Forum USB flashing tool!!! ✔

[Svet]

Hi guys,

We the forum team have developed a new way of flashing.
You no longer need a floppy or anything, just an USB-stick.

The tool has been tested together with MSI and as far as we have done our testing, there are no problems at all.
As long as the USB-stick is FAT or FAT32 formatted!

However, flashing is always risky, so if it goes bad it's your own fault, but that goes for all flashing you do.

This tool is intended to flash MSI retail motherboards and laptops,
but if needs you can use any other machine to prepare the necessary stuffs and the USB stick there,
before move the USB stick to the msi product that you want to flash.


The way it works is simple: Download the package and download the BIOS from the MSI website that you want to flash.

The rest is straight forward.

Make sure that your board is set to be able to boot from USB.
So turn on USB Legacy Support in the BIOS.
Boot and press F11 to get the boot-popup and select your USB-device to boot.
(some boards have a different key, like K8N Master uses ESC for the boot-menu)

What ever you do, make sure you read all warnings!

The forum nor MSI is responsible if it fails for you.
Nor is this software supported by MSI technical support!


Please report problems/bugs if you find them.


currently supported OS ( 64 bit):
Windows Vista, Windows 7 (also Windows in Virtualbox under Linux!), Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10
(all kind of versions)



NOTE: If you are having problems getting your USB device to boot correctly, you may need to format it correctly as the geometry data may be incorrect. You can do that by pickup option "Fix My USB key" from the Tool or by using >>> Rufus Tool <<< tool and make it bootable with "FreeDOS"!
For future usage you can skip this step, it need to be done only once if your stick need adjustment.


This topic is for discussion of and help with the USB flash tool only. If you have a problem with your PC and need help then do not hijack this topic, please start your own new topic in the correct area of this forum!

NEW! >>> Read the comprehensive user guide here! <<<




The download links are listed below:


>> tool96 <<

attached files are visible for logged-in users.

pass: 1562

 

[mssurrey]

BK,

I have just built a new computer, with an MSi P6N sli platinum MB, which I want to setup with a bootable Raid 1 array.  However, over the last few days, I've tried everything to setup a bootable raid array but keep getting an error message when installing XP saying that ' File txtsetup.oem caused an unexpected error (512) at line 1747....'  I've contacted MSI who tried various thing - but nothing worked.  So they told me to update my BIOS.  I have therefore temporarily 'setup' the new machine with only one hard drive (naturally not in raid).  I have partitioned the one drive (c: =10gb and f: = 290gb approx) and installed XP on c: drive.  As the new machine has no internet access, I obviously, can't download anything to that machine so I am using a basic dell computer (MB unknown) to download onto a floppy or USB drive.  I would then have to copy any files across to the drive on the new computer and update that way.  Alternatively, I have to update the BIOS on the new machine by doing it through DOS (I assume i would 'uninstall' XP by deleting the partition in order to do this?)?

Are you saying that I can't use the dell machine to download the files onto the USB pen drive?

 

[Svet]

"AS I'm trying to update the BIOS of a new computer that does not have a connection to the internet (only bacis XP at this moment"
"Are you saying that I can't use the dell machine to download the files onto the USB pen drive?"

you can, but can't run tool into Dell PC, since its works with MSI boards only. but you can trasnfer it to the MSI board(which doesn't have internet yet) and run it from there.
on the Dell PC, download the Tool and BIOS .zip file from MSI web and copy it both to the your USB key.
then move your USB key to the MSI board, logon into Windows and copy both files(tool and bios .zip archive file) to some folder into HDD.
then execute the tool,(from HDD folder) and point to the .zip file when asked, when its finished reboot PC and boot from your USB key.

 

[Frankenputer]

BK means reboot the MSI board with the USB key to flash, not reboot the Dell with the utility   :lol_anim:

 

[mssurrey]

BK / FP,

OK i've downloaded the tool (standalone) from this forum and the zip file sent to me by MSI via email onto my USB flash drive (I haven't extracted/unzipped the zip files).

I've plugged the USB flash drive into a usb port on my new computer and i've copied them both to ONE folder on the new partitioned hard drive f:

Now do I point to the zip file on the flash drive or that has been doenloaded into the same folder on the HDD as the tool utility?

How do I know it will boot from the flash drive when in my existing BIOS only shows the facitilty to 'Boot from other device'.  If I plug the flash drive in BEFORE , then it will try to boot from the flash drive on initial startup.  If I plug the flash drive in afterwards, I won't be able to access the BIOS to change the boot to 'other device' and I won't know if the flash drive is recognised ???

 

[mssurrey]

Also,  when I've downloaded the Tool and Zip file to the hard drive, do I erase both files from the USB flash drive before executing in windows ?

 

[Aaron]

mssurrey,

Keep everything on the hard drive, the tool will put everything on the USB stick for you.

Press F11 during POST to get boot menu then select flash drive/removable etc.

 

[mssurrey]

AY,

So I should delete both files from the USB drive first before executing  (at the moment they are both on my HD and on the USB Flash drive? ???

 

[Aaron]

OK, put the BIOS .zip file and the USB flash tool on your hard drive.

Delete the tool and .zip file from USB stick.

Put any data on the USB stick you may need on your hard drive, because the tool formats the USB stick. [Tool doesn't format USB stick]

Start the USB tool executable.

Point it to where your BIOS .zip file is.

Select the BIOS .zip file.

Then tell the tool your letter of the drive by simply pressing the letter key, for e.g "J".

Let the tool do it's thing, once it's finished restart.

Press F11 to get into boot menu, select USB stick and boot from it.

The HQ USB flashing tool is more of a preperation tool, it doesn't literally do the flashing.

Undo any overclock if you have one, also make and ensure rig is stable

Good luck.

 

[mssurrey]

Flash Done Successfully!

Thanks guys.

 

[Frankenputer]

Good news


BTW, you do not need to remove anything from your USB drive. The tool will not destroy any data on the drive nor will it format the drive. The utility was made so that it would not destroy any data existing on the USB stick. The utility puts the necessary files on the USB stick to make it bootable and to flash the bios.

 

[Aaron]

Flash Done Successfully!

Thanks guys.

Congrats.

FP,

I thought it would format the stick just incase any files on the stick could intefior. Whenever I use the tool the stick is always blank anyway, so I can't really tell if a format takes place or not. :lol_anim:

 

[Svet]

@Hello, AaronYuri
like Frankenputer said,



The Toolfew cents more,)

* do not format the target drive, all data on target drive will remain intact.
* do not required any system files.(in same time, it doesn't contain any system files itself)
* the Tool is using exclusive access of operation with the target drive, which means users may have open files on the target drive when the its processing with drive.(open documents, listening music or whatever when the drive processing, the tool will do the job without problems)
* The tool don't care what file system is using the drive FAT or FAT32.(tool will find everything automatically and takes corespond actions)
* The tool don't care how the target drive is formated (with MBR or not), (tool will find everything automatically and takes corespond actions)
* The tool don't care what OS users are running. (high compatibility, with 32bit, 64bit any kind of Microsoft OS)
* The tool is fully functional in Safe Mode as well.(can be usefull in specific cases)


"I thought it would format the stick just incase any files on the stick could intefior"
there is no such case, the tool is inspecting target drive and perform cleanup each time, the same stick can be used multiple times with different type BIOS or version without problems.

@mssurrey,
you have done well  , along with whymas in this topic.

 

[Aaron]

Ah well, I know it don't format now.

Cheers for the detailed answer BK.

 

[uid313]

I have downloaded and ran this tool. I extracted the ZIP file and ran USBMSIHQ.exe.

It asked for the BIOS, I supplied it with 7360v11.zip.
It asked me for USB flash drive, and i typed the letter "G" which is my Kingston DataTraveller USB 2.0 (1gb memory stick), which contains about 28 megabyte data.
It apparently wrote amiflash.exe and bios.bin to the USB flash drive. It then asked me to restart the computer, and closed the tool in 5 seconds. It then counted down from 30 seconds to 0 and restarted the computer. The USB flash drive also got a MSI icon now.
I pressed the F11 key as instructed, and the motherboard showed me a boot menu. I picked the Kingston USB memory, and pressed enter. The screen became black, and it waited couple seconds, and then it booted Windows XP.

I have the MSI P35 Neo motherboard or the MSI P35 Neo-F as it apparently sometimes is called. My motherboard has BIOS 1.0, and I try flash it with 1.1 and apparently that does not work.

P.S, how do I get rid of this thing from the USB flash memory?

 

[Svet]

go to BIOS and locate option named "USB KB/Storage(Legacy) Support" and ensure its Enable, then retry to boot from USB key.

 

[uid313]

go to BIOS and locate option named "USB KB/Storage(Legacy) Support" and ensure its Enable, then retry to boot from USB key.

I believe do not have an entry called "USB KB/Storage(Legacy) Support".
However under "Integrated Peripherals", I do have "USB Controller" and "USB Device Legacy Support", both of which are Enabled.

I also tried to change the boot sequence so the 1st entry is the USB flash stick.

 

[Svet]

I believe do not have an entry called "USB KB/Storage(Legacy) Support".
However under "Integrated Peripherals", I do have "USB Controller" and "USB Device Legacy Support", both of which are Enabled.

I also tried to change the boot sequence so the 1st entry is the USB flash stick.

if can't boot from your USB stick use alternative way:
flashing from CD/DVD Guide:
http://www.bios-chips.com/e/bios-boot-cd.htm

 

[uid313]

if can't boot from your USB stick use alternative way:
flashing from CD/DVD Guide:
http://www.bios-chips.com/e/bios-boot-cd.htm

Maybe my motherboard is not able to boot from USB, maybe it was buggy and don't work.

Do you know if the FreeDOS LiveCD can be used?

 

[Svet]

Maybe my motherboard is not able to boot from USB, maybe it was buggy and don't work.

Do you know if the FreeDOS LiveCD can be used?

"Do you know if the FreeDOS LiveCD can be used?"
follow guide in the link which i give you. dunno for the LiveCD could be but can't give you details about it.
if you got floppy in a system, you can made bootable diskette and boot from it, then change to C: (expected drive letter for your USB drive, and flash it from there)

"Maybe my motherboard is not able to boot from USB, maybe it was buggy and don't work. "
there can be few reasons for that:
* the currently BIOS version onboard unable to initialize USB key property. (you can try your USB key at current status in another machine.)
* the USB key is a problematic itself, have meet few examples with cheap PQI sticks which can't boot by any way at any board. the only way to boot from it was create MBR table (without it forget to boot) and to format the USB key in FAT32.(in FAT16 refuse to boot too with or without MBR..). only in those condition the PQI sticks booting property..

 

[Svet]

new version is ready, there are no bugs detected. the new version contain only improvement and new features.

Version History:

1.14
 

- when user must choice the BIOS file archive, after that the Tool will investigate user choice and if its invalid(filename of path name) will notice user about it and to retry with newest selection, instead to terminate without notice.

- adding a new way of USB Drive device parameters detection system which boost detection speed up to 500% on the large storage's or heavy fragmented volumes.The current way of detection will be used for backup option and will be activated only when the 1st detection got a failure. e.g. the current existing procedure just in case will be used as backup option, but will be activated only if the 1st one got a failure. also added a bar indicator of % completed task

-- adding Auto Detection system for USB Drives connected to the system, but the tool will not perform at his own based on the result. reason for that is that user may have more than one USB key connected in same time, or user may preffer to use some other storage with FAT or FAT32(not USB one, which is also supported by the Tool). The detection will be only as recommendation and to be more comfortable and easy when user need to choice the USB drive letter

- adding feature about user to point directly to the BIOS file. it will be usefull when user flashing Beta BIOS or just got BIOS file only.
The Tool will examine user choice and will auto determinate what kind of BIOS is it and will take care about it with corespond further actions.
Also if user choice some other file which is not a BIOS file the Tool will know that and will notice the user that the file inserted is everythink else but not a
valid BIOS file.

- improved user interface with Gui Mode

- improved user dialog in x64bit OS, and Vista.

- improved compatibility when working in restricted accounts.


Download location at the 1st post of this topic.