ASRock Develops First Web-Update Tool Within BIOS Setup Program

btarunr · Jul 18, 2012

A decade ago, updating system BIOS was a cumbersome and risky task that required you to have spare bootable disks and the know-how of flashing from MS-DOS command-line. One wrong command-line argument, and your motherboard is bricked. Then came utilities that flashed BIOS for you, if you specified the updated BIOS ROM image files located on a floppy. As these image files grew in file-size these utilities added support for bigger media, such as USB flash drives. ASRock's latest innovation could see you getting rid of storage media holding BIOS images.

ASRock has developed an update to its UEFI BIOS program that lets it update itself from the web. All you have to do is point it to a working internet connection that uses the motherboard's onboard Ethernet controller. Once configured, the utility calls home to ASRock, checks if a newer version of the BIOS is available, downloads it, and updates itself, with minimal user-intervention. The feature cuts down time spent in finding the right BIOS ROM image online, and copying it to a USB flash drive. Unlike Intel's Express BIOS Update program, it does not need the motherboard to have any storage devices connected. Upcoming ASRock motherboards could ship with the feature, and select current ones could get this feature via a BIOS update.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

m1dg3t · Jul 18, 2012

Pretty cool feature!

I thought Asus had something like this, or was working on something like this a few years back?

Disparia · Jul 18, 2012

I question the history lesson (they do know that a decade only puts them back to 2002, right?), but welcome the feature. Nice.

cadaveca · Jul 18, 2012

Jizzler said:
I question the history lesson (they do know that a decade only puts them back to 2002, right?), but welcome the feature. Nice.

Yes, ASRock has only been around for 10 years.

AlienIsGOD · Jul 18, 2012

AsRock is pretty good about BIOS updates, i expect to see most of their existing mobos get this support.

hhumas · Jul 18, 2012

awesome feature

cadaveca · Jul 18, 2012

There are a few other cool features in ASRock BIOSes...next review from me is the ASRock Z77 Extreme9 that includes this features plus others. Keep an eye out for it!

OneMoar · Jul 18, 2012

this wont end well
one error in the server back end
or a corrupt download ....
= :banghead:

badtaylorx · Jul 18, 2012

yeah.....im not so sure that id want the web having access to my rig at a bios lvl....

somewhere a hacker is cleaning up the sticky underware mess he made upon hearing this

btarunr · Jul 18, 2012

OneMoar said:
this wont end well
one error in the server back end
or a corrupt download ....
=

I imagine the update to be downloaded as a *.zip archive, extracted, and then used. If the downloaded file is corrupt, the archive won't give out the file (CRC failure).

Wastedslayer · Jul 18, 2012

This reminded me to update the bios on my Extreme4, seems with the newest bios (2.0) they have fully implemented this. The option was there before it just didnt work. Now it has internet options and choice of download server etc.

thumbs up to AsRock

Edit: They also added power on by keyboard support which is fantastic since my front panel header is dead on my board! No more opening the case!

OneMoar · Jul 18, 2012

btarunr said:
I imagine the update to be downloaded as a *.zip archive, extracted, and then used. If the downloaded file is corrupt, the archive won't give out the file (CRC failure).

A file could pass a crc or checksum and still have it brick it(been there done that)

id like to see asrock come up with there own version of Dualbios or usb bios boot

OneCool · Jul 18, 2012

This reminds me of the time I flashed my Ati 9700 non pro to a pro in an electrical storm....... didnt end well.

Where is the adventure these days ..

Disparia · Jul 18, 2012

There's a new BIOS for my ASRock board! Too bad I can't go into my BIOS and update it...

But if support does come to my ASRock board I'll use it. One less program to install (Windows based BIOS update tool) and if it has basic checksum calculation, then it's doing more than I usually do. At 1000+ firmware flashes and no problems, I'm either due for one or with a few basic precautions taken, failure is really rare. One of those precautions I take is waiting until after a storm

suraswami · Jul 18, 2012

Is this similar to MSI's live update?

baggpipes · Jul 18, 2012

suraswami said:
Is this similar to MSI's live update?

+1 MSI has had this for awhile...

D007 · Jul 18, 2012

I like it, simplification at it's best..

Completely Bonkers · Jul 18, 2012

OneMoar said:
this wont end well
one error in the server back end
or a corrupt download ....
=

I understand your fear, but nearly every modern router has a "working bios" and a "reset/default bios". Simply hit the reset pin and the "working bios" is reset to the default one. I cant see any problem so long as Asrock implements it.

white phantom · Jul 19, 2012

they still need to make it save mu F***in overclock profiles, lost them countless times forgetting to write them down or that before an update...not a big fan of the asrock stuff but will have to make do with this

pantherx12 · Jul 19, 2012

Think next time I'm buying new parts I'll go Asrock since gigabyte seam to have well, crappy bioses/bios support.

OneMoar · Jul 19, 2012

Completely Bonkers said:
I understand your fear, but nearly every modern router has a "working bios" and a "reset/default bios". Simply hit the reset pin and the "working bios" is reset to the default one. I cant see any problem so long as Asrock implements it.

cmos != bios

INSTG8R · Jul 19, 2012

Clever, but my Abit IP35 Pro did that back in 2008...

pantherx12 · Jul 19, 2012

INSTG8R said:
Clever, but my Abit IP35 Pro did that back in 2008...

It could connect to the Internet via the bios?

INSTG8R · Jul 19, 2012

pantherx12 said:
It could connect to the Internet via the bios?

No I suppose your right it was Windows based. I guess I have to suck it up that UEFI BIOS can do it too. I love my UEFI BIOS minus THIS issue.

anonymous6366 · Jul 19, 2012

thats tight, and really the way they should all be by now if you think about it. Most other technologies like blu ray players tvs etc update their firmware over the internet. not quite the same as bios but the same ballpark

System Name	RBMK-1000
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming
Cooling	DeepCool Gammax L240 V2
Memory	2x 8GB G.Skill Sniper X
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GameRock
Storage	Western Digital Black NVMe 512GB
Display(s)	BenQ 1440p 60 Hz 27-inch
Case	Corsair Carbide 100R
Audio Device(s)	ASUS SupremeFX S1220A
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W
Mouse	ASUS ROG Strix Impact
Keyboard	Gamdias Hermes E2
Software	Windows 11 Pro

System Name	m1dg3t \| DeathBox \| HairPi 3
Processor	3570k @ 4.0 1.15v BIOS \| q9550 @ 3.77 1.325v BIOS
Motherboard	Asrock z77e iTX \| p5q Dlx 2301 BIOS
Cooling	Custom Water \| D-14 & HR-03gt \| Passive HSF
Memory	Samsung MV-3V4G3D 4g x 2 @ 1866 1.35v \| OcZ RpR 2g x 4 @ 1067 2.2v
Video Card(s)	MSi 7950 tf3 @1000 / 1350 \| Asus 5870 V2 @ 900 / 1275
Storage	Adata sx900 256Gb / WD 2500 HHTZ \| WD 1001 FALS x 2
Display(s)	BenQ gw2750hm \| 46" Sharp Quatron
Case	BitFenix Prodigy - m0dd3d \| Antec Fusion Remote MAX
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Toslink > Yamaha HTR 6290 \| Xonar HDAV1.3 > Yamaha DSP z7
Power Supply	Ocz mXp700w \| Ocz zx850w \| Cannakit 5v 2.5a
Mouse	Logitech G700s \| Logitech G9x - Cable Repaired
Keyboard	TT Meka G1 - Black w Cherry Blacks\| Logitech G11
Software	Win7 Home \| Xp sp3 & Vista ultimate \| Raspbian
Benchmark Scores	Epeen!! Who needs epeen??

Processor	Intel i5-6600
Motherboard	ASRock H170M-ITX
Cooling	Cooler Master Geminii S524
Memory	G.Skill DDR4-2133 16GB (8GB x 2)
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte R9-380X 4GB
Storage	Samsung 950 EVO 250GB (mSATA)
Display(s)	LG 29UM69G-B 2560x1080 IPS
Case	Lian Li PC-Q25
Audio Device(s)	Realtek ALC892
Power Supply	Seasonic SS-460FL2
Mouse	Logitech G700s
Keyboard	Logitech G110
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Aliens Ryzen Rig \| 2nd Hand Omen
Processor	Ryzen R5 5600 \| Ryzen R5 3600
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite (F61 BIOS) \| B450 matx
Cooling	DeepCool Castle EX V2 240mm AIO\| stock for now
Memory	8GB X 2 DDR4 3000mhz Team Group Vulcan \| 16GB DDR4
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Pulse RX 5700 8GB \| GTX 1650 4GB
Storage	Adata XPG 8200 PRO 512GB SSD OS / 240 SSD + 2TB M.2 SSD Games / 1000 GB Data \| SSD + HDD
Display(s)	Acer Nitro x27OU 27" VA 165hz Freesync Premium\|TCL 32" 1080P w/ HDR
Case	NZXT H500 Black \| HP Omen Obelisk
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Realtek \| Onboard Realtek
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA G3 650w 80+ Gold \| 500w
Mouse	Steelseries Rival 500 15 button mouse w/ Razor Goliathus Chroma XL mousemat \| Logitech G502
Keyboard	Corsair K65 Mini w/ Cherry MX brown keys \| Logitech G513 Carbon w/ Romer G tactile keys
Software	Windows 10 Pro \| Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Hhumas-PC
Processor	Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme CPU X9650 @ 3.00GHz (4 CPUs), ~3.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus P5W DH Deluxe
Cooling	ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet
Memory	OCZ Platinium 2x2GB
Video Card(s)	ZOTAC GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5
Storage	WD Green 500 GB , WD 500 GB
Display(s)	Dell U2410F
Case	Casecom
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate 32 Bit

ASRock Develops First Web-Update Tool Within BIOS Setup Program

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator

m1dg3t

Disparia

cadaveca

My name is Dave

AlienIsGOD

Vanguard Beta Tester

hhumas

cadaveca

My name is Dave

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

badtaylorx

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator

Wastedslayer

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

OneCool

Disparia

suraswami

baggpipes

New Member

D007

Completely Bonkers

New Member

white phantom

pantherx12

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

pantherx12

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester

anonymous6366

System Name	RPC MK2.5
Processor	Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard	Gigabyte Aorus Pro V2
Cooling	Thermalright Phantom Spirit SE
Memory	CL16 BL2K16G36C16U4RL 3600 1:1 micron e-die
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Ti GAMING OC
Storage	Nextorage NE1N 2TB ADATA SX8200PRO NVME 512GB, Intel 545s 500GBSSD, ADATA SU800 SSD, 3TB Spinner
Display(s)	LG Ultra Gear 32 1440p 165hz Dell 1440p 75hz
Case	Phanteks P300 /w 300A front panel conversion
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	SeaSonic Focus+ Platinum 750W
Mouse	Kone burst Pro
Keyboard	SteelSeries Apex 7
Software	Windows 11 +startisallback

System Name	As Himself
Processor	2700X
Motherboard	Asrock 370X ThaiChi
Cooling	Custom Liquid
Memory	4133MHz Team
Video Card(s)	Radeon VII
Storage	Samsung 512 SSD's
Display(s)	Asus "24 144Hz
Case	Tt P5
Audio Device(s)	Asus Essence One Muses/Sparkos
Power Supply	EVGA 1200
Mouse	RAT ProX
Keyboard	Drop CTRL
Software	W10 steam futuremark

System Name	GRAYSCALE\Butterfly
Processor	Intel Core i7 8700k @ 5.2Ghz\Intel 4690k
Motherboard	ASUS Maximus X Hero \Asus Z97 Maximus Hero VI
Cooling	Custom Water\Stock
Memory	2x8GB G.Skill RGB DDR4-3200 \2x8GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600
Video Card(s)	NVidia Titan Xp w/ EK Block \ MSI Reference GTX 780
Storage	512GB Samsung 960 PRO (M.2)\128GB OCZ Vertex 4 + 500GB WD Black
Display(s)	Asus PG278Q ROG Swift\Acer x213h 21.3'' 1920x1080 LCD
Case	Thermaltake P3 Core\NZXT S340
Audio Device(s)	Integrated w/ AKG K702 65th Anny's\Integrated
Power Supply	Corsair HXi 1000 \Corsair HX850
Mouse	Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum\2014 Razer Naga
Keyboard	Ducky One TKL RGB
Software	Windows 10 Pro (x64)\Windows 10 Pro (x64)

System Name	NEW
Processor	Intel 4770 non-K
Motherboard	Gigabyte H81M-DS2V
Cooling	CM Hyper 212 plus
Memory	16gb Muskin
Video Card(s)	XFX 380X 4gb
Storage	Sandisk 120gb plus WD blue 1tb
Display(s)	AOC 23.5 LED bl
Case	XIGMATEK
Audio Device(s)	motherboard
Power Supply	Cooler Master 500

System Name	---
Processor	FX 8350 @ 4.00 Ghz with 1.28v
Motherboard	Gigabyte 990FX-UD3 v4.0, Hacked Bios F4.x
Cooling	Silenx 4 pipe Tower cooler + 2 x Cougar 120mm fan, 3 x 120mm, 1 x 200 mm Red LED fan
Memory	Kingston HyperX DDR3 1866 16GB + Patriot Memory DDR3 1866 16GB
Video Card(s)	Asus R9 290 OC @ GPU - 1050, MEM - 1300
Storage	Inland 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD for OS, WDC Black - 2TB + 1TB Storage, Inland 480GB SSD - Games
Display(s)	3 x 1080P LCDs - Acer 25" + Acer 23" + HP 23"
Case	AeroCool XPredator X3
Audio Device(s)	Built-in Realtek
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000 Modular
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64 bit

System Name	R2D2
Processor	AMD FX-4100
Motherboard	MSI 970 G45
Cooling	Stock
Memory	Kingston T1 8GB 1600 DDR3 @ 1800mHz
Video Card(s)	AMD Sapphire 6850
Storage	RAID 0 WD Caviar Blue 1TB total
Display(s)	Acer 19" widescreen and Sony 32" Bravia 1080p 60hz
Case	NZXT Gamma Series
Power Supply	700w OCZ Mod Stream Pro
Software	Windows 7 Professional
Benchmark Scores	hit 4.5ghz stock cooler....

System Name	HAL
Processor	Core i9 14900ks @5.9-6.3
Motherboard	Z790 Dark Hero
Cooling	Bitspower Summit SE & (2) 360 Corsair XR7 Rads push/pull
Memory	2x 32GB (64GB) Gskill trident 6000 CL30
Video Card(s)	RTX 4090 Gigagbyte gaming OC @ +200/1300
Storage	(M2's) 2x Samsung 980 pro 2TB, 1xWD Black 2TB, 1x SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB
Display(s)	65" LG OLED 120HZ
Case	Lian Li dyanmic Evo11 with distro plate
Audio Device(s)	Klipsh 7.1 through Sony DH790 EARC.
Power Supply	Thermaltake 1350
Software	Microsoft Windows 11 x64

Processor	Mysterious Engineering Prototype
Motherboard	Intel 865
Cooling	Custom block made in workshop
Memory	Corsair XMS 2GB
Video Card(s)	FireGL X3-256
Display(s)	1600x1200 SyncMaster x 2 = 3200x1200
Software	Windows 2003

System Name	My pc
Processor	Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard	Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling	Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory	16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s)	MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage	2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s)	Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case	Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply	650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse	Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard	Generic mechanical keyboard
Software	Windows ten

System Name	Hellbox 5.1(same case new guts)
Processor	Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard	MSI X570S MAG Torpedo Max
Cooling	TT Kandalf L.C.S.(Water/Air)EK Velocity CPU Block/Noctua EK Quantum DDC Pump/Res
Memory	2x16GB Gskill Trident Neo Z 3600 CL16
Video Card(s)	Powercolor Hellhound 7900XTX
Storage	970 Evo Plus 500GB 2xSamsung 850 Evo 500GB RAID 0 1TB WD Blue Corsair MP600 Core 2TB
Display(s)	Alienware QD-OLED 34” 3440x1440 144hz 10Bit VESA HDR 400
Case	TT Kandalf L.C.S.
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster ZX/Logitech Z906 5.1
Power Supply	Seasonic TX~’850 Platinum
Mouse	G502 Hero
Keyboard	G19s
VR HMD	Oculus Quest 3
Software	Win 11 Pro x64

System Name	White Phantom
Processor	i5 2500K @ 4.4ghz = 1.360-1.368 vcore
Motherboard	asrock p67 pro (not pro3)
Cooling	prolimatech megahalem with 2x nocuta in push pull (thanks to the 54thvoid) ;) , stock phantom fans
Memory	16gb Kingston hyper x ddr3 1600mhz
Video Card(s)	Asus strix 970 ocd 1.5ghz core
Storage	240gb ssd , 1tb Western digital Black, western digital 320gb
Display(s)	samsung syncmaster p2450 via DVI @1080p 60hz
Case	White and blue NZXT Phantom (carbon fibred sides/door)
Audio Device(s)	onboard , philips AMBX pro speakers 80watts rms
Power Supply	Xfx750
Mouse	Rat 3
Keyboard	Act cheapo "gaming"
Software	windows 10
Benchmark Scores	world record for most amount of times machine has pissed me off ....

System Name	Nazgul
Processor	Core i7 7700k
Motherboard	MSI Krait Gaming 170a
Cooling	Corsair H100i
Memory	16gb DDR4 3200mhz
Video Card(s)	EVGA FTW+ GTX970
Storage	Samsung 512gb SSD, 500gb 7200rpm storage
Display(s)	Benq 144hz 1080p
Case	Fractal Design Define r5 titanium window
Power Supply	Corsair AX850
Mouse	Logitech
Keyboard	Razer
Software	Windows 7 Pro 64 bit