Flash Drive not recongnized in flashing bios!

[shineon2010]

As stated I have a GA-P55A-UD3 mobo that has been randomly shutting down once a day. So Ive tried the usual hardware testing( memory,harddrive, windows 7..etc) and last resort is updated Bios. I have the orginal F4 version and would like to update to F9 version, Loaded the newest bios on a flash drive and went through Q-flash.

When prompted on the q-flash ultiltity screen it doesnt show my flash drive only floppy drive. I know my flash drive works but how do i get it to show up?Flash drive is supposed to show up as HD 1-0, any suggestions?

 

[treefrog07]

Just a hunch, you have to insert the flashdrive into the USB slot before POST so the BIOS can see it.

 

[shineon2010]

Yep I know it just doesnt show it, weird? left it in then started it and then right before the post plugged it in. Not recongnized in bios?

 

[aford10]

I've had similar issues with some flash utilities. Put the BIOS update on a floppy disk, and use a floppy drive. It'll show up.

 

[jitpublisher]

Do you have your BIOS set to boot from a USB device?

 

[John_VanKirk]

Hi Shineon,

Couple of things to do.
Your Q-Flash sees the Floppy Drive and the HDD, but not the Flash Drive.

You don't need to boot from the Flash drive, but need to have the BIOS recognize it.

First of all, make sure the Flash drive is Formatted using the FAT-32 file system. It won't work with an NTFS formatted Flash Drive which it may presently be formatted with. You can do that on another computer or laptop, but remember when you format a drive of any kind, you will lose all the date presently on it.

Then go to the BIOS, Integrated Peripherals, and make sure "USB Controllers, USB Legacy Function, and USB Storage Function are all "Enabled" so the BIOS will detect the Flash Drive as a storage device during the POST.

Lastly download and copy the BIOS update to the Flash Drive root directory, and on a separate computer, double click on the exe file to expand the downloaded file to the BIOS Update the Q-Flash is looking for. I tried that one time, and the Q-Flash won't recognize the exe file the way it is downloaded. It generates an Autoexec.bat, and a XXXX.F9 file (or whatever the update version is) that is the actual BIOS update.

Then plug the Flash drive into a USB port and boot to the BIOS. Use the <end> key to start the Q-Flash utility. Should work

The optional step to consider, is to copy your present BIOS version to the Flash drive (if you have the space) and name it with your old version like P55-UD3.F4, so if anything goes wrong with the Update, you can reinstall the present version right from the Flash drive.

Hopefully that will get you going.

 

[jaquith]

Is your USB formatted FAT32?? +try a USB port off the MOBO.

 

[shineon2010]

Flash Drive is FAT32 formatted and Ive tried every usb port on my mobo, no luck. Tried setting bios usb options and still no luck. Floppy drive shows up but it wont load exe file of new bios version, so im not using that too sketchy! There is you tube videos showing it can be done with the same mobo with a flash drive? Im stuck and as im writing this my pc just shut down again. Not too sure what to do but just might take it to a pc shop . thank you for all your advice and replies much appreciated

 

[aford10]

When you try to run it off the floppy, what happens? As John_VanKirk mentioned, you need to run the .exe to generate the 2 update files. Those are what you want to load on the floppy disk. Then the QFlash should run the update.

 

[Scott2010au]

OMG, use the Windows based flash utility if you do not have a floppy disk drive installed.

http://www.gigabyte.comhttp://www.gigabyte.com

Gigabyte motherboards have Dual-BIOS and won't flash the BIOS if you accidentially download a BIOS update for a motherboard that is a different revision to the one you have. (There is a Rev 2.0 for your motherboard btw).

This is better, in this case, than trying to make a bootable CD-ROM, or USB drive, with the BIOS flash utility image that mounts as A: and appears as a 1440 KB FDD during boot up.

If it fails Dual-BIOS will just boot from the backup BIOS.

After a month or so of it working, you can then update the backup BIOS to the same version as the primary.


This is one of the reasons I started to like Gigabyte, that and high quality capacitors, etc --- They have come a long way and my primary system is actually a GA-965-DQ6 (Rev 1.x).

 

[bilbat]

From the GB 'sticky':

BIOS Flashing
[:lorbat:3]First order of business: DON'T use @BIOS! EVER! Inevitably someone will 'crop up', and say "But I've always used @BIOS, and never had a problem!" Usually, "always" translates to: "I got away with it twice!" I often liken this to playing Russian Roulette... You might get away with pulling that trigger once, and only hear a 'click'... You might get away with it a second time, too... But, by the third pull, the odds are starting to catch up with you - you keep on pulling that trigger, you WILL blow your brains out! The underlying problem would appear to be that, unlike the other BIOS flashing methods, an @BIOS flash gone awry can overwrite the BIOS' boot block, which is the piece of the BIOS that, among other things, is responsible for the 'dual BIOS recovery' function; i.e., if your BIOS gets trashed, but the boot block remains intact, the boot block 'checksums' the 'working copy' of the BIOS (in EEROM, that you can flash), finds out it's bad, 'reverts' to the 'backup copy' (in ROM, that you can't 'futz' with, short of a soldering iron!) and loads it, with a couple of 'flags' set, to remind it to tell you about the BIOS' problem, and offer you options to fix it... Once @BIOS trashes that boot block, your board is a brick - useful only to prop open a door (and - a real, actual brick does a better job of that, too...)!! You're pretty much hoping for a 'graceful' RMA This problem is not limited to GB; other manufacturers have 'in the OS' flashing setups, and, so far as I know, are also prone to difficulties that DOS or 'in-BIOS' flashing just don't have...

 

[jaquith]

Try a "new" flash drive. If that doesn't work you've got bigger issue to contend with...

I've seen folks toast their MOBO's with ALL different options, as pointed out it appears you have "DualBIOS" ~ just in case.

Also, "sometimes" big jumps (F4~F9) aren't always advised ; I'd suggest going F4 -> F7 then F7 -> F9. Assuming you can get the MOBO to "see" the files.

 

[shineon2010]

Lastly download and copy the BIOS update to the Flash Drive root directory, and on a separate computer, double click on the exe file to expand the downloaded file to the BIOS Update the Q-Flash is looking for. I tried that one time, and the Q-Flash won't recognize the exe file the way it is downloaded. It generates an Autoexec.bat, and a XXXX.F9 file (or whatever the update version is) that is the actual BIOS update.

This is not the file im having trouble with or the revision number with that matter, Q-Flash does not even recongnize the flash drive when its connected at all! Only shows up as floppy which I dont even have. USB controllers,function and storage are enabled still no luck. Opened the exe file folder on another computer then tried it again and still not recongnized. And yes my flash drive works (8 GB Cruzer)

OMG, use the Windows based flash utility if you do not have a floppy disk drive installed.

http://www.gigabyte.comhttp://www.gigabyte.com

this is the homepage url, this doesnt help.

Im using Q-Flash and not @bios so the only option is trying to put on a floppy again and see if this works for the second time? Is there something im just not doing or looking over, are all gigabyte boards like this?

 

[John_VanKirk]

Hi therel,

Couple things I would try before giving up on the Flash drive. Do you have a different smaller flash drive that has nothing on it you could try?

If so, use the full reformat using the FAT-32 file system, not a quick format. Everything else like U3 or other files should be gone. Then copy the downloaded update exe file on the root directory, not in a subdirectory or folder. Also double check the BIOS Update file is for your specific motherboard. On a different computer, double click on it, and you should get an Autoexec.bat file, and the BIOS update that has the Name.F9 and suffix F6, or F9 (what the update version is). With the 3 files, exe, bat, F? on it only, nothing else, connect it to a standard USB port that is controlled by the chipset before going to the BIOS system setup.

The other thing you might do first, is go into the BIOS, under the Standard CMOS settings and set Drive A to "none". That way the BIOS should not see Drive A. and when you start the Q-Flash utility, hopefully only the USB drive.

Then go the the BIOS system setup, and click on F8 to go to the Q-Flash utility and start it to see if it sees the basic USB flash drive. With luck that should work.

If you have to resort to installing the update from a Floppy Drive, you will need to go back into the BIOS and turn the Drive A to 1.44/3.5" so the BIOS will again see the FDD as Drive A.

 

[aford10]

I think you're missing one step. You need to double click on the .exe, and copy the 2 files it generates to the floppy disk. Then the QFlash program should see the update.

 

[shineon2010]

So im a little confused on what has to be on the Flash drive?

If so, use the full reformat using the FAT-32 file system, not a quick format. Everything else like U3 or other files should be gone. Then copy the downloaded update exe file on the root directory, not in a subdirectory or folder. Also double check the BIOS Update file is for your specific motherboard. On a different computer, double click on it, and you should get an Autoexec.bat file, and the BIOS update that has the Name.F9 and suffix F6, or F9 (what the update version is). With the 3 files, exe, bat, F? on it only, nothing else, connect it to a standard USB port that is controlled by the chipset before going to the BIOS system setup.

Did the full reformat and same thing, doubled checked the revision same thing. I get the Autoexec.bat file the comes with the update but should that be loaded on the drive as well?

The other thing you might do first, is go into the BIOS, under the Standard CMOS settings and set Drive A to "none". That way the BIOS should not see Drive A. and when you start the Q-Flash utility, hopefully only the USB drive.

did this as well but still no luck, desktop reads that flash drive is fine but still in bios shows like is doesnt even exist?weird?

 

[aford10]

Double click on the .exe., grab that and the files that it generates. Put all of those files on the floppy disk.

 

[Scott2010au]

There is nothing wrong with @BIOS, especially on systems that lack a floppy disk drive.

I have flashed the BIOS on a GA-965P-DQ6 during every available BIOS update made available for Rev 1.x of that board and have used it to flash several other systems.

If the board has Dual-BIOS then it is not going to make it any worse, and if it fails to flash it rolls back much better and more automatically than the traditional way.

The OP is not flashing more than one system and does not have a FDD so there is very little point in making a bootable MS-DOS style system/boot diskette.

Screwing up @BIOS would require some kind of unskill!

@BIOS does not update the bootblock or any other data unless you tell it to do so. You can also direct it to only touch the "Backup" BIOS then set to boot from the "Backup" in CMOS Setup instead of the primary (they're just labels).

I know a lot more customers have had problems bricking their mainboards with the traditional method than with @BIOS.

 

[aford10]

Im using Q-Flash and not @bios so the only option is trying to put on a floppy again and see if this works for the second time?

The OP is not flashing more than one system and does not have a FDD so there is very little point in making a bootable MS-DOS style system/boot diskette.

Looks like the OP has a FDD to me.

 

[John_VanKirk]

Hi ShineOn,

I just took a recent flashdrive that I updated my BIOS with to see if there are any steps you, or we, might be missing.
First of all, all 3 files, autoexec.bat, the exe file, and the UPDATE.F? files should be on your USB drive. Nothing else.
Plug the Flash drive into the USB port, next to the PS/2 keyboard plug so you know it is controlled by the chipset.

Boot up to the BIOS system setup, and click on F8 to start the Q_Flash utility. Then click on "select drive"

On my system, it shows the USB drive as HDD 1-0, not a USB drive that you might think, because it sees it as a storage drive.
If you click on HDD 1-0, or yours might be HDD 0-0, and it will bring up the BIOS Update file you are looking for, to click on to start the update.

Maybe you didn't select the HDD, thinking that was your computer's hard drive rather than the drive containing the update.
If that works, give yourself a big hurrah! and of course a memorable learning experience.

John

 

[shineon2010]

Problem fixed.

 

[shineon2010]

Best answer selected by shineon2010.

 

[multicore911]

well done sir your answers where very clean, concise and well thought out theres a college degree here maybe a doctorate>? or aliens ub ducted you and made you brilliantly smart. i started repairing these beasts in 1998 and this week i discovered toms forums lol could have used it quite a few times.

Hi ShineOn,

I just took a recent flashdrive that I updated my BIOS with to see if there are any steps you, or we, might be missing.
First of all, all 3 files, autoexec.bat, the exe file, and the UPDATE.F? files should be on your USB drive. Nothing else.
Plug the Flash drive into the USB port, next to the PS/2 keyboard plug so you know it is controlled by the chipset.

Boot up to the BIOS system setup, and click on F8 to start the Q_Flash utility. Then click on "select drive"

On my system, it shows the USB drive as HDD 1-0, not a USB drive that you might think, because it sees it as a storage drive.
If you click on HDD 1-0, or yours might be HDD 0-0, and it will bring up the BIOS Update file you are looking for, to click on to start the update.

Maybe you didn't select the HDD, thinking that was your computer's hard drive rather than the drive containing the update.
If that works, give yourself a big hurrah! and of course a memorable learning experience.

John

 

[Rukas191]

I am Having the same Problem however when I follow the instructions given by John Every time I ask the Qflash utility to restore from a Drive it says "No Drive Found" I have tried this with a Brand New USB 2tera HD as well as with a 4 gig Flash Drive. Anyone Know what the issue might be???

 

[nikorr]

Go here http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/312253-30-flash-drive-recongnized-flashing-bios

It is now your thread.

Open a new question thread on your problem, that is the best way to get helped : )

This thread is already answered and not many people will come back, so make a new one, your very own.