Hi everyone! I'm trying to update the BIOS on my MSI B450-A PRO MAX motherboard, which is still running the version from 2019. While my BIOS detects my USB drive without any issues, it fails to recognize the files on it. I've been able to enter Flash Mode and select the USB drive, but I keep getting the 'No BIOS File Detected' error. Here's what I've tried so far:
- I've used two different USB drives (one smaller than 32 GB) and tried three different USB ports.
- I formatted the drives as FAT32.
- I attempted to install the first two drivers from the MSI support site, both the beta and release versions.
- I placed the contents from the downloaded .zip file directly onto the USB drive, I've also moved the files to the root directory, and I even tried renaming the BIOS file to MSI.rom, based on info from an old thread.
Despite trying all these options, I still can't get the BIOS to update. Any suggestions on what I might be doing wrong? Thanks a lot!
3 Answers
It seems like the BIOS file might not be correctly set up on your USB drive. Make sure you unzip the BIOS update file correctly and double-check that you're using the right version. When looking at the current BIOS version in the BIOS menu, make sure the first four characters are identical to the update file, while the last two can differ. Also, I'd recommend using a reliable USB drive, as sometimes lower-quality drives can cause issues. The app RUFUS is great for formatting—definitely give it a try!
Using the files in the root directory usually works best. Definitely try that out!
Make sure you can see file extensions in your file explorer. When renaming the file to MSI.rom, I accidentally had mine as MSI.rom.MP1 because I didn’t have file extensions visible!
Thanks for that tip! I'll check if file extension visibility is enabled—it might just be the fix I need.
It's possible you might be trying to jump too many versions at once. Some motherboards require that you update sequentially—for instance, from your current version to the next one before you can update further. You might want to try installing a version just after your current one to see if that helps!
I appreciate that tip! I did try an older version, but it didn't work either. Still searching for a solution!
That's a bummer! It could be worth reaching out to MSI support as well, just in case.
Thanks for the insights! I've seen different instructions regarding whether to keep the files in a folder or just the root directory. Do you know which is the best practice?