!!! Warning: Z490 boards - problem with recent BIOS updates !!!

citay

Pro
SERGEANT
Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Messages
25,189
There is a common problem with the latest BIOS updates for Z490 boards: The update seems to finish, the PC reboots, but then it's stuck with the EZ Debug LED "CPU" being on.

The danger has first appeared with the April/May 2021 BIOS update (changelog: "Improved Audio compatibility"), and may continue with newer updates as well, potentially causing the same issue: The board can become unusable / "bricked" because of a failed flash process.

Note that there is no risk of this with BIOS updates for MSI mainboards using other chipsets (like Z390, B460, Z590, B560, Z690, B660, X470, B450, X570, B550, and so on).
This can only happen on MSI Z490 boards. People with other boards can update normally.

The first reports about a Z490 BIOS update causing problems was at the beginning of May 2021: z490 Tomahawk CPU Debug LED Stuck on after latest BIOS update
Then in May 2021, this thread: Warning : V17 bios for Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi release Monday may brick your board., and several more after.

I have found no reports of problems with any of the earlier BIOS updates, only with the ones from mid-2021 and newer. Also, this problem doesn't happen all the time, otherwise this forum would be absolutely flooded with complaints. But it is a real danger, as you will see below when i list some of the affected users.

Normally i'm all for updating the BIOS, and i do it pretty much immediately on my boards whenever a new BIOS is released. And this Z490 issue is the first such problem i ever saw. But the main problem is: Unlike some newer-generation boards, most of the Z490 boards have no way of recovering from it. For most people, the only way to solve this would be to RMA the board, or try their luck with an external BIOS programming device. The only Z490 boards where it's no problem are the two sister boards MEG Z490 UNIFY and ACE, and the MEG Z490 GODLIKE, because those three have a USB Flashback function (Flash BIOS Button). There you can flash back to an older version and the board works again, or you can even flash the newest version until it works (once the BIOS is successfully flashed, even the three newest versions will work fine).

The newer Z590, Z690 and Z790 boards now almost all have a Flash BIOS Button (and corresponding USB port) on the rear I/O panel through which users can "force-flash" the BIOS in case of problems. So i guess MSI rather add that function everywhere now, instead of dealing with RMAs of bricked boards when something goes wrong. Once you have this "USB Flashback" feature on a board, a problem like this becomes harmless, because you can just re-flash the latest BIOS and make it work again.

I have researched about all the users i could find that have been affected by this, so everyone can see the full scope of the problem. I don't think i exaggerate when i claim that this is a huge problem for MSI and their reputation, and to my knowledge, they have not reacted until this day. They released the September BIOS update for Windows 11 compatibility, and while such an update went well on my Z590 board at the time, as expected (plus it has the safety net of the Flash USB Button), there are still reports of the similar Z490 update potentially causing this problem there. Each day, there are many people updating their BIOS on MSI mainboards without any issues, and only on Z490 boards we see this kind of problem.

As a longtime MSI user, this kind of problem with the Z490 boards is unacceptable, even if i don't have a Z490 board myself.
Therefore, i decided to try to bring further attention to it, so hopefully MSI can do something about it as soon as possible.

Update October 7, 2021: MSI are now seemingly aware of this issue, as was confirmed on a German forum by an official MSI account. I will update this post/thread if there is any progress.

Update October 29, 2021: A user received a link from MSI with a tool for manual flashing from the command line. However, this is just an interim solution if you absolutely want to update to the newest Z490 BIOS and reduce the risk of failure. We are still waiting for them to upload new BIOS updates where this potential problem is 100% fixed.

Update March 6, 2022: Still no solution from MSI.

Update August 17, 2023: Still nothing from MSI, although there are considerably less cases now than there have been two years ago, we barely get any new victims. So maybe the newest BIOS versions are way less problematic again. As for updating an MSI Z490 board, i now recommend using the Forum Flash Tool as linked here. There has been no corrupt Z490 BIOS reported with it yet.


If the problem already happened, the best do-it-yourself solution by far is this kind of method with an external flash programmer (bit more info here), it has a 100% success rate from what i have read so far. Meaning, more or less everyone that seriously tried that method could eventually flash their BIOS with it and get the board back to a working state. So for everyone wanting to avoid a possibly lengthy RMA process, this is a viable option. The programming device is quite cheap, but it involves a bit of research and spirit of adventure. Luckily, there are good guides about it on Youtube for example.


One final word: It is important not to be put off from doing BIOS updates altogether by this. BIOS updates fix bugs, add new features, and they even improve performance. It is extremely rare that a whole line of mainboard models has such a potential problem. So, nobody should conclude never to do any BIOS updates again, that would be the wrong thing to learn from this. Instead, once this problem is fixed for the Z490 boards, the BIOS updates can once again be an important way to make the system work better, faster, and with less bugs. On other boards with a Flash BIOS Button as a safety net, there is literally no reason to shy away from any BIOS updates. Even here with the Z490 boards, whenever users with the the boards Z490 ACE, UNIFY or GODLIKE were affected, they could easily recover from it using the Flash BIOS Button. This problem could only become so big because all the other Z490 board models from MSI didn't have the Flash BIOS Button yet.


Statistics:
Affected total users (from this list and from further replies to this thread): 183
Users that could fix it themselves using the Flash BIOS Button (
Z490 ACE/UNIFY/GODLIKE): 9
Users that could fix it themselves using an external programming device: 12
Users who did an RMA with the vendor or MSI for a fix/replacement: 56
RMA declined because of existing unrelated damage on the board: 4
Users that bought a new board themselves: 9
No further information / no RMA yet: 93

Users that updated via MSI Center / Dragon Center Live Update: 85
Users that updated via M-FLASH in the BIOS: 66
Update method unknown:
32


List of affected users i have found on the forum, as of first posting this thread:

(Roughly in chronological order)

User: @datz.bunz
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C80v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Bought a replacement board (ASUS)

User: @mace014ea02cd
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C80v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Got a replacement board

User: @dr_overflo153302df
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C80v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Bought a replacement board

User: @sixpackvbal129b02ae
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C80v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI, got his repaired board back

User: @mark.hadda156c02dd
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk?
CPU: 10850k
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C80v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @mickh5494
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: v17
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI?

User: @kenneth.cotma151802d1
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490I Unify
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through vendor, sent to MSI for repair

User: @anglnotre15dd02f0
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Plus
CPU: 10600K
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA, got his repaired board back with older BIOS vA6 on

User: @lesurvenan152302d4
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: 10600K
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v17
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI?

User: @sa3aa14e902d9
Date of failed flashing: May 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v17
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Goes "back to ASUS"

User: @jallu_col129b02ae
Date of failed flashing: June 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Carbon Wifi
CPU: 10900K
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA denied due to small scratch on the board. Bought a replacement board from different brand

User: @Own3d
Date of failed flashing: June 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi ?
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI

User: @luis.stuardo2151c02d3
Date of failed flashing: June 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Carbon Wifi
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. It will be "his last board from MSI"

User: @tehjacku151402ce
Date of failed flashing: June 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA denied by MSI (didn't go into detail), got a replacement through insurance

User: @mark.robinson198127b02ab
Date of failed flashing: June 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @dj3for10
Date of failed flashing: June 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. "Contemplates life in front of dead PC"

User: @jwilby8160102f6
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Carbon Wifi
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through vendor

User: @ferran.duarr157e02dd
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490I Unify
CPU: 11700
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through vendor

User: @Rubik
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490I Unify ?
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Successfully repaired it by using a BIOS programmer,

User: @janschulteortbec154a02d3
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490I Unify ?
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @hardcore_gamer29
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: 10900K
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through service center, got his repaired board back

User: @yamei031154f02d7
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: 10900K
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI

User: @saokirito93156102df
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI
CPU: 10600KF
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @jwilby8160102f6
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through vendor

User: @gmbeas160158102e0
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI?

User: @mohdrodz15bf02ed
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 ?
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA

User: @mikemauge154a02d7
Date of failed flashing: July 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: 10900
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v17
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI, got his repaired board back with BIOS v17 on

User: @xsketchyfruit12fc02b9
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Pro Plus
CPU: 10400
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @yxh93021154502dc
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Pro Plus
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @John Eisberg
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 UNIFY
CPU: 10900K
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: vA9
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Used "Flash BIOS Button" method to force-flash to BIOS vA8, board works again

User: @aaronpeigh
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 UNIFY
CPU: 10850K
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: vA9
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Used "Flash BIOS Button" method to force-flash to BIOS vA8, board works again

User: @dan.pahal125b02a7
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: 10700K
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v18?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA

User: @amichele154f02db
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Plus
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: vA8
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI?

User: @j0sefuz115d402ee
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: v18
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @mikkl1620
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Tomahawk
CPU: 10600K
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA denied due to slightly bent pins in the CPU socket. Bought a replacement board "Z590 Tomahawk"

User: @yohan.vandevell154002e1
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Opened a ticket with MSI

User: @jonathan84012e802b5
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Carbon Wifi
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @takocankol
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 ?
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

User: @christoph.urba128d02aa
Date of failed flashing: August 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Plus
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: MSI/Dragon Center Live Update
Attempted update to BIOS version: ?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. Wants to attempt manual BIOS flash with CH341A EEPROM programmer,

User: @seeknay7415ae02f0
Date of failed flashing: September 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Carbon WIFI
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI. "Very unlikely he will buy another MSI board after this"

User: @mastersap157d02db
Date of failed flashing: September 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Carbon WIFI
CPU: ?
Flashing method used: ?
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update. RMA through MSI?, got a new board of the same model

User: @stro152c02d9
Date of failed flashing: September 2021
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge
CPU: 10500
Flashing method used: M-FLASH
Attempted update to BIOS version: v19
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.



Everyone with the same problem on Z490 that doesn't find themselves on the list, feel free to reply here using the same format, here is a template:
Date of failed flashing:
Affected board model:
CPU:
Flashing method used:
Attempted update to BIOS version:
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

Whenever i have seen your reply and included it in the statistics, i will give a "thumbs up" for it to thank you for your participation.

Also, feel free to refer to this thread in your communication with the vendor or with MSI. Hopefully MSI will finally start to recognize this problem and do something about it.

Someone asked me if they can thank me for my work by sending me something via Paypal: Yes, that's possible, just write me a message and i'll tell you my Paypal 😉
 
Last edited:
Wait a second, don't tell me you haven't maxed out the power limits in the BIOS? Then your OC would be basically for nothing...

View attachment 155695
"(with Limits in PL2)"
No wonder you have no real problem cooling that, the high VCore gets negated by the CPU hitting the power limit prematurely. It can't draw more power no matter what.
Also, i'd use HWinfo64 Sensors for monitoring, it's superior.

But we're straying further and further away from this topic. It would be better if you made a new topic for further discussion of these issues.
You clearly have more experience than me, there's not doubting it. The last time I overclocked a CPU was back when FX was the only AMD offering, so it's safe to say I have no clue what I'm doing half the time. Although the overall pointlessness of the overclock managed to net me 7FPS in Arma3 ultimately achieving above 60FPS. Anyways, Thanks for the enlightenment.
 
Although the overall pointlessness of the overclock managed to net me 7FPS in Arma3 ultimately achieving above 60FPS.

That's simply because in games, the CPU is not nearly at such a load level and thus power consumption as it would be for example in Cinebench R23. This goes back a bit to the post i linked here.

With different load, you have different power consumption. So in games, your GPU is far more loaded than your CPU, but obviously the CPU still has some influence on the overall performance. Since the CPU doesn't run into the power limit (which seems to still be active in your BIOS), because the load is less demanding in games, it can actually clock higher and your OC can achieve something. However, with more demanding load, such as encoding, rendering, in short, any real full multi-core CPU load, the CPU hits the ceiling of the power limit, which also restricts the performance. So once you fully load your CPU in a more demanding way than in games, your CPU performance might very well drop below the level you could have achieved by simply removing the power limits in the BIOS and not overclocking at all. That's what i meant with "it would basically be for nothing".

So if you want your OC to truly be effective with any kind of load, no matter how demanding, you'd have to max out the power limits. They are found on this page:

bios_26-copy.jpg


Short and Long Duration 4096W, Current Limit 256A, or by selecting "Water Cooler" here:

MSI_MPG_Z490_GAMING_CARBON_WIFI_060_75EFA207D6D041C38CAE2AE340EE9036.jpg


But while you're now still seeing under 90°C with a mere 220W due to the power limits, prepare for your cooling to be utterly overwhelmed then. This is the true consequence of such overclocking.
And by no means would i advise this with your CPU, because the efficiency goes to hell, even if you could cool it.

If all of my assumptions are correct (and they aren't always, i will freely admit that), then you have essentially overclocked for less demanding scenarios only, and with more demanding scenarios you might even lose performance, compared to just maxing out the power limits without any OC whatsoever.
 
Last edited:
That's simply because in games, the CPU is not nearly at such a load level and thus power consumption as it would be for example in Cinebench R23. This goes back a bit to the post i linked here.

With different load, you have different power consumption. So in games, your GPU is far more loaded than your CPU, but obviously the CPU still has some influence on the overall performance. Since the CPU doesn't run into the power limit (which seems to still be active in your BIOS), because the load is less demanding in games, it can actually clock higher and your OC can achieve something. However, with more demanding load, such as encoding, rendering, in short, any real full multi-core CPU load, the CPU hits the ceiling of the power limit, which also restricts the performance. So once you fully load your CPU in a more demanding way than in games, your CPU performance might very well drop below the level you could have achieved by simply removing the power limits in the BIOS and not overclocking at all. That's what i meant with "it would basically be for nothing".

So if you want your OC to truly be effective with any kind of load, no matter how demanding, you'd have to max out the power limits. They are found on this page:

bios_26-copy.jpg


Short and Long Duration 4096W, Current Limit 256A, or by selecting "Water Cooler" here:

MSI_MPG_Z490_GAMING_CARBON_WIFI_060_75EFA207D6D041C38CAE2AE340EE9036.jpg


But while you're now still seeing under 90°C with a mere 220W due to the power limits, prepare for your cooling to be utterly overwhelmed then. This is the true consequence of such overclocking.
And by no means would i advise this with your CPU, because the efficiency goes to hell, even if you could cool it.

If all of my assumptions are correct (and they aren't always, i will freely admit that), then you have essentially overclocked for less demanding scenarios only, and with more demanding scenarios you might even lose performance, compared to just maxing out the power limits without any OC whatsoever.
Arma3 is CPU heavy, I tested it with a RX580, GTX 1660S, RX5700 XT, RTX 2070 , RTX 3080 & 3080TI they all achieved the same performance in my unscientific experiment. The entire purpose of the overclock was to gain more performance in Arma3. As for any other game or application I absolutely agree with you. I'm fairly certain I had theses settings on "Short and Long Duration 4096W, Current Limit 256A".
P.S. I don't own any of the RTX cards sadly.
 
Arma3 is CPU heavy

This should be visible in HWinfo64 then, by the amount of CPU power draw. If you open the sensors and double-click on CPU Package Power, it will show a graph that tracks CPU power draw over time. Then start your game and play a bit. After exiting it, you will have the graph of the power draw right there. Usually in games it should stay well below 200W power draw for the CPU. So whatever is limiting to 220W maximum power draw, it's not a factor with that kind of load. Ok, if the CPU draws 200W or more in that game, then it really is CPU-heavy for a game. But i'd like to see that.

I'm fairly certain I had theses settings on "Short and Long Duration 4096W, Current Limit 256A".

That's odd then that it would peak at 220W, which coincides with the non-overclocked power draw from the pictures. And you said the CPU temperatures are still not hitting the high 90s, which would be thermal throttling territory. Maybe there's some other factor involved, like VRM throttling, which would not be immediately obvious. I can only say, with 5.2 GHz all-core @1.385V, you should be seeing well over 300W CPU power draw and your cooling should be in a lot of trouble. Maybe something already is in trouble and there's some sort of liming/throttling at play. All the more reason to have a look at all the sensors in HWinfo64 with different kinds of load. Again, my offer, create a new topic and we could dive a little deeper into that.


Short update - flashed 7C71vAB for Z490 Unify in the first attempt via flash button.

Good job!
 
Adding another dissatisfied customer to the list of bricked Z490 boards :-(

Date of failed flashing: Jan 18, 2022
Affected board model: MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI
CPU: Intel Core i5-10600K
Flashing method used: Dragon Center
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C73v1A (Windows 11 Update)
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.


Will reach out to MSI, and hope they offer a solution (replacement).
 
at this point i wont update my 7c79 almost a full year from discovery and updates still brick the board i might do it once i have a new board asus in hand in case it breaks aka when i am about to replace it anyway...
i suspect it was QC ERROR IN PRODUCTION that they could not correct in time or simply can not definitely say these serial ranges should be RMA'd similar to how asus handled the z690 issue....

either way given the complete lack of communication since oct 20 which i suspect was the result of something i did during a live session about dragon center during that month... i will be avoiding MSI going forward even if there is a proper flashback button. Asus just handed there issue better in my book. big props to OP @citay for his long endeavor to help us Z490 users.
 
Another one bites the dust. Oh how desperately I wish I knew about this thread before deciding to update for Windows 11... :( RMA was approved instantly and I have already shipped it via FedEx. Hopping for a quick turn around.

Date of failed flashing: January 20th, 2022
Affected board model: MEG Z490I UNIFY
CPU: Intel Core i9-10850K
Flashing method used: M-Flash
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C73v1A
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.
 
Date of failed flashing: 11/23/2021
Motherboard model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: i7-10700K
Flashing Method Used: Bios Flash
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C79v1A (Windows 11 support)
Result: CPU led constantly on after updating to 7C79v1A. not booting.
Memory: TridentZ RGB 16GB (2x8) 3600mhz CL18 (XMP on)

pc was running perfectly prior to this bios version update, also running at stock cpu speeds (default bios settings) (enhanced turbo off)
tried removing cmos battery and clearing cmos, still did not work. will probably RMA it

UPDATE: got my board back. its the same unit i sent msi and got it after almost 2 months. they fixed it and is currently running 7C79v16. this is also the last stable bios version for me
 
Basically, we need the help of someone with a Z490 ACE, UNIFY or GODLIKE.
Sorry @citay, I didn't notice this one until today. I have a Z490 MEG Godlike
No matter what I try, I cannot reproduce the error. Below the steps I have been following
- downgrade to BIOS 7C70v17,
- configure some settings,
- save in BIOS profile,
- reboot to OS with BIOS 7C70v17,
- back to BIOS/M-FLASH to flash BIOS 7C70v18
The operation has always been successful ... also tried with overclocking (MSI Game Boost + XMP that with my hw combo is *very* unstable) ... M-Flash seems to disable OC

MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE (MS-7C70)
Intel® Core™ i9-10900K
G.Skill F4-4400C17-16GTZR
MSI GeForce RTX™ 3090 SUPRIM X 24G

I think it is not related to Z490 chipset itself or the BIOS chip itself, rather on SPI bus components used on some of Z490 motherboards.
Maybe privately collecting the S/N of failing boards could help MSI to narrow down the issue to a batch of such components.
 
Thanks for testing it anyway! MSI should be able to have more than enough information from the RMAs. I think the several dozen RMAs from here are just the tip of the iceberg. Many users will assume that it's because of their individual board and not even visit this forum. So MSI should have had a strangely elevated number of Z490 RMAs anyway, all with the same symptom. Some users also linked this thread when applying for their RMA, and MSI keep getting new RMAs, so they have everything they'd need to solve this eventually. I just don't know what's taking them so long.
 
Thanks for testing it anyway! MSI should be able to have more than enough information from the RMAs. I think the several dozen RMAs from here are just the tip of the iceberg. Many users will assume that it's because of their individual board and not even visit this forum. So MSI should have had a strangely elevated number of Z490 RMAs anyway, all with the same symptom. Some users also linked this thread when applying for their RMA, and MSI keep getting new RMAs, so they have everything they'd need to solve this eventually. I just don't know what's taking them so long.

hello @citay I am a new user with the moba z490 gaming plus, I found out about the msi problem by video and reddit, having the mobo in standard version up to which version can I update without problems, can I skip the updates until the last known stable?
 
You can always update to the version before the one with "Improved Audio compatibility". So in your case, 7C75vA6 is safe to update to. vA7 and up have the potential risk. You can flash to vA6 right away, the BIOS updates are cumulative, meaning, they always contains all the updates from the previous ones. Incremental updates (meaning, only including new fixes) would be used as a way to decrease the file size of updates for huge software suites, but they don't make sense with these small BIOS files.
 
Siempre puede actualizar a la versión anterior a la que tiene "Compatibilidad de audio mejorada". Entonces, en su caso, es seguro actualizar 7C75vA6. vA7 y superior tienen el riesgo potencial. Puede actualizar a vA6 de inmediato, las actualizaciones del BIOS son acumulativas, lo que significa que siempre contienen todas las actualizaciones de las anteriores. Las actualizaciones incrementales (es decir, que solo incluyen nuevas correcciones) se usarían como una forma de reducir el tamaño de archivo de las actualizaciones para grandes paquetes de software, pero no tienen sentido con estos pequeños archivos de BIOS.
[/CITA]
Thank you
 
MSI Z490-A Pro bricked after upgrading to 7C75v2C .

Used CH341A - AsProgrammer to unbrick it.
Bios chip is located in the picture attached. (dont use the chip around the middle of the board that says winbond on it)

It is written MX 25l25673g on top of it.

Bought CH341A programmer from Amazon - $13
Use Asprogrammer - https://github.com/nofeletru/UsbAsp-flash/releases
Version 2.0.3 (2.1.0.13 did not recognize the chip)

Install drivers for Ch341A
https://www.onetransistor.eu/2017/08/ch341a-mini-programmer-schematic.html (first two)

Follow instructions from -

I have flashed E7C75IMS.2A0 which is in the bios update 7C75v2A from Msi support page.

Everything works now.
 

Attachments

  • msiz490aPro.png
    msiz490aPro.png
    127.1 KB · Views: 1,115
OK, @citay , you inspired me to at least try with the programmer.

I've tried to reprogram the BIOS chip on my z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi... I had to bend the JUSB pins away from the chip and rip off half the lower-most PCI-E slot. One hack of a job, but otherwise I could not have gotten the fat clip of the CH341a programmer in there...

I managed to flash the latest BIOS and Verified OK.

Now, the CPU debug led does not light up... but the DRAM led lights up. Progress, maybe?

I've tried testing with only 1 RAM stick in all 4 different slots - with both of my RAM sticks. My RAM sticks *SHOULD* be fine. I can't think of any reason why they would both just suddenly die. It was a bad bios update, not a gamma ray burst.

Any ideas? Before I rip out the motherboard again and try to flash a different bios version? Maybe it's helpful to add my RAM sticks are Corsair Vengeance RGB modules and the RGB lights up just fine...
 
Hi, so you can add one new user who regrets not seeing this thread before updating the BIOS...

Date of failed flashing: Jan 27, 2022
Affected board model: MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI
CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K
Flashing method used: Dragon Center
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C73v1A
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

I'll try and contact MSI or the seller to see if I can get anything out of them...
 
Progress update:

I successfully flashed BIOS version 7C73v18 on my bricked z490 Gaming Carbon WiFi with the CH341a programmer, installed Windows, and I'm writing this from the more or less "fixed" computer... however the motherboard still presents a lot of very strange issues. None of the motherboard's voltage, temperature, or fan sensors work anymore. They all mark 0 Volts, 0 degrees, or 0 RPM in BIOS. Windows seems to be able to get the voltages and temperatures correctly, though not the sys fans.

I also somehow fried one of my RAM sticks. Could've happened during my first attempts at connecting the CH341a clip... while the PC was off but connected to the power supply. Yeah well, ALL CH341a guides out there suck. Most of them are made by Indian gentlemen with zero talent for explaining. NONE of them are clear. Some of them were like "yeah, board needs to be connected to power supply but off otherwise the CH341a has to supply the board power and flash will fail", some others were "everything needds to be completely disconnected from the motherboard". I didn't know what to try, so I tried both, powered and not powered. The successful flash was with just the board itself, nothing connected to it. No processor, no RAM, nothing. If only I had known. Oh well.

Whenever I power the computer on, the CPU led immediately comes on, then off. Just a blink.
This is followed by the DRAM light (I'm only using the 1 working stick, at the moment), and this light stays on for about a full minute, then turns off.
Next is the VGA light, which just comes on for about 5 seconds, then turns off.
Finally, the BOOT led blinks on then off, and the computer manages to go into BIOS.

If any options are changed in the BIOS and I need to save changes and reboot, the cycle described above repeats. It is possible to change the primary boot device in BIOS, but upon rebooting, the computer will cycle again through the lights as described above and end up in BIOS again.

In order to boot into Windows, I have to power on the computer, wait for the stupid lights to cycle and end up in BIOS, and from BIOS go straight to "Discard changes and Exit" without having changed any other option. This allows the BIOS to close and the computer to boot from the primary boot device. BUT I HAVE TO WAIT AND REPEAT THIS PROCESS EVERY SINGLE TIME.

At this point, I no longer know what to do. What should I buy? RAM sticks or another motherboard?

If I buy another motherboard, I still potentially have 1 RAM stick that doesn't work.
If I buy the RAM sticks, my thinking is if my 1 "working" RAM stick is only partially working, then this might take care of the led light boot cycle.

What would your next move be?
 
Back
Top