The computer shut down unexpectedly, starting only in BIOS mode.
The computer shut down unexpectedly, starting only in BIOS mode.
The PC was 4500 dollars total so this situation isn't optimal.
OS: Win 10 22H2
Hardware
:
Boot-drive Samsung NVME M.2 SSD 990 PRO 1TB (running wmic diskdrive get firmwareRevision,model shows: 4B2QJXD7)
AMD Radeon RX 9070 @ adrenalin-25.9.1
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D @ chipset-7.02.13.148
ASUS ROG Strix B850-E @ Bios version 1022 x64
be quiet! Straight Power 12 1000W
Corsair Vengeance 32GB DDR5 6000MT CL28 (expo failed so running at 5600MT/mhz CL30)
I was playing a videogame, while ingame pressed WIN+E to open windows explorer, the display switched from showing the game to showing the desktop with an open explorer as expected. When i tried to interact with the explorer window it didnt react. I kept trying and waiting for around 8 seconds, then opened taskmanager with CNTRL+ALT+DEL.
At this moment the system was fully responsive, i was about to restart the explorer.exe task but suddenly my mouse cursor wouldn't move, the whole system froze, pressing cntrl+alt+del again also did nothing which usually is a sign for me that the system is entirely unresponsive, which it was.
After a moment of waiting i decided the only option going forward was a hardreset, so i did that.
Instead of the pc booting into win10, it loaded for a while, then booted into BIOS instead.
In the bios i looked at the storage information section and noticed that the 990 PRO that has win10 on it did not show up in the list.
I was unable to set the win10 drive as the primary boot device as it did not show up.
Rebooted twice but the pc kept booting into bios.
On the internet i saw articles from people with the same problem, many suggested that the drive may have failed due to bad firmware and to use a usbdrive to repair windows.
I plugged a usbdrive with the win10 iso into the bios slot from the board and rebooted, instead of booting into bios it booted into win10 as if nothing ever happened.
Unplugged the usb as it was not needed, checked security and maintenance reports and the eventviewer but the information there didn't provide anything of use to me.
It just says the system had an unexpected shutdown / kernel power. Does that show up because i did a hardreset or does it show because the pc frooze?
I've got no idea what went wrong.
At the moment when the system freeze occured there wasn't anything unusual going on, just the game and taskmanager where open.
There is a newer firmware version available for the 990 going from 4B2QJXD7) to 7B2QJXD7.
The bios version 1022 for the ASUS ROG Strix B850-E was released on 2025/03/07, there are four newer versions available at this moment. (Latest 2025/09/30)
Here's the good part of doing a bios update:
Updated AGESA to ComboAM5 PI 1.2.0.3f and 1.2.0.3e and 1.2.0.3g
Updates enhance compatibility with high-capacity memory modules and improve overall system performance.
Enhanced system performance, stability, device compatibility, and overclocking support.
Here's why i did NOT update the bios:
Important: This update is irreversible. Rolling back to older BIOS versions is not supported.
Asus is known to be one of the worst companies when it comes to bios updates and customer product warranty.
For those who dare meaning to dare updating bios and if anything goes wrong i'm screwed.
I would do a bios update and can already expect this is exactly what some forum members will recommend, however if this is your suggestion can you also adress my concerns about those updates, are they legitemate or not so much?
Do you see any point in updating the samsung 990 firmware?
Should i update the cpu chipset driver from 7.02.13.148 to 7.06.02.123?
Some the release notes for my current chipset version do NOT include the B850-E. Did i miss something?
Source:
amd.com/en/resources/support-articles/release-notes/RN-RYZEN-CHIPSET-6-10-17-152/RN-RYZEN-CHIPSET-7-02-13-148.html
Looking at amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html show only the B850 chipset while B850-E does not show up.
I'm mentioning this because B650 shows up but B650-E also shows up.
Am i good to go with the B850 or should i wait for an official B850-E release guessing it will be officially supported at some point.
Why is there no B850-E listed in the first place
?
Can't find a sha256 checksum to verify the integrity of the downloaded amd latest chipset, where can i find a checksum? Same goes for samsung firmware, no checksum to be found..?
Sources:
amd.com/en/support/downloads/drivers.html/chipsets/am5/b850.html
semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-storage/support/tools/#firmware
The asus support page for the board not only has bios updates but also firmware updates.
I have to admit that i only ever updates bios so i've got no idea what firmware updates are for when it comesto the board. Could anyone explain? Should i update the firmware and how would i?
Asus official instructions say: Before running the USB BIOS Flashback tool, rename the BIOS file (A5590.CAP) using BIOSRenamer."
I never used biosrenamer, instead copied the bios update file to a drive, reboot to bios and from there used asus flash utility to select the update file and flash the newer version.
Whats the deal with biosrenamer, is it really necessary?!
OS: Win 10 22H2
In a system like this and with Windows 10 nearing its end, you might have opted for Windows 11. Where did you find the installer for Windows 10?
On the web I found posts from others facing the same issue; many recommended that the hard drive could be failing due to faulty firmware and suggested using a USB drive to fix Windows.
It could have been related to BIOS problems.
A newer firmware version is available for the 990, changing from 4B2QJXD7 to 7B2QJXD7.
Updating the firmware on your Samsung SSD can only be done via Samsung's Magician App, which requires a working operating system. If your setup is at risk, consider updating on another functional motherboard—preferably someone else’s or a friend’s, especially if you lack an external adapter or spare system.
Are these recommendations valid?
You’re overcomplicating something that should be clear. You’ve noticed instability and have both firmware and BIOS updates planned for your SSD and motherboard. If the problem persists, try additional troubleshooting or proceed with a replacement in an RMA process.
Is there value in updating the Samsung 990 firmware?
Yes.
Should I upgrade the CPU chipset driver from 7.02.13.148 to 7.06.02.123?
Not explicitly mentioned, but it’s common practice to ensure you have the latest chipset drivers before updating the BIOS. This has been observed on Gigabyte and ASRock boards for AM4 platforms and some AM5 boards.
Why isn’t a B850-E available?
ROG STRIX B850-E GAMING WIFI | ROG Strix | Gaming Motherboards｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG Global
Achieve top gaming performance with the ROG Strix B850-E board, supporting AMD Ryzen™ 9000, AI Overclocking, 16-stage power, PCIe 5.0, DDR5 and WiFi 7.
rog.asus.com
The chipset on the board is the B850, not the B850E. The “-E” refers to a segment of the board Asus created for the Extreme line. About two decades ago, Asus offered Formula and Extreme boards under the ROG brand, abbreviating them as -F and -E. A -G indicated the Gene series, which are matx boards. More info: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/co...the_b650e/
Not happening. I shouldn't use Windows 11 just like everyone else should.
It's no longer an operating system because the amount of data collected should make anyone cautious about malware. Switching to Linux before that occurs.
I have a Samsung Magician ready.
My system isn't really compromised; sometimes I face unfortunate situations like this, but it mostly runs perfectly. These issues are rare.
Overthinking. What's the real truth about the warranty then?
If a BIOS update fails and the board is done, does ASUS handle the warranty or
[redacted]?
The latest Samsung firmware only mentions: "(7B2QJXD7) To address the intermittent non-recognition and blue screen issue"
I don't think I've ever seen this problem before, so why update when not affected?
Some say never touch a running system. Now you say "it isn't running," but it is—just not always as expected. Randomly updating all software without knowing the real cause isn't what I expected.
Flash chipset drivers, are you asking to install them on the OS? That's what I do since it's an .exe file.
What's the reason for updating the BIOS after the chipset was installed?
I thought the opposite would be true—first the BIOS, then OS-level updates like chipset?
I was confused about the board's chipset B850 because the AMD old chipset driver I have installed doesn't list B850 as supported, but the newer version does.
That made me think I might have an incorrect version installed now.
My system isn't really that compromised, sometimes i experience unfortunate situations like this one but it mostly runs totally flawless. These scenarios where i encounter such problems are rare.
Great, then there's nothing to solve.
If bios update for whatever reason fails and the board is done, does asus handle warranty
You were the one who picked up the Asus board in spite of our suggestions not to do so. That brands RMA dept is the worst to deal with at this moment of time(since the pandemic). You could call up Asus and see if they'll honor your warranty if things go sideways after a BIOS update but there are other ways you can recover the BIOS. We can deal with the latter if and when you get to that bridge.
Flash chipset drivers, you mean install them on the OS?
You don't flash chipsets, you update drivers. You flash BIOS. You're confusing one with another and making it hard on yourself.
Either update the firmware for the SSD and BIOS(both of which would've taken mins to do) or leave it be. You're just being paradoxical, lazy and wasting time.
You're raising concerns about the "intermittent non-recognition" problem. That phrasing seems unusual. I attempted to update the firmware using Samsung Magician, but when I press update it indicates I'm already on the latest version, which isn't correct. My drives are running the previous latest version, not the newest one. I understand why it displays me as having the latest version—it's because I have an interest in a large company like Samsung that has network access to my PC to collect data about my system. To protect my privacy, I can't allow Samsung Magician to connect to Samsung. I use it offline.
I'm aware of what's coming. "Go online or we can't help you."
Can you at least try?
Let me clarify:
It might be possible to use a drag-and-drop feature to manually insert the firmware. There could also be a button in Windows Explorer to manually select the latest downloaded firmware. Samsung clearly made it difficult for updates by design.
Why would they do that? They likely want to collect information about my system—such as IP address, drive serial numbers, and so on. This isn't Samsung's business; this is my PC, not theirs.
So I have to explain myself.
I found this article:
forums.unraid.net/topic/132024-guide-how-to-upgrade-samsung-nvmessd-firmware/
But it seems to be aimed at Linux users.
What I need is a method to update Samsung firmware offline. It would be helpful if someone in the forum could assist instead of just telling me to go home.
I'm not sure about the situation with ASUS boards updating BIOS. Are there any reports of failed updates? Is my specific board known for BIOS update problems?
Yes, I flash BIOS myself. But I wouldn't update it automatically; instead, I would uninstall the current chipset, reboot, and then install the latest version before rebooting again. That's how it usually works.
I'm definitely not lazy.
This means sometimes the system doesn't recognize the drive, other times it does.
Exactly what happened before.
The drive wasn't detected in BIOS, and the PC couldn't boot into Windows.
You need to use the newest Samsung Magician version.
Create a firmware update USB flash drive with it.
Boot from the USB and update the SSD firmware.
LOL. You're being overly cautious and silly.
Samsung doesn't gather any data about your PC.
It's just that my English isn't perfect because I'm not a native speaker and I haven't heard the term intermittent before.
It's okay to do things your way, but I don't mind if it takes longer than a second. I like updating manually instead of going online and waiting a few seconds. Why? Because the firmware is already downloaded and ready to go. All I have to do is flash it. I don’t need someone else to download it for me—I already have it.
Now I need to figure out how to update this firmware without letting the Samsung Magician access my firewall. That doesn’t make sense. I already have the firmware, but updating it is a hassle.
The only logical reason for the Magician’s behavior is intentional. Software is designed with a specific purpose in mind. Data is now valuable, and things are changing.
I extracted the bios using WinRAR since 7-Zip wasn’t working. I used a bios renamer to rename the file, though I’m not sure if manual renaming is okay. So the bios update is prepared.
The chipset update is also ready. The only issue remains with the Samsung firmware update.
I already downloaded the firmware here, so I don’t need anyone else to handle it. It’s a bit paranoid and silly.