P7N Diamond & P7N SLI Platinum & P7N SLI-FI

[Svet]

The main purpose of those Betas ===> Solved the Video Corruption and fix 9.5 CPU Ratio Multiplier for E8500.


P7N Diamond       ==>      A7510NMS.121 {06/06/2008} (V1.2B1) Attachment: P7N Diamond v121.rar

P7N SLI Platinum ==>      A7380NMS.124 {06/06/2008} (V1.2B4) Attachment: P7N SLI Platinum v124.rar

P7N SLI-FI        ==>        A7380NMS.211 {06/06/2008} (V2.1B1) Attachment: P7N SLI-FI v211.rar


<hr>

*** Flashing either of these BIOS' are at your own risk. Do not complain if you end up with a paper weight! ***


Flashing the safe way:

Use Method 1 or Method 2, both will do the same job.


Use it at own risk.
Before you flash!!:

Make and ensure PC is stable before proceed, remove any OC if you have.
Flash it via DOS mode by booting from USB key, CD/DVD.

 

[Svet]

P7N SLI-FI  Attachment.

 

[loonym]

This bios should also help yorkfield users who have been missing 8.5 multi with q9550 or x3360. Just a side note for those who may have fsb overclocking problems after flashing this bios. It seems Spread Spectrum is enabled by default at the auto setting. If you hit F4 in Cell Menu you will have the option of disabling this.

 

[autumnale]

I downloaded and flashed the P7N Diamond BIOS because I have that video corruption problem.  I thought it was just an unstable overclock.  I was wondering why memtest and orthos passed fine but VLC video playback would crash my computer.  I'm going to test some video playback now and see if the problem is fixed.  It might be a little difficult though.  The video corruption thing is unpredictable.  It seems to happen more often if you try to play two DVDs at the same time though.

Another note on the beta BIOS.  The S3 sleep still doesn't work for me in Vista 64.  I am fairly certain that Vista 64 just doesn't support S3 sleep.    I'm too lazy to install Vista 32 to prove it though.  Someone else test the S3 sleep with the P7N Diamond and report back.

Other than S3 sleep not working, I was able to overclock my E8400 with the same settings I used with the official 1.1 BIOS.

The UBS keyboard works fine with the new BIOS too.  It was giving me some problems at first but now there are no problems getting into the BIOS setting screen by pressing DEL on my USB keyboard.

Oh and one final thing...  There better not be a virus on this BIOS or I'm going to be so very, very pissed. 

 

[autumnale]

Um spread spectrum was disabled by default with me.  I had to run it with default BIOS settings after the flash because the CMOS checksum was bad.  That back button totally didn't work.  Of course I didn't really bother reading the directions about how long you have to press that button. 

I just pressed F1 to load default settings in the BIOS and then saved the setttings.  It worked fine after that.

Anyways...

I'm playing 4 DVDs at the same time using VLC.  The video corruption seems to be gone.  I'll report back if the video corruption problems rears its ugly head.

So far, everything works fine with my E8400.  No problems so far with my overclock to 4.0ghz.  *Knock on wood three times* 

Hopefully an official BIOS will come out soon with the fix so I don't have to run a BETA BIOS full of nasty BOSSKILLER germs.    Just kidding.  Thanks for the upload.  Fixed my problems.

 

[ido123]

If anyone could give me step-by-step instructions for flashing the BIOS on a P7N Platinum with Vista x64 and no floppy drive, it'll be greatly appreciated. What I need to know is how to  create a USB boot disk, how to use it to boot the computer, and how to finally activate the update file.
Sorry for the n00b question, but so far I've only been able to find old instructions aimed at machines very different than mine. For example, someone gave me a link to some program which was released on 2003 and was only meant to work on win32 systems. Who knows what it'll do on a Vista x64.
I just wanna know how to update the BIOS safely without messing up my machine.

BTW, this isn't an update for advanced overclockers who wish to push their machines to their limits even more. This update is supposed to fix a very serious and very common issue which prevents normal, average users from watching videos on their machines. You can't tell your clients they can only watch videos "at their own risk", and "not complain if you end up with a paper weight".  MSI is obliged to help us fix this thing.

 

[loonym]

Um spread spectrum was disabled by default with me. 

By default it's set to auto, did you not clr cmos before proceeding to setup new bios?

 

[Svet]

@ido123

>>Use the MSI HQ Forum USB flasher<<
Guide: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=116721.0
If you have troubles booting from USB key, format your USB key with http://www.pctipp.ch/ds/28700/28790/HP_USB_Boot_Utility.exe { Just format }, then run the MSIHQ Tool to prepare the USB key and boot from it

 

[ido123]

Yeah, sorry, I just realized there was a link in the thread itself leading to the page with the flash tool. Thanks, I'll try that now.

 

[ido123]

Wow, that tool worked perfectly (once I reformatted the USB drive). Don't know how come I haven't noticed it earlier. Bless all of you software experts.

Now let's see if the video corruption is gone

 

[autumnale]

By default it's set to auto, did you not clr cmos before proceeding to setup new bios?

Um...  I pressed the CMOS clear button for like 2 seconds or something.  it still went to CMOS checksum was bad.  It really wasn't a big deal.  I just loaded defaults and saved the settings.  The checksum was good after that.  it was just the settings didn't match the BIOS I think.  not a biggie.

 

[Jack the Newbie]

Um...  I pressed the CMOS clear button for like 2 seconds or something.  it still went to CMOS checksum was bad.

That is normal after clearing CMOS.  Remember, the CMOS data is cleared, not re-set, just zeroes everywhere.  That is why you get that message.

 

[ido123]

Played videos all night long- no video corruption.

Hooah!

 

[gamin]

flashed 1.2b1 bios. no more video corruption (left my computer playing DVDs and DivX/Xvid all night long in repeat mode), 9.5 multiplier is back for my E8500, everything very stable... do I need to say more ? actually, the best bios available for the P7N Diamond for "normal users".

thanks bosskiller for uploading this one

 

[ido123]

I just got a BSOD when inserting a music CD. Don't know if it's related to the BIOS update.
The problem did not repeat itself after I restarted and tried again.

 

[DragonSpawn]

I flashed with the P7N Diamond beta bios a couple of days ago. Flash was successful. I did not recieve the video corruption for several days, until today.  Still seems like there is some problem yet to be fixed. I was just playing a short video clip and it suddenly struck. I got the regular green distortions as seen before, however mine always used to be vertical, today they were vertical which seems a tad odd

 

[Immunity]

Man, this video corruption issue has been causing me to tear my hair out since February 08 when I bought the board, glad I've finally tracked it down - though I'm somewhat disheartened by the last comment.

Noobish question - is clearing the CMOS absolutely necessary after a BIOS update?
I'm not really comfortable poking around inside my case apart from swapping a graphics card or hooking up power cables.
Have never done a BIOS flash before - and it doesn't help that they scare the sh*t out of you at every turn regarding them.

So again, would NOT clearing the CMOS jumper thingy prevent successful update/boot?

 

[Jack the Newbie]

Noobish question - is clearing the CMOS absolutely necessary after a BIOS update?

Yes, it is recommended to clear CMOS with main A/C power cable removed from PSU.  There might be small changes in data structeres between BIOS Versions.  Not clearing CMOS and resetting BIOS settings after flashing can have unexpected side effects.

I'm not really comfortable poking around inside my case apart from swapping a graphics card or hooking up power cables.

You don't need to "poke around" anywhere.  You simple need to unplug the main A/C power cable from your PSU, which is outside the case, hit the power-on button to drain capacitors and then press the little button on the back panel of your board for a couple of seconds.  That means you don't even have to open your case to clear CMOS.

So again, would NOT clearing the CMOS jumper thingy prevent successful update/boot?

If you restart your system after clearing CMOS, the BIOS will display an error message and prompt you to reset your BIOS settings, that's it.  Nothing to be afraid of.  The only risk involved is the BIOS Update itself, not the CMOS Clear.

 

[Immunity]

Well - I think I updated successfully. Had to use that HP USB Boot Utility (Drive Key) + MSDOS files I grabbed off the net to get my key to boot. You guys really ought to add that to your guide you link off of here and save people some trouble

It ran for about 40 seconds, gave me a BIOS Update successful. Shut off PC, unplugged PSU, held that little button down about 5 seconds (nothing happened). Rebooted and used F1 to Load Optimized Defaults. Hasn't exploded yet!

I poked around in my bios trying to confirm the version update, either I'm really blind or it ain't there. However, in my registry the fields System Bios Date reads 06/06/08. For some reason however System Bios Version reads _ASUS_-20080606.

Asus? I thought this was an MSI board? I used the link off the top of this thread for my P7N Platinum board. Ah well.

Thanks for the help and I'll report back and see if the video distortion/hardfreeze is gone.

 

[Frankenputer]

>>User guide: MSI HQ USB BIOS Flash Tool<<

->Q: When I tell the system to boot from my USB Flash Drive nothing happens or I get an error message telling me there is no operating system. What can I do?

A: 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. Reformat your USB Flash drive with >>this tool<< and re-run the MSI Forum HQ USB Flashing Tool. For future usage you can skip this step, it need to be done only once if your stick needs adjustment.

It's in the Common Problems & Solutions section of the USER GUIDE.