P55 board: updating the BIOS with Q-Flash

[forumjoe]

I'm in the process of commissioning a new machine and before installing the operating system I'm wanting to update the BIOS of my US3L mobo, from version FE to version FH. For this, I'm intending to use Q-Flash, which is apparently a utility that's embedded in the BIOS and which can be entered during the POST by pressing the End key. Since the re-writing of the BIOS PROM can take a few minutes to complete, I'm wondering what the system fans will be doing during that period. Will they continue to run? Obviously, if they don't run - the CPU cooler fan, in particular - there could be a risk of the CPU rapidly overheating.
 

[Dark Mantis]

You don't need to worry as all the normal system will continue to run. If you are planning to use a USB pendrive for the update don't forget to enable Legacy USB Storage and Legacy USB Devices in  the BIOS first.

[forumjoe]

Thanks.

Just been looking at one or two different PDFs on the Q-Flash utility. They don't seem to agree on the procedure. The instructions in my mobo user manual are different again. As a result, I've a couple of queries:

1. I'll be using a floppy disc and preparing it on my old machine. I've downloaded and executed the BIOS exe file. It extracts into three files - a Flash executive, the binary update itself, and autoexec.bat. In order to run the utility directly in the BIOS, do I need to put all three of those files on to the floppy, or just the binary? In other words, in the case of the Q-Flash utility, are autoexec. bat and the executive file already there, in BIOS ROM?

2. Do I need, at some initial stage, to set the floppy drive as the first boot device, or is that completely unnecessary when you press the End key during POST to automatically enter the Q-Flash utility?

[Dark Mantis]

If you are using a floppy make sure that both computers can read it as sometimes they can be a bit finicky.

Put all three files onto the floppy disk and make it is bootable.

Insert the disk into the destination computer and then reboot.

As it is booting press the "End" key to take you into the QFlash utility.

From there disable the Keep DMI Data on the home page and continue.

Navigate to the BIOS file on the floppy disk and continue.

Let it save the original BIOS if given the oportunity and then copy the new BIOS to the computer.
 
Once complete you can remove the floppy, reboot and press "DEL" to enter the BIOS.

From there load Optimised BIOS Defaults and make any changes you want to.

Save and exit.

Simples.

[forumjoe]

Do you really mean "bootable", or do you just mean "readable by the destination computer"? In nothing I've recently read on this has there been a mention of needing to make the floppy a bootable one.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes it doesn't need to be bootable as such. My bad.

[forumjoe]

Yeh, thought that was a bit odd, as this embedded utility is supposed to save a lot of preparatory work. Making a bootable floppy would otherwise involve messing about with a Windows 98 startup floppy.

Are you absolutely sure, though, that autoexec.bat and the Flash utility itself are required on the floppy? I appreciate that BIOS-flashing utilities have moved on somewhat over the past decade but when flashing a new BIOS on my current machine (by the traditional method of using a bootable floppy) it's highly advised to delete from the floppy disc, among other files, autoexec.bat. And, as I say, there's no mention in my user manual either of needing to put all three files on to the floppy, in the case of this new BIOS. It simply says "Extract the file and save the new BIOS file (eg. P55UD3L2.fl) to your floppy disk, USB flash drive, or hard drive". It then goes on to say "Restart the system. During the POST, press the End key to enter Q-Flash .....". It seems that, depending on the type of flashing involved, certain files other than the binary file itself being on the disc can sometimes cause the flashing to fail.

Could it be that the only reason why three files are obtained from the extraction, rather than just one, is that Gigabyte haven't as yet bothered to produce a zip file with just the binary in it? In other words, that the downloadable exe is an old legacy format?

[Dark Mantis]

Yes I understand what you mean as what is the point of having autoexec.bat etc on the disk if you are not trying to boot from it. Maybe it is just a throwback that hasn't been resolved yet. The only file you actually use is the BIOS update file when doing the flash. Try removing the other two and see if it still finds it alright.

[forumjoe]

This is getting crazy. I tried putting the new file on to the newly-formatted floppy but Windows refused, saying that the file was too big. Well, according to the information on the BIOS that's published on both the Gigabyte UK and global websites, that file should be only 0.9MB in size. Looking now at its properties, it's around 2MB. So, what's going on?

I'll try downloading and extracting the file again.

[Dark Mantis]

You are using a 1.44MB floppy disk not a 720KB ?

I have just checked a BIOS file I have here and it would fit no problem.

[forumjoe]

Eh? I've never heard of a 720MB floppy disc. A 720MB CD, maybe, but not a 720MB floppy disc. There's no such thing, surely?

Yes, it's a 1.44MB floppy disc I'm using. Bog standard setup.

I downloaded the comnpressed file a second time and extracted it again. The BIOS file is definitely 2MB. It's nothing like the 0.9MB that Gigabyte reckon it is, on the website. Clearly, the compressed file is even bigger.

See for yourself. Find the P55-US3L product (Board Revn. 2.0), click on Downloads, set the OS to WinXP 32-bit, then choose BIOS. I downloaded from the Europe site. It's a small compressed file, so takes only a few seconds to download.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes I have indeed just checked and the extracted file is 2 MB in size. So that kicks into touch the floppy disk update doesn't it. You will have to use a USB pendrive instead.
Try the smallest one you can find.

[forumjoe]

I was just in the middle of typing a message to Technical Support when it dawned on me what the explanation is. The 0.9MB is the compressed size of the downloadable file, not the size of the BIOS file. Errh, doh!

Obviously, that 2MB BIOS file can't go on a floppy disc. I'll have to use my pen-type USB flash drive instead. It'll be the first time I'll have used a flash drive for updating a BIOS. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Dark Mantis]

It is pretty much the same apart from actually getting the machine to see the drive. Make sure that you make the changes in the BIOS as I mentioned earlier and I would also disable the floppy for now while you are there. You can enable it again afterwards if you want to. When you go into the QFlash don't forget to disable the Keep DMI Data and when you are looking for the file it will probably display it as a hard drive.

[Lsdmeasap]

All you need is the BIOS file on the floppy or USB to flash with Qflash, in this case though P55 BIOS wont fit on floppy of course.

So all you need is the .Fxx file on your USB, the USB must be FAT12/16/32 and you must have the above mentioned options enabled in the BIOS, then leave the USB Stick installed and boot to Qflash and then you will see the USB listed as a HDD browse it and you will find the BIOS file.

It will then give you a 4 digit checksum, proceed with the flash after that and you will be done.