Question Help with BIOS and Linux on Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ?

[rtayek]

Hi, I have this mother board with an AMD FX(tm)-8350 Eight-Core Processor using windows 10 pro. I have never updated the BIOS. The BIOS says version: FC, 2/5/13, 8A02BG01 (or maybe -1). I just had cataract surgery, so I can not find the exact revision of the motherboard and the youtube videos are kinda fuzzy, and being 75, it is easy to become confused in the BIOS.

I have installed Linux on a separate disk a few times, but it is very difficult. Trying now with various flavours of recent Linux distributions on USB sticks works sometimes, but fails to recognize my USB keyboard and mouse. I will by a PS/2 keyboard, but my system has only one PS/2 socket and iirc, the PS/2 splitters do not work well. However, I should not need a mouse to install Linux and run from the command line.

My system keeps trying to boot from the USB stick that had Linux on it. Changing the boot order of the disks does not help. F-12 and selecting a disk works after a few tries. Also it is time consuming to run experiments due to the memory check.

Is there any way to turn off the memory check? (It is slow).

How can I find the revision for my BIOS? (Videos say to look at something on the box, but I can not find it).

Is there any way to print out the BIOS? I do have an F-12 in the BIOS that says that it is printing to a USB floppy drive, but windows does not see the drive despite the device manager saying that it is working properly and has the latest driver. And unplugging the floppy drive and trying to use F-12 appears to do nothing.

How would I update the BIOS? Should I update the BIOS ?

Any pointers will be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[CountMike]

Hi, I have this mother board with an AMD FX(tm)-8350 Eight-Core Processor using windows 10 pro. I have never updated the BIOS. The BIOS says version: FC, 2/5/13, 8A02BG01 (or maybe -1). I just had cataract surgery, so I can not find the exact revision of the motherboard and the youtube videos are kinda fuzzy, and being 75, it is easy to become confused in the BIOS.

I have installed Linux on a separate disk a few times, but it is very difficult. Trying now with various flavours of recent Linux distributions on USB sticks works sometimes, but fails to recognize my USB keyboard and mouse. I will by a PS/2 keyboard, but my system has only one PS/2 socket and iirc, the PS/2 splitters do not work well. However, I should not need a mouse to install Linux and run from the command line.

My system keeps trying to boot from the USB stick that had Linux on it. Changing the boot order of the disks does not help. F-12 and selecting a disk works after a few tries. Also it is time consuming to run experiments due to the memory check.

Is there any way to turn off the memory check? (It is slow).

How can I find the revision for my BIOS? (Videos say to look at something on the box, but I can not find it).

Is there any way to print out the BIOS? I do have an F-12 in the BIOS that says that it is printing to a USB floppy drive, but windows does not see the drive despite the device manager saying that it is working properly and has the latest driver. And unplugging the floppy drive and trying to use F-12 appears to do nothing.

How would I update the BIOS? Should I update the BIOS?

Any pointers will be appreciated.

Thank you.

I had that MB with FX6350 until couple of years ago, still have BIOS and drivers on file.
CPUid CPU-z https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html can tell you BIOS version is installed now.
Motherboard revision is printed on the MB in lower left corner.
Last BIOS version was F14e.
You can update to it by placing BIOS file (990XAUD3.14e) on a Fat32 formatted USB, access BIOS and choose Q-Flash utility. Point it to that file and it will update the BIOS, no need for any other utility or floppy drive.
MB has Dual-BIOS so if first one fails secondary one should take over. Once your new BIOS is confirmed to be good enough, pressing F11 while in BIOS screen should copy it to secondary.
I,'we run Linux Mint on it for few years without problems even with earlier BIOS versions but also many other distros.
BTW, I'll be 75 this July. and use 29 and 32" monitors to see better.

 

[rtayek]

I had that MB with FX6350 until couple of years ago, still have BIOS and drivers on file.
CPUid CPU-z https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html can tell you BIOS version is installed now. ...
BTW, I'll be 75 this July. and use 29 and 32" monitors to see better.

Leaving for vacation for a week. got a ps/2 keyboard. will try the experiments when i get back.

I have 3 monitors and will be able to see them easily when my new lenses are adjusted.

Thank you.