Safe way to update BIOS on ASRock P67Pro3 (B3) ?

I apologize upfront that I'm asking a question that's likely been answered before.

Despite all the Googling, I went ahead and bought myself Windows 10, turned out that it wasn't a bad idea that I chose to install it alongside my Windows 7.

The problem is, I'm having a constant 100% CPU -usage under my Task Manager, despite no process really consuming anywhere near as much as that. The Resource Manager is reporting impossible values, such as 200 million percent and the like. Here's how it looks like: dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/umypj3k74wx47fg/windows10cpu.mp4

The interesting part is, the problem doesn't persist in Safe Mode; while it does happen on both normal and Selective Startup (with non-Microsoft services disabled.)

I've tried all kinds of things like sfc /scannow with absolutely no results, I even posted on the Microsoft forums: answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-performance/windows-10-100-cpu-usage-also-mathematically/39aa4c61-d13d-439f-910f-9996b59cc842

There's people who have mentioned that updating the BIOS version however has fixed this issue for them; unfortunately for me however, it hasn't helped there's also been people who have mentioned issues on Sandy Bridge CPUs after updating the BIOS version which have included, but have not been limited to, blue screens.

So long story short, I'd like to ask if there's a good, hopefully least risky way, to update my ASRock P67Pro3 (Intel B3 revision)'s motherboard version from v1.8 to say v3.3, while using Intel Core i5 2500K, without issues? I've read that skipping v3.1 along the way is not the way to go; and should be v1.8 -> v3.1 -> v3.3.

Again, I apologize for this post, but I'd truly be grateful for any answers one could provide. Thank you! :)

Teutep, sorry. I missed your original post.

Ok. IIRC, flashing to 3.10 FIRST is what you want to do.

And again, IIRC, the flashing procedure will be a two step process. Read and follow closely or you may hose your BIOS.

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Meh, brb. I need to look at a couple things 1st. Your board IS the P67 Pro3, NOT the P67 Pro3 SE, correct?

DO NOT flash your BIOS yet.

Sloooooooow down and take a breath. I know you want a quick fix, but your's (BIOS update) is based on something that has too many variables to make it the right answer for everyone.

Check the date of the 3.30 BIOS. It is 10/15/2013.

Did Windows 10 exist in 2013? No. So how can a BIOS version that was released before Windows 10 existed fix a problem with it? Random chance by something unrelated is the only possible answer, and not something that I would ever think of using as a method of fixing a problem.

The lucky people that were able to fix their Win 10 issue with a BIOS update, used a version that fixed something related to Win 10 IMO. OTOH, I really don't know if that true. Did you ask anyone that fixed this issue with a BIOS update anything about its details?

Also, simply because some people were able to fix this issue (apparently) with a BIOS update does not mean that updating to a BIOS version that was released yesterday, last week, or in December, 2015 will fix the issue.

If you decide to go with the close your eyes and pray method, and hope an old, pre-Windows 10 BIOS version will fix this problem, you MUST apply BIOS version 3.10 FIRST. That is the transition version for Ivy Bridge support, which changes the IME Firmware that is part of the BIOS file. Versions beyond 3.10 do not update the IME firmware, but assume it was updated and expect (require) it to be there.

If the IME firmware update fails, that is what causes a bricked board. But the board being bricked is just caused by a non-functional IME firmware interface to the board and OS. So you could replace the BIOS chip and get your board working again.

I see now the only method of updating to 3.10 and beyond is the Windows executable file method.   When I clicked the link to the corresponding IME software, it was  404 page.   Really doesn't matter, you would use the IME software in the Windows 10 download list.

I wonder what is really causing this problem, and if it really is causing 100% CPU usage, or is it just a case of bad data. The insane value you zoomed in on is obviously bad data. I really wish you had clicked the Performance tab in your video, and had a third party hardware monitoring program like HWiNFO or AIDA64 running at the same time.

If you were really at 100% CPU usage, you would not be able to move the mouse pointer as freely as you did, and have the multiple windows open and running. Not to mention the screen capture/video software you had running, IF that is what it was.

parsec wrote: I see now the only method of updating to 3.10 and beyond is the Windows executable file method. ... If you were really at 100% CPU usage, you would not be able to move the mouse pointer as freely as you did, and have the multiple windows open and running. Not to mention the screen capture/video software you had running, IF that is what it was.

The Windows only is why I stopped.

I asked about inside the BIOS goings on to check that it might be the clock crystal that is bad/defective as it would show there also. ie: wierdness

Hmmmm, stabbing in the semi-dark here.

I wonder if HPET and RTC are conflicting.

Disable RTC Alarm Power On in BIOS > Advanced > ACPI Configuration, and recheck.

Here I only want to disable RTC Alarm Power On. Don't mess with HPET just yet please. Disable RTC Alarm Power On and report back.