cannot update bios

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1

it wont let me update my bios anyone can help?
i did everything per instructions tried following number of guides tried inserting the usb to 3 diffrent ports (3,2,BIOS) i even tried older versions and its always the same:
i go the Mflash i see the file click it and no confimartion msg pops up i also tried using the bios button nothing worked.
here some details :
am experiencing an issue with my MSI Z790-A PRO WIFI motherboard. My current BIOS version is E7E07IMS.M40.

Problem:

M-Flash refuses to confirm any BIOS file, including the newest official version and slightly older versions.

BIOS Flashback with a properly prepared USB stick also fails — the LED either does not flash or never completes the update.

I have tried a USB stick (32GB, FAT32) and confirmed that the BIOS files are correct for the Z790-A PRO WIFI model.

I have also loaded optimized defaults.

2

Have you tried a different USB stick? I have had a few over the years that just don’t want to work doing certain things. Another thing I recall having an issue updating my X670E, but my drive was just not being seen. I think I formatted by USB stick and setup a 2gb fat32 partition.

3

i have not i dont have one to try rn but it does recodnise the usb and the file it just wont show the confirmation msg to start the update

4

side note: i have my 32gb ram card in the wrong slot(A instead of B) because my cpu fan is too big for me to fit it on B. could that be the cause?

5

It could be related, but only indirectly.

Having the RAM in the “wrong” slot usually just means you’re not running in the optimal channel configuratio, but it shouldn’t stop a BIOS update from working. The system will still POST as long as the stick is in a compatible slot.

That said, if the cooler is pressing on the RAM or slightly unseating it, then yeah, that can cause weird instability. If you suspect that, try reseating the RAM or temporarily removing the cooler just to rule it out.

But in most cases, the slot itself isn’t the root cause of a BIOS-update failure.

6

FlashBIOS is surprisingly problematic because it seems to dislike certain USB Flash Drives or even the way you format them, and curated instructions to target the lowest common denominator doesn’t exist.
With Linux, I have seen people with the same drive that failed if formatting them with MBR and a single partition but worked if they did it as Superfloppy with no partitions. Also worth testing FAT16. Most important, remember to manually sync before unplugging the drive or powering off, is surprising that Linux seems to not do that automatically and have experienced myself that FlashBIOS refused to flash because the ROM was corrupted. Up to the point that I had more success preparing the drive in Windows…

7

I went to the MSI website, and it looks about as shitty as ~25 years ago when I had a PC with an MSI motherboard. That aside, the BIOS file is a ZIP which expands to a folder containing a TXT file, and a AH0 file, which is the actual payload.

M-Flash being integrated in the BIOS is not something I can speak to. I’d try the following:

  • Copy the AH0 file to the root of your EFI partition, and see if it can be loaded from there. (Whether it works or not, you can delete it afterwards.)
  • If that doesn’t work, find the oldest USB stick you have, wipe it completely (using dd in Linux or similar), format it as FAT16 or FAT32 (if it’s bigger than 500MB, either should work), put the AH0 file in the root of the drive, eject it properly, and try again.
8

I just decided to google a bit more and found out than the E7E07IMS.M40 version you have corresponds to a PRO Z790-A MAX WIFI board, and you’re trying with Z790-A PRO WIFI BIOSes…

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