Why does my Bios keep getting corrupted?

[socklosk]

Every month or so my computer will either not post or boot. Yesterday, it just kept on saying that the OS could not be located. Both of these problems can be fixed by getting into the Bios and reflashing it. Yesterday, when I got into the Bios there was about 300 repeated boot option even though I only had three drives.

Anyway, it looks as though my Bios is getting corrupted and I was wondering if anybody knows why and how. Hint: This never happened once when I had Windows 7 installed, just Windows 10.

 

[panathas]

How old is your system? Is your CMOS battery new? If not try getting a new one. Also try changing your sata cables because if one is bad may affect your sata-chipset controller. Finally check your OS drive maybe it's going bad. Download the proper software from your drive's manufacturer site. If indeed you have a corrupted bios that keeps getting corrupted again and again, I'm afraid that you may need a new bios chipset and if that's soldered on your board you need a new one. Try to RMA your motherboard if it's still under warranty.

 

[socklosk]

I have a Gigabyte H97 chipset motherboard that has already been RMAed. It came back good, or so they claimed. The CPU is an, i7 3.6 GHz Haswell. The battery is brand new. Also, I replaced everything in the computer, piece by piece, even the motherboard, and I used all the spare parts to build a good backup computer that looks to have the same issues, but I hardly use it, so I do not know for sure. My OS is on an SSD, and is showing that it's good.

Again, it all started when I went with Windows 10!

 

[panathas]

I have a Gigabyte H97 chipset motherboard that has already been RMAed. It came back good, or so they claimed. The CPU is an, i7 3.6 GHz Haswell. The battery is brand new. Also, I replaced everything in the computer, piece by piece, even the motherboard, and I used all the spare parts to build a good backup computer that looks to have the same issues, but I hardly use it, so I do not know for sure. My OS is on an SSD, and is showing that it's good.

Again, it all started when I went with Windows 10!

Wait, are you saying that you have a second PC which has the exact same problem?

Normally a BIOS doesn't easily get corrupted. There are mechanisms that protect it. That's why an OS cannot corrupt the BIOS, unless you have some kind of virus that tries to constantly flash the BIOS chip, which is extremely rare. Also when you have a corrupted BIOS there are also other signs which I don't think you have.

On the other hand you cannot have a bad BIOS chip because this is supposed to be a new board. Did your previous board had exactly the same behaviour? Have you flashed the BIOS chip with the latest Gigabyte version. Also does your board have a dual BIOS system. Some Gigabyte board have it. If it does try to select the second BIOS chip to see if that changes anything.

The only thing that I can think right now is that something is happening with your SSD. What's your model? Have you upgraded the firmware to the latest version? A bad SSD could cause that behaviour. You said that you have changed all the parts. Did you also change the SSD?

Finally you said that there were about 300 repeated boot options in your BIOS. What do you mean by that. Do you recall what the other options were and if it was a specific drive that gets repeated as a boot option?

Windows 10 shouldn't cause that behaviour unless there is something going on with the secure boot but normally your OS/BIOS should warn you about this and not just say that the OS could not be located. Check you BIOS and make sure that secure boot is enabled.

 

[socklosk]

I have a Gigabyte H97 chipset motherboard that has already been RMAed. It came back good, or so they claimed. The CPU is an, i7 3.6 GHz Haswell. The battery is brand new. Also, I replaced everything in the computer, piece by piece, even the motherboard, and I used all the spare parts to build a good backup computer that looks to have the same issues, but I hardly use it, so I do not know for sure. My OS is on an SSD, and is showing that it's good.

Again, it all started when I went with Windows 10!

Wait, are you saying that you have a second PC which has the exact same problem?

Normally a BIOS doesn't easily get corrupted. There are mechanisms that protect it. That's why an OS cannot corrupt the BIOS, unless you have some kind of virus that tries to constantly flash the BIOS chip, which is extremely rare. Also when you have a corrupted BIOS there are also other signs which I don't think you have.

On the other hand you cannot have a bad BIOS chip because this is supposed to be a new board. Did your previous board had exactly the same behaviour? Have you flashed the BIOS chip with the latest Gigabyte version. Also does your board have a dual BIOS system. Some Gigabyte board have it. If it does try to select the second BIOS chip to see if that changes anything.

The only thing that I can think right now is that something is happening with your SSD. What's your model? Have you upgraded the firmware to the latest version? A bad SSD could cause that behaviour. You said that you have changed all the parts. Did you also change the SSD?

Finally you said that there were about 300 repeated boot options in your BIOS. What do you mean by that. Do you recall what the other options were and if it was a specific drive that gets repeated as a boot option?

Windows 10 shouldn't cause that behaviour unless there is something going on with the secure boot but normally your OS/BIOS should warn you about this and not just say that the OS could not be located. Check you BIOS and make sure that secure boot is enabled.

I never thought of it being my SSD. It always happened using the same SSD that I bought used. When I bought a new motherboard, it happened on that board too. However, it never happened once while using Windows 7. The 300 boot options would just keep repeating my SSD, hard drive, and DVD drive over and over and over within the Bios for selecting which drive I wanted to boot from. It also happened using several versions of the Bios.The good news is that it has not happened for a long time as if an update fixed it. The last time it happened was when I tried adding more memory, going from 8GB to 16GB, so I decided to just stick with 8GB of memory. The whole time it was happening, the computer would not even post until I removed one stick of memory (it did not matter which one, which slots I was using, or whether or not I used different memory modules) but would fix itself when the motherboard automatically reverted to an earlier version of the Bios. I never noticed a "secure boot" option in my Bios or else I would have selected it long ago. Again, it seem to have fixed itself and has not happened for a long time. STRANGE!!!