# How to downgrade UEFI to previous Hybrid Bios - Gigabyte



## brandonwh64 (Jul 6, 2012)

*Disclaimer*
This may or may not work for your board and also MAY work for other board manufacturers but YMMV and I hold no responsibility if it bricks your board. AMIBIOS is what most gigabyte boards use.

Ok after a near crap experience tonight of wanting to test out gigabytes new UEFI bios for some Z68/P67 boards I wanted to go back to the regular bios. The new UEFI bios was nice but was missing things for OC like LLC, PLL overvolt, and offset voltages. The following steps I had gotten off My Digital Life.



			
				freevista said:
			
		

> I digged around, seems like there is no official way to flash it back to original hybrid bios. Except this Russian utility, try if you dare..
> 
> http://www.mediafire.com/?8zjilcl8ntc1m93 - Utility
> 
> ...



1. First thing is to goto gigabyte and download the older bios you want
2. Next is to download the utility above (If link is dead PM me I will upload it for you)
3. After downloading, extract and find the version for your OS (Win or Win64)
4. Copy the folder to the root directory of your hard drive ( C:\ )
5. Extract your bios to this folder as well that you have copied to the root directory of your hard drive
6. Your bios should look like this "Z68XUD3H.F12" what you need to do is rename it to "1.rom"  
7. Now goto CMD prompt and type without quotes "fptw.exe -f 1.rom" or "fptw64.exe -f 1.rom" whichever OS you have
8. Let it flash (takes like 2 minutes). Once its completes turn the PC all the way off and cycle power. At this point its fingers crossed to see if it made it.

TIP* this way of blind flashing only flashes the first bios so it is best that once you get back into the bios, run Qflash and reflash the bios you want so it does both bioses for safety.

Link to post

Link to thread

UPLOADED THE FILE *11/27/2012*


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## brandonwh64 (Nov 27, 2012)

Just had a PM about this thread, Its quite helpful to those with the later gigabyte Z68 boards that got the transformation bios and does not like it.


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## NdMk2o1o (Nov 27, 2012)

Big thanks for bumping this as I tried to but it wouldn't let me as the thread was older than 145 days   

I am going to try this now as I have the GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 board and the UF1 uefi bios is buggy as hell, conclusion to come (or if it doesn't and I don't post for a while my board is toast   )

Edit: Brandon can you upload the utlity to TPU instead of having to use that crapware download manager in the op?


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## brandonwh64 (Nov 27, 2012)

I would but I am at work and my work blocks mediafire.com 
Once I get home I will upload for you guys.


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## NdMk2o1o (Nov 27, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> I would but I am at work and my work blocks mediafire.com
> Once I get home I will upload for you guys.



Did you download it from the links you posted and with their "download manager"? I will install it if needs must though would rather know it is safe and shitware free before installing it to download the utility


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## NdMk2o1o (Nov 27, 2012)

*UPDATE FOR WIN 7 X64*

Thanks to brandonwh64 for this guide however I had to tweak it slightly for Windows 7 x64 as follows: 




1. First thing is to goto gigabyte and download the older bios you want
2. Next is to download the utility above (If link is dead PM me I will upload it for you)
3. After downloading, extract and find the version for your OS (Win64 for Windows 7 x64)
4. Copy the contents of the folder to C:\Windows\System 32
5. Extract your bios to C:\Windows\System 32 folder also
6. Your bios should look like this "Z68XUD3H.F12" what you need to do is rename it to "1.rom" 
7. Now search for CMD prompt from the start menu and right click to run as administrator then type without quotes "fptw64.exe -f 1.rom" 
8. Let it flash (takes like 2 minutes). Once its completes turn the PC all the way off and cycle power. At this point its fingers crossed to see if it made it.


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## brandonwh64 (Nov 27, 2012)

NdMk2o1o said:


> *UPDATE FOR WIN 7 X64*
> 
> Thanks to brandonwh64 for this guide however I had to tweak it slightly for Windows 7 x64 as follows:
> 
> ...





Did this method work for you? Also I uploaded the Zip to the OP now using my phone!


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## NdMk2o1o (Nov 27, 2012)

brandonwh64 said:


> Did this method work for you? Also I uploaded the Zip to the OP now using my phone!



It did when I changed the steps as outlined, also be sure to download the same bios you flash on to a USB drive then run the bios Qflash utility to flash the "dual" bios after you flash in Windows, as the method you posted only flashes the "main" bios. 

Though now i have succesfully downgraded from uefi and I couldn't be happier as my stable 24/7 OC became unstable with the uefi bios and Gigabyte offered no way to downgrade to legacy :shadedshu

BTW all the kudos goes to you for the guide I just tweaked it though couldn't have done it without the OP


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## handygrandad (Jan 9, 2014)

Thank you BrandonWH64 ... Thank you ... Thank you ... 

I have just successfully Downgraded from the Megatrends UEFI BIOS back to the Award F13 BIOS.

If anyone else is contemplating this ... ... I can offer a little clarification about the CMD prompt that may be helpful:

When I first opened the CMD prompt window it was showing C:\Users\Username ... and it was necessary to change the directory by entering "cd C:\ and pressing Enter. It was then possible to paste in your instructions, and all went well. (cd is a DOS command for changing directory)

The alternative instructions offered by NdMk2o1o: to place the files in C:\Windows\System32, will also work if the CMD prompt directory is changed to this location. If you have an "Elevated" command prompt it will open with this location, which is probably how NdMk2o1o came to choose it as an alternative.

Either way, will work as long as the command prompt is showing the directory address where the files have been placed.

I would also like to stress the importance of using the QBIOS option once you have accessed the Award BIOS to load the same BIOS again, this will overwrite remnants of the UEFI BIOS that may remain in the second of the Dual Bios chips. I failed to do this first time around and ended up back in the UEFI Bios, which restored itself to both chips ... ... and then I had to start all over again.

Once again ... Thank You !


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## Steevo (Jan 9, 2014)

Does anyone know of ways to edit AMI Bios's, there was a dude here who did it for awhile, I would love to upgrade my boards BIOS with a few features that just aren't enabled in the stock BIOS.


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## handygrandad (Jan 10, 2014)

NdMk2o1o said:


> It did when I changed the steps as outlined, also be sure to download the same bios you flash on to a USB drive then run the bios Qflash utility to flash the "dual" bios after you flash in Windows, as the method you posted only flashes the "main" bios.
> 
> Though now i have succesfully downgraded from uefi and I couldn't be happier as my stable 24/7 OC became unstable with the uefi bios and Gigabyte offered no way to downgrade to legacy :shadedshu
> 
> BTW all the kudos goes to you for the guide I just tweaked it though couldn't have done it without the OP


 
Sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings ... ... but I have had a problem with my downgrade:

Initially all was well, and I was really pleased to be back on the Award BIOS. But I started to have problems shutting down, (the PC woul;d restart). After this happened once or twice .... .... a "UEFI" BIOS, error message appeared "The BIOS has been corupted" .... and it proceeded to reload the UEFI BIOS (I don't know where from) ... ... and eventually the UEFI BIOS took over once more !

When I did the initial downgrade I put all the files in "system32" because I was using an "elevated" command prompt which starts with the System 32 address, but I now I wonder if this might have something to do with the reappearance of the UEFI.

So, this time I have put all the files in C drive, as per the original instructions. My thinking is that, maybe there are elements of the UEFI that are stored on drive C and these are removed when the downgrade program is run ... and maybe it has to be run in drive C in order to remove the UEFI.

Only time will tell ... ... ... and if I'm wrong, and that pesky UEFI raises it's head again , I will be wanting to know where the UEFI files ARE stored so that I can delete them next time around.

Any info would be apreciated, and I will keep you updated on developments.

Handygrandad


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## FreedomEclipse (Jan 10, 2014)

I heard about these bios 'hacks' back when i was on an Asus Z68 bios - Asus released a bad bios update and it messed about with my voltages so i had no choice but to run at lower clocks. I was really interested but it seems that it was more of a 50/50 chance of it working successfully without any problems. 1 guy had it working fine but the others had issues even though it seemed to work perfectly at first. I think i came across it somewhere over at Hardforums. the other people who had flashed successfully but had issues was asking the OP for more proof that the downgrade worked but the OP never came back or replied with such information.

I think there are some malicious trolls out there who jump into forums for no other reason then to fuck with other people. Luckily only 3 or 4 people over at [H] tried the downgrade but who knows how many 'guests' found the page on google and borked their motherboard because of it.


Im not callin you a troll brandon - you know i love you like a bro (nohomo) but I seen shit like this happen too many times.


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## handygrandad (Jan 11, 2014)

handygrandad said:


> Sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings ... ... but I have had a problem with my downgrade:
> 
> Initially all was well, and I was really pleased to be back on the Award BIOS. But I started to have problems shutting down, (the PC woul;d restart). After this happened once or twice .... .... a "UEFI" BIOS, error message appeared "The BIOS has been corupted" .... and it proceeded to reload the UEFI BIOS (I don't know where from) ... ... and eventually the UEFI BIOS took over once more !
> 
> ...


 
A further update

Having successfully downgraded (again) I was particularly concerned to reduce the risk of the UEFI BIOS reinstating itself (see my previous post).

I had previously assumed that installing a copy of the BIOS file from a USB stick, using QBIOS, after downgrading was a means of updating the second BIOS chip, I was wrong ! ... ... although there may be some benefit in this action, it does not copy the BIOS into the 2nd BIOS chip.

So, it's possible that there _were_ remnants of the UEFI BIOS left in the 2nd BIOS chip which led to the later surprise resurection of the UEFI BIOS.

I have since discovered that there is a method for copying the BIOS (and any configurations you may have made) to the  2nd BIOS chip.

1) First ensure that you have a stable BIOS that is configured for your system ... I am thinking particularly of settings unique to your operating system like the "first boot" drive  and where a PCI graphics card has replaced the onboard graphics. 

2) Start the boot sequence and hold down the Alt and F12 key, eventually you will get an onscreen message regarding the copying of the existing BIOS to the backup BIOS chip (this took me more than one attempt, as I was not sure at what exact point the keys needed to be released). Folllow the instructions and when complete, restart or turn off the power.

.... .... .... .... and ... ... at the time of writing all seems stable and I have back all the functionality of the original Award BIOS (F13)

Will post with any new developments.


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## jacobxtyler (Mar 29, 2014)

Thank you to everyone in this thread. I upgraded to the wrong bios for a different revision of my board a few years back and have been searching ever since to get it back to it's most current, not UEFI bios and this finally did the trick!



handygrandad said:


> Sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings ... ... but I have had a problem with my downgrade:
> 
> Initially all was well, and I was really pleased to be back on the Award BIOS. But I started to have problems shutting down, (the PC woul;d restart). After this happened once or twice .... .... a "UEFI" BIOS, error message appeared "The BIOS has been corupted" .... and it proceeded to reload the UEFI BIOS (I don't know where from) ... ... and eventually the UEFI BIOS took over once more !
> Handygrandad



Mine did the same thing, but when it loaded the backup bios it was the F8 that i had flashed from windows. Idk if it had to do with the Qflash that i did of the same F8 bios or not, but its running the right one and im a happy camper.


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## cisco150 (Apr 6, 2014)

brandonwh64 said:


> *Disclaimer*
> This may or may not work for your board and also MAY work for other board manufacturers but YMMV and I hold no responsibility if it bricks your board. AMIBIOS is what most gigabyte boards use.
> 
> Ok after a near crap experience tonight of wanting to test out gigabytes new UEFI bios for some Z68/P67 boards I wanted to go back to the regular bios. The new UEFI bios was nice but was missing things for OC like LLC, PLL overvolt, and offset voltages. The following steps I had gotten off My Digital Life.
> ...


Thank bud I been dying to rowback my bios on my z68 board and u gave me great info thanks, I'm back doing what I do best


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## Ferrum Master (Apr 6, 2014)

I used my raspberry Pi SPI flash... simply got the IC. backuped vital info like MAC etc serial rubbish with FTK, and flashed the IC completely...


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## fqpl (Jun 19, 2015)

thanks a lot! I successful downgraded to the f10 bios! 
I own the Z68ma-d2h-b3 from gigabyte. the only downside is now that the compter is not booting up that fast any more. Maybe anyone can help me with that? I have 8.1 stored on a ssd.


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## theonedub (Jun 19, 2015)

Quicker boots with SSDs if the one thing that the UFEI BIOS got right. F10 adds maybe 5-7 seconds to boot and there's no way I've seen to get rid of it (only reason I moved to the beta BIOS on my secondary z68 board).


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## fqpl (Jun 20, 2015)

ya the reason why I did downgrade my bios is, I just got a blue screen by entering the Bios and couldnt fix that.


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## OneMoar (Jun 20, 2015)

*thread necromancy at work here people be advised this information is outdated*


OneMoar said:


> keep in mind that there is a very very VERY good chance  of hard bricking your board
> when you upgrade from the hybrid to the full UEFI it re-formats the Block-layout in the bios chip in such a way that there is no way to really partition it back to its prior state this tool works around this by hacking up the bios rom so it fits in the new PROM block scheme if something goes wrong you will be fucked as I have seen cases where even a hardware programmer can't unfuck the monkey
> EXTREME CAUTION IS ADVISED


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## fqpl (Jun 20, 2015)

what should get wrong? the only thing I could imagine is a power-cut. otherwise its as easy or dangerous then upgrading. theoretically I could go back and forward all day - couldn't I?


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## zakata10 (Feb 16, 2019)

brandonwh64 said:


> *Disclaimer*
> This may or may not work for your board and also MAY work for other board manufacturers but YMMV and I hold no responsibility if it bricks your board. AMIBIOS is what most gigabyte boards use.
> 
> Ok after a near crap experience tonight of wanting to test out gigabytes new UEFI bios for some Z68/P67 boards I wanted to go back to the regular bios. The new UEFI bios was nice but was missing things for OC like LLC, PLL overvolt, and offset voltages. The following steps I had gotten off My Digital Life.
> ...


Hello, i need to downgrade my gigabyte z6


brandonwh64 said:


> *Disclaimer*
> This may or may not work for your board and also MAY work for other board manufacturers but YMMV and I hold no responsibility if it bricks your board. AMIBIOS is what most gigabyte boards use.
> 
> Ok after a near crap experience tonight of wanting to test out gigabytes new UEFI bios for some Z68/P67 boards I wanted to go back to the regular bios. The new UEFI bios was nice but was missing things for OC like LLC, PLL overvolt, and offset voltages. The following steps I had gotten off My Digital Life.
> ...



I made everything how is described here but  can not downgrade this one  see attached picture.
My operation system is windows 10 x64


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## NdMk2o1o (Feb 16, 2019)

zakata10 said:


> Hello, i need to downgrade my gigabyte z6
> 
> 
> I made everything how is described here but  can not downgrade this one  see attached picture.
> My operation system is windows 10 x64



Try the steps I slightly changed in the quote below. I can't help you out any more than that though as I have a completely different setup from when I originally done this. 



NdMk2o1o said:


> *UPDATE FOR WIN 7 X64*
> 
> Thanks to brandonwh64 for this guide however I had to tweak it slightly for Windows 7 x64 as follows:
> 
> ...


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## randybonnette (Jun 24, 2019)

NdMk2o1o said:


> Try the steps I slightly changed in the quote below. I can't help you out any more than that though as I have a completely different setup from when I originally done this.writemyessay



Hello,

Could you please upload the valid utility? I can't find it - I get the error message
*Something appears to be missing…*
Thanks.


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