BIOS Flash Guide

[saaya]

In case you run into problems updating your BIOS here are some tips
There are several ways to update the BIOS, from a floppy, usb stick or from within windows.

You can download the latest BIOSes here (official) and here (beta)
You need to register and log in to be able to download from the quantum force site, registering takes only a minute and doesnt require email verification, so you can log in and download immediatly.

FLOPPY
you need to create a bootable floppy disk, id recommend you a windows 98SE boot disk.
You can get loads of different tools that format and then create a bootable floppy on www.bootdisk.com
Then place the flash tool and BIOS image onto the same or another floppy and boot the pc and then follow the flash tools instructions

USB
Backup all data from the UBS stick and then format it to FAT16 or FAT32.
Download this HP tool here to make your USB stick bootable. Put the BIOS and Award files on the USB stick and plug it in any of the USB Slots. Power on the System and select to boot from HDD (!) and then select the HDD Bootup list where your USB stick should show up now. Make sure its no1 in the list and then hit Exit and Save. The Board should now boot from the USB stick and show you the DOS command prompt. From here is the same as updating the BIOS from a floppy.

WINDOWS
updating the bios from within windows is the easiest way. Install the FOX Live Update utility from the CD that comes with the board, then update the utility if necessary and backup/flash the Main and Backup BIOS's with the file above.
Please Note: Main=BIOS1 and Backup=BIOS2 (thanks to ric9887 for pointing this out)

Please make sure you are at safe speeds when updating the BIOS, and please load the setup defaults and then save and exit the BIOS after updating it and then configure the settings.




BlackOps Notes:
The blackops has 2 BIOS chips, the default one that the board will boot from is the left one.
If you run into any problems you can change the jumpers to select to boot from the second chip.
The jumpers work like this, from left to right:
jumper position 1 slects BIOS chip 1 (left chip)
jumper position 2 slects BIOS chip 2 (right chip)
jumper position 3 slects BIOS chip 1 (left chip) by default but you can change in bios to select chip2
jumper position 4 slects BIOS chip 2 (right chip) by default but you can change in bios to select chip1

Dreadnought Notes:
The Dreadnought has 2 BIOS chips, the default one that the board will boot from is the top one.
If you run into any problems you can change the jumpers to select to boot from the second chip below the first one.
The jumpers work like this, from left to right:
jumper position 1 slects BIOS chip 1 (top chip)
jumper position 2 slects BIOS chip 2 (bottom chip)
jumper position 3 slects BIOS chip 1 (top chip) by default but you can change in bios to select chip2
jumper position 4 slects BIOS chip 2 (bottom chip) by default but you can change in bios to select chip1

If you have any questions or comments please let me know

[MotF Bane]

I have a bootable USB key, but what is that gbdf folder for? Is that what you use to write the new BIOS, the "Ghost" application inside?

[saaya]

hmmmm, sorry, i dont get what you mean

[MotF Bane]

Attached - folders, descending. Does Ghost write the new BIOS?

[saaya]

ahhhh, i see, no, its a part of the hp tool it seems...
i actually havent checked if its necessary to get the usb stick to boot, but id think so...
did you do a virus scan on it?

EDIT: I checked to be sure, the file is safe, i ran several virus scans on it and it passes symantec, antivir and trendmicro

[saaya]

i updated the first post and added links to the BIOS download sections and more details about the winflash tool.
please let me know if you have any questions

[HDCHOPPER]

eye havent had any problums whatsoever using the in windows live updater (knock on wood)

but every time eye go to use it .. thiers an updated version window that pops up so ya eye go to get the updated version ..and every time it fails no latest version for me

but does it matter any at all ?? the one eye have works great so far

is thier any reason to have the latest version is it important to have ?? am eye missing anything here ?

in my book if it aint broke then dont fix it

[saaya]

heheh, generally yes
but if you want to tweak some more then the latest BIOS might help and give you some extra settings

latest bios for mars hmmm let me check...
and yes, theres some weird problem with some files when using the fox live update, on the blackops i wasnt able to download the new jmicron driver, it always started and then the download was aborted with an error message :/

i already contacted the china guys and will have all files hosted elsewhere until this is fixed.
as soon as its set up i will post the link to the laternative host location

[grungero]

Is there a guide to flash a bios without a flash drive or a floppy disk? I'm talking about cd-rom flashing?

[saaya]

there will be in a few days
hang in tight!

[Xello]

I suggest using the Fox Live Update program, it's really quick and really painless, have used it a good 5 or 6 times now

[saaya]

yeah, that or a usb stick with a .bat file really works well too.
but i always preferred flashing from windows too...

[grungero]

What happens if flashing fails in my mars?

[saaya]

What happens if flashing fails in my mars?

if its still running, try to flash it again, and dont power it off until you managed to complete it
if its not running, reset cmos and try to boot, then reflash it.
if that doesnt work, contact your local shop and ask them if you can lend a bios chip from a mars board to reflash your own chip, or ask them if they can do it. or let me know and ill send you a new bios chip with a working mars bios on it

[grungero]

if its still running, try to flash it again, and dont power it off until you managed to complete it
if its not running, reset cmos and try to boot, then reflash it.
if that doesnt work, contact your local shop and ask them if you can lend a bios chip from a mars board to reflash your own chip, or ask them if they can do it. or let me know and ill send you a new bios chip with a working mars bios on it

You can provide that for me? Cool!

[saaya]

sure
so you need one?

[grungero]

sure
so you need one?

No saaya, but in case i'll have some serious trouble, that's the time.

[saaya]

sure thing, just let me know

[grungero]

I've updated my bios to P14 through windows. Glad it's a success!

[saaya]

good to hear
windows flashing always went fine for me, even at highly oced speeds, but i def recommend clocking the rig down to stable speeds to flash the bios

[grungero]

good to hear
windows flashing always went fine for me, even at highly oced speeds, but i def recommend clocking the rig down to stable speeds to flash the bios

I disabled OC for that moment. Just for safety.

[matttehman]

I have tried the windows flashing method above several times with no luck. No I did not mess up my board or anything I was able to clear CMOS and start over again. But I do not understand why it says "flash was successful, would you like to restart your pc now?" and then when I restart I cannot get a post screen.

When I get home later I am going to try to flash the p13 instead( On p12 right now).

[saaya]

I have tried the windows flashing method above several times with no luck. No I did not mess up my board or anything I was able to clear CMOS and start over again. But I do not understand why it says "flash was successful, would you like to restart your pc now?" and then when I restart I cannot get a post screen.

When I get home later I am going to try to flash the p13 instead( On p12 right now).

did you select the "clear cmos" and "load setup defaults" option?
did you use the award winflash tool or the foxconn tool?
its normal that you have to clear cmos after a bios update if you dont select the "clear cmos" or "load setup defaults" switch when flashing the bios

[rwoodburn1]

Can anyone tell me how to make a bootable cd for vist 64

[InfinityNX]

What's the best bios for the blackops to use for overclocking? My PC specs are in my sig