Asus P8Z68 DELUXE, no access to BIOS after BIOS upgrade

silvio_

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Jan 9, 2013
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Hello,

I built a PC with the following spec, which has been working fine for around two years now, until I upgraded the BIOS:

Mobo -- P8Z68 DELUXE
GPU -- MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti TWIN FROZR II/OC 1GB NVIDIA
SSD -- 120GB SSD Corsair Force Series 3 Series SATA III - 6Gb/s
Case -- Antec P183 V3
RAM -- 2x Corsair Memory Vengeance Blue 8GB DDR3 1866 Mhz CAS 9
CPU -- Core i7 2600K Unlocked Sandy Bridge Quad Core Processor
CPU fan -- Freezer 13 PRO from Arctic Cooling
PSU -- Be Quiet BN174 Dark Power Pro 750W Modular Power Supply
Optical drive -- Sony BD-5300S-0B Super Fast Blu-ray Writer
OS -- Ubuntu Linux 12.10

Since updating the BIOS to the latest available using the using the flashing tool from the BIOS screens and a USB memory key, the PC starts up OK, but I can no longer access the BIOS program/settings.

When I press the DEL button, I'm faced with a black screen - then the only way out is the reset button. Interestingly, I can't see any logos/splash screens anymore either. Now, between starting the PC and getting the Ubuntu log-on screen, I only see some text showing what hardware was detected and the BIOS version, which is the latest.

I've tried taking out the motherboard battery, but it had no effect.

Could it be that the BIOS is no longer displaying at a frequency compatible with my monitor (Apple 23" Cinema Display)?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 

silvio_

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That's an option, but not an easy one either since all the OS-level tools are for Windows, and the current boot sequence has the hard drive first, so I can't get the USB or optical drive to kick in for booting.

Ideally, I would want the latest BIOS to work, though.
 

MC_K7

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Maybe the BIOS is dead, you might have to replace the motherboard. But I would try to contact Asus support first, they might have other alternatives to fix the BIOS.
 

silvio_

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I don't think the BIOS is dead because I can use my PC normally, the only issue is that I can't access the BIOS settings. Ideally, I would like to try flashing it again, but I have no idea how I would go about it, or if it's even possible with my set-up.
 

AM2A

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unplug the hard drive, it can't boot from the hard drive if it's not plugged in and should go on to the next boot device. I think you can update the bios using the asus bios updater from freedos. Instructions for that should be in your mobo manual.
 

AM2A

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Also, you're probably correct in thinking the bios is just not displaying on your monitor. If you have any other devices connected to the gpu unplug them, leaving just your main monitor. multimonitor setups can sometimes mess with how the bios is displayed. you can also try different connections (hdmi, dvi, vga, whatever) or try plugging into a different monitor (maybe your tv).
 

weaselman

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Oct 27, 2012
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After the bios update, did you go into the system and locate the bios reset jumpers, or the reset switch on the board, some bios updates require you to do this to cleanly flush all or any old data of an old firmware, to refresh it to the new one. In some parts of the bios the data is not updated till you do this. And cause a conflict. If you have not done this give it a try. It may boot after doing this. If you could please give me the Bios update file you used so I can check to see if you did in fact flash it with the correct bios firmware, as you are aware using the wrong one will render the board useless, and unable to boot. That may require you to buy a new bios chip to re-insert into the board to get it working once more. As a note on the bios update page in order to complete the bios update properly before you flash you must turn some features off in the bios if using them before the update. It may be likely if you did not follow these if it was the latest bios update at the top of the list the cause for the problem.

 

weaselman

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Oct 27, 2012
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Lol I just worked it out, do you have a Usb keyboard ? I think what has happend here is when the bios was updated the option to use a usb legacy device is turned off as an option in the bios by default settings. If this happens some times pressing the default key to enter the bios results in no access to the bios.

But if you plug in an old Ps 2 keyboard it should allow you to access the bios by the default key to do so on that keyboard. I missed the fact that you said the system still booted but you had no access to the bios by the key sorry.

Try using the Ps2 keyboard port device, Green and purple with a PS2 keyboard connection. It should allow you to access the bios that way.

Once in the bios options turn on the usb legacy devices option, or anything to do with usb and keyboard mouse support.

Save the settings to the bios, restart the system and the key on the usb keyboard should work to enter the bios after that.

I think I came across this problem a long time ago and if i remember it was the solution.

Good luck !
 

silvio_

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Hi weaselman,

The answer is yes, but it's nothing to do with it. I am able to activate the ESC key, but when I do, the screen goes black and I have to reboot to get out of it: this is what I mean by not being able to access the BIOS. If I don't press the ESC key, then I can boot normally.

I didn't use the reset jumpers, but I did take the battery out for a few minutes. Does that achieve the same result?

The BIOS file was the correct one as it passed the integrity check. If was also named DELUXE to distinguish it from the PRO version.

Thanks,
 

silvio_

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Hello,

Assuming it's just a display issue, is there a sequence of keys that I could press to load default settings and exit? or do I really need the use of a mouse?

Thanks,
 

AM2A

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Assuming the keyboard is working in the bios (more than likely true), then yes. I'm not sure of the sequence as it depends on your motherboard, I'd have to look it up. Personally, however, I don't think I would try to do something in the bios without being able to see what I was doing. If something is a little different than you are expecting, you could end up changing something you really didn't want to mess with. Anyway, it should already be on default settings seeing as how you upgraded the bios and reset it. If you tried the stuff I mentioned in the post and still can't see anything, you could try using a different GPU to see if that's the issue (borrow one maybe). Beyond that, I would roll the bios back to the one that was working for you originally.

edit: you could always try contacting asus support, they may have encountered this specific problem before.
http://support.asus.com/Hotlines.aspx?SLanguage=en
 

AM2A

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Oct 29, 2011
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Definitely try another monitor. After doing a little more research, it's a common problem for your monitor on certain gfx cards. If your TV takes HDMI/DVI/VGA input, you can use that.
 

silvio_

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Jan 9, 2013
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Hello,

thanks everyone for your help. It looks like the BIOS update has broken compatibility with my Apple monitor. After purchasing an adapter to plug in my TV, I was surprised to see that everything was working perfectly.

For me this BIOS update introduced two problems:
1) I can't use my monitor to change BIOS settings as no graphics are being displayed (logo, BIOS interface) until Linux kicks in.
2) A CPU Fan Error was reported. This would eventually go away after leaving the PC on for a couple of minutes, and on reboot the PC would start normally. After much reading, I realised that the minimum CPU fan speed must have been set higher than in older BIOS versions. As the CPU was warming up, the fan would rotate faster, and get past the check. Lowering the minimum speed in the BIOS has removed the issue.

I'll try to see if a bug has been logged and await future updates.

Thanks again for your suggestions.
 

harmster

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Dec 14, 2012
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Hi there.

Here some info about this issue. Hope this will solve it :)

Solution
Due to the introduction of Fast Boot function into the new version of BIOS, if you are using PS2 keyboard and you are not using the Del key in the numeric keypad, you will encounter this situation. To workaround this issue, either press the Del key in the numeric keypad, or press F8 during the system power-up.

If you are using a USB keyboard, you can go into the BIOS setup menu by pressing the Del key for a longer period of time, or by the workaround methods mentioned previously.

The table below lists the motherboard models and corresponding BIOS versions that have introduced Fast Boot function.
Model name BIOS version
P8Z77-V Premium 1401
P8Z77-V DELUXE 1401
P8Z77-V PRO 1406
P8Z77-V PRO/THUNDERBOLT 1406
P8Z77-V 1406
P8Z77-M PRO 1406
P8Z77-M 1406
SABERTOOTH Z77 1403
Maximus V Extreme 0604
Maximus V Formula 0701
Maximus V Formula/ThunderFX 0701
Maximus V GENE 1101
 

silvio_

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Jan 9, 2013
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Thanks Harmster,

but the issue you are describing is totally unrelated.

Thanks,