[SOLVED] MSI BIOS not waiting at boot menu after flashing it

[Blind_Faith]

Hello, I created a rescue USB drive with WinSetupFromUSB that boots using Grub4Dos and it was working on my original BIOS, it loads a legacy menu with a 20 second timeout, with these options:

1. Boot Hard Disk [MBR] (Legacy based)
2. Boot Kaspersky Rescue Disc (Legacy based)
3. Windows Setup / Macrium Reflect Backup (UEFI based)

After updating my BIOS, the 20 second timeout is now being ignored and it just boots the first option without waiting. I do get a split second where I can tap down arrow and get it to stay on the menu.

Another problem after updating the BIOS is, if I tap delete very early on to get into the BIOS, it sometimes hangs at a black screen. I have to time it to perfection, only pressing delete when the text comes up saying to press it.

I have:

• Disabled secure boot, makes no difference.
• Looked for anything relating to "fast" or "quick" boot and can't see any options to disable anything like that.
• Tried disabling fast memory check.

I have no idea what BIOS option might be causing this or whether it's some new BIOS option that's now there due to the BIOS being updated.

I stupidly never looked at the BIOS version before flashing it, or else I would just flash it back to factory the original BIOS again!

The reason I updated my BIOS was I kept getting stuttering when playing back movies and audio, but I think that turned out to be my chipset drivers never being updated (now they are).

This is on a MSI B450M Pro-M2 Max (MS-7B84) motherboard.

The BIOS I updated to is at the top of this page:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/B450M-PRO-M2-MAX
Version: 7B84vAC
Release Date: 2021-02-09

I have a 64 MB FAT32 USB just for the purposes of BIOS updates, since people have advised to use the smallest possible FAT32 USB stick, so I am OK doing it, I just don't know whether to risk rolling back to another version of the BIOS.

Should I just flash it again, to BIOS version 7B84vAB before this latest one?

I bought the motherboard in March 2020 so it probably had BIOS version 7B84vA5 actually. I know it cannot have had a later one because that doesn't appear until April 2020 (after I bought the motherboard).


Cheers folks.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Hello, I created a rescue USB drive with WinSetupFromUSB that boots using Grub4Dos and it was working on my original BIOS, it loads a legacy menu with a 20 second timeout, with these options:

1. Boot Hard Disk [MBR] (Legacy based)
2. Boot Kaspersky Rescue Disc (Legacy based)
3. Windows Setup / Macrium Reflect Backup (UEFI based)

After updating my BIOS, the 20 second timeout is now being ignored and it just boots the first option without waiting. I do get a split second where, I can tap down arrow and get it to stay on the menu, but it used to wait like it's meant to.

Another problem after updating the BIOS is, if I tap delete very early on to get into the BIOS, it sometimes hangs at a black screen. I have to time it to perfection, only pressing delete when the text comes up saying to press it, all a bit of a pain when it never used to do this on the original BIOS.

I have:

• Disabled secure boot, makes no difference.
• Looked for anything relating to "fast" or "quick" boot and can't see any options to disable anything like that.
• Tried disabling fast memory check.

I have no idea what BIOS option might be causing this or whether it's some new BIOS option that's now there due to the BIOS being updated.

I stupidly never looked at the BIOS version before flashing it, or else I would just flash it back to factory the original BIOS again!

The reason I updated my BIOS was I kept getting stuttering when playing back movies and audio, but I think that turned out to be my chipset drivers never being updated (now they are).

This is on a MSI B450M Pro-M2 Max (MS-7B84) motherboard with BIOS.

The BIOS I updated to is at the top of this page:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/B450M-PRO-M2-MAX
Version: 7B84vAC
Release Date: 2021-02-09

I have a 64 MB FAT32 USB just for the purposes of BIOS updates, since people have advised to use the smallest possible FAT32 USB stick, so I am OK doing it, I just don't know whether to risk rolling back to another version of the BIOS.

Should I just flash it again, to BIOS version 7B84vAB before this latest one?

I bought the motherboard in March 2020 so it probably had BIOS version 7B84vA5 actually. I know it cannot have had a later one because that doesn't appear until April 2020 (after I bought the motherboard).


Cheers folks.

Don't know much about your boot-time menuing system so can't offer anything for that. But that BIOS version...4vAC... uses an AGESA that is built for Ryzen 5000 processors on B450 boards and that appears true of 4vAB that uses ComboAm4v2PI 1.1.0.0 . If you don't have one I'd suggest rolling it back to one with AGESA 1.0.0.6 which is going to be 4vA7 or 4vA8.

 

[Blind_Faith]

Cheers drea.drechsler yes I am on a Ryzen 5 (3600) at the moment.

I just checked my BIOS version and it's from 12/10/2020 which is some random one (probably 7B84vA8).

I think I'll try 7B84vAC (latest) and if that doesn't work, go back to 7B84vA5 (probably the one that came on the motherboard when it was bought).

Either way I know I haven't currently got either of the above on it.

 

[drea.drechsler]

....
I think I'll try 7B84vAC (latest) and if that doesn't work, go back to 7B84vA5 (probably the one that came on the motherboard when it was bought).
....

I thought you said earlier you were on 4vAC? And that date (12/10/2020) lines up with none of the release dates on the MSI support page. Not sure what it is and wouldn't assume anything.

4vAC should work with a 3600 just be aware that AMD suggested they'd leave the AGESA code for B450 boards at a BETA level as they're not fully regression testing it with earlier processors. So expect strange behaviours with it and some sections of the BIOS possibly non-operational for your CPU.

Personally, I'd be more concerned with memory compatibility even though it's not supposed to matter since 5000 and 3000 CPU's all share the same memory controller and I/O chiplet.

 

[Blind_Faith]

Updated to the latest BIOS and it's still ignoring the boot menu timeout.

I commented out the timeout line in the "menu.lst" file that runs the Grub4Dos menu and with that not there, it does stay on the menu, but if I press an arrow key to flick between options, the menu freezes up straight away.

The UEFI menu that branches off from the initial menu has a timeout on it and when it loads that UEFI based menu, it's again ignoring the timeout, taking me back to the main menu (just because that's the first option on the UEFI menu).

I'll try the BIOS version dated around the time I bought this motherboard.

I am starting to think maybe it's something to do with having my keyboard plugged in during these BIOS updates. I mean I think it was always going to do this no matter what BIOS I use.

 

[Blind_Faith]

I flashed the BIOS to 7B84vA5 (quite an old BIOS dated 2019-12-06 but the one I suspect was on the motherboard from the store) and the USB menu is back working exactly how it should. I am so happy it fixed it

I still wonder why later BIOS versions mess up the Grub4Dos menu. It must be that Grub4Dos needs updating.

No point messing about with it now it's working. If I start getting the stuttering back when playing back video and audio (that I am 90% sure was just my chipset drivers never getting installed) then I'll start flashing to the next BIOS version, checking the USB boot menu, flashing to the next one and so on until the menu stops working, then roll back to the last one I used.

 

[drea.drechsler]

I flashed the BIOS to 7B84vA5 (quite an old BIOS dated 2019-12-06 but the one I suspect was on the motherboard from the store) and the USB menu is back working exactly how it should. I am so happy it fixed it

I still wonder why later BIOS versions mess up the Grub4Dos menu. It must be that Grub4Dos needs updating.

No point messing about with it now it's working. If I start getting the stuttering back when playing back video and audio (that I am 90% sure was just my chipset drivers never getting installed) then I'll start flashing to the next BIOS version, checking the USB boot menu, flashing to the next one and so on until the menu stops working, then roll back to the last one I used.

I'd try it with vA6 since that one has the latest BIOS for Zen2 and will offer the best memory compatibility, but then I'm not shy of experimenting. If you're content and it's doing what you want that's about all you could ask I suppose

Installing the chipset drivers will have a major influence on performance of Ryzen. I'd suggest getting them from the AMD support web site to be sure you're getting the latest. You also avoid the scam-ware or bloat-ware that often comes bundled with the stuff you get from motherboard web sites and on the CD's that come in the box.

Good to know you're fixed up at least 👍