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

[dromidon15da02e5]

After a while of debating whether or not to attempt to update my bios to the newest version, I decided to finally update my z490 Gaming Edge Wifi board to Version 7C79v1C using Svet's UEFI Shell Flash Tool with succession. Thank you Svet!

Successfully updated? No errors? Tell me more.

 

[andre.sevinat154302d8]

Hello guys,
I just joined the party.
It’s a shame I did not see this earlier than I tried to update :/


Date of failed flashing: 30 March 2023
Affected board model: MSI z490 GAMING PLUS MPG
CPU: i5 10400f
Flashing method used: MSI Center
Attempted update to BIOS version: 7C75vAC
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

I will just post the hilarious answers from MSI.
After this I will use my energy to expose MSI as fraud/scammers.

 

[dromidon15da02e5]

I will just post the hilarious answers from MSI.
After this I will use my energy to expose MSI as fraud/scammers.
View attachment 171325

They messed up with the bios update system and are still asking for money for motherboard repairs. I am amazed...

 

[Giovaz]

MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS
Bios: A.70 to A.C0
CPU:I9 10900K
M-Flashed by MSI center
Bios brikked. Rma now...

Very bad MSI.. very bad.

motherboard returned after rma. Luckily I was still under warranty. it's been 7 weeks. the card has been updated to the latest bios version. installed and everything worked again.

 

[Deleted member 979359]

Well, today I fall in the same problem.

Date of failed flashing: 10-May-2023
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge WIFI
CPU: Intel Core i9 10900K
Flashing method used: Dragon Center
Attempted update to BIOS version: ¿?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

I see that some users used a USB programmer to flash the BIOS and one of them posted a guide of 'how to' but the webpage where the guide is hosted is down. In other webs I read that I can't flash this model by USB programmer, I'm waiting to come back to home and see the BIOS chip and check if it is possible to flash via SPI or not.

The mobo is out of warranty so I supose that MSI will laugh in my face.

 

[citay]

There are many guides for those USB flash programmers, for example here. You should be able to flash all the common BIOS chips that MSI like to use. Basically everyone that attempted the external flash programming was successful, from what i've read. Yes, it takes some reading (or watching videos) but with a bit of effort, it seems doable.

Yeah, if you're out of warranty by a not insignificant amount, then i don't think MSI will be of much help anymore. They don't seem to officially want to recognize this as the Z490-platform-wide problem that it obviously is, which would be the only way for people with boards out of warranty to get it fixed regardless. So you have to try it yourself.

 

[Deleted member 979359]

Yes, tomorrow I'll receive the CH341 24 25 programmer. I've read that this model work at 3.3V but before to connect it I'll check it. Mi chip is the MX25L25673G that some people says is not quite compatible with this kind of programmer (also in the list of compatible chips does not appear). But well, I need to try it coz I have'nt anything to loss, the mobo is already "broken"

 

[Deleted member 979359]

Well, finally I've solved the problem by using the CH341, it is really easy to use thanks to the guide placed in the page 24. I installed the last BIOS for the Gaming Edge WiFi model, downloaded from the MSI webpage and the mobo is running right now.

 

[citay]

That's great to hear! Another relatively simple fix using an external flash programmer, i will list it as such in the first post.

 

[dave.isf15d202e7]

Date of failed flashing: 26-May-2023
Affected board model: Z490 Gaming Edge Wifi
CPU: i7-10700K
Flashing method used: MSI Center
Attempted update to BIOS version: ¿?
Result: Stuck at EZ Debug LED "CPU" after update.

I wish I had seen this thread before the upgrade attempt. I am from Spain and my warranty expired 4 months ago, so I am in contact with technical support in case they give me a solution, although they do not even recognize that the error exists with the updates.
I have also created a thread on the Spanish MSI forum with the link to this thread to make it easier for people to find it.

 

[pjmb]

I am from Spain and my warranty expired 4 months ago, so I am in contact with technical support in case they give me a solution, although they do not even recognize that the error exists with the updates.
[/QUOTE]

They will not, now or ever, start working and recover it with a CH341 as many others already done it.
Look in the 1rst post ( Update March 6, 2022 ) for link/guidance.
You cant recover it by any other method than this...

 

[pjmb]

I wanna see now the new releases... since we are already seeing new bioses from other OEMs, addressing vulnerabilities to Intel 400/500/600/700 series bios.

 

[Doc_Bucket]

I wonder, knowing about this problem, is it technically possible to update the BIOS with the programmer straight away, before bricking the motherboard, which will likely happen anyway? Do you have any experience with this approach?

 

[citay]

I don't like that approach. It's like performing a fresh install of Windows every time they release a feature update, because there's a chance it might mess up the order of your desktop icons or something worse, so you rather do a fresh install of the newest version by hand. No, first you should always try the normal way of updating your BIOS. Despite the numbers we see in this thread, i think it still has a higher chance of success.

 

[Doc_Bucket]

Yes, I guess I will go through the whole procedure and see what happens. Thanks.

 

[Doc_Bucket]

Well, now I can gladly say I will not broaden the statistics of failed cases. Not that I tried the traditional method, but the Flash Tool Svet links above worked just perfectly for my Tomahawk. The only pity is I did not save the profile with RAM timings before flashing the new UEFI… I will need to copy them from my records and perhaps retest them. But that's a small price for this on-going story.

 

[megamixe156602d3]

Holy hell. I've just updated my z490 mpg gaming edge wifi with the latest version. Thankfully update went OK. But had I found this thread before I updated there is no way I would have gone with an update.
If anyone interested:
Mobo - MSI MPG Gaming EDGE Wi-fi
CPU - i5 10400f
Previous bios version - don't remember, sorry
Current bios version - v1C (the latest)
Bios updated method - m-flash (from bios) using 4gb fat32 usb drive

 

[Doc_Bucket]

Holy hell. I've just updated my z490 mpg gaming edge wifi with the latest version. Thankfully update went OK. But had I found this thread before I updated there is no way I would have gone with an update.
If anyone interested:
Mobo - MSI MPG Gaming EDGE Wi-fi
CPU - i5 10400f
Previous bios version - don't remember, sorry
Current bios version - v1C (the latest)
Bios updated method - m-flash (from bios) using 4gb fat32 usb drive

It is a bit scarry, that's right. I was postponing my update for months. Not all boards are afflicted, though. One must be ready for a little lottery.

 

[megamixe156602d3]

It is a bit scarry, that's right. I was postponing my update for months. Not all boards are afflicted, though. One must be ready for a little lottery.

Well, at least I can say that I did learn my lesson. Next time when I need to update a bios I should google the mobo first and see if others had any problems with bios update. Because next time I might not be so lucky.

 

[citay]

There is really only a higher risk with MSI Z490 boards. On boards with other chipsets like Z690 for example, there is no increased risk. Plus, the majority of those boards now also have a Flash BIOS Button feature, so even if the update failed, you could recover from it easily. All in all, with anything other than MSI Z490 boards, it should be no problem whatsoever to update the BIOS successfully.