How to update msi board bios step by step

What is the BIOS for?

At this point, you can already imagine what the BIOS is for and what function it performs on our PC, but it is worth remembering for those who are confused. The least we can do is understand what something is before modifying it.

Well, the BIOS means in Spanish " Basic Input and Output System ", and physically it is a chip with a CMOS flash memory that is factory integrated on the motherboard. The function it performs is to initialize all the devices that are connected to the motherboard and the PC, for example, the processor, RAM, hard drives, etc.

Currently, all BIOS on new motherboards are UEFI (Extensible Firmware Interface). Basically it is the evolution of the typical BIOS that we had to manage with just the keyboard, since now it is possible to do it with a mouse too. The basic functionality is the same, that of starting the devices, but at the same time it has many more options, with a friendlier interface, and more advanced management for the new generation peripherals.

Precisely one of the novelties that manufacturers have installed in these new BIOS is the possibility of updating it directly from it using a tool or even from a software from the operating system, and that is what we are going to try to do today.

Why do we need to update the BIOS

Let's see, it is not the end of the world if we do not, but since the new BIOS allows us to make so many configurations, and the update system is very simple, it is worth taking a few seconds to do so to have the latest version that has been released. Launched the manufacturer of your Firmware.

Imagine that you have bought the latest motherboard available on the market for any chipset. You will understand that in a while the manufacturers of processors, memory and other devices are going to release new models, and even models that are going to have a different architecture than what is currently available for your motherboard.

What we will have to do if we want to buy a new component for our board, and that this is 100% compatible with it, is to download an updated BIOS for the board, otherwise it could happen that even the board does not support this component or gives us nice blue screenshots while we have it installed.

Let's take an example: just a few days ago, a pair of AMD Athlon processors from the Raven Ridge family, which is relatively new, did not arrive. Well, the breadboard was precisely an MSI B350I Pro AC from a long time ago. What happened in our case, is that the BIOS was not updated, and consequently the Athlon 240GE towards our unstable system in high stress processes, causing some blue screens and a lower performance than expected. Well, what we did was update the BIOS in search of those corrections and official support that we needed for the new Raven Rigde. The result is that in the end all the problems were solved and the AMD ran smoothly in our test bench. The BIOS can be updated in two ways:

From the BIOS itself: through a tool implemented within the BIOS and an image of the Firmware on a USB. This method is the safest. From the operating system: we can do the same from the system with manufacturer software and an image of the BIOS. It is considered more insecure due to possible system instability or because unforeseen events arise when communicating the software with the firmware.

Process to update BIOS MSI from the BIOS itself

We have already given enough plate regarding the matter of updating, so let's go to it. The first way that we will see, is already the one that we recommend, is through the BIOS itself, for being more secure.

Download latest version of MSI BIOS

Well, the first thing we are going to do is go to the manufacturer's website , in this case MSI, and look for the motherboard model that we have on our PC. We can also do it from the search engine of the page or directly from the searched web, choose the way you want.

If we do not know the model of the motherboard we have, in this article you can find out

If not, you can also do it with the CPU-Z software by going to the " Mainboard " section. In any case, we will already be on the product page, so we can go directly to the " SUPPORT " section located in the plate's characteristics menu.

Well, now it will appear just below another menu with different options, and the one that interests us is the " BIOS ". In it, we will have a list of Firmware images updated by date and notifying what news each of them brings.

Keep in mind, that the new update already has the corrections of all the previous ones, that is, it is a cumulative update, and for nothing we should update as many times as new images have been available from the date of ours.

Well, nothing, we just have to download the latest one available.

Prepare for installation

To update the BIOS of the MSI board with this first method, we will have to unzip the file that we have downloaded and then copy it to a removable flash drive. We must make sure to copy all the files that are in the unzipped file, to make sure that nothing is missing. Although really the fundamental file will be the one with the 1A0 extension.

Once this is done, we will only have to restart our computer and enter the BIOS of our PC. In the MSI boards, the BIOS is accessed by pressing the "Del" key, so just when the computer starts, we are going to start hitting this key repeatedly to enter it.

But we can also directly enter the BIOS update tool, called M-Flash, by directly pressing the keyboard combination " Ctrl + F5". We are going to do it the long way.

MSI BIOS update process

Well, we are already inside the BIOS, now what we will have to do is look somewhere for the M-Flash tool. Depending on the BIOS design, we will find it in different places. For the most current ones, we will have it located directly on the main screen, below and to the left.

In other cases, we will have to go to the upper area and locate it in the tool panel that we have there. In any case, being a UEFI MSI BIOS, the application will be available.

Once we press the corresponding "M-Flash" button, we will be notified that the system will automatically restart to locate the flash drive inserted in our USB port. So at that time, make sure you have the pen-drive on your PC.

Once the process is done, we will find a screen and a small application that lists all the flash drives on the PC, in our case only one (although two times are shown). On the right side we have the files that contain this unit and that are compatible with the BIOS Firmware extension.

We will only have to select the file and double click to start the update process.

While this window that we show is active and the bar has not finished, we must not restart or turn off the computer, since we could lose the BIOS and with it the boot of our PC.

Well, it would be already, the process will finish and the PC will restart with the new BIOS installed, bon appetit.

Process to update MSI BIOS from Windows 10

Now we will quickly see the same procedure, but from the Windows 10 system.

What we will have to do in this case, is go back to the support section of the MSI motherboard in question, and in turn enter into the " utilities " tab. Here we are going to download the “ Live Update 6 ” application, which will be in charge of updating not only the BIOs, but also all the corresponding drivers for the motherboard that we have.

Once downloaded, we will install it in a normal and current way in our equipment.

Now we are going to go to the last available tab, which will be precisely what interests us to update the BIOS of the MSI board. We will have to click on " Analyze " and the software will determine if there is any update available of our BIOS.

In our case, we already have the latest version, but if this happens, an assistant will appear with a few steps to follow just as we were installing a program.

conclusion

We always recommend users to have their BIOS updated, as manufacturers often introduce quite a few innovations regarding support and stability in the new BIOS.

Above all, if we are fans of gaming or overclocking, it will be very interesting to have the latest from the manufacturer. Now we leave you with a few links of interest.

If you have any trouble entering your BIOS or updating it, write us in the comment box so we can help you out.