Long story short, is it possible for a BIOS chip to get literally damaged between flashes even then they are successful, or even another component tied to it?
I have a system with a MSI B450 Tomahawk and a Ryzen 2600. I got a Ryzen 5500 for good price so I thought I’d just update my BIOS and I’d be all set but, that’s where my headache began.
First I tried the recommended BIOS listed on MSI website (7C02v1I), updated within the BIOS itself but when I installed my 5500 the MB CPU light turned on, I gave it time, did a clear CMOS, changed RAM slots, did power cycles and suddenly it worked, got into windows and set everything up, got into the BIOS and enabled Re-bar and went to play games, the next day I went to turn on the system and got the red CPU light back. Then I tried 3 newer BIOS versions and none worked (my trusty 2600 worked on all of them), tried updating to the newest BIOS avaliable with the 2600 installed (all of them are BETA except the one recommended on the MSI website for the 5500) but then upon finishing updating and restarting I got the CPU light with the 2600, I suspected of a corrupted BIOS write or something, tried to use the flashback button behind the MB but it didn’t work (got a static light), so I got a CH341a programmer and it was success, I used the first BIOS file I installed (7C02v1I) and it posted using the 2600.
I put the PC back together, set all the configs right in the BIOS and it happened just like with the 5500, because next day I went to turn on the PC and got the CPU light back on again. Then I decided to use the flashback button AGAIN and it flashed not problem, but this time I was greeted by the VGA light upon turning on the system, last thing I did was flash my OG BIOS that I had working with the 2600 for years, but its still the same thing. I’ve tried everything from checking for bent pins, clear CMOS, removing the battery, changing RAM slots and using only one stick, even tried without my PSU cable extensions but no luck.
After all that, is it possible that the BIOS chip itself got damaged somehow or anything else could have happened? Because it seemed like it was all good then when the PC turned off it lost the configuration, got corrupted or something.
I’ve ordered a new BIOS chip, a blank one, since I’ve got the programmer I want to give it a shot by writing to it and then taking it to a shop just so they can change it for me as I don’t have a hot air station.
I got a new A520 MB and tested the 5500 along with my RAM and PSU and it all works with 0 problems, but if I can fix my old one I’ll return the A520 and even the 5500 because HW where I like is freaking expensive.
Thanks and advance and sorry for the long text and bad english, it is not my first language!
