No post following failed BIOS update :-( advice please
No post following failed BIOS update :-( advice please
Hello, thank you for reaching out. I’m experiencing a no POST after a failed BIOS update. I’m using an ASU ROGSTRIX B450F with a Ryzen 5 3600, and recently swapped to the 3609 model. After installing the 5600X, I didn’t verify BIOS compatibility beforehand, which led to this issue. The system started up but failed roughly halfway through the update—possibly due to power problems as indicated by flickering lights and a sudden shutdown. Now it’s completely unresponsive, with only a yellow LED on QLED suggesting DRAM activity. I’ve removed most of my RAM, replaced one unit, and inserted the thumb drive into every ISB port, but the machine powers on and stays on without any POST. I’ve also reset the CMOS and touched the CLRTC pins, yet nothing works. I’m worried I might have damaged the motherboard and don’t know where to find a solution. Could you help or offer advice?
Disconnect your hard drives, set up a DVD/CD reader, and follow the instructions to recover BIOS. Note that the standard factory BIOS might not support your Ryzen 5 3600. You can obtain a boot kit from AMD, which provides a single CPU model (200 or 220GE) allowing you to use any BIOS and flash it. Perform the recovery with the boot kit CPU, then upgrade to a BIOS that supports the 3600. There’s no alternative since your board lacks native BIOS flashing capability. If your chip is a B450F II, flashback support exists. This process works best with the methods mentioned or using a dedicated BIOS programmer.
Thanks. I’ll take a look. I recall there was a disc inside the box when I received the motherboard—probably kept it with the package, though I might have thrown it away since I didn’t expect a drive. Should I also remove the M.2 SSD or just disconnect the HDD? I assume most DVD/other drives use SATA ports (sorry for the mistake I made not researching before). Then I’ll check if I can still find a loan CPU and try that instead. Thanks. This was my first build and I’ve enjoyed it for more than a year, gradually upgrading components. Please accept my apologies for not updating the BIOS before swapping out the CPU. Doh
Yes, also remove the M.2 drives. I understand it's frustrating, but the disk will still communicate with the motherboard. It might try to post using the board's BIOS instead of reading from the disk. However, you might need a compatible CPU after recovery to upload the board even if the flash works. I don't know what revision is on the disk if it was made or sold before or after Zen2.
On the lower section of the page, you can ask for a free "boot kit" from AMD RMA. Just wait for it to arrive. Alternatively, pay $60 to get a 220GE for future diagnostics and repairs.
Sure thing. I’ll try to find a CD/DVD drive and see if it works. Hopefully I won’t need the CPU, but if it does, I’ll go for it. It should cost less than buying a new one. Just remember to look for a board with FlashBack in the future, okay? I’ll follow up once I have more info. Thanks a lot!
Ensure it posts from storage after a short delay, then use Ctrl+Alt+Delete to trigger BIOS recovery.