How Do I Update My BIOS?

[Dark Mantis]

The first thing to do is go to the Gigabyte wesite and find the "Support and Downloads" section (http://uk.gigabyte.com/support-downloads/support-downloads.aspx).

Select your motherboard and revision number which can be found printed on the bottom left corner of the motherboard. Click on the "BIOS" tab. This will take you to the BIOS versions download page.The newest BIOS versions are at the top of the page. Click on your region under the "Download Here" section heading. A dialogue box will then pop up asking what you want to do with this file. Click on "save" and note where you are saving it to.

Take a USB pendrive and make sure it is formatted with a FAT32 file system. If the file ends with .exe run it, or if it is a zip file unzip it, and save the files (usually contains 3 files) that you just expanded to the Boot sector or a folder of your choice on this drive and insert the pendrive into a USB port.

Re-boot.

Press the"End" key as the computer is POSTing and you will be taken into the BIOS flashing utility "Q-Flash". From there just follow the prompts to find your file and DO NOT TURN OFF THE POWER under any circumstances. It will look for the pendrive with the file on it and use that to update the BIOS. One thing to note is that the pendrive may show up as a floppy or hard disk instead of a USB drive. Once it has completed you can reboot.

Believe me it is not as difficult as it sounds.

*Important note for P67 chipset users*

The BIOS versions that are still at beta stage or listed as "3TB+ HDD support" will require using the latest downloadable @BIOS program (not the one that came with the motherboard) from the Gigabyte website. If you feel unsure about this the other option is to use the FlashSPI.exe that is included with the BIOS update files.

[absic]

Thoughts of absic115 on the topic of Flashing BIOS

Just to add to what Dark Mantis has already said I thought it would be worth posting my own little contribution regarding this subject.

The safest and best way to flash BIOS is to use the QFlash Utility. But a note of caution before you start, flashing BIOS is not something you should do unless you really need to.

There are a couple of steps to take before updating BIOS the first is to download the latest version from the web. Be careful that you get the right BIOS version for your motherboard and in particular check out your motherboard's revision number prior to downloading. (If you're not sure where to find your revision number it is normally printed on the bottom left hand corner of the motherboard.)

When you download the correct BIOS  Save the folder to your desktop for easy access. Unzip the folder using WinRAR, 7Zip, Winzip etc., or by just double clicking the Icon.
http://img251.imageshack.us/i/img0276wi.jpg/
http://img809.imageshack.us/i/img0277h.jpg/
http://img710.imageshack.us/i/img0279ds.jpg/
http://img831.imageshack.us/i/img0280y.jpg/
http://img842.imageshack.us/i/img0282r.jpg/

You will find a USB Stick is the best way of flashing BIOS. (You can also use a floppy drive but I have found the USB Stick to be more reliable) Make sure the stick has been formatted in FAT32. Next copy the BIOS folder, that you have extracted (and saved on your desktop) to the USB Stick.

Leave the USB stick plugged into your PC and re-boot. As the PC starts up press the "END" key on your keyboard (you might have to press the "END" key several times during start-up before you see the message regarding QFlash, this is normal so don't worry just as you would the "DEL" key for entering BIOS). Don't worry if you enter BIOS by mistake you can still get to the QFlash utility by pressing f8 on your keyboard.
http://img248.imageshack.us/i/img0284mc.jpg/

The PC will enter the QFlash utility and you need to locate the folder on the USB Stick and then follow the on-screen instructions.
http://img14.imageshack.us/i/img0285cd.jpg/
http://img819.imageshack.us/i/img0286z.jpg/
http://img693.imageshack.us/i/img0287xq.jpg/
http://img256.imageshack.us/i/img0288br.jpg/
http://img413.imageshack.us/i/img0289d.jpg/
http://img134.imageshack.us/i/img0290p.jpg/

When the BIOS update is complete re-boot the PC and go back into BIOS.

Load optimised defaults, save and exit.

When the PC reboots you will see that the new BIOS is installed.

NOTE: Sometimes the latest available BIOS is a beta version and although it will work you might find some things are missing and overclocking, for example, might not work properly. If in doubt I would recommend that you do not update to BETA unless there is a noted "fix" for an issue that you are experiencing or if advised to by Gigabyte.

[absic]

Just thought it might be worth re-stating.

YOU SHOULD ONLY RE-FLASH BIOS IF A NEWER VERSION GIVES YOU ADDED CPU SUPPORT, ADDRESSES A KNOWN ISSUE or YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT A NEWER BIOS WILL HELP SOLVE A PROBLEM.

You really DO NOT need to update BIOS just because there is a newer version.

If your PC is running OK with its current version of BIOS you don't need to update it, unless of course
you are a gambler and like taking risks.

[virtualcrowbar]

Just wanted to say thanksespecially to absic115. This guide was really useful and I flashed my BIOS without any problem. The pictures also helped.

[Dark Mantis]

Some IMPORTANT ADVICE from Dark Mantis & absic115

Please note that although the @BIOS  is one of  Gigabyte's bundled software utilities it can cause a lot of problems and we feel it is safer not to use it.

Instead we would recommend using the QFlash utility that can be found in BIOS as it is a more reliable way of flashing/updating your BIOS.

[Court]

Snap I used the @BIOS to flash my bios last week. But I haven't had any problems with mine.

Should I reflash my board with the same bios but using a USB Memory stick?

[absic]

The @BIOS utility can be a bit Hit & Miss. Sometimes it will update BIOS without a problem but the next time you try and use it the whole process can go wrong for no apparent reason, leaving you with a very expensive brick. If you have updated your BIOS, using the @BIOS utility then don't worry, everything is fine.

The reality is that the safest method of updating your BIOS is using the QFlash utility and that's why we recommend that you use this method rather than @BIOS

[hiohaa]

please help,

it wont detect my pen drive! its formatted in FAT 32, its got the exe file on it, in the root directory, and ive enabled legacy USB in bios, and anything usb related in terms of detection ive enabled. but it just wont detect the pen drive! what is going on?

please help, i need to update the bios to cure the horrible sound stuttering problems im getting, i have a ud3r rev2.0

[absic]

Hi,

If your USB pen drive isn't being detected it could be due to the actual USB drive that you are using. The best thing to do is try another USB drive and also try using one that is 2 GB or less as these seem to be more reliable.

[Dark Mantis]

The other thing is to make sure that it is formatted on a PC preferably running a similar OS.

[RatsAss]

I finally found a thread explaining how to update bios. Sorry to raise an old thread but,,

My board came with F1 bios.There is a new bios @ Gigabyte to solve the reset button issue I have. It is F3.

There was some confusion over the bios numbers as F2 is listed as first bios.

My question is do I update to F2 first then F3,or just goto F3?

Details in sig.

[Dark Mantis]

No you should be fione jumping straight to F3. It is only when you have a lot of steps to jump that it is better to take it in stages.

[RatsAss]

No you should be fione jumping straight to F3. It is only when you have a lot of steps to jump that it is better to take it in stages.

Thank you.

[soarwitheagles]

No you should be fione jumping straight to F3. It is only when you have a lot of steps to jump that it is better to take it in stages.

Thank you.

Rip,

Be sure to cross your fingers and toes before you try it! 

Soar

[RatsAss]

No you should be fione jumping straight to F3. It is only when you have a lot of steps to jump that it is better to take it in stages.

Thank you.

Rip,

Be sure to cross your fingers and toes before you try it! 

Soar

Now you tell me,,

No problems at all. Mobo is F3 now.