[SOLVED] "System POSTed in safe mode" after updating BIOS ASUS Z 390-E Gaming

[darquedean]

So I decided to update my BIOS tonight in an attempt to fix another issue I was having but now when I turn my computer on the MOBO LEDS for DRAM and CPU alternate on and off. The orange DRAM light will be lit for about 5-10 seconds then turn off as the red CPU light comes on for around 2 seconds. it will do this several times. After it goes through the alternating DRAM/CPU LED cycles about 5 times it will give me the "System POSTed in safe mode" "Press F1..."

So far I have restored all BIOS settings to default. NONE of my drives get detected without CSM on so I turn that on by default every time I reset the CMOS or BIOS settings (which i have done several times).

I attempted to look up the MOBO LED flashing sequence to find out what error its trying to call out but I had no luck, I apologize if that just a lack of googling skills. The most I was able to find wasn't exactly what my issue was but someone mentioned that the CMOS battery may be dead which interested me because that could be a quick and easy solution but its nearly 3 AM as I'm writing this so I haven't bought a new battery to attempt this yet. But at the same time I doubt that is the issue since my PC was working somewhat proper prior to updating my BIOS, at least it was booting to Windows by default and I was able to game on it.

I was able to successfully get into Windows to write this by going into boot override and selecting my Windows drive. However when I restart my PC it just goes right back to cycling the MOBO LEDs and POSTing in safe mode. Also if I mess with any RAM settings at all I cannot boot into Windows, I attempted setting the XMP profile and it just crashes before it ever gets to the Windows loading screen. So the DRAM settings in the BIOS are set to auto and when I check the frequency in CPU-Z its showing it clocked at 2133 which isn't right. Not sure if that's relevant to the booting issue but it is another problem I'll have to try to solve.

Should I consider reverting BIOS if that is possible?

Thank you guys so much for any help, I've been beating my head against the wall all night trying to figure this out and this is my last resort before I call Asus. Sorry to bother you all.

my specs are as follows:
CPU: 8700k
GPU: 2080ti
Memory: 32GB 2666 corsair c16 ram
Storage: 256gb NVMe drive for Windows and a couple ssds for game storage
MOBO: Z 390-E Gaming

 

[Lutfij]

Can you recall what BIOS version you were on prior to the mishap? What BIOS version were you migrating/updating to? Often times people overlook that there are some instructions given(on the support page) to follow during BIOS updates to prevent the board from bricking. This can be updating the BIOS in a gradual manner and updating the MEI firmware/chipset drivers along the way in between BIOS updates.

Your motherboard has a function known as CrashFree BIOS 3, listed in motherboard manual under section 3.11.3 page 3-30, you should follow those steps to get back onto a known working BIOS version and then work your way up.

You should mention the make and model of your PSU and it's age as well. As for the CPU, how are you cooling that processor?

 

[darquedean]

Can you recall what BIOS version you were on prior to the mishap? What BIOS version were you migrating/updating to? Often times people overlook that there are some instructions given(on the support page) to follow during BIOS updates to prevent the board from bricking. This can be updating the BIOS in a gradual manner and updating the MEI firmware/chipset drivers along the way in between BIOS updates.

Your motherboard has a function known as CrashFree BIOS 3, listed in motherboard manual under section 3.11.3 page 3-30, you should follow those steps to get back onto a known working BIOS version and then work your way up.

You should mention the make and model of your PSU and it's age as well. As for the CPU, how are you cooling that processor?

So I am able to post correctly and enable XMP with proper ram speeds with just 2 sticks of ram of my 4x8 2666mhz but I also tried using a 16x2 3200 and it also works. I was on 0603 if recall corretly, everything within bios works as intended and I didn't read anything about incremental upgrades to the bios but I made sure to check because I'm aware that some boards tell you to update incrementally.

I have a 1000w EVGA gold rated psu from about 3-4 years ago. I have a custom water loop and delidded cpu, temps haven't been an issue if that's what you're getting at.

I put 2x16 3200mhz ram in and it boots with xmp enabled perfectly fine into windows now, not sure if its a dual channel issue or the old ram, im unsure but i know im satisfied using just 2 sticks of ram if it works over the 4 sticks of 8gb 2666

So as for now my problem is sorta solved. I wish i had 2 more sticks of th 16gb ram to see if its an issue running dual channel but I don't unfortunately. The original problem I was having that cause me to update the bios was I was crashing in nearly every game that is slightly demanding no matter what graphics settings i play on, this problem still persists I think unfortunately. I'll likely end up making another post for that issue. Thanks for the reply, I really do appreciate it.