F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop BIOS, motherboard and Windows issues – how should you proceed?

BIOS, motherboard and Windows issues – how should you proceed?

BIOS, motherboard and Windows issues – how should you proceed?

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NaiROolF
Senior Member
685
07-31-2022, 12:16 PM
#1
In short, I set up my new system (MSI Z790 Tomahawk, i7 13700K) and installed Windows. Everything worked smoothly at first—stable performance, good temperatures in both single and dual systems. After a few days, I forgot to update the BIOS on the first time I installed the motherboard, thinking it was still within the return period. This mistake caused major issues later. Details: Once the BIOS was updated, I started seeing crashes that altered my BIOS settings. Then Windows began acting up—keyboard would take 30-45 seconds to respond when powering on, happening roughly every 4-5 restarts. I tried plugging and unplugging the keyboard to check if a driver fix helped, but the system would shut down completely. After rebooting, a notification said all BIOS settings were reset again. Later, I added another internal hard drive and got another reset message during startup. This was strange—I’d never seen a BIOS reset this way before. I’ve also tested five different BIOS versions, all with the same problems. Now I’m torn: should I completely reformat Windows to test stability, or should I replace the motherboard because it’s still within the return window? I’m frustrated and want a quick solution.
N
NaiROolF
07-31-2022, 12:16 PM #1

In short, I set up my new system (MSI Z790 Tomahawk, i7 13700K) and installed Windows. Everything worked smoothly at first—stable performance, good temperatures in both single and dual systems. After a few days, I forgot to update the BIOS on the first time I installed the motherboard, thinking it was still within the return period. This mistake caused major issues later. Details: Once the BIOS was updated, I started seeing crashes that altered my BIOS settings. Then Windows began acting up—keyboard would take 30-45 seconds to respond when powering on, happening roughly every 4-5 restarts. I tried plugging and unplugging the keyboard to check if a driver fix helped, but the system would shut down completely. After rebooting, a notification said all BIOS settings were reset again. Later, I added another internal hard drive and got another reset message during startup. This was strange—I’d never seen a BIOS reset this way before. I’ve also tested five different BIOS versions, all with the same problems. Now I’m torn: should I completely reformat Windows to test stability, or should I replace the motherboard because it’s still within the return window? I’m frustrated and want a quick solution.

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Eduardo_GameOn
Posting Freak
921
07-31-2022, 04:14 PM
#2
Have you considered going back to a previous BIOS version? Upgrades aren’t always superior, and there’s a chance the latest release might have issues.
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Eduardo_GameOn
07-31-2022, 04:14 PM #2

Have you considered going back to a previous BIOS version? Upgrades aren’t always superior, and there’s a chance the latest release might have issues.

A
Aaronman5
Member
72
07-31-2022, 04:21 PM
#3
I started by going back to the initial BIOS settings. The issues kept appearing after the update, and even the original BIOS versions were causing similar problems.
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Aaronman5
07-31-2022, 04:21 PM #3

I started by going back to the initial BIOS settings. The issues kept appearing after the update, and even the original BIOS versions were causing similar problems.

B
Blureux
Posting Freak
797
07-31-2022, 09:32 PM
#4
Have you attempted to reset the CMOS?
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Blureux
07-31-2022, 09:32 PM #4

Have you attempted to reset the CMOS?

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wolfie61
Junior Member
29
08-01-2022, 08:21 AM
#5
It's not typical to clear CMOS after a BIOS update; most systems retain CMOS settings until you manually reset them.
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wolfie61
08-01-2022, 08:21 AM #5

It's not typical to clear CMOS after a BIOS update; most systems retain CMOS settings until you manually reset them.

X
xItzAhFung_
Junior Member
3
08-01-2022, 11:48 AM
#6
To avoid data corruption, the system must be updated. The previous BIOS might contain distinct data sections compared to the latest release. Changing the BIOS doesn’t reset the CMOS settings.
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xItzAhFung_
08-01-2022, 11:48 AM #6

To avoid data corruption, the system must be updated. The previous BIOS might contain distinct data sections compared to the latest release. Changing the BIOS doesn’t reset the CMOS settings.

J
jasper_de_king
Junior Member
12
08-02-2022, 05:33 AM
#7
CMOS reset didn't fix the problem. I reached out to MSI tech support—they were very helpful—and they told me this isn't typical behavior for a motherboard and it should be returned. To be clear, he mentioned that a CMOS reset isn't required after a BIOS update.
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jasper_de_king
08-02-2022, 05:33 AM #7

CMOS reset didn't fix the problem. I reached out to MSI tech support—they were very helpful—and they told me this isn't typical behavior for a motherboard and it should be returned. To be clear, he mentioned that a CMOS reset isn't required after a BIOS update.