BIOS Updates forum

I want to update the EFI system firmware of an OEM Asus F1A75-M motherboard.

Its specifications page is located: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_So ... ifications
Its downloads support page is located: http://support.asus.com/Download.aspx?S ... M&p=1&s=41


The motherboard I want to flash is an OEM version that does not contain all the hardware of the retail Asus F1A75-M motherboard. The OEM version Asus F1A75-M does not have some of the hardware (such as a Trusted Platform Module, "MemOK!" button, GPU Boost switch, and Serial port header) present on the Asus F1A75-M PCB that is present for the retail version.

For BIOS based boards, my experience is that this should not present a problem (so long as the BIOS is correctly flashed). Should there be expectations of any problems for an EFI-based system?

Also, I was wondering what would be the best method to flash the system EFI firmware. Asus has versions of the EFI system firmware flashing utility for DOS, "BUPDATER", available. There function of the some of the switches, however, do not seem to be documented at all.

What OEM and what is the OEM model number? That way we can compare how much it differs and how the chance (if any) is you can use the retail efi firmware...

edwin wrote:What OEM and what is the OEM model number? That way we can compare how much it differs and how the chance (if any) is you can use the retail efi firmware...

The OEM motherboard is from the Asus OEM channel.

The model number silk-screened onto the PCB is the same as the retail Asus F1A75-M motherboard. I do remember a sticker that was also on the motherboard with what appeared to be an extended version of the "F1A75-M" model number. I do not have that model number with me, but shall try to acquire it later today.

Also, I forgot to mention that the EFI used is branded "American Megatrends Inc.".

The sticker information is "F1A75-MCM1740/DP_MB".

I think flashing the official Asus update for this board will work better...

http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?S ... M1740&os=8

edwin wrote:I think flashing the official Asus update for this board will work better...

http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?S ... M1740&os=8

That has the update for the EFI already on the motherboard (version 0901).

The EFI 0901 has some major shortcomings (such as no interface to set RAM timings). I was hoping that flashing the EFI of the retail version would resolve the shortcomings.

The majority of the people buyng these boxes are better left out of the advanced settings such as memory timings. It doesn't come with the bells and whistles from the retail version I guess, and I suppose it's too costly to maintain 2 seperate bios streams for this OEM board. The only people that know if you can use the retail version are Asus.

After communicating with Asus, it looks like the crossflash (from OEM to retail firmware) should be possible.

Asus has the BUPDATER utility to flash under DOS. However it is not obvious what some of the parameters do.


The utility may be found:
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/misc/u ... r_V126.zip


Should flashing under DOS be proffered to the flashing utility included with the system firmware?

If they advice you to use the DOS utility to cross-flash, I think you should listen to them, after all they made all the stuff. It's their responsibility that way too if something goes wrong.

Asus did not explicitly state the the DOS flasher was proffered. It spoke about the compatibility of firmware across their distribution channels and that how that information can be applied to determine firmware compatibility for the motherboard.

The method to use the DOS flasher was not endorsed over the firmware's included utility.

Both of them have built-in checks to see if the cross-flash is possible. The DOS one has less things that can go wrong in my opinion.

I was trying to boot to DOS to DOS using a flash drive which I wrote an image of Caldera Dr.-DOS to, but I was unable to boot to the flash device (though, I was able to boot to it from my other computers without issue).

After examining the Asus F1A75-M manual regarding booting to DOS, it recommended booting to FreeDOS from a DVD that should come with the motherboard.

The motherboard I have did not come with an discs nor documentation.

I am having difficult locating a disc image of DOS a could burn to disc.

edwin wrote:http://vdhout.nl/20100210/

Unfortunately, this does not work.

The firmware file is a 4 MB firmware file which does not fit on the emulated floppy image written to the disc ISO image.

After booting to the burned disc, I am not able to change to another device, not even to the regular data portion of the optical disc.

ofcourse... you have a SATA DVD player, let me check, I think I ever made a bios DOS update ISO somewhere with SATA support.