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How To Flash The BIOS

This document provides instructions for flashing or updating the BIOS on MSI motherboards. It describes obtaining the correct BIOS file for your specific motherboard and version, extracting the file, booting from various operating system disks to access the BIOS flash utility, and running the utility to update the BIOS. Warnings are given about ensuring you have the right BIOS file and not flashing if your system is running properly.

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Bozobolsididermo Hilias Sintiridis
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274 views

How To Flash The BIOS

This document provides instructions for flashing or updating the BIOS on MSI motherboards. It describes obtaining the correct BIOS file for your specific motherboard and version, extracting the file, booting from various operating system disks to access the BIOS flash utility, and running the utility to update the BIOS. Warnings are given about ensuring you have the right BIOS file and not flashing if your system is running properly.

Uploaded by

Bozobolsididermo Hilias Sintiridis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Special Note:

The BIOS and DEVICE DRIVERS contained here are exclusively for Micro-Star
products only. Micro-Star assumes no responsibility for any damages resulting
from improper use or lack of technical expertise.
WARNING!!!!!
DON'T FLASH FROM A FLOPPY DISK!!!!
DON'T FLASH WHEN YOUR SYSTEM IS RUNNING FINE!!!!
DON'T FLASH IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!!
Award BIOS Flash Procedure
1. Know your model number
a. Open your case and look for the MS-XXXX number on the motherboard
between the PCI slots, also check the version number that is written there as
well. (Some motherboards are named like K8N Diamond; make sure you have the
right version number)
b. Boot up your system & take a look at the top left screen during POST, you
should see something like W7100NMS V1.1 021705 This means the board is
MS-7100 with BIOS version 1.1
Hint: Many systems are clearing this message very fast, the bios version is then
unreadable, and you can either press PAUSE or disable the Quick Boot in the
BIOS setup.
2. Download the BIOS that matches your motherboard AND version number
(some motherboards are named like K8N Diamond; make sure you have the right
version number). BIOS can be found according to the CPU type of your board like
if your CPU is AMD 939 type then look here
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_list.php?
kind=1&CHIP=68&NAME=Socket%20939%20(AMD%20K8)
if you cannot find the BIOS that matches your board, try here
http://www.msi.com.tw/support/bios/more.php
3. Extract the BIOS-archive that you have downloaded by double clicking to
c:\test
4. Boot your system from a Win98 or WinME boot-floppy.
How to make boot floppy in case your dont have it ready:
For Win9X, You can type [C:\ format a:/s] from the DOS prompt.

For WinME, You can make a boot floppy from control panel--> add/remove
program-->make boot floppy. Remove autoexec.bat & config.sys file if there's
any.
For Win2000, there's no way to make boot floppy, so you have to either use
Win9X or WinME boot floppy.
For WinXP, you can make a DOS boot disk. Go to Your Computer, right click drive
A:, select Format, select copy system files.
5. When you get the A:\ prompt, type the following sequence:
C: <enter>
cd\test <enter>
C:\test> awdfl865 BIOS file
(To save or not to save old BIOS is the users decision)
6. Reboot your system when prompted
AMI BIOS Flash Procedure
1. Know your model number
a. Open your case and look for the MS-XXXX number on the motherboard
between the PCI slots, also check the version number that is written there as
well. (some motherboards are named like 945G Neo2, make sure you have the
right version number)
b. Boot up your system & take a look at the top left screen during POST, you
should see something like MSI 945P/G Neo 2 A7176IMS V3.3 Date: 04/26/06
This means the board is MS-7176 with BIOS version 3.3
Hint: Many systems are clearing this message very fast, the bios version is then
unreadable, you can either press PAUSE or disable the Quick Boot in the BIOS
setup.
2. Download the BIOS that matches your motherboard AND version number
(some motherboards are named like 945G Neo2, make sure you have the right
version number). BIOS can be found according to the CPU type of your board like
if your CPU is Intel 775 type then look here
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_list.php?
kind=1&CHIP=67&NAME=Socket%20775%20(Intel%20P4)
if you cannot find the BIOS that matches your board, try here
http://www.msi.com.tw/support/bios/more.php

3. Extract the BIOS-archive that you have downloaded by double clicking to


c:\test
4. Boot your system from a Win98 or WinME boot-floppy.
How to make boot floppy in case your dont have it ready:
For Win9X, You can type [C:\ format a:/s] from the DOS prompt.
For WinME, You can make a boot floppy from control panel--> add/remove
program-->make boot floppy. Remove autoexec.bat & config.sys file if there's
any.
For Win2000, there's no way to make boot floppy, so you have to either use
Win9X or WinME boot floppy.
For WinXP, you can make a DOS boot disk. Go to Your Computer, right click drive
A:, select Format, select copy system files.
5. When you get the A:\ prompt, type the following sequence:
C: <enter>
cd\test <enter>
C:\test> adsfi719 BIOS file
(to save or not to save old BIOS is the users decision)
6. Reboot your system when prompted
Flashing the BIOS for Non-FAT file system
1. Know your model number
a. Open your case and look for the MS-XXXX number on the motherboard
between the PCI slots, also check the version number that is written there as
well. (some motherboards are named like K8N Diamond, make sure you have the
right version number)
b. Boot up your system & take a look at the top left screen during POST, you
should see something like W7100NMS V1.1 021705 This means the board is
MS-7100 with BIOS version 1.1
Hint: Many systems are clearing this message very fast, the bios version is then
unreadable, and you can either press PAUSE or disable the Quick Boot in the
BIOS setup.
3. Download the BIOS that matches your motherboard AND version number
(some motherboards are named like K8N Diamond; make sure you have the right
version number). BIOS can be found according to the CPU type of your board like

if your CPU is AMD 939 type then look here


http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_list.php?
kind=1&CHIP=68&NAME=Socket%20939%20(AMD%20K8)
if you cannot find the BIOS that matches your board, try here
<http://www.msi.com.tw/support/bios/more.php>
4. Extract the file you have downloaded to a floppy (not the win ME/98 startup
floppy) by double clocking the file in windows mode and supplying the path a:\
5. Boot the computer using windows ME or windows 98 startup disk. It must be
one of these! A plain boot disk will not be good enough.
If you do not have Windows ME or 98 to create the floppy you can make one on a
friend's computer.
6. When boot is done there will be a message on the screen showing:"Diagnostic
tools were successfully loaded to drive" followed by a single letter.
This letter is the letter assigned to the RAMDRIVE. This RAMDRIVE is a virtual
drive in the system memory and can be accessed and controlled like any other
drive with DOS commands such as:
MD - Make Directory
Copy - copy a file
Delete - Delete a file
There is one important difference which is that being in the system memory this
drive is wiped once the computer is restarted or shut down.
7. Replace the startup floppy with the one containing the flash utility and bios
ROM files previously extracted in windows.
8. Copy the 2 files to the RAMDRIVE by using the DOS command copy.
Here is an example, in this example the flash utility is AWFL865.EXE ,the ROM file
is W7100NMS.110 and the RAMDRIVE letter assignment is D
copy awfl865.exe d:\
copy w7100nms.110 d:\
9. Change the current working directory to the RAMDRIVE root directory, with the
example case of the RAMDRIVE being drive D this is done by simply done with the

command d:
10. Execute the flash utility with the ROM file as a command line argument, with
this example:
awfl865 w7100nms.110
If you wish to save the current bios you must specify the full path a:\filename.
Specifying only a file name will save the bios to the RAMDRIVE which will be
wiped after restarting the computer and the file will not be saved.
a:\bios.old is an example of the correct way to save the bios.
11. Reboot your system when prompted
12. If your system doesn't boot after you flashed, please refer to the BIOS
recovery method as described

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