What Is The Motherboard BIOS Quick Flash Button, And How Does It

Have you ever seen a strange button on the rear of the computer?

It can be the BIOS Quick Flash Button. Here is what it actually does.

If you have purchased a new motherboard in recent years, you may have seen a new addition to the I/O (input/output) area: the BIOS Quick Flash button.

Typically located beside the dedicated BIOS Flash USB port, this small button allows you to update the UEFI or BIOS on the motherboard without installing the hardware, which is handy if you purchase a new motherboard that does not support specific CPUs yet.

Keep reading to learn what the BIOS Flash button actually is, how to utilize it and what you can do when the BIOS flash button does not work.

What’s The Motherboard BIOS Flash Button?

On the back of your motherboard, you will locate numerous outputs and inputs needed for connecting the audio hardware, USB devices, monitors, and different other peripherals. Together, this area is recognized as the motherboard I/O, and the plate covering it is actually recognized as the I/O shield.

A few modern motherboards now have a special USB port and an associated button that enables you to update your system BIOS before firing up the rest of your device and completing the computer build.

Why Do You Require Using The BIOS Flash Button?

Normally, the BIOS Flash button is utilized for updating the motherboard with BIOS that can support a new, formerly unsupported CPU. A major example of it is AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs. These CPUs are mainly compatible with the same boards running AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series CPUs, the prior gen.

But to make certain your motherboard and new CPUs work correctly (or at all), the motherboard BIOS requires updating to the newer version that can support the new CPUs. It is not just for the compatible motherboards and AMD CPUs.

Intel motherboards and CPUs also have a BIOS Flash button for upgrading the hardware support, although the procedure is the same for both hardware companies. The BIOS Flash button is also useful if you desire to upgrade the BIOS without installing your CPU.

On older boards, the bare minimum needed for updating your BIOS was your CPU and potentially a little memory (RAM). With such modern motherboards, you no longer need to install your CPU for flashing to the newer BIOS version, making it simpler to upgrade to the most recent hardware.

How To Utilize This BIOS Flash Button?

This button is fairly easy to make use of, though it does have a few quirks. The BIOS Flash button itself ought to be marked clearly on your motherboard and is usually located in the I/O zone for user-friendliness.

Also, the majority of companies clearly mark the particular USB port for use for flashing your BIOS. Now, the procedure for utilizing the BIOS Flash button varies a little between companies but does follow a fairly similar procedure.

Here, you can read and find out how you can make use of this BIOS Flash button, but you ought to always see the particular directions for the motherboard. Directions are located on your motherboard manufacturer’s website.

• First of all, go to the company’s website and download the right BIOS file for the motherboard. If you are upgrading for supporting your new CPU, make certain to read the description well for ensuring the BIOS you select provides that support.
• Once the download finishes, extract those files from your archive.
• After that, simply rename your BIOS file to the [manufacturer].bin. The manufacturer’s directions will tell you precisely what to name your file.
• Then, you require a small-size USB 2.0 drive. The low capacity is usually 32GB or smaller, and it has to be the USB 2.0 drive unless mentioned otherwise.
• The drive also has to make use of the FAT32 file system. Insert your drive into the PC > right-click and choose Format. Choose FAT32 under the File System. Make sure the Quick Format is checked > click Start. The format procedure ought not to take long.
• Once the drive format finishes, you can copy your renamed BIOS file to the USB drive’s root. That denotes just the BIOS file, not within some other folder, copied directly into your USB drive.
• Before inserting your USB BIOS drive, you have to connect the eight-pin and twenty-four-pin power connectors to the motherboard (otherwise, it would not turn on).
• After connecting your power supply, you can simply insert your USB drive into the company-specified BIOS Flash USB port on your motherboard.
• After that, with the power supply turned on, simply hit the BIOS Flash button.

The BIOS flash procedure can take up to ten minutes, and at times more, relying on the size of your new BIOS installation. The majority of motherboards featuring the BIOS Flash button also have a progress indicator of some kind, be that a visual display or the blinking LED on your motherboard.

When the procedure ends, your motherboard will reboot, or it might shut down, relying on the creator. If the BIOS flash procedure extends beyond fifteen to twenty minutes, it is a safe bet that it is not functioning and that you ought to try again.

The BIOS Quick Flash Did Not Work:

Your BIOS Flash button is not always assured to work. Exasperatingly, it may not be clear that the BIOS flash has failed until you try to install the new CPU or enter your BIOS. Diverse motherboards have diverse quirks when it comes to utilizing this BIOS Flash button, too.

For instance, the standard info is that you ought to make use of this BIOS Flash button without any hardware installed on your motherboard (that denotes no RAM, no GPU, no HDDs or SSDs connected).

However, you will locate numerous reports online of the BIOS upgrade just functioning with the hardware installed. Another thing to see is that you’ve got the right BIOS version for your motherboard. Even if the version is compatible, you may need to try some diverse BIOS versions to get the correct one.

If you are upgrading BIOS for the new CPU, it may be that the 1st compatible BIOS version for your new CPU works and the most recent version (which you would think would offer better support) does not install correctly. The thing is, do not panic. You are very unlikely to cause any damage to the motherboard or other hardware parts so long as you follow the steps properly, make use of the right hardware and BIOS versions, and take some time.

Updating The BIOS Became That Simpler:

If you are upgrading to the new, unsupported CPU, utilizing your motherboard BIOS Flash button can really save you effort and time. Upgrading your BIOS utilizing a dedicated BIOS flash USB port really makes it simpler to upgrade the shiny new hardware, and you will have the new CPU installed in just no time.