How Dangerous is a BIOS Update on an MSI Board and How Do You Update a BIOS?

[HerobrineFinder]

Noob Question, there is new BIOS available for my MSI B350 Tomahawk Board that enables support for Ryzen APUs, fixes Specture, and increases RAM compatibility.
But, I have heard that updating your BIOS is extremely dangerous, and there is an extremely high risk of bricking your system.
In order to prevent this, I heard you have to use a DOS Floppy. The issue is that I don't have a floppy diskette and I don't have a floppy drive. Also, when on the download page, there is only a zip file that contains a readme and a .1co file. No .COM BIOS updater program.

Did updating the BIOS change. If so, how do you do it and how safe is it?

 

[caqde]

Today a lot of BIOS's use a built in flash program that can be accessed via the BIOS itself. The BIOS firmware file can be placed on a Flash Drive and can be read using the application in the BIOS to update the firmware. Some BIOS's now even have auto update applications that can download and update the BIOS using the internet.

The main danger always deals with hardware issues, bad memory, and power outages. It is usually recommended to update the BIOS using your current BIOS's default settings to reduce issues from overclocking and setting migration issues. As has always been the case a failed flash can brick your motherboard although this thankfully rarely ever happens.

MSI calls their flash program M-Flash so when you are in the BIOS have a Flash drive with the extracted BIOS files ready and click on M-Flash.

 

[Mr5oh]

On modern motherboards you unzip the file you download, place it on a USB stick and just your BIOS which / where the file is and it will update. Nothing to it. No DOS or anything like it use to be.

I've updated many boards many times over the years and don't really consider it dangerous anymore. The only problem I've had in recent years was thanks to an incompatibility with a USB keyboard (really obscure problem) and a newer MSI board I had Z97 chipset IIRC, and during an update it froze. I talked to tech support and we were able to recreate the problem, and it happened multiple times, and had to pull the plug more than half way through, I just had to downgrade the BIOS, then upgrade again. From then on I just had to use another keyboard with that board. I should note I have two other MSI boards in the house and neither have that issue. I should also note that tech support even said if pulling the plug bricked my board I could send it to them and they would reload the BIOS for me.

I really don't sweat updating the BIOS. Short of a power failure during an update, you really have nothing to worry about.

 

[smorizio]

most bios bricking now comes from trying to update the bios from inside of windows. a lot of mb have windows bios update programs. a lot of time the anti virus causes them to fail. or people download the wrong bios for there mb. with newer mb most time there very few updates needed if all the bugs are found before the mb ship.

 

[kameleon1983]

Be very careful I updated my bios today and it bricked my laptop. Blank screen and nothing showing and yes the bios flash successfully