Author: jd49
Subject: z170m-itx/ac gaming, bricked after BIOS update?
Posted: 20 Oct 2016 at 7:07pm
I did attempt some more trouble shooting last night with no luck. I called ASrock and they immediately offered to send me a new BIOS chip. I wanted to follow-up a bit still, first to possibly help other posters and Google searchers, and second because I'm now a tad worried about updating my BIOS in the future. I've updated the BIOS on at least 15 motherboards (+ family and friends) multiple times and never had an issue.
1.
It is the gaming board, Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac.
2.
At 98%, it definitely did something on its own. I did not have to press any keys. The keyboard was actually up on my desk while I was sitting on the floor with the PC. I will say, however, it may have been a shutdown with a quick startup, as opposed to a restart. My memory can't differentiate exactly which one, but it was definitely automated and there was no video output ever since.
3.
Everything would have been running at stock. I never overclocked or adjusted RAM timings or even profiles. I did plan on playing with XMP at some point, but whether it defaulted to that or not I didn't even check. My first phase was getting the PC to post, and since I was (unexpectedly) able to get into Windows and download the BIOS, I decided to knock that out before formatting and installing the fresh OS. When I was briefly in the OS I did check the system properties and it did see the 16GB RAM and processor, of course.
4.
I'm concerned about potentially updating the BIOS in the future and have some questions.
4a.
If something like this happened again, how long would I let it run on a black screen before I intervene?
4b.
If all else fails after waiting, what should I do?
4c.
If I must rely on the Crashless BIOS feature, how do I use it? All mentions of it point to a USB 2.0 port on the IO panel. I don't have a USB 2.0 port, only 3.0 and 3.1 (and a "Fatality" USB Mouse port).
Also, does the drive really need to be FAT32? The original drive that I put the BIOS on, looking back, was NTFS and ALSO had the whole Windows install on it (could this have been my issue! UGH!). The BIOS seemed to find it and use it. I guess I expected it to stop me, or not even find the drive, if it wasn't formatted properly![Dead]( "Dead")
.
I had to find a separate drive (didn't want to lose my fresh made Windows flash) and format it to FAT32 when I was experimenting with the Crashless feature.
5.
I've never replaced a BIOS chip and have some questions.
5a
I've watched a few videos online- but are there any recommended ones that are similar to my board's chip type you suggest?
5b.
Do you think I should/need to physically remove the board from the case prior to doing this? (I'm just thinking about all of the components that are plugged/screwed in and saving time re-building). It looks like I can access the chip fairly well with the video card and RAM removed so I have space to work; but since I've never done this I'm not sure how much leverage will be needed.
5c.
Chip pullers, yes or no? Also, it looks like there are two kinds. Suggestions?
Thank you for your much valued help!
Subject: z170m-itx/ac gaming, bricked after BIOS update?
Posted: 20 Oct 2016 at 7:07pm
I did attempt some more trouble shooting last night with no luck. I called ASrock and they immediately offered to send me a new BIOS chip. I wanted to follow-up a bit still, first to possibly help other posters and Google searchers, and second because I'm now a tad worried about updating my BIOS in the future. I've updated the BIOS on at least 15 motherboards (+ family and friends) multiple times and never had an issue.
1.
It is the gaming board, Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac.
2.
At 98%, it definitely did something on its own. I did not have to press any keys. The keyboard was actually up on my desk while I was sitting on the floor with the PC. I will say, however, it may have been a shutdown with a quick startup, as opposed to a restart. My memory can't differentiate exactly which one, but it was definitely automated and there was no video output ever since.
3.
Everything would have been running at stock. I never overclocked or adjusted RAM timings or even profiles. I did plan on playing with XMP at some point, but whether it defaulted to that or not I didn't even check. My first phase was getting the PC to post, and since I was (unexpectedly) able to get into Windows and download the BIOS, I decided to knock that out before formatting and installing the fresh OS. When I was briefly in the OS I did check the system properties and it did see the 16GB RAM and processor, of course.
4.
I'm concerned about potentially updating the BIOS in the future and have some questions.
4a.
If something like this happened again, how long would I let it run on a black screen before I intervene?
4b.
If all else fails after waiting, what should I do?
4c.
If I must rely on the Crashless BIOS feature, how do I use it? All mentions of it point to a USB 2.0 port on the IO panel. I don't have a USB 2.0 port, only 3.0 and 3.1 (and a "Fatality" USB Mouse port).
Also, does the drive really need to be FAT32? The original drive that I put the BIOS on, looking back, was NTFS and ALSO had the whole Windows install on it (could this have been my issue! UGH!). The BIOS seemed to find it and use it. I guess I expected it to stop me, or not even find the drive, if it wasn't formatted properly
.I had to find a separate drive (didn't want to lose my fresh made Windows flash) and format it to FAT32 when I was experimenting with the Crashless feature.
5.
I've never replaced a BIOS chip and have some questions.
5a
I've watched a few videos online- but are there any recommended ones that are similar to my board's chip type you suggest?
5b.
Do you think I should/need to physically remove the board from the case prior to doing this? (I'm just thinking about all of the components that are plugged/screwed in and saving time re-building). It looks like I can access the chip fairly well with the video card and RAM removed so I have space to work; but since I've never done this I'm not sure how much leverage will be needed.
5c.
Chip pullers, yes or no? Also, it looks like there are two kinds. Suggestions?
Thank you for your much valued help!