How Secure Backup works exactly? Z390 Extreme4

Hi,

I have some/maybe issues with my Motherboard Z390 Extreme4. I am not exactly sure if it is faulty.

Yesterday I had a Bluescreen for no reason. No Minidump was created, only kernel power Code 41 in event viewer. Hm...
The PC restartet, first boot was No Video, it restartet again itself and started to Copy BIOS B (Secure BIOS) -> to BIOS A (Main BIOS).

So it was a downgrade from 4.10 to 1.60, even for Intel ME and default settings.

Now I am confused.... Because: Was it the Motherboard itself to detect a faulty BIOS, showing a BSOD and restored the Backup BIOS? I doubt Windows 10 itself said the Motherboard "hey, here is an issue, please copy BIOS B to A". Am I right?

Qestion number 1: How I can force myself to Copy BIOS B to A again on boot, in any cause I run into trouble again, like my PC did itself?

The thing is: Other than my previous Z170 Extreme4 Board, there is no Hardwareswitch to switch betweeen BIOS A and B. It's also not possible anymore to plug out the BIOS chip. It's soldered.

In BIOS there is the option "Secure Backup UEFI (A->B)". I don't understand this option.

It would copy Main BIOS A to Secure BIOS B? Like when I am on 4.10, Bios B will be 4.10, too? That would be the opposite of it, what I am looking for. So I will never touch this function until I know exactly what it is doing.

Since I had the issue, I really wonder, what ASRock wants to say on their BIOS Update page since version 4.00:

*User will not able to flash to previous BIOS once upgrading to this BIOS version. **We don't recommend users to update the BIOS if their system is already running normally.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z390%20Extreme4/index.asp#BIOS

Do they admit, that both BIOS are unstable and not recommended to use?

Morku wrote: Since I had the issue, I really wonder, what ASRock wants to say on their BIOS Update page since version 4.00: *User will not able to flash to previous BIOS once upgrading to this BIOS version. **We don't recommend users to update the BIOS if their system is already running normally. https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z390%20Extreme4/index.asp#BIOS Do they admit, that both BIOS are unstable and not recommended to use?

What that means is that the downloadable BIOS flash utility cannot overwrite BIOS 4.0 or newer with an older BIOS due to software limitation. Since the motherboard did a hardware BIOS B -> A restore that rule did not apply (have seen this with other board makers too) because it was done at a hardware level, not a user software level.

No the BIOS versions are not unstable but no one should ever update BIOS or drivers unless the update actually lists a fix that you know your system may possibly have an issue with.

CHnuschti has been doing some very good research on the BIOS backup stuff and suggest you read his post about it.

Well can't add anything more. I will not fiddling around here with tests how that "shorten the 2 pins" works, since my system works anyway.
It did with Bios 4.00 (taichi ultimate z390) as delivered, and also with Bios 4.10 to which I upgraded myself.

From what you write ("was downgraded to v1.60") you are still supposed to have 1.60 in bios B and 4.10 in bios A? Unfortunately, there is no verification possible, what is indeed in bios B. Badbri stated what has to be said, maybe there are additional obstacles using that "shorten pins" procedure.
It's ridiculos, but maybe only way is that you have to emulate a restore situation as I experienced, mounting a faulty graphiccard, that eventually and maybe will trigger the restore a->b in consequence as supposed to work as default. Grotesque!

The point IMO not really clear is how that "shorten pins" exactly has to be applied, as adviced by other (JZ in this case).
Options would be 1) "shorten", then take cap away, then start/boot. Or 2) "shorten", leave cap until it reboots and take cap off exactly then. Don't know, maybe this changes the behaviour?
This try&error thread reports adventurous enterprises around the topic: http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4473&PN=1&title=z270-supercarrier-09-d0-cant-go-to-backup-bios

Good to know, that I am not alone?

When my motherboard started the B to A process by itself (a Bluescreen was ahead this process...) it was totally fine. PC rebooted, worked and was on P1.60.

With the pin shorten method it just didn't work as stated in my post. When the pin cap stays on motherboard, the B->A process starts over and over.

And yes, my BIOS B should be still 1.60 since I have never touched the option to Backup A->B. And I never will
The stock BIOS is for me: starting from scratch. If I would backup A to B, I could never verify that there is no issue in A.

Who knows, why the Backup process started??

And since this experiment brought my board shortly to a bricked Motherboard, I won't try again.

When Windows crash again, this Motherboard will go to ASRock RMA.
I already run Intel Processor Diagnostics, Memtest86+, CrystialDiskInfo, chkdsk, sfc and the result is fine everywhere.