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Thunderbolt stopped working after latest Motherboard BIOS update (2204)

raugam111
Level 9
Hello everyone.

I have an ASUS ROG Strix Z690-A Gaming WIFI D4 motherboard and an ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 connected to it on the last PCIe slot.

I am running Windows 11 and use this device for music production which is my work (I require thunderbolt for my studio).

My build had been working perfectly fine with thunderbolt when I had BIOS version 1304. I did however have a different issue at the time where my machine would not post if I set any XMP (I or II) on. I was working with the BIOS load defaults and had to work with my RAM at 2666MHz despite it having a capacity of 4000MHz.

I noticed I was very behind on the BIOS updates so I thought perhaps this XMP issue would be fixed if I did the update. I updated to the latest BIOS version 2204 and it fixed the XMP problem. However, thunderbolt functionality completely stopped - which is even worse because now I can't really work. And for the record, I updated Intel ME before updating the BIOS.

Under "Device Manager" I see "Thunderbolt(TM) Controller - 1137" has a yellow triangle on it and when I see it's properties it shows an error message saying "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems (Code 43)". Also, if I go to the Thunderbolt Control Center app and click on "About" it shows the correct application version but the "controller driver version" has a weird "N/A". No devices get recognized when connecting via thunderbolt. I can tell it is passing electricity since my CalDigit thunderbolt hub's led lights up when connected but Windows does not recognize the device and it does not work. No thunderbolt devices work with different cables and everything so the the issue is clearly related to whatever changed in thunderbolt when updating the BIOS.

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I tried looking for more info on the "Event Viewer" but all I see is an Error stating the device "had a problem starting" with problem status 0xC00000E5. Which after doing some research does not really help me pin down a solution.

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I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the thunderbolt drivers and thunderbolt control center, updated all other drivers, completed all Windows updates and optional updates, removed the ThunderboltEX from the PCIe slot and then placed it back in... but it made no difference. Finally, I found that ThunderboltEX 4 had a TB & PD firmware update I could try. I followed the instructions and when launching the Shell.efi from BIOS I got a weird message for "Thunderbolt Nvm" which says "No support update ,Please check Thunderbolt installed correctly and try again, or contact Asus customer service". For the "Cypress PD" part of the firmware update, it completed with no issues and is now version 129. I don't understand why it does not want to update the firmware of TB though and I don't understand what it means by "No support update".

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I wish I could easily just go back to BIOS 1304 so I can have thunderbolt back but I'm scared to try since after BIOS version 2004 there are notes stating that rolling back to earlier versions is not supported. My only hope right now is that rolling back to BIOS 2103 or 2004 will resolve this. I'll report on that here but I was hoping someone had any ideas on what I can do to fix this. I really can't reinstall a fresh Windows OS since that would delete all my studio settings, configurations, plugins, programs which took years of putting together.
15,916 Views
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

The Firmware on the card itself is the issue, not the MB BIOS.

Look at the SN of the card on the box and see what I wrote above.

If you can, the real solution would be to obtain the updated firmware on the card by getting on labeled with the correct SN prefix (that is the letter 'N' is FW 31 and 'M' is FW 24 which doesn't work)

Hope this helps

View solution in original post

54 REPLIES 54

Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent
Hello, raugam111.

To solve "Windows has stopped this device because it has a problem" (Code 43), please try rebooting,
reinstating the device (in this case, ThunderboltEX 4), deleting other USB devices in device manager,
reinstalling the related driver, or updating the driver, and using Windows Update Troubleshooter to fix the problem.

Please test the above troubleshooting steps first, and if the problem still exists, please share the requested information below for us to better understand your scenario.
- the content of the setting in BIOS (or whether it is the default) and the OS build
- the brand and model name of the CPU, DRAM, GPU, and PSU currently installed

Thank you.

Jiaszzz@ROG wrote:
Hello, raugam111.

To solve "Windows has stopped this device because it has a problem" (Code 43), please try rebooting,
reinstating the device (in this case, ThunderboltEX 4), deleting other USB devices in device manager,
reinstalling the related driver, or updating the driver, and using Windows Update Troubleshooter to fix the problem.

Please test the above troubleshooting steps first, and if the problem still exists, please share the requested information below for us to better understand your scenario.
- the content of the setting in BIOS (or whether it is the default) and the OS build
- the brand and model name of the CPU, DRAM, GPU, and PSU currently installed

Thank you.


Hello Jiaszzz@ROG,

Thank you for getting back to me.

I have tried rebooting multiple times, reinstating the ThunderboltEX 4 card, deleting and reinstalling the drivers, updating drivers, and also tried the WIndows Update Troubleshooter (which found no issues). I also used the System File Checker tool command (sfc /scannow) which found no problems. However, my issue persists and Thunderbolt is not working at all.

Here are the answers to the requested information:

- BIOS settings are set to defaults
- OS build: 22621.1194
- CPU: Intel i9-12900K 3.2GHz
- DRAM: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 128GB DDR4-4000
- GPU: ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC Edition 12GB
- PSU: SeaSonic PRIME PX 1300 W

Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent
Hello, raugam111.

Thank you for the detailed information.
I have forwarded your case to the relevant department.
In order for the relevant department to further test your problem, could you also help confirm the brand and model of all the devices-
you will use Thunderbolt to connect to, as well as the current firmware version?

Thank you

Jiaszzz@ROG wrote:
Hello, raugam111.

Thank you for the detailed information.
I have forwarded your case to the relevant department.
In order for the relevant department to further test your problem, could you also help confirm the brand and model of all the devices-
you will use Thunderbolt to connect to, as well as the current firmware version?

Thank you


Thank you for your help. I believe the current firmware version for the ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 is 24. However, as explained in my first post, I do not see any information about the ThunderboltEX 4 card on the Thunderbolt Control Center app when I click on "About" - it shows the correct application version but the "controller driver version" has a weird "N/A" and there is no firmware version.

I do remember that the firmware version was 24, however, because all the information appeared on the Thunderbolt Control Center app before updating the motherboard BIOS to 2204 from 1304. As I had mentioned earlier, I tried updating the ThunderboltES 4 card's firmware but I got an error stating: "No support update ,Please check Thunderbolt installed correctly and try again, or contact Asus customer service".

I have multiple Thunderbolt devices which would work perfectly fine before the motherboard BIOS update. To name a few, the CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub and the Universal Audio Apollo Twin X.

Please let me know if you need any more information from me. I am hoping my issue can be resolved so I can continue working.

Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent
Hello, raugam111.

Could you help confirm if you have also updated the Intel Management Engine to the latest version, 16.1.25.2020, before updating the BIOS?
Please refer to [Motherboard] Intel® Management Engine Firmware Update Instructions(ME) > https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1047868
If the problem persists after the update, please provide an image of the BIOS main page, the ME firmware version.

Thank you.

Jiaszzz@ROG wrote:
Hello, raugam111.

Could you help confirm if you have also updated the Intel Management Engine to the latest version, 16.1.25.2020, before updating the BIOS?
Please refer to [Motherboard] Intel® Management Engine Firmware Update Instructions(ME) > https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1047868
If the problem persists after the update, please provide an image of the BIOS main page, the ME firmware version.

Thank you.


Hello and thank you for your response. Yes, I had updated the Intel Management Engine to the latest version 16.1.25.2020 before updating the BIOS. I am providing an image of the BIOS main page with the ME firmware version. Problem persists and I currently believe rolling back to BIOS version 1304 should solve my issue. I am just not sure if rolling back from 2004 to 1304 would cause any other issues. Please advise.

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EDIT:
I just tried downgrading (rolling back) BIOS version but as I feared, I am not able to. BIOS Flashback stays with the solid light on (error indicator). EZ Update from AI Suite 3 throws an error saying "The model of the BIOS image doesn't match the BIOS ROM currently present." and EZ Flash 3 in BIOS shows another error sating "Selected file is not a proper BIOS!"

However, I downloaded and used the proper method for flashing and updating the BIOS (including the renaming). How can I go back to the working BIOS version?

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Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent
Hello, raugam111.

I appreciate you confirming that the Intel Management Engine is now installed at the most recent version.
At present, I have reported your situation to the relevant department for verification.
In the meanwhile, may I inquire as to whether the ThunderboltEX 4 is placed in the PCIEX16 (G3) of the motherboard, which is the No. 3 port in the below image, and if the cable is connected to the TB_HEADER which is the No. 18 port?
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Thank you.

Jiaszzz@ROG wrote:
Hello, raugam111.

I appreciate you confirming that the Intel Management Engine is now installed at the most recent version.
At present, I have reported your situation to the relevant department for verification.
In the meanwhile, may I inquire as to whether the ThunderboltEX 4 is placed in the PCIEX1 (G3) of the motherboard, which is the No. 3 port in the below-displayed image, and if the cable is connected to the TB_HEADER which is the No. 18 port?
Image
If not, please remove any other devices that are occupying the ports before attempting to configure the connection with the manual.

Thank you.


Hello Jiaszzz@ROG. Thank you for getting back to me and repoting. Yes, the ThunderbotlEX 4 is placed in the PCIEX (G3) slot with the TB_HEADER connected with the appropriate cable.

As mentioned earlier, this worked perfectly fine before updating to BIOS version 2204 from 1304. I was using thunderbolt and the ThunderboltEX 4 in my PC a few minutes before deciding to update the BIOS, so I am certain the BIOS update is the culprit of my thunderbolt issue. In BIOS versions 2204, 2103, and 2004 - the issue persists.

On the other thread, with the user Hackej, they had mentioned they were able to resolve their issue by receiving a "customized (bridge) BIOS version". https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?131615-TB-not-working-after-BOS-upgrade-2204&p=885694&post...

Is there any way you could help me get this "bridge" BIOS version so that I can roll back to a BIOS version earlier than 2004? I have tried asking ASUS support but have not been able to get any help getting this BIOS for my motherboard yet. This would solve my problem and allow me to continue working with my PC. Thank you!

Jiaszzz_ROG
Customer Service Agent
Hello, raugam111.

The user Hackej is using a different motherboard model, the ProArt Z690-CREATOR WIFI.
Also, since you upgraded the Intel Management Engine, it is unable to downgrade the BIOS at this time.

Thank you.