MSI B350 Tomahawk - M-Flash unresponsive after initial load (black screen + immovable cursor)

[szymon.zak.officia156a02de]

Hello, I've been battling with a BIOS update and M-Flash to no avail.
I wanted to flash my BIOS from 7A34v1Q7 to 7A34v1QE.

Two questions:
1. Could you try to advise me how to sort out the pesky M-Flash ending up unresponsive? (See the details further down).
2. Would my current 7A34v1Q7 BIOS be enough to run Ryzen 5600 XT?

=> I am not sure the CPU compatibility list has been updated on B350 Tomahawk and that "latest beta bios" next to 5600 XT means 7A34v1QE or some prior beta ver.​

The problem:
M-Flash initially loads, but it ends up wwith a black screen and an immovable cursor. Caps Lock / Num Lock keys appear unresponsive.
Essentially, M-Flash is frozen, nothing else loads up, my USB sticks do not get opened (they are read by BIOS itself, but not by M-Flash).

Things I've done to solve the problem:
1. Unplugged all unnecessary USB devices leaving USB stick + mouse + keyboard (or USB stick + mouse OR stick + keyboard).
2. Tried plugging USB stick, mouse, keyboard in different patterns on the board's I/O panel.
3. Tested 3 different USB sticks formatted to FAT32, 4096 bytes.
4. Yes, I have unzipped BIOS files and put them directly in the main root directory of my USB stick every time.
5. I have tried testing other BIOS versions between 1Q7 and 1QE, to see if it leads to M-Flash loading up anything.
6. I have reset CMOS through JBAT1 shorting.

I suspect I could check these:
a. Windows Pro 10 + BitLocker enabled => disabling BitLocker temporarily
b. RAM => trying with older 2x8 GB set.
c. NVMe M2 drive => taking it out.
d. Trying with DisplayPort.
e. GPU => reverting back from RTX 5060 Ti to older GPU.

At ths point, I am running out of ideas, or getting wrong ideas altogether. I'm tired, boss.

Re: none of the above helped.

The last 2 ideas I've got:
1. Something must be wrong with all the USB sticks I've tried.
2. M-Flash just got corrupted the last time I updated BIOS.

 

[Svet]

Can you tell the full ID of your current BIOS in format: Exxxxyyy.zzz

 

[szymon.zak.officia156a02de]

Can you tell the full ID of your current BIOS in format: Exxxxyyy.zzz

The current BIOS version comes from the file E7A34AMS.1Q7

Anything below for comparison / double check.

From System Information:
BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends International , LLC. 1Q7, 17.07.2022

From CMD:
Then wmic bios get smbiosversion is 1.Q7
Then wmic bios get caption, version is ALASKA 1072009

 

[Svet]

2. Would my current 7A34v1Q7 BIOS be enough to run Ryzen 5600 XT?

Yes, it is.

=> I am not sure the CPU compatibility list has been updated on B350 Tomahawk and that "latest beta bios" next to 5600 XT means 7A34v1QE or some prior beta ver.

They mean since beta 1Q7 and above.

6. I have reset CMOS through JBAT1 shorting.

Have you unplugged the power cord prior this or?
Because for this particular board, the power cord should not be unplugged after power of, prior the jumper position change.

 

[szymon.zak.officia156a02de]

Thanks for confirming the current 1Q7 version would take the CPU in.

Have you unplugged the power cord prior this or?
Because for this particular board, the power cord should not be unplugged after power of, prior the jumper position change.

I don't think I removed the power cord – but I may have turned the power switch on the PSU to the OFF position.

So, just to confirm, sould I keep the power cord plugged with the switch set to ON?

PS
Many thanks for your answers.

 

[Svet]

So, just to confirm, sould I keep the power cord plugged with the switch set to ON?

Yes, but the computer should be turned off.

PS
Many thanks for your answers.

 

[szymon.zak.officia156a02de]

Update on JBAT1 & M-Flash
Okay, I have repeated the JBAT1 shorting. It did change BIOS settings, so CMOS reset completed, I loaded the defaults, rebooted, and tried M-Flash. Unfortunately, M-Flash still freezes before anything loads up.

Good news on CPU upgrade
So, I just installed Ryzen 5600 XT, and it works on .1Q7 BIOS. My GPU got largely unbottlenecked. Now, since it works, I think there's no good reason to update BIOS for the sake of it. This PC should be able to carry me to AM6 release. Hooray!

The end?
Later, I will check whether M-Flash can load one last time. After I replaced the CPU, I noticed additional screens and tiny MSI logo displayed during POST. Maybe it was just validation for the new CPU. At this point, I am super curious if it could've been the old 2600 preventing M-Flash from loading on .1Q7 BIOS.

 

[Svet]

At this point, I am super curious if it could've been the old 2600 preventing M-Flash from loading on .1Q7 BIOS.

Could be, but the main reason is the M-Flash version itself in your current BIOS version.

Good news on CPU upgrade
So, I just installed Ryzen 5600 XT, and it works on .1Q7 BIOS. My GPU got largely unbottlenecked. Now, since it works, I think there's no good reason to update BIOS for the sake of it. This PC should be able to carry me to AM6 release. Hooray!