How Secure Backup works exactly? Z390 Extreme4
Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12032
Printed Date: 21 Jun 2024 at 1:33pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: How Secure Backup works exactly? Z390 Extreme4
Posted By: Morku
Subject: How Secure Backup works exactly? Z390 Extreme4
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2019 at 5:49pm
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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:
https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z390%20Extreme4/index.asp#BIOS Do they admit, that both BIOS are unstable and not recommended to use? |
*User will not able to flash to previous BIOS once upgrading to this BIOS version.Replies:
Posted By: CHnuschti
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2019 at 8:55am
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It's indeed one unique questionable "feature" that leaves you only praying that the restore process will indeed start by itself (on not very documented conditions) and copy bios b to a without (officially) give you any other means to take active action. The option "secure backup uefi (a->b)" just copies your current bios a to bios b, so you'll have an exact copy there. That's all. See my post here, i've investigated a bit: http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11736 |
Posted By: badbri
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2019 at 9:57am
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. ------------- https://www.passmark.com/baselines/V9/display.php?id=99573335296 |
Posted By: Morku
Date Posted: 30 Jul 2019 at 2:16am
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Thank you! Related to your posts, I have tried BIOS Security Backup B->A myself by shorten the pins. This forced indeed the Security Backup B->A when start the system, BUT instead to be back again on P1.60 it resultet into a No POST reboot loop :( over and over. I stoped after 15 times. Tried to start again, still the same. So I shorten the Pins AGAIN.... luckily it started again. After end, the PC started fine, BUT..... I was still on P4.10 with all my custom settings in BIOS. Only Intel ME was downgraded by this process. So the BIOS Backup process was completly useless this time and resulted only in a short moment of trouble. I had to update BIOS again anyway to have Intel ME updated. What did I wrong? ASRock??? Also guys, I have a question. When you run "wmic bios get serialnumber" in cmd.exe do you get your motherboard serial? Or do you get "To Be Filled By O.E.M." Thank you. |
Posted By: CHnuschti
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2019 at 5:28am
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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 |
Posted By: CHnuschti
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2019 at 5:31am
| Erm, must correctly read : "and maybe will trigger the restore b->a" |
Posted By: Morku
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2019 at 2:17am
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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. |