BIOS flashback issue with Z97 Pro

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520
Hi everyone,

I just put together a new machine with a Z97 Pro motherboard, Intel i5-4590, 16gb of gskill DDR3 RAM, a GTX 970, and a 750W PSU from EVGA (gold). I started it up for the first time and got a "00" error code (from the Q code LED indicator), and although my fans were spinning and everything had power, it didn't POST at all.

I read some other threads relating to this issue and some people have had luck updating their BIOS; apparently out of the box the z97 pro doesn't support my chipset. So I downloaded my latest BIOS version from the ASUS support page, renamed it to the appropriate name (I confirmed it should be called "Z97P.CAP"), formatted a USB drive to FAT32, and dropped the CAP file on it. I put the USB stick into the port on the motherboard that says "Flashback USB" and has a green border around it, then pressed/held the bios flashback button on the mobo. This was after I removed the RAM, CPU, HD, videocard, etc; everything except the two power connectors to the motherboard.

The issue is that after about 5 flashes, the light turns solid green. According to the manual, "this means that the BIOS Flashback is not operating properly. This may be caused by improper installation of the USB storage device and filename/file format error. If this scenario happens, please restart the system to turn off the light."

So now I'm stuck. There's no further advice about what to do in this situation anywhere in the manual or online that I've encountered.

Does this mean my motherboard has an issue and needs to be RMAd? Is there anything else I can try to update my BIOS?

Thanks for any help.
 
Solution
J
Figured it out! It turned out to be a slightly loose cable connection on the modular PSU. The case I'm working with has very tight spaces for cables so it takes a bit of maneuvering and pulling to get everything in place. While doing that I think the cables came a little loose and didn't fully power the motherboard.

It's always some simple mistake like that. Thanks for everyone's help!
Sort by date Sort by votes
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520


I tried FAT16 and NTFS and also tried an older version of the BIOS. No difference.

I went ahead and RMAd the board because I've tried everything I can think of and spent long enough on this issue. I'll report back on whether or not that fixes it.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520
I got the new motherboard, hooked it up to the PSU and tried flashing the BIOS again. I initially got the same result (three flashes and then a solid green light). Then I tried a different USB stick formatted as NFTS, and this time it flashed 6 times and then went solid green, with the activity light on the drive flashing at first.

I've tried FAT16, FAT32, NFTS on a USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and regular old USB stick. I've also tried naming the file differently, but when I do that the activity light on the drive doesn't flash at all.

What can I do from here? My only thought at this point is that I should order an entirely different motherboard that doesn't need to be flashed to work with generation 5 intel processors.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520
Thanks for your help cin19.

I looked carefully at those guides that you linked to and didn't see any difference between what they suggested and what I have tried. I've recorded my exact steps (with screenshots/pictures) here: http://imgur.com/2FFU3I8 just to confirm that I'm following the directions precisely.

I'm open to any suggestions at this point. I don't believe I got two broken motherboards in a row, but maybe there's a bug with the flashback feature and the precise USB drives I have that causes it to fail every time. I have no clue what could be going on right now.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
C

Calvin7

Titan
Feb 19, 2013
11,722
335
76,490
The 2401 is the wrong BIOS version for you. It is for 5th Generation Intel Core i5 Processors such as the Core i5-5675C. Your CPU works with the original BIOS version. You need to read the CPU Support List.

You wrote, "apparently out of the box the z97 pro doesn't support my chipset". The motherboard chipset is the Z97.

Although you don't need to update the BIOS, you might go as high as Z97-PRO BIOS version 2012. I would suggest you use Asus EZ Flash 2 and get yourself a small USB 2.0 flash drive (4GB or less).

The i5-4590 Processor uses Memory Types DDR3 and DDR3L 1333/1600MHz at 1.5v. What memory is "16gb of gskill DDR3 RAM"?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520


As Paul NZ pointed out, EZ flash isn't an option for me because I can't get it to POST. The memory I am using is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568

The reason I thought this was an issue with BIOS is because I receive a solid "00" error on the q-code LED when attempting to boot it up while everything is plugged in, and other people who had this issue resolved it by updating the BIOS. I thought I'd read that my CPU wasn't supported out of the box, but it's listed as supported here http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-ASUS/Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi_ac).html

When it's all connected, the fans all spin and lights turn on, but the videocard never outputs anything to the monitor and "00" stays lit perpetually. Perhaps I should be looking to solve this issue directly instead, however it is still extremely strange that BIOS flashback won't do anything regardless of what I try.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520
I plugged everything in and took a couple of pictures to show what's going on:

http://imgur.com/a/WD6lX

The "00" error can barely be seen underneath the video card. I also included a picture of the only other lit LED on the board ("XLED1"). According to the manual this LED indicates that the EZ XMP switch is enabled, although the switch is set to off (and changing it makes the LED brighter). That makes me think maybe there's a RAM issue... I'll try it with a DIMM from my other machine.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520
Just tried that in every RAM slot but same issue. I got the MB serial but the website referenced in the thread cin19 linked (http://livesupport.asus.com/serialnumbers.html) appears to be down.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

jscottk

Reputable
Jul 24, 2015
14
0
4,520
The CPU is definitely seated properly; it's keyed so it can only go one way, and I've taken it off once and put it on again. I'm using a small amount of thermal paste between the heatsink and CPU.

I've got another motherboard I could try but it's significantly older and I think the chipset is different. I will check it out as soon as I can.
The problem in the thread you linked to appeared to be manufacturing defects or a BIOS issue, both of which I think we've conclusively eliminated (unless I've received two broken boards consecutively).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom