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ASUS Z97 Sabertooth Bios Update Not Working

Go to solution Solved by zMeul,
13 minutes ago, DaAznKnight said:

 

Yes, of course I have extracted the .cap file from the archive. Basically, when the file sits in my USB stick, there is only one .cap file at the root of the drive.

 

As for the latest file, unless I am crazy, the latest update is from 16th November 2015, version 2801, as stated on ASUS's website. See the link below.

 

http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1150/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1_USB31/SABERTOOTH-Z97-MARK-1-USB31-ASUS-2801.zip?_ga=1.182709862.1967348525.1457897368

 

Pretty sure it's the right version...., here's the page I went to for the download.

 

http://www.asus.com/US/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1USB_31/HelpDesk_Download/

 

My Sabertooth is the Mk 1 (the one with the shield plates). I know there's a Mk 2 without these plates. Are you referring to these two with "rev 1" and "rev 2"?

 

I have tried downloading an earlier version of the BIOS. Same issue.

you might wanna check again

there are 2 versions of MARK1:

and they aren't identical ;)

Alright guys, I'm at my wits end. I'm usually pretty good at stuff like this, but I've hit a roadblock with every option I've tried.

 

Problem: I am unable to update the BIOS on my ASUS Z97 Sabertooth Mk 1.

 

Description: I am trying to update my BIOS from the existing version 1202 to 2801.

 

What I've tried:

  1. Updating using ASUS EZ Update. Clicking on "Connect" does precisely jack shit. It just tells me "There is no need to update the environ", which I find insane because there have been numerous updates available for AI Suite 3 and other items since 2014 when I first installed stuff.
  2. Updating using AI Suite 3's USB Bios Flashback Utility. In this case, I have plugged in a freshly formatted 16 GB USB stick (FAT32) in the Flashback port. Clicked on "Check for New BIOS Update" and waited over an hour. Absolutely nothing. It just sat at "checking" the whole time. I have the fastest goddamn connection available in town.
  3. Updating using ASUS's BIOS Updater for 5th Gen Intel CPUs. I get the message "not a valid BIOS file".
  4. Updating manually using ASUS's EZ Flash 2 UEFI utility. This means using the same stick as before, freshly formatted in FAT32, and manually copy-pasting a BIOS file I downloaded from ASUS's website to the root of the USB stick. I also manually renamed it "Z97STU31" (as indicated in the user manual) and "Z97ST" (as indicated in AI Suite 3). Neither one works. I get the message "not a proper BIOS file".
  5. Trying to force it to flash using the Flashback button on the back of the motherboard. Same as above in 3., tried both names, and the button simply flashes blue for 5 seconds before becoming solid blue (i.e., flash failed according to the manual).
  6. Repeat all of the above using an older version of the BIOS (2304). Same story as before.

System Specs: See attached image grab from Speccy.

 

Goals: Okay, to be frank, updating the BIOS is not 100% necessary. I am pursuing this avenue mainly because of Windows 10's advice.

 

The actual problem I'm trying to solve is that I have been experiencing random total shutdowns while playing a heavily modded Skyrim (have not tested with other games). Usually happens when I'm outside exploring, where GPU/CPU loads are the highest. The desktop will randomly shut down completely (no BSOD, screen just blacks out, with the fans suddenly running full speed).

 

Checking Event Viewer gives me Kernel-Power error Even 41 Task 63. I realize this Kernel-Power error might be the result of my having to force the PC to shut down by holding the power button.

 

Around the same time Windows 10 logs these errors, it also logs Warnings under ACPI (Event ID 15). Description is: "The embedded controller (EC) returned data when none was requested. The BIOS might be trying to access the EC without synchronizing with the operating system. This data will be ignored. No further action is necessary; however, you should check with your computer manufacturer for an upgraded BIOS."

 

Any solution to this is deeply appreciated.

pcspecs.PNG

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really dumb question: you have extracted the *.cap file from the archive, yes?

 

one other thing: latest BIOS update for your mobo is 2702 from 23rd of November last year, where did you came up with 2801 o.O

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I agree with zMeul, you often need to extract all the files from the archive (zip file)

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You do have the correct bios?

You have a rev 1 and rev 2 of the saber tooth

You also need to extract the file. It can't be in a zip folder or anything else.

 

You can also try, although it will be long, update the bios one by one, or every second one rather than doing a huge jump.

It's not a race to the bottom.

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On 3/14/2016 at 10:20 PM, zMeul said:

really dumb question: you have extracted the *.cap file from the archive, yes?

 

one other thing: latest BIOS update for your mobo is 2702 from 23rd of November last year, where did you came up with 2801 o.O

 

Yes, of course I have extracted the .cap file from the archive. Basically, when the file sits in my USB stick, there is only one .cap file at the root of the drive.

 

As for the latest file, unless I am crazy, the latest update is from 16th November 2015, version 2801, as stated on ASUS's website. See the link below.

 

http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1150/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1_USB31/SABERTOOTH-Z97-MARK-1-USB31-ASUS-2801.zip?_ga=1.182709862.1967348525.1457897368

 

14 hours ago, 0x1e said:

You do have the correct bios?

You have a rev 1 and rev 2 of the saber tooth

You also need to extract the file. It can't be in a zip folder or anything else.

 

You can also try, although it will be long, update the bios one by one, or every second one rather than doing a huge jump.

Pretty sure it's the right version...., here's the page I went to for the download.

 

http://www.asus.com/US/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1USB_31/HelpDesk_Download/

 

My Sabertooth is the Mk 1 (the one with the shield plates). I know there's a Mk 2 without these plates. Are you referring to these two with "rev 1" and "rev 2"?

 

I have tried downloading an earlier version of the BIOS. Same issue.

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13 minutes ago, DaAznKnight said:

 

Yes, of course I have extracted the .cap file from the archive. Basically, when the file sits in my USB stick, there is only one .cap file at the root of the drive.

 

As for the latest file, unless I am crazy, the latest update is from 16th November 2015, version 2801, as stated on ASUS's website. See the link below.

 

http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1150/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1_USB31/SABERTOOTH-Z97-MARK-1-USB31-ASUS-2801.zip?_ga=1.182709862.1967348525.1457897368

 

Pretty sure it's the right version...., here's the page I went to for the download.

 

http://www.asus.com/US/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_Z97_MARK_1USB_31/HelpDesk_Download/

 

My Sabertooth is the Mk 1 (the one with the shield plates). I know there's a Mk 2 without these plates. Are you referring to these two with "rev 1" and "rev 2"?

 

I have tried downloading an earlier version of the BIOS. Same issue.

you might wanna check again

there are 2 versions of MARK1:

and they aren't identical ;)

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13 minutes ago, zMeul said:

you might wanna check again

there are 2 versions of MARK1:

and they aren't identical ;)

Jesus Christ.

 

I had an inkling there might be another version of the Mark 1 that I wasn't aware of, based on 0x1e's post.

 

So I searched again on Asus's website. Lo' and behold, there was another version, and I just updated my bios without a hitch.

 

All that hair pulling and table slamming, over something so simple.

 

Thanks everyone for the help. I guess this is what they mean when they say "let's get a fresh pair of eyes on this".

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10 hours ago, DaAznKnight said:

 

My Sabertooth is the Mk 1 (the one with the shield plates). I know there's a Mk 2 without these plates. Are you referring to these two with "rev 1" and "rev 2"?

 

I can see why they did it but confusion like this was bound to happen to a few people.

You have the

Mark 1 and 2,

With Mark 1 you have Rev 1 and 2.

 

Boards such as these normally have a long life span because of their (ASUS) heavy investment. So instead of creating an entirely new board they will take the old one (rev 1) and add new features to it to make back their money and more.

This is good because it's most likely rev 1 will get a new bios as well which will increase it's life span as rev 2 is holding it up.

Downside to this is, as it's based on the old one it will most likely look the same and have roughly the same name but a completely different bios and software that doesn't work on rev 1.

This can cause a lot of confusion when looking for fixes, bios' and software update. It can also confuse people who are buying a new motherboard and can't understand why two motherboard's that are the 'same' have a price difference so end up buying the cheaper one, the older one without realising.

Or they think the only difference is USB 3.1 which some people don't want (I have nothing that is USB 3.0 - 3.1) however it has most likely got other features that are not easily mentioned.

It's not a race to the bottom.

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