Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 Rev 1.0 - Help please with unbricking after bad BIOS flash

[Bittornado]

Hello everyone.

I own a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 Rev 1.0 which I wanted to try and upgrade with a modded BIOS flash in order to enable TRIM-0 support with an updated RAID ROM (a modded version of IRST v11.2.0.1006).

My BIOS version was the latest F9d.

Q-flash wouldn't recognize the file. It was suggested that I tried the @BIOS utility as it was always suggested by Gigabyte.
I downloaded the latest version, it DID read the modded BIOS and write it successfully....
However, after restart, everything is just pitch black.
No picture at all.

The onboard error message indicator shows the number "68", which is not even listed as what that is supposed to mean in the motherboard's own handbook.
I KNOW that I had checked the back-up BIOS version to be F2 prior to this accident. Unfortunately I never got to updating the back-up BIOS to my current functional version.
But the back-up BIOS doesn't even kick in. My board does have the double BIOS feature I believe...
I even tried the PSU power switch on and off method, still no kicking in of the back-up BIOS.

It is kinda stupid, since I had read some posts that the @BIOS utility is not the most reliable method for flashing the BIOS...but since Q-Flash failed, I thought that it might have been because of the size difference between the regular F9d and the modded version I was trying to flash it with.


What can I do now?
I tried to search the support page here to see whether there was a more straight forward suggestion for unbricking a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 Rev 1.0 motherboard, but could not find anything useful really, or maybe I don't know what to look for....

I am kinda hopeful that this issue might be resolved somehow, the least because of the fact that I do know the board at least has a F2 back-up BIOS version on it, just don't know what to do for the board to kick that in.

My settings prior to this accident:

- BIOS version F9d (the latest downloaded version from the Gigabyte section for my Rev 1.0 motherboard at this site).

- Using Intel i7 980X processor, x22, BCLK 133 (=2926 GHz) so not even the stock speed, and with the boost option disabled. Uncore speed 2133 GHz (double the RAM speed which at that moment was running at 1066 GHz only).

- Hyperthreading disabled. No overvolting whatsoever, neither for CPU, GPU or RAM. RAM XMP disabled.

- 24GB Corsair Dominator GT DDR3 PC16000/2000MHz CL9 3x4GB (CMT12GX3M3A2000C9).

- A Radeon HD-7990 video card.

- Running Windows 7 Ultimate x64 off a Samsung 850 Pro Series 1TB SSD. Very fresh install, basically no other software was installed at the moment.


Well, any help would be much appreciated. I have flashed BIOS before but always used Q-flash, so I'm not entirely new to the scene, but this is really the first time ever I've encountered such, to me, hopeless situation where I get NOTHING to work with since the screen is totally black. Hopefully there is something to do to remedy this situation.

Thank you.

[TicTacToe]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 Rev 1.0 - Help please with unbricking after bad BIOS flash

Fingers crossed, hopefully you have not bricked your motherboard bios. Error 68 with the GA-X58A-UD7 Rev 1.0 is usually related to an issue with the system CPU being incompatible with the Bios installed. It could be the @Bios install process or the modded bios introduced this issue. But, here is the catch, you are using Using Intel i7 980X processor, x22, BCLK 133 (=2926 GHz).

According to the Gigabyte compatibility for CPU's, Intel i7 980X processor is compatible with this board since Bios version F3 GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1366 - GA-X58A-UD7 (rev. 1.0) . So even if your backup Bios recovery worked and updated the main Bios to F2, F2 is too old to recorgnize the i7 980x. So both your main and backup bios(es) will throw up code 68, No video, no post.

You will need an older CPU(1366) like the 920 or 930 whichever you can get your hands on to work with the F2 bios I believe. And then flash back to f9d or better. If you also know of a local shop or repair center that can do it for you that will be great. As is always suggested you might want to take a copy of your working official bios version on a usb stick along with you to the shop.

I hope your bios is not bricked, I do prefer Q-flash as well, and it has never failed me. But, yes, sometimes you may have to go the @Bios way.

Before you change the CPU , if the backup bios has not already overwritten the main bios(the power trick may take a bit of patience to get it to work) you could also reset the bios and see if it picks up. Do a Bios reset, or remove the battery and let the disconnected PC sit overnight to clear the cmos. I still think the issue might be incompatibility though.

[Bittornado]

Re: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 Rev 1.0 - Help please with unbricking after bad BIOS flash

Fingers crossed, hopefully you have not bricked your motherboard bios. Error 68 with the GA-X58A-UD7 Rev 1.0 is usually related to an issue with the system CPU being incompatible with the Bios installed. It could be the @Bios install process or the modded bios introduced this issue. But, here is the catch, you are using Using Intel i7 980X processor, x22, BCLK 133 (=2926 GHz).

According to the Gigabyte compatibility for CPU's, Intel i7 980X processor is compatible with this board since Bios version F3 GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1366 - GA-X58A-UD7 (rev. 1.0) . So even if your backup Bios recovery worked and updated the main Bios to F2, F2 is too old to recorgnize the i7 980x. So both your main and backup bios(es) will throw up code 68, No video, no post.

You will need an older CPU(1366) like the 920 or 930 whichever you can get your hands on to work with the F2 bios I believe. And then flash back to f9d or better. If you also know of a local shop or repair center that can do it for you that will be great. As is always suggested you might want to take a copy of your working official bios version on a usb stick along with you to the shop.

I hope your bios is not bricked, I do prefer Q-flash as well, and it has never failed me. But, yes, sometimes you may have to go the @Bios way.

Before you change the CPU , if the backup bios has not already overwritten the main bios(the power trick may take a bit of patience to get it to work) you could also reset the bios and see if it picks up. Do a Bios reset, or remove the battery and let the disconnected PC sit overnight to clear the cmos. I still think the issue might be incompatibility though.

Oh thank you very much for the reply!

This is kinda funny, but the fact of the matter is that, before I saw your reply here, I just thought of the exact same thing by myself and posted a question about the same thing at some other site! Because I wanted to know the answer to the question which you just answered for me! I.e., IF this indeed was an incompatibility issue between my old F2 bios version trying to kick in, and my i7-980x processor not being recognized...how would the symptoms be occurring? I never had that issue before, so I didn't know whether the comp would post at all or not in such case, which you so kindly confirmed that it indeed would not, so basically I would get the exact same black screen in both cases.

What is even more amusing, is that I actually DO own an i7-930 processor...but looking at Gigabytes processor compatibility page...i7-930 is THE only one of the earlier i7 processors that would require bios F5 version to work :(

So I still have to find a 920, 940, 950 or 960 to test that out :(
I'll get nowhere with my 930 either I'm afraid....why that one requires F5 version is beyond me.

But now at least I know that it might be a F2/980x issue. I'll try and see if I can get my hands on a cheap i7-920 (these are not easy to find here in Sweden).
I'd rather do that FIRST before chopping up my board...!

Thank you for the reply :)