You probably shouldn’t update your BIOS, but sometimes you need to. Here’s how to check what BIOS version your computer is using and flash that new BIOS version onto your motherboard as quickly and safely as possible.
Jan 18, 2010 Author Topic: X48 Platinum - BIOS v2.5 Fixes CPU Multiplier Problems (Read 3103 times). I have been checking for BIOS updates for over a year and there where none (13 months between v2.4 and v2.5). I assumed they have just forgotten about this board when posting my support question. X48 Platinum - BIOS v2.5 Fixes CPU Multiplier Problems. All images and descriptions are for illustrative purposes only. Visual representation of the products may not be perfectly accurate. Product specification, functions and appearance may vary by models and differ from country to country.
![Platinum Platinum](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124853510/731721254.jpg)
RELATED:Do You Need to Update Your Computer’s BIOS?
Be very careful when updating your BIOS! If your computer freezes, crashes, or loses power during the process, the BIOS or UEFI firmware may be corrupted. This will render your computer unbootable—it’ll be “bricked.”
How to Check Your Current BIOS Version in Windows
RELATED:What Is UEFI, and How Is It Different from BIOS?
Your computer’s BIOS version is displayed in the BIOS setup menu itself, but you don’t have to reboot to check this version number. There are several ways to see your BIOS version from within Windows, and they work the same on PCs with a traditional BIOS or a newer UEFI firmware.
Check Your BIOS Version at the Command Prompt
To check your BIOS version from the Command Prompt, hit Start, type “cmd” in the search box, and then click the “Command Prompt” result—no need to run it as an administrator.
At the prompt, type (or copy and paste) the following command, and then hit Enter:
You’ll see the version number of the BIOS or UEFI firmware in your current PC.
Check Your BIOS Version by Using the System Information Panel
RELATED:How to Open the System Information Panel on Windows 10 or 8
You can also find your BIOS’s version number in the System Information window. On Windows 7, 8, or 10, hit Windows+R, type “msinfo32” into the Run box, and then hit Enter.
The BIOS version number is displayed on the System Summary pane. Look at the “BIOS Version/Date” field.
How to Update Your BIOS
Different motherboards use different utilities and procedures, so there’s no one-size-fits-all set of instructions here. However, you’ll perform the same basic process on all motherboards.
RELATED:How to Check Your Motherboard Model Number on Your Windows PC
First, head to the motherboard manufacturer’s website and find the Downloads or Support page for your specific model of motherboard. You should see a list of available BIOS versions, along with any changes/bug fixes in each and the dates they were released. Download the version to which you want to update. You’ll probably want to grab the newest BIOS version—unless you have a specific need for an older one.
If you purchased a pre-built computer instead of building your own, head to the computer manufacturer’s website, look up the computer model, and look at its downloads page. You’ll find any available BIOS updates there.
Your BIOS download probably comes in an archive—usually a ZIP file. Extract the contents of that file. Inside, you’ll find some sort of BIOS file—in the screenshot below, it’s the E7887IMS.140 file.
The archive should also contain a README file that will walk you through updating to the new BIOS. You should check out this file for instructions that apply specifically to your hardware, but we’ll try to cover the basics that work across all hardware here.
RELATED:What You Need to Know About Using UEFI Instead of the BIOS
You’ll need to choose one of several different types of BIOS-flashing tools, depending on your motherboard and what it supports. The BIOS update’s included README file should recommend the ideal option for your hardware.
Some manufacturers offer a BIOS-flashing option directly in their BIOS, or as a special key-press option when you boot the computer. You copy the BIOS file to a USB drive, reboot your computer, and then enter the BIOS or UEFI screen. From there, you choose the BIOS-updating option, select the BIOS file you placed on the USB drive, and the BIOS updates to the new version.
RELATED:What You Need to Know About Using UEFI Instead of the BIOS
You generally access the BIOS screen by pressing the appropriate key while your computer boots—it’s often displayed on the screen during the boot process and will be noted in your motherboard or PC’s manual. Common BIOS keys include Delete and F2. The process for entering a UEFI setup screen can be a bit different.
RELATED:How to Create a Bootable DOS USB Drive
There are also more traditional DOS-based BIOS-flashing tools. When using those tools, you create a DOS live USB drive, and then copy the BIOS-flashing utility and BIOS file to that USB drive. You then restart your computer and boot from the USB drive. In the minimal DOS environment that appears after the reboot, you run the appropriate command—often something like flash.bat BIOS3245.bin—and the tool flashes the new version of the BIOS onto the firmware.
The DOS-based flashing tool is often provided in the BIOS archive you download from the manufacturer’s website, although you may have to download it separately. Look for a file with the .bat or .exe file extension.
In the past, this process was performed with bootable floppy disks and CDs. We recommend a USB drive because it’s probably be the easiest method on modern hardware.
Some manufacturers provide Windows-based flashing tools, which you run on the Windows desktop to flash your BIOS and then reboot. We don’t recommend using these, and even many manufacturers who provide these tools caution against using them. For example, MSI “strongly recommends” using their BIOS-based menu option instead of their Windows-based utility in the README file of the sample BIOS update we downloaded.
Flashing your BIOS from within Windows can result in more problems. All that software running in the background—including security programs that may interfere with writing to the computer’s BIOS—can cause the process to fail and corrupt your BIOS. Any system crashes or freezes might also result in a corrupted BIOS. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so we recommend using a BIOS-based flashing tool or booting to a minimal DOS environment to flash your BIOS.
That’s it—after you run the BIOS-flashing utility, reboot your computer and the new BIOS or UEFI firmware version loads. If there’s a problem with the new BIOS version, you may be able to downgrade it by downloading an older version from the manufacturer’s website and repeating the flashing process.
Image Credit: Kal Hendry on Flickr, Robert Frelberger on Flickr
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670 downloads·Added on: September 9, 2008·Manufacturer: Msi
Specifications:
CPU
■ Supports Intel Core 2 Extreme/Core 2 Quad/Core 2 Duo based processors in LGA775 package.
■ Supports Intel Yorkfield, Wolfdale in the LGA775 package.
■ Supports FSB 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz.
Please refer to CPU Support for compatible CPU; the above description is for reference only.
Chipset
■ Intel X48 Chipset
- Supports FSB 800/1066/1333/1600MHz.
- Supports dual channel, DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600 (XMP).
■ Intel ICH9R Chipset
- Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) controller, 480Mb/sec, up to 12 ports.
- 4 SATAII with 2 eSATA* ports with transfer rate up to 3Gb/s.
- Supports Viiv technology
- PCI Master v2.3, I/O APIC.
- ACPI 2.0 compliant.
- Serial ATA RAID 0/1/5/10.
- Integrated AHCI controller.
*eSATA function would be fully supported by VISTA ( In Box driver with AHCI driver). eSATA function would not be fully supported without AHCI driver under WinXP.
Main Memory
■ Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 1.5 Volt DDR3 SDRAM
■ Supports up to 8GB memory size.
■ Supports dual channel DDR3 memory architecture.
■ Supports DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600 (XMP) memory interface.
Slots
■ Two mazarine PCI Express x16 slots (PCI Express Bus SPEC V2.0 compliant; supports CrossFire Technology)
■ Two yellow PCI Express x16 slots with x4 operations (PCI Express Bus SPEC V1.0a compliant)
■ Two PCI Express x1 slots. (support PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant)
■ One 32-bit v2.3 master PCI bus slot.
- Support 3.3v/5v PCI bus interface.
On-Board IDE/SATA
■ One Ultra DMA 66/100/133 IDE controller integrated in Marvell 88SE6111.
- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation modes.
- Can connect up to two Ultra ATA drives.
■ SATAII controller integrated in ICH9R and Silicon Image 5723 chipest
- Up to 300MB/sec transfer speed.
- Supports four SATAII ports and two eSATA ports by ICH9R.
- Supports AHCI controller with SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 by ICH9R.
- Supports two SATAII ports by 5723. (fot storage devices with RAID function only)
- Supports SATA RAID 0/1, JBOD mode/ by 5723, default mode is RAID 1. (for SATA7 & SATA8 only)
MSI Reminds You...
■ The RAID setup floppy disk is optional depending on the districts. You can download the files from the website to make the setup disk.
Audio
■ Chip integrated by Realtek ALC888
- Flexible 8-channel audio with jack sensing
- Compliant with Azalia 1.0 spec.
- Meet Microsoft Vista Premium spec.
LAN
■ Supports PCI Express LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Realtek 8111B.
■ Supports Gigabit Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Intel 82566DC. (for ViiV)
IEEE1394
■ VIA VT6308P chipset
- Supports up to two 1394 ports. (Rear panel x1, pinheader x1)
- Transfer rate is up to 400Mbps.
Internal I/O Connectors
- ATX 24-Pin power connector
- 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
- CPU / System x 5 FAN connectors
- CD-in connector
- Front panel audio connector
- Front panel connector
- 1 x SPDIF-out pinheader
- 1 x chasis intrusion connector
- 1 x serial port pinheader (optional)
- 2 x USB 2.0 connectors
- 1 x Floppy disk drive connector
- 6 x Serial ATAII connectors
- 1 x ATA133 connector
- 1 x IEEE1394 connector support additional 1 port (optional)
- 1 x TPM module connector (optional)
MSI Reminds You...
■ The floppy disk cable will be optional.
Back Panel I/O Ports
- 1 x PS/2 keyboard
- 1 x PS/2 mouse
- 2 x eSATA ports (support Command Based Port Multipliers)
- 1 x 6 in 1 audio jack
- 8 x USB 2.0 ports
- 2 x RJ45 LAN jacks
- 1 x IEEE1394 port (optional)
- 1 x Optical SPDIF-out
BIOS
■ The mainboard BIOS provides 'Plug & Play' BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and
expansion cards of the board automatically.
■ The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface(DMI) function which records your
mainboard specifications.
Dimension
■ 30.5cm(L) x 24.5cm(W) ATX Form Factor
Mounting
■ 9 mounting holes.
CPU
■ Supports Intel Core 2 Extreme/Core 2 Quad/Core 2 Duo based processors in LGA775 package.
■ Supports Intel Yorkfield, Wolfdale in the LGA775 package.
■ Supports FSB 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz.
Please refer to CPU Support for compatible CPU; the above description is for reference only.
Chipset
■ Intel X48 Chipset
- Supports FSB 800/1066/1333/1600MHz.
- Supports dual channel, DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600 (XMP).
■ Intel ICH9R Chipset
- Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) controller, 480Mb/sec, up to 12 ports.
- 4 SATAII with 2 eSATA* ports with transfer rate up to 3Gb/s.
- Supports Viiv technology
- PCI Master v2.3, I/O APIC.
- ACPI 2.0 compliant.
- Serial ATA RAID 0/1/5/10.
- Integrated AHCI controller.
*eSATA function would be fully supported by VISTA ( In Box driver with AHCI driver). eSATA function would not be fully supported without AHCI driver under WinXP.
Main Memory
■ Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 1.5 Volt DDR3 SDRAM
■ Supports up to 8GB memory size.
■ Supports dual channel DDR3 memory architecture.
■ Supports DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600 (XMP) memory interface.
Slots
■ Two mazarine PCI Express x16 slots (PCI Express Bus SPEC V2.0 compliant; supports CrossFire Technology)
■ Two yellow PCI Express x16 slots with x4 operations (PCI Express Bus SPEC V1.0a compliant)
■ Two PCI Express x1 slots. (support PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant)
■ One 32-bit v2.3 master PCI bus slot.
- Support 3.3v/5v PCI bus interface.
On-Board IDE/SATA
■ One Ultra DMA 66/100/133 IDE controller integrated in Marvell 88SE6111.
- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation modes.
- Can connect up to two Ultra ATA drives.
■ SATAII controller integrated in ICH9R and Silicon Image 5723 chipest
- Up to 300MB/sec transfer speed.
- Supports four SATAII ports and two eSATA ports by ICH9R.
- Supports AHCI controller with SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 by ICH9R.
- Supports two SATAII ports by 5723. (fot storage devices with RAID function only)
- Supports SATA RAID 0/1, JBOD mode/ by 5723, default mode is RAID 1. (for SATA7 & SATA8 only)
MSI Reminds You...
■ The RAID setup floppy disk is optional depending on the districts. You can download the files from the website to make the setup disk.
Audio
■ Chip integrated by Realtek ALC888
- Flexible 8-channel audio with jack sensing
- Compliant with Azalia 1.0 spec.
- Meet Microsoft Vista Premium spec.
LAN
■ Supports PCI Express LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Realtek 8111B.
■ Supports Gigabit Ethernet LAN 10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Intel 82566DC. (for ViiV)
IEEE1394
■ VIA VT6308P chipset
- Supports up to two 1394 ports. (Rear panel x1, pinheader x1)
- Transfer rate is up to 400Mbps.
Internal I/O Connectors
- ATX 24-Pin power connector
- 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
- CPU / System x 5 FAN connectors
- CD-in connector
- Front panel audio connector
- Front panel connector
- 1 x SPDIF-out pinheader
- 1 x chasis intrusion connector
- 1 x serial port pinheader (optional)
- 2 x USB 2.0 connectors
- 1 x Floppy disk drive connector
- 6 x Serial ATAII connectors
- 1 x ATA133 connector
- 1 x IEEE1394 connector support additional 1 port (optional)
- 1 x TPM module connector (optional)
MSI Reminds You...
■ The floppy disk cable will be optional.
Back Panel I/O Ports
- 1 x PS/2 keyboard
- 1 x PS/2 mouse
- 2 x eSATA ports (support Command Based Port Multipliers)
- 1 x 6 in 1 audio jack
- 8 x USB 2.0 ports
- 2 x RJ45 LAN jacks
- 1 x IEEE1394 port (optional)
- 1 x Optical SPDIF-out
BIOS
■ The mainboard BIOS provides 'Plug & Play' BIOS which detects the peripheral devices and
expansion cards of the board automatically.
■ The mainboard provides a Desktop Management Interface(DMI) function which records your
mainboard specifications.
Dimension
■ 30.5cm(L) x 24.5cm(W) ATX Form Factor
Mounting
■ 9 mounting holes.
- COMPATIBLE WITH:
- Windows 2K
Windows XP
Windows 2003
Windows Vista - file size:
- 731 KB
- filename:
- 7353v23.zip
- CATEGORY:
- BIOS
It is highly recommended to always use the most recent driver version available.
Try to set a system restore point before installing a device driver. This will help if you installed an incorrect or mismatched driver.
Problems can arise when your hardware device is too old or not supported any longer.
Try to set a system restore point before installing a device driver. This will help if you installed an incorrect or mismatched driver.
Problems can arise when your hardware device is too old or not supported any longer.