Msi Motherboard Update

You probably shouldn’t update your BIOS, but sometimes you need to. Here’s how to check what BIOS version your computer is using and flash that new BIOS version onto your motherboard as quickly and safely as possible.

Nov 12, 2018 How to Update Your BIOS. Different motherboards use different utilities and procedures, so there’s no one-size-fits-all set of instructions here. However, you’ll perform the same basic process on all motherboards. RELATED: How to Check Your Motherboard Model Number on Your Windows PC.

RELATED:Do You Need to Update Your Computer’s BIOS?

Be very careful when updating your BIOS! If your computer freezes, crashes, or loses power during the process, the BIOS or UEFI firmware may be corrupted. This will render your computer unbootable—it’ll be “bricked.”

How to Check Your Current BIOS Version in Windows

RELATED:What Is UEFI, and How Is It Different from BIOS?

Your computer’s BIOS version is displayed in the BIOS setup menu itself, but you don’t have to reboot to check this version number. There are several ways to see your BIOS version from within Windows, and they work the same on PCs with a traditional BIOS or a newer UEFI firmware.

Check Your BIOS Version at the Command Prompt

Asus Motherboard Update Tool

To check your BIOS version from the Command Prompt, hit Start, type “cmd” in the search box, and then click the “Command Prompt” result—no need to run it as an administrator.

At the prompt, type (or copy and paste) the following command, and then hit Enter:

You’ll see the version number of the BIOS or UEFI firmware in your current PC.

Check Your BIOS Version by Using the System Information Panel

RELATED:How to Open the System Information Panel on Windows 10 or 8

You can also find your BIOS’s version number in the System Information window. On Windows 7, 8, or 10, hit Windows+R, type “msinfo32” into the Run box, and then hit Enter.

The BIOS version number is displayed on the System Summary pane. Look at the “BIOS Version/Date” field.

How to Update Your BIOS

Different motherboards use different utilities and procedures, so there’s no one-size-fits-all set of instructions here. However, you’ll perform the same basic process on all motherboards.

RELATED:How to Check Your Motherboard Model Number on Your Windows PC

First, head to the motherboard manufacturer’s website and find the Downloads or Support page for your specific model of motherboard. You should see a list of available BIOS versions, along with any changes/bug fixes in each and the dates they were released. Download the version to which you want to update. You’ll probably want to grab the newest BIOS version—unless you have a specific need for an older one.

If you purchased a pre-built computer instead of building your own, head to the computer manufacturer’s website, look up the computer model, and look at its downloads page. You’ll find any available BIOS updates there.

Your BIOS download probably comes in an archive—usually a ZIP file. Extract the contents of that file. Inside, you’ll find some sort of BIOS file—in the screenshot below, it’s the E7887IMS.140 file.

The archive should also contain a README file that will walk you through updating to the new BIOS. You should check out this file for instructions that apply specifically to your hardware, but we’ll try to cover the basics that work across all hardware here.

RELATED:What You Need to Know About Using UEFI Instead of the BIOS

You’ll need to choose one of several different types of BIOS-flashing tools, depending on your motherboard and what it supports. The BIOS update’s included README file should recommend the ideal option for your hardware.

Some manufacturers offer a BIOS-flashing option directly in their BIOS, or as a special key-press option when you boot the computer. You copy the BIOS file to a USB drive, reboot your computer, and then enter the BIOS or UEFI screen. From there, you choose the BIOS-updating option, select the BIOS file you placed on the USB drive, and the BIOS updates to the new version.

RELATED:What You Need to Know About Using UEFI Instead of the BIOS

You generally access the BIOS screen by pressing the appropriate key while your computer boots—it’s often displayed on the screen during the boot process and will be noted in your motherboard or PC’s manual. Common BIOS keys include Delete and F2. The process for entering a UEFI setup screen can be a bit different.

RELATED:How to Create a Bootable DOS USB Drive

There are also more traditional DOS-based BIOS-flashing tools. When using those tools, you create a DOS live USB drive, and then copy the BIOS-flashing utility and BIOS file to that USB drive. You then restart your computer and boot from the USB drive. In the minimal DOS environment that appears after the reboot, you run the appropriate command—often something like flash.bat BIOS3245.bin—and the tool flashes the new version of the BIOS onto the firmware.

The DOS-based flashing tool is often provided in the BIOS archive you download from the manufacturer’s website, although you may have to download it separately. Look for a file with the .bat or .exe file extension.

In the past, this process was performed with bootable floppy disks and CDs. We recommend a USB drive because it’s probably be the easiest method on modern hardware.

Some manufacturers provide Windows-based flashing tools, which you run on the Windows desktop to flash your BIOS and then reboot. We don’t recommend using these, and even many manufacturers who provide these tools caution against using them. For example, MSI “strongly recommends” using their BIOS-based menu option instead of their Windows-based utility in the README file of the sample BIOS update we downloaded.

Flashing your BIOS from within Windows can result in more problems. All that software running in the background—including security programs that may interfere with writing to the computer’s BIOS—can cause the process to fail and corrupt your BIOS. Any system crashes or freezes might also result in a corrupted BIOS. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so we recommend using a BIOS-based flashing tool or booting to a minimal DOS environment to flash your BIOS.

That’s it—after you run the BIOS-flashing utility, reboot your computer and the new BIOS or UEFI firmware version loads. If there’s a problem with the new BIOS version, you may be able to downgrade it by downloading an older version from the manufacturer’s website and repeating the flashing process.

Image Credit: Kal Hendry on Flickr, Robert Frelberger on Flickr

Find MSI BIOS / Motherboard Device Drivers by Model Name or Number

How to Update Device Drivers

There are two ways to update drivers.

Option 1 (Recommended): Update drivers automatically - Novice computer users can update drivers using trusted software in just a few mouse clicks. Automatic driver updates are fast, efficient and elimate all the guesswork. Your old drivers can even be backed up and restored in case any problems occur.

Asus Motherboard Update For Windows 7

Option 2: Update drivers manually - Find the correct driver for your BIOS / Motherboard and operating system, then install it by following the step by step instructions below. You’ll need some computer skills to use this method.

Option 1: Update drivers automatically

The Driver Update Utility for MSI devices is intelligent software which automatically recognizes your computer’s operating system and BIOS / Motherboard model and finds the most up-to-date drivers for it. There is no risk of installing the wrong driver. The Driver Update Utility downloads and installs your drivers quickly and easily.

You can scan for driver updates automatically with the FREE version of the Driver Update Utility for MSI, and complete all necessary driver updates using the premium version.

Tech Tip: The Driver Update Utility for MSI will back up your current drivers for you. If you encounter any problems while updating your drivers, you can use this feature to restore your previous drivers and configuration settings.

Download the Driver Update Utility for MSI.
Double-click on the program to run it. It will then scan your computer and identify any problem drivers. You will see a results page similar to the one below:
Click the Update Driver button next to your driver. The correct version will be downloaded and installed automatically. Or, you can click the Update Drivers button at the bottom to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out-of-date on your system.

Option 2: Update drivers manually

To find the latest driver, including Windows 10 drivers, choose from our list of most popular MSI BIOS / Motherboard downloads or search our driver archive for the driver that fits your specific BIOS / Motherboard model and your PC’s operating system.

If you cannot find the right driver for your device, you can request the driver. We will find it for you. Or, try the automatic option instead.

Tech Tip: If you are having trouble finding the right driver update, use the MSI BIOS / Motherboard Driver Update Utility. It is software which finds, downloads and istalls the correct driver for you - automatically.

After downloading your driver update, you will need to install it. Driver updates come in a variety of file formats with different file extensions. For example, you may have downloaded an EXE, INF, ZIP, or SYS file. Each file type has a slighty different installation procedure to follow. Visit our Driver Support Page to watch helpful step-by-step videos on how to install drivers based on their file extension.

How to Install Drivers

Msi Bios Update

After you have found the right driver, follow these simple instructions to install it.

Power off your device.
Disconnect the device from your computer.
Reconnect the device and power it on.
Double click the driver download to extract it.
If a language option is given, select your language.
Follow the directions on the installation program screen.
Reboot your computer.