ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi II - New BIOS file (2001) Issue

[vortex1]

The new 2001 BIOS file for the ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi II doesn't work for me at present. I have carried out a number of flashes before so it's nothing new to me.

When I went to the download site I had to refresh the BIOS/Drivers related page a number of times before anything came up - and strangely all the other z790 boards that are usually on there have disappeared. Anyway I downloaded the zip file and produced the .CAP file as normal. I ensured my USB stick was formatted properly too. I tried EZ flash and it will not work. I then tried going into the BIOS itself and using the flash utility on there and the USB/CAP file is not being recognized. It's as if it's the wrong BIOS file or something. It's definitely on the stick as showing in Explorer.

Must be something wrong with the .CAP file. I tried producing another one in case the first one was corrupted -  and it still wouldn't work.

Here is a screenshot of the download site:

 If anyone knows what's up with this please let me know - thanks.

[Nate152]

Hello vortex1

Just want to confirm you renamed the bios file with the bios renamer or manually. I tend to use the bios renamer in the download.

If you renamed the bios file, try using the bios flashback feature to update the bios.

1) Insert your usb flash drive into the red usb port marked BIOS, it has a white outline around it.

2) Press and hold the bios flashback button until the led starts blinking, then release. It has a white outline around it too.

3) It should take a few minutes to update. When the blinking stops, start your pc. It may continue to update the led firmware and such on the boot up.

How does using bios flashback go?

[vortex1]

I've previously pressed the flashback button initially for about 3 seconds until the LED started blinking then released and it continued to blink for about 3 seconds then the LED turned solid and stopped blinking - the flashback had failed. I tried again by pressing for about 10 seconds and the LED did the same thing.

Not sure why that happened?

All I can think at this stage is to try flashing with an older BIOS file just to test and then reverting back to my current one - just to ensure if it's the current BIOS file that's faulty. I will go ahead and do that now and report back.

[Nate152]

Thank you

Let us know how it goes.

[vortex1]

I just tried a previous BIOS file and I had the same issue - the EZ flash would not proceed. This means there's something wrong with the PC/motherboard and not the BIOS file. I did try flashing after I put my current BIOS into default mode, because I read that can be a cause of problems if not done - but it made no difference in my case.

I have brought my BIOS back to where it originally was, i.e made my own custom configuration changes. I have no idea why my PC is failing to flash.

[Nate152]

Ok thank you

I made a quick video just to be sure you're doing it correctly.

[vortex1]

Thanks for the video. The only difference to what you showed is that I have created the CAP file in the USB itself as opposed to creating it on the system and then placing it on the USB afterwards - I think this is the same thing anyway because I still end up with the properly renamed CAP file.

Btw, I originally had my USB stick (64GB) formatted in Windows as exFAT. I reformatted it in Disk Genius as FAT32 - guess what?, it made no difference.

This really should be a quite simple procedure - but it looks like my system is the issue.

A chatbot came up with this when asked why I can't flash:

1. Insufficient power supply: The motherboard requires a minimum of 3V (or more, depending on the model) from the power connector to perform flashing operations. If the power supply is not sufficient or not functioning correctly, flashing might fail.

2. Flashing software issues: Outdated or corrupted BIOS flashing software can cause problems with the flashing process. Try using a newer version of the ASUS Flash Utility (e.g., 5.x) and ensure that the software is installed on a compatible platform (Windows 10 or higher).

3. Corrupted flash chip: The flash chip on the motherboard may be damaged, which prevents it from accepting new BIOS data. This can happen due to physical shock, overwriting of the flash memory, or manufacturing defects.

4. Incorrect jumper settings: Jumper settings are critical for selecting the correct flash mode (e.g., Q-Flash) and ensuring that the motherboard is prepared for flashing. Incorrectly setting the jumpers may prevent the flashing process from working.

5. Conflict with other hardware components: In some cases, other hardware components on the motherboard can interfere with the flashing process. For example, if a USB device or a fan is interfering with the power supply lines, it might cause flashing failures.

6. Firmware incompatibility: If the BIOS firmware is not compatible with the motherboard or the flash chip, flashing might fail.

7. Physical damage to the motherboard: Physical damage to the motherboard, such as water exposure or extreme temperature changes, can also prevent the motherboard from accepting new BIOS data during flashing.

8. Incorrect CPU power settings: If the CPU power settings are not configured correctly (e.g., if the CPU is not in a stable state), the motherboard may not be able to properly support the flashing process.

9. Outdated firmware on the UEFI firmware: The UEFI firmware may need to be updated before flashing the BIOS, and an outdated version can cause issues with flashing.

I started by unplugging all other USB devices from the motherboard - but still no luck.
I might try clearing the CMOS - but not sure what the implications might be?

All I can say at this point is that I have previously had my system freezing and I had to disable the C-State in BIOS which appeared to fix it. Not sure if this is behind it? - Also not sure what hardware replacement I would need to make i.e. CPU or motherboard in order to run a stable system without having to disable C-State (and possible allow this BIOS flashing to work?) - My bet is on a motherboard replacement.

Maybe it's ASUS's way of saying - "upgrade to a z890".

[Silent_Scone]

Sorry if I've missed this, but have you at least tried to format and flash using an alternative flash drive?

[vortex1]

Thank you for responding - apologies for the delayed response - we might be in different time zones.

I have tried 2 different USB sticks, and same issue. I have looked at the sticks in Disk Management and they are appearing with normal 'healthy' FAT32 partitions. They are behaving normally in Windows i.e. can be read and written to normally.

I have pressed the Flashback button for 3 seconds, 5 seconds, and 10 seconds and it always just stops flashing immediately and the LED goes solid - i.e. it's not doing anything. The USB's are being plugged into the correctly labelled port with the white outline around it. I've never had this problem in the past, and this type of update has been very straightforward.

Like I said - if I try doing it the BIOS way, then the USB/BIOS file is not being recognized. This might be significant.

I was thinking along the lines of perhaps finding a driver update for that flash port (via Device Manager) if one exists? Not sure what to do really..

[vortex1 · Accepted solution]

UPDATE:

I went into the BIOS again and went into the Flash Utility. I had the USB stick with the CAP file on it plugged into a standard USB port - as I had done before - but this time I used a case front USB port and not a motherboard port. What I also didn't pay attention to is that there are 4 SSD's in this machine and at this time the USB. I went down the list of drives identified the USB by the smaller amount of MB's that it has, so I clicked on that and the CAP file was displayed. I simply clicked on that to start the update. It's all done! The problem was that I have always updated the BIOS via the flash port and never done it via this method before.

This doesn't explain however why my EZ Flash Port is misbehaving and forcing me to do this the long way!? Not good. I might generally have bad motherboard USB's - however, there's no yellow exclamation marks in the Device Manager.

I've not 'disabled C-State' again for now, until I see if this BIOS update makes the system more stable, ie. stops 'freezing'.

nb. My GPU interface is rated at PCI-e 5.0, but it's one of those top shared slots with an SSD, so in order not to affect SSD performance I downgraded the PCI slot to 4.0. I don't seem to have been hit by any gfx performance issues anyway and games run ok - talking of which, I have just uninstalled and deleted any EasyAntiCheat.exe  programs/processes & games that run it, as that was preventing my Windows Core Isolation (Kernel Mode Protection) from activating, and thus was causing a serious security vulnerability.