BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide"

[jbrucegraham]

Re: BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide"

Thank you for this section. I could not find anything in the manual apart from the floppy technique. I don't have a floppy, not because of the $10 it costs to buy them but because I don't trust them when they are only used for emergencies. I find they fill up with dust and fluff and dirt and then don't work on the rare times you need them - such as a flash. Anyhow, I made myself a bootable CD and it all worked going from F4 to F8 (I had destroyed the BIOS, so I needed to flash). The next time I found this guide and it was so much easier to just use a USB stick from F8 to F9. I got to use it a second time moving to F10g beta - which works well BTW, and I will now make a bootable USB for next time. The only comment on the instructions is that I don't recall needing to manually extract anything with winrar, I think the current .exe downloads automatically extract, so it is even easier than your instructions.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide"

Ahh, well that is a little better then nothing.

I still think they should at least notify users of the new process on the site, or at the very least include a FAQ or How To with the download (Something I have ALWAYS thought they lacked)

I will be pointing out thoughts out here to Gigabyte in hopes to save others

[VorLonUK]

Re: BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide"

As far as I can remember, there is minimal onscreen information given, but that might not be enough for the novice user.

The Flash process information is shown just at the top left of the screen and consists of something like this:-
Erasing.....
Copying....
Verifying.....

with a countdown of bytes to go.

But it wasn't the lack of information/feedback that concerned me as much as there is no user input (where there has always been before). The moment you boot the PC with new bios media ready to be flashed, the whole operation is out of your hands - so basically don't touch that media until it is finished.

In the past you booted straight to the Bios Flashing utility, where you choose the bios image, initiate the flash or if you wish, simply abort the Utility and exit - you had choices. Now when you boot with the flash utility, you have no choices (which could be seen as ok).
My concern is people like myself where normally expecting to interact with the Flash utility software screen, might have a peer over the screen think it's locked up or not booted properly into the flash utility and inadvertently halt the Flash procedure.

There is information, ie a few lines of short text in the top left of the screen during the flash - it is possible (I would think) to miss it if you are not aware things have changed and are automatic.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide"

Ya, I am not sure either why it is made to be silent, I guess maybe to Prevent User interruption? But like you said, sounds like that may be more likely with it not asking you anything now

They both have a Autoexec.bat to Automatically run them, but I can see just as you said with the new one being silent far more users rebooting mid-process thinking nothing is going on

I really do not think the BIOS chip matters much, and both programs would just clear DMI Pool and flash in the New BIOS.

I am not so sure about all of this, maybe I can get Gigabyte to give me a good answer on why the change of the program itself, and why silent now.

I will for sure be pointing out the issue you have brought forward, as I see it as a very valid point of failure. And possible point of Increased RMA's due to a interrupted flash. Especially with no words of warning on how things have changed from the Previous Flash Utility Process, and no explanation to new or old users to expect a silent unattended flash.

As a side note to my above comment about Flash895. You can use the new app FlashSPI as well for the USB Bootable method, just change the command name to the program which you plan to use FlashSPI or Flash895. Both will work as I see the autoexec.bet file is the same in each package, it just runs the flash command same as you would do in DOS. But expect a silent Unattended flash as noted above if you use FlashSPI with a USB Bootable

WOW, Really! How are "New To Flashing" users supposed to know how long it takes, and when it is done with the new method being silent and unattended?

[VorLonUK]

Re: BIOS Flashing - A "How To ~ Qflash Guide"

Although this FLASHSPI.exe utility is setup to run "silently/unattended" and obviously works with "older boards" that first saw the FLASH895.exe, such as my GA-P35C-DS3R. - I wonder as it's a new utility, ie 2 years newer than the flash895.exe it is being used now not just for convenience, but as a possible recommendation on the latest boards which may use different/revised (newer) bios chips?