Standard system firmware doesn't function properly
Standard system firmware doesn't function properly
Hello everyone. I just got a new MSI Pro B660m-a DDR4 wireless motherboard. After setting it up and tweaking the BIOS, my old Windows installation worked perfectly—audio, video, everything fine. I even tried a modern game, Cyberpunk 2077, without any problems. My performance stayed the same as before with my previous Mobo and CPU, so I decided to wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows along with all the new drivers for this board. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, now things are all wrong. I can open Windows (10), but there’s no sound. My RTX 3060 graphics card is just listed as a generic Nvidia card. I can’t upgrade my video settings beyond 800x600 or so. After installing Windows, I ran the included driver disc, but only half of them loaded and the rest show as “not installed.” No matter how many times I try to reinstall or restart, they keep failing. The best I’ve gotten is a message saying the drivers aren’t compatible with my system. I can’t even reach older versions of the drivers. I’m really stuck.
You haven't done this before. I'm not sure why these are listed. Did you use the page to install the Chipset, Audio and LAN drivers? https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660...ort#driver What BIOS version are you running?
Thanks for your response. It's notable that drivers from the disc aren't necessary, isn't it? This marks my first successful motherboard installation—I was strictly following the manual. I did try to download all the drivers from MSI's official site, but the link seems altered. I'm using a laptop right now; I'll restart my main computer and see if installing drivers from your specific page makes a difference. I assume they're the same resource, though the layout appears slightly different in my memory. I can also check the BIOS at that time, but I'm nervous about altering it. To be clear, the motherboard worked fine before this process, and it was compatible with the existing Asus drivers on the same drive prior to the wipe and reinstall. I recall the BIOS being from January, with around three updates since then. EDIT: It turns out I was using the same page as before; perhaps the laptop changed its display. Anyway, those are the drivers I've already attempted. I hadn't installed the wireless driver yet and tried it randomly, but it's requesting a newer Windows 10 version—1776 versus my 1703. I didn't mention this while setting up the latest Windows, thinking several updates would keep me current. Could this be the simple issue?
This seems quite outdated. Did it come from an optical disc? The best method to install Windows is via the Media Creation Tool, creating a bootable USB drive with the latest release. I regularly update my installation media every few months to stay current. If you're determined, check out this link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software.../windows10. Alternatively, follow this guide: https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11. Make sure you have an 8GB or bigger USB drive ready. Download and execute the tool. I’d erase the device and begin fresh with a newer Windows version. The version you mentioned might be from 2016 and has reached end-of-life in 2019, which could lead to compatibility issues with a new system.
It's surprising how much time passed since the update. After reinstalling Windows on this new board, I used only the existing media—a Win 10 installation disc from years ago. This was necessary because the Windows media USB I made earlier didn't work. Before the Windows install, I'd created that USB and tried to reformat it, but the process kept failing at around 92%. The error indicated a corrupted or incomplete media tool. By then, my hard drive had been wiped, so I couldn't create a new one. That's why I turned to the old disc. Honestly, I'm not keen on Windows 10 right now; it's what I'm used to and it took me a long time to even consider updating. Since I only had about a year to adjust, I'm not sure I have a big issue with upgrading. I'm worried about reinstalling Win 10 again using the media tool, since it failed before, so I might go with Windows 11 instead. I'm still unsure about this. What bothers me is that the motherboard performed perfectly on Windows 10 before the reformat, which probably means the issue was unrelated to the OS itself.
The discs included with the motherboard contain driver files that were the most recent at the time they were made. This might mean they were 2-3 months old when shipped by MSI to distributors, and then the board could have arrived 3-4 months later—or even longer—after being sent (since shipments often take time due to shipping methods like sea freight and customs delays). Consequently, the drivers on CDs or DVDs could be several months or even years old. Occasionally, Windows updates can lead to driver problems, prompting Microsoft to release new versions to resolve or adapt to those changes. Additionally, video card drivers are regularly updated to fix bugs, enhance performance, and support newer games. Consider visiting the MSI website to download the latest CHIPSET drivers (as of this writing it’s 10.1.19376.8374 from 2023-09-07) or go to Intel’s site for the DSA: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/...etect.html, which will identify your B660 chipset and provide a link to the most recent driver.
Sure thing, just restarting clears everything and gets you back to an older version. It’s a good way to learn. I’d like to see how it goes with a fresh build around 10 or 11—media creation tools tend to work well unless you’re using a faulty USB drive. Give it a try!
I understand your situation well. You've previously used the media creation tool effectively, even managing to run Windows on your Steam Deck. When it crashed during this attempt after a clean drive wipe, I was quite disappointed. However, since the original Windows 10 disc still functions, I'm willing to give it another shot if updating isn't an option. I might also consider Windows 11, though I'm not sure yet. The limited experience with Win 11 has been brief and not very satisfying. If the hardware is the issue, it's possible the discs are outdated beyond recognition. I've already checked MSI and found their drivers don't work, which I suspect relates to my older Windows version. It's interesting that my update logs show the latest version tried to install yesterday before failing—no details on why, just a generic "update failed." It seems like at least I attempted the right steps. Now I'm trying to download and install it again to find out what happens.
After waiting an hour, I encountered a BSOD while attempting to download the endless Win 10 H2 update. That was expected. I chose to install Windows 11 instead. It required running a system health check, which I completed but it wouldn’t launch because it needed a newer Windows version. It’s a bit frustrating. Now I’m hoping the Windows media creation tool will work too, or else I might be stuck in a never-ending cycle of outdated software.