Asus A320 motherboard fails to boot after BIOS update.
Asus A320 motherboard fails to boot after BIOS update.
I was working on swapping my Ryzen 5 1600x for a Ryzen 5 5600x and had to refresh the BIOS. While cleaning the desk, I forgot to install the CPU cooler on the processor during the update. As predicted, the system overheated mid-update and shut down. Now it won’t start up at all. Should I consider replacing the motherboard? I’ve already tried resetting the CMOS with the battery, inserting a USB drive with the BIOS update, and attempting to launch Asus Crash Free BIOS 3. I’ve used both RAM sticks in different slots, tried booting with the new CPU and the old one, and double-checked all power cables.
Specs: 530W PSU, Asus PRIME A320 motherboard
New CPU: Ryzen 5 5600x
Old CPU: Ryzen 5 1600x
Graphics: GeForce RTX 3060 TI 2x8GB DDR4 RAM
Storage: 256GB SSD, 2TB hard drive
Any assistance would be very much appreciated!
You mentioned attempting to remove the CMOS battery for a reset, but also considered shorting the jumper. Would you like to double-check those connections? Most of the other procedures align with standard practices. I’m still focusing on understanding the exact formatting requirements for the CrashFree BIOS recovery. I’ve noticed some detailed file naming rules and FAT32 constraints for flash drives under 4GB, but I haven’t found anything immediately clear.
I attempted to short the pins using a screwdriver twice and reset the battery, but it didn’t seem to make any change. The USB stick I’m using is 16GB formatted FAT32, and I used the rename tool included with the BIOS update download. I’m unsure if I have a USB stick smaller than 4GB. I’ll search for one tomorrow.
You don't require a 4GB stick; just a partition or volume with 4GB capacity or less. This is only relevant if that's still a concern. Asus has generally been considered one of the stronger options.
Do you have the motherboard disk? If yes, you're lucky! Unplug your hard drives and SSDs. Insert the disk into a DVD reader and upload the file. (It will still work even if your BIOS is damaged.) Choose the recovery option from the menu, and the installation will restore the original BIOS. This works for the 1600X, not the 5600—use the 1600X first.
Sorry for the delayed reply. I don’t have the motherboard disk, but I do have disks for a Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite and an ASRock A330m-HDV. Can I use those?
Refuse this. You must have the one that came with your ASUS board. Otherwise, it seems the Athlon 200ge and 220ge work with all BIOS updates on that board. You might reach out to Asus for a boot kit they provide for borrowing. Click the RMA page and scroll to the bottom: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/pa-105
This might seem confusing, but requesting a boot kit doesn't necessarily solve your issue. Your BIOS is damaged, and without the original CD, you're limited. Writing a new BIOS update and drivers on a fresh CD could work if you have access to the correct media.
The bios might still be intact after all. It could be the system didn't approve the update for the 5600, leading to the 1600 being removed from support. Unless you disconnected it during the flash, you can't be certain the bios is damaged. A dedicated programmer is the best option to restore it.