Bricked mobo after BIOS update.

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david.hermoch

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Dec 31, 2017
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So, this just happened..

Mobo: MSI Z77A-G43 GAMING

Because of minor inconvenience(nothing serious) I decided to update my BIOS to try and fix it. Wrong move.

As idiot-proof as it was, it didn't stop me from screwing up - even though I updated BIOS on other systems several times, read the official MSI guide and watched their video guide(triple check mobo model, download and extract BIOS files to an empty USB flash drive, click update in BIOS... seems easy, right?)

BIOS starts updating... "BIOS updated successfully! System will auto reboot in 5....."
The reboot never happened and now the PC is stuck in a 5s loop - turns on for half a second, spins the fans, turns off. Again and again.

Things I've tried to fix:
Plug in USB drive with old BIOS version and turn PC on.
Reset CMOS(by pretty much every way there is to reset CMOS)

RMA is not possible.

Possible solutions to fix:
Try to flash the BIOS via JSPI1 port - seems a bit complex.
Order new chip from eBay - probably easier than JSPI1
F it and buy new Mobo, CPU and RAM.

Any thoughts, tips, more ideas?
 
Solution
RealBeast
IIRC it should be on the right side near the edge of the board about 1/3 way down from the top when you look at it with the backplate at the upper left. It is in an area without much in the way. Yup that number is the one that looks like a CMOS chip.
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RealBeast

RealBeast

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Sep 13, 2010
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Unfortunately, MSI had a lot of issues around that time period with their bios updates.

There is one thing that you can try still before replacing the bios chip or the board, follow THIS guide on how to attempt recovery after a bios update error.

Edit: no it is of course too late to return, but the CMOS (bios chip) only costs around $14 on EBay and is easy to replace, HERE is an example chip.
 
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david.hermoch

Prominent
Dec 31, 2017
2
0
510


Didn't help sadly, decided to order the chip. Now to find the chip itself on the motherboard, I suppose it's the one next to the JSPI1 pins?

edit: It's winbond 25064FVSIG, after quick google search it looks a BIOS chip. Just want confirmation from somebody else to be sure.
 
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RealBeast

RealBeast

Titan
Moderator
Sep 13, 2010
17,109
474
104,790
IIRC it should be on the right side near the edge of the board about 1/3 way down from the top when you look at it with the backplate at the upper left. It is in an area without much in the way. Yup that number is the one that looks like a CMOS chip.
 
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