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Z170M Pro4S - Failed BIOS Update from 1.40 to 2.40

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=2197
Printed Date: 09 Dec 2024 at 7:42am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Z170M Pro4S - Failed BIOS Update from 1.40 to 2.40
Posted By: MaxaM
Subject: Z170M Pro4S - Failed BIOS Update from 1.40 to 2.40
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 3:24am
Hello all,

I am extremely disappointed that my brand new computer I built last weekend for VR will not boot, even to the BIOS screen. I was receiving MEMORY MANAGEMENT BSOD's and my GeForce GTX970 card was only occasionally being recognized during boot up, so I decided that it was probably necessary to update the BIOS from 1.40 to the most recent 2.40. Since the GTX970 wasn't always being recognized, I had to use the integrated GPU in order to boot my computer. I'm not sure if this is normal but every time I'd power on the computer the fans and lights go on for one second, everything shuts off for about 3 seconds, and then it would boot up.

I formatted a flash drive to FAT32, loaded the 2.40 (Z17MP4S2.40) on the flash drive and used the instant flash option from the BIOS screen to load the new BIOS. It seemed like everything went well until my computer restarted and went to a blank screen. My fans turn on along with my fan controller, but neither my keyboard nor my screen are responding. I left the computer in this state for about 15 minutes, but nothing was responding. At this time I was using the HDMI slot on the integrated on board GPU.

I ended up powering down the computer, unplugging the power cord from the PSU and configured the jumper on the motherboard to clear the CMOS for 30 minutes. Once I put the jumper back in the correct position I powered the computer up and received the same end result.

I really hope you guys have a couple suggestions to get my motherboard in working condition!  

SPECS:

i5-6600k
MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 100ME,PCIE
GSkill NT Series 16GB (F4-2133C15D-16GNT)
Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB,SATA
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1 80+ GOLD
Windows 10 64-bit

Thank you, 

Drew




Replies:
Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 3:27am
Forgot to mention....here was the response that I got this morning from the Asrock support team.  I don't think that they read my full email.

Please try the steps below:

 

o   Remove the mainboard from inside computer to outside. You can place the mainboard on empty mainboard box

o   Things to connect on mainboard is CPU, CPU cooler, video card, 1 HD (with O/S), and 1 memory module only system header (PW switch, reset switch)

o   once you have barebones system setup go to the bios, and load the default setting by press F9 and save exit out the bios.

o   Try to duplicate the problem you had before.





Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 3:37am
You had the right idea clearing CMOS, try using http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=630&title=how-to-clear-cmos-via-battery-removal" rel="nofollow - this method to clear all CMOS data. By removing the battery you also clear the Real Time Clock data as well as a few other hidden registers that the regular jumper clear does not.

If that does not help then post back.


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Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 3:44am
Thank you for the quick response Xaltar!  Seems as though you've seen this problem occur quite often Tongue.

I'll try this when I get home in a few hours.  I'll follow the steps and remove the battery for 10 minutes first.  If that does not solve the problem I'll remove it for over 4 hours overnight and let you know if that solves my problem.


Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 4:43am
Clearing CMOS resolves a lot of issues so I made that little write up to link to so that I didn't have to keep retyping it Tongue The UEFI, unlike the old BIOS system, is actually interactive with the OS and allows the OS to change hidden values that are not configurable by the user. This leads to more frequent writes which increases the chances of corruption.

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Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 5:55am
I really hope it works!  Either way I'll respond and let you know once I get a chance to try it out.


Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 10:37am
Well, I just followed your steps and removed the CMOS battery for 15 minutes with no luck . I'll follow the steps again and leave the battery out for 4 hours. I really hope this works...


Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 12:37pm
Originally posted by MaxaM MaxaM wrote:

Hello all,

I am extremely disappointed that my brand new computer I built last weekend for VR will not boot, even to the BIOS screen. I was receiving MEMORY MANAGEMENT BSOD's and my GeForce GTX970 card was only occasionally being recognized during boot up, so I decided that it was probably necessary to update the BIOS from 1.40 to the most recent 2.40. Since the GTX970 wasn't always being recognized, I had to use the integrated GPU in order to boot my computer. I'm not sure if this is normal but every time I'd power on the computer the fans and lights go on for one second, everything shuts off for about 3 seconds, and then it would boot up.

I formatted a flash drive to FAT32, loaded the 2.40 (Z17MP4S2.40) on the flash drive and used the instant flash option from the BIOS screen to load the new BIOS. It seemed like everything went well until my computer restarted and went to a blank screen. My fans turn on along with my fan controller, but neither my keyboard nor my screen are responding. I left the computer in this state for about 15 minutes, but nothing was responding. At this time I was using the HDMI slot on the integrated on board GPU.

I ended up powering down the computer, unplugging the power cord from the PSU and configured the jumper on the motherboard to clear the CMOS for 30 minutes. Once I put the jumper back in the correct position I powered the computer up and received the same end result.

I really hope you guys have a couple suggestions to get my motherboard in working condition!  

SPECS:

i5-6600k
MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 100ME,PCIE
GSkill NT Series 16GB (F4-2133C15D-16GNT)
Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB,SATA
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1 80+ GOLD
Windows 10 64-bit

Thank you, 

Drew



ASRock generally does not suggest clearing the UEFI/BIOS immediately after a UEFI/BIOS update.

But, I have done that myself (cleared UEFI after an update caused a restart loop) and was Ok afterwards with the PC. But I did one additional thing I want you to try.

First, put the USB flash drive with the UEFI update file (the Z17MP4S2.40 should be 16,384 KB in Windows) in a USB port on the board's IO panel. That is just insurance in case the UEFI update did not complete correctly.

Next try to start the PC. Shortly after it begins to start (~two seconds) press the Reset button on the PC case. I know that sounds like nothing, but it cleared whatever was causing my problem. Do that twice if necessary. If that does not help, let us know.


Nvidia released a new video driver about a week ago (WHQL certified) that they later removed due to all kinds of problems. Their forum and video card manufacture forums were buried in posts about the issue. I'm wondering if you are yet another victim of that driver.


Windows 10 and its Censored automatic, normally unstoppable updates, is the worst thing about Win 10. I can only imagine all the grief that has caused PC owners. I have managed to fight off the Win 10 10586 update that breaks the Teaming option of the Intel network driver on my Z170 Extreme7+ board for several weeks.



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Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 1:00pm
Hmm, interesting. Once I try removing the CMOS battery for four hours I'll give your suggestion a shot! Just to clarify...I don't even get stuck in a restart loop, the fans and fan controller are on but no display or lit keyboard at all.

One thing that I didn't mention was that right before the BIOS update Windows ran a couple updates before it restarted (chose the update and restart option). After it was done I booted directly into the BIOS to perform the instant flash. Not sure if that could have anything to do with my problems.


Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 1:20pm
It's possible the Windows updates is related to your problem. That depends on what the update itself.

I imagine you've seen Windows updates that aren't applied or aren't completely applied until the PC restarts. That is, after POST you'll see the Windows update progress screen displayed.

We'll need to see what happens when you start the PC again.


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Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 2:59pm
Unfortunately pulling the CMOS battery for four hours did not fix my problem. I also tried booting with the flash drive in the on board usb (verified the file size), hit the restart button after two seconds and that did not solve my problem. All of this is while being connected to the integrated gpu through the hdmi which is hooked up to my benq monitor. I never get anything displayed on the monitor. I even tried these steps with everything removed from the motherboard except the CPU and fans. Nothing but the flash drive was plugged into any of the usb ports.

Any additional suggestions? There has got to be a way to get this thing running again!


Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 6:18pm
At this point it sounds like a bad flash, it is rare and very unpleasant but does happen on occasion. Don't panic however because your motherboard uses a socketed BIOS chip which can be replaced. You can find the information you need http://www.asrock.com/support/index.asp?cat=RMA" rel="nofollow - here  to get a replacement. The replacement can come with the BIOS version of your choice preflashed so you can avoid having to flash it again yourself.

In the past a bad flash meant a bricked motherboard, fortunately this is not the case with most ASRock boards today Wink


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Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2016 at 11:46pm
I was really hoping that it wouldn't get to this point!  I just bought the MOBO last Friday, so instead of spending another 15 bucks for the chip I may just return it.  When I get the replacement I still feel like I should update the BIOS to 2.40.  Should I try to flash the new one with only the CPU installed on the MOBO?  What is absolutely required to have hooked up in order to get to the BIOS?  I would be extremely disappointed if it happens again!

 

One last question...

"I'm not sure if this is normal but every time I'd power on the computer the fans and lights go on for one second, everything shuts off for about 3 seconds, and then it would  http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/4121389?cm_mmc=Linkshare-_-datafeed-_-men:shoes:boots-_-1193186" rel="nofollow - boot up ."

Is this normal?  Could I of had a faulty MOBO all along?  It does this even with just the CPU plugged into the MOBO.


Thanks for the help, although I wish the end result was a bit different!



Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2016 at 12:03am
Good luck with the replacement Thumbs Up

When you update the BIOS do the following to make sure you are as safe as possible.

1. Clear CMOS via the same method I linked before once the system is built and before you update the BIOS. (an hour should be enough)
2. Download the instant flash version of the BIOS you want to update to. (again if you have already)
3. Flash the BIOS with only the CPU, cooler and RAM installed in the system.
4. Do not power down the system after the flash, use the reset switch if needed. If there is any kind of problem this will ensure your best chance of correcting it.
5. Use a different flash drive to the one used previously with the bad flash to rule out bad sectors/corruption.
6. Clear CMOS once the flash is complete and the system has posted at least once.

None of the above are rules but they should safeguard, at least to some extent, against another bad flash.

The 3 second power cycle issue was likely due to bad UEFI data, in all instances I have seen this a CMOS clear has resolved the issue. I guess flashing over the potentially bad data could have caused the bad flash. Many resellers test boards before they are shipped, the UEFI retains the information of the last RAM/CPU that was used and this can cause issues.


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Posted By: MaxaM
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2016 at 1:12am
Alright, the store is very far away so I'm not happy about this at all.  I'll probably give this another shot later this weekend.

I saw the 3 second power cycle problem right out of the box, when I first built the computer.  Could it have something to do with my power supply?  I'm not feeling too confident that I've troubleshot everything before determining that it was truly a bad flash.  Maybe the MOBO defaults to the VGA and not the HDMI?  Any way I can probe around on the board to determine that the flash did indeed corrupt the BIOS chip?

Good thing I still have a couple weeks before I receive the Oculus Rift or I'd be realllllllllllly upset right now!


Posted By: Claf1109
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2016 at 12:21pm
Originally posted by MaxaM MaxaM wrote:

I really hope you guys have a couple suggestions to get my motherboard in working condition!  

SPECS:

i5-6600k
MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 100ME,PCIE
GSkill NT Series 16GB (F4-2133C15D-16GNT)
Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB,SATA
EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1 80+ GOLD
Windows 10 64-bit

Hi, 

I've got a very similar setup.

Z170M Pro4S, i5 6600k, MSI 970 Gaming 4G.

I've experienced a few problems too but nothing close to what happened to you. I don't think the nvidia Drivers have anything to do with it (unless you're using a multi-Display setup). I haven't had any problems with the update.

If you don't find any solution, there's always the option to get a new BIOS chip.


Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2016 at 1:48pm
Originally posted by MaxaM MaxaM wrote:

I was really hoping that it wouldn't get to this point!  I just bought the MOBO last Friday, so instead of spending another 15 bucks for the chip I may just return it.  When I get the replacement I still feel like I should update the BIOS to 2.40.  Should I try to flash the new one with only the CPU installed on the MOBO?  What is absolutely required to have hooked up in order to get to the BIOS?  I would be extremely disappointed if it happens again!

 

One last question...

"I'm not sure if this is normal but every time I'd power on the computer the fans and lights go on for one second, everything shuts off for about 3 seconds, and then it would  http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/4121389?cm_mmc=Linkshare-_-datafeed-_-men:shoes:boots-_-1193186" rel="nofollow - boot up ."

Is this normal?  Could I of had a faulty MOBO all along?  It does this even with just the CPU plugged into the MOBO.


Thanks for the help, although I wish the end result was a bit different!



If you just bought the board, I would return it. The situation with the PC starting, stopping and the starting again could be a board problem.

Updating the UEFI/BIOS on a brand new board that has never been used is just adding another possibility to wonder about if the PC has a problem.

When I begin using a new board, I install the bare minimum necessary, CPU, memory, and the OS drive. I start the PC for the first time, and go into the UEFI UI. I let everything run while I explore the options and settings, doing only the most basic changes I need. I'll restart the PC a few times from the UEFI, and when everything seems fine, then I install Windows.

After Windows is installed and I install drivers and basic software, and let the PC be in use for a day or two. Then I will install other drives, a video card, etc, since I am fairly sure everything is working. Later I will consider a UEFI update.

In your first post, you had Win 10 installed and were getting BSODs, so the PC booted Windows at least several times. The problem with your video card not always being recognized could have been caused by things other than a UEFI problem.

When you did the 2.40 UEFI update, was the video card in the PC?


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