The AB350M Gaming 3 motherboard stopped working following a failed BIOS update.
The AB350M Gaming 3 motherboard stopped working following a failed BIOS update.
Hi everyone. My 2017 PC is having trouble starting from Windows 10 on the SSD, while a backup version works fine thanks to its age. Now I’m unsure how to restore the SSD setup, since msconfig doesn’t list it and I can’t even reach the BIOS—my screen just freezes.
This issue started after I upgraded my Gigabyte AB350M Gaming 3 board from F4 to F31, then to F40. Once the BIOS was updated, I saw a frozen screen saying “Clear CMOS Config” and had to keep pressing the power and reset buttons. Even after swapping a fresh CMOS battery and trying different BIOS reset methods, the screen stayed stuck.
Now I can’t boot into Windows 10 on SSD at all, only the older Windows 10 on HDD. The BIOS version still shows F4, which isn’t what I want. I’m wondering if there’s a way to get back to the SSD version, or if the board needs a replacement chip. I’m also curious about whether changing the BIOS chip on another compatible board could help.
In short, after this BIOS update, I can’t access my Windows 10 on SSD and the backup version remains. I’m asking for any advice or solutions, thank you all!
P.S. I mistakenly thought a second BIOS chip might be available to switch in case something fails.
This process led me to a black screen, displaying either a frozen Gigabyte interface or booting into the backup BIOS. I only attempted short-pin a couple of times before stopping to prevent any more harm. Your guidance was helpful, but it seems my main BIOS isn’t responding well right now.
There’s nothing like damage. The worst outcome is corruption, and it’s likely your main BIOS is just corrupted. Trying to fix a corrupted BIOS is easy when it won’t boot, whether you’re using an unreliable test chip with a ch341a or removing the chip entirely. Broken BIOS chips are extremely rare, usually identified by flashing errors or a completely blank display (postcode 00). I’ve only seen this twice on boards over 50 that passed through.
Hi there - yes, it's not physically damaged, and just corrupted. I will have to figure out how to solder a new chip - but if replacing the whole motherboard will cost me less headache to perform, I will consider. So far from various instructions, as long as I get the main bios chip from another motherboard that is identical with mine, I should be set and try the soldering. Thanks for your note !
Just set up your chip without swapping it out, but keep in mind that if programming fails, replacement might be necessary since the chip could be faulty.