be performed, except for restarting the computer. Then his work can be tested.
If any failures are noted, then it is better to roll back to the old version of BIOS, which is previously better to save. As it is done in the OS of the GNU / Linux family, it was described above, on Windows this function is built into the corresponding programs with which the flashing is carried out.
Thus, after updating the BIOS, the main action is rebooting.
Finally
As you can see, there are enough programs to update BIOS. First of all, the user must decide whether he needs to reflash the computer, laptop, or he is quite happy with how these devices work at present. After all, as a result of an incorrectly performed update, you can get broken equipment.
If the user still decides to take this step, then he needs to download the firmware from the official websites of the motherboard manufacturers, after finding out the name of a specific model. Then you need to follow the instructions given or search on the manufacturer’s website, since although not so often, the software and BIOS menu items can change.
The most dangerous thing that can happen during an update is a blackout, so it’s better if an uninterruptible power supply is available.