Gigabyte DualBIOS will not run as advertised

ignatzatsonic

ignatzatsonic

Aspiring Gnome
Guru
Gold Member
VIP
Local time
7:20 AM
Messages
12,011
I have a Gigabyte GA-H67A-UD3H-B3 motherboard that supports "DualBIOS" according to the manual. I'm currently on the F4 BIOS.

The manual is hopeless on the topic.

From other forums, I learned that you should be able to see the BIOS version of both BIOSes by examining a system info screen available by F9 key during boot. That screen only shows 1 bios in my case.

From other forums, I also learn that "Alt F12" keys at boot should bring up a screen through which I can copy the main BIOS to the backup BIOS. All I can get with Alt F12 is a standard boot menu--choose HD, DVD, etc.

I also read some poorly written "instructions" on how to get DualBIOS to "kick in"---they involved keeping the power button pressed in during boot, which turns the motherboard on then off within a few seconds. I had no luck with that.

I can't find much online about this and I realize DualBIOS may be bogus even if I could get it to "work".

But if it has some possibility of bailing me out in a jam, I'd like to get it working.

Any help? I haven't contacted Gigabyte support about this, but their responses to others on this topic that I found online were cryptic and useless.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
Hi,

Sometimes, advanced options in the BIOS menu are hidden by default. I wonder if this is why you can't see the backup BIOS. Try hitting CTRL+F1 to see whether any other menu options become visible that allow you to "see" the backup BIOS.

If its any consolation, on my P55-UDR3, I stuffed up some overclocking options once, and the backup BIOS kicked in automatically at the next reboot (it posted a message about that in the POST screen and I had to hit ENTER to acknowledge that) - its the only way I was able to determine it worked.

Regards,
Golden
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Cha...EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
Golden:

Thanks for the response.

On my system, control F1 does nothing at all.

F1 is general help. F9 is system info.

F9 brings up system info OK, listing 11 items--but nothing about any backup BIOS.

Does F9 show 2 BIOSes on your PC?

What about Alt F12 (during the boot process, instead of delete to enter BIOS) to bring up a menu offering to write the main BIOS to the backup?

It seems DualBIOS bailed you out once, so I'd like to have that capability--even though I don't overclock.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
I'll check it out - just a sec

Yes - On F9 I see 2 x BIOS. It is shown as:

BIOS Version Main: F13 / Backup: F4

and YES, hitting ALT+F12 during boot give me the option to copy main BIOS to backup

Have you updated all the drivers off the Gigabyte installation CD/DVD? Perhaps that what is missing????
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Cha...EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bitIntel Core i7-4790G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNTAMD Radeon R7 250
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
CPU
Intel Core i7-4790
Motherboard
GA-Z87X-D3H
Memory
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon R7 250
Sound Card
Realtek ALC892
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080, 1280 x 1024
Hard Drives
WD5003AZEX
WD10EZEX
Samsung HD103SJ
Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
PSU
SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
Case
Fractal Design Define R4
Cooling
Zalman CNPS9900ALED
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech M705
Internet Speed
16 Mbps
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Firefox
Other Info
Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers
Golden is right that is how you get to the different options

If you use the Gigabyte @bios utility you will be able to see what bios version your using and you will ba able to flash it etc. (this works from within windows) @ BIOS

Your Dual Bios (2nd Bios) is there to protect you against viruses etc and it's also there for you to backup your main bios incase anything goes wrong.

You could also use Q-Flash which allows you to update the BIOS before entering the OS. To do this press the "end" key during the post screen, or press f8 when in the BIOS setup.

But you shouldn't need to access the 2nd BIOS this is purely there for disaster recovery ;)
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bitAMD Phenom Quad core 9950 black edition16Gb2x XFX Radeon 5850
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self Built
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
CPU
AMD Phenom Quad core 9950 black edition
Motherboard
Gigabyte
Memory
16Gb
Graphics Card(s)
2x XFX Radeon 5850
Sound Card
PCI Express X-Fi Titanium / Logitech G35
Monitor(s) Displays
2x HP 2410i
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
2x 500Gb Seagate
1x 300Gb Seagate
1x 1Tb Seagate
2x 1Tb Hitatchi
PSU
Jean Tech Storm 700W
Case
Cooler Master COSMOS S
Cooling
Akasa Evo Blue Pro
Keyboard
Logitech G15
Mouse
Mad Catz M.M.O. 7
Internet Speed
12mb

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
PooMan UK said:
Golden is right that is how you get to the different options

If you use the Gigabyte @bios utility you will be able to see what bios version your using and you will ba able to flash it etc. (this works from within windows) @ BIOS

Your Dual Bios (2nd Bios) is there to protect you against viruses etc and it's also there for you to backup your main bios incase anything goes wrong.

You could also use Q-Flash which allows you to update the BIOS before entering the OS. To do this press the "end" key during the post screen, or press f8 when in the BIOS setup.

But you shouldn't need to access the 2nd BIOS this is purely there for disaster recovery ;)
Click to expand...

I already know how to flash the BIOS.

I'm aware of the purpose of the second BIOS.

To belabor my point, I cannot find any way to "backup my main BIOS" and have no confirmation at all that it is backed up.

I"ve looked on Gigabyte-dedicated forums, where it is claimed I should see 2 BIOSes mentioned in system info (F9 in BIOS). I do not.

And that I should be able to force a backup from main to secondary by Alt F12 during the boot cycle. I cannot.

But those same Gigabyte forums admit it sometimes doesn't work and they have no solution other than what I stated in my first post--which failed in my case.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
Golden said:
Have you updated all the drivers off the Gigabyte installation CD/DVD? Perhaps that what is missing????
Click to expand...

Thanks, Golden.

I don't use that disc. I get drivers from the GB site directly.

But that disc also has optional apps.

I am wondering if some of them, (Smart BIOS or whatever it is called), might be required for Dual BIOS???

Which packages do you have installed from that disc?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
ignatzatsonic said:
PooMan UK said:
Golden is right that is how you get to the different options

If you use the Gigabyte @bios utility you will be able to see what bios version your using and you will ba able to flash it etc. (this works from within windows) @ BIOS

Your Dual Bios (2nd Bios) is there to protect you against viruses etc and it's also there for you to backup your main bios incase anything goes wrong.

You could also use Q-Flash which allows you to update the BIOS before entering the OS. To do this press the "end" key during the post screen, or press f8 when in the BIOS setup.

But you shouldn't need to access the 2nd BIOS this is purely there for disaster recovery ;)
Click to expand...

I already know how to flash the BIOS.

I'm aware of the purpose of the second BIOS.

To belabor my point, I cannot find any way to "backup my main BIOS" and have no confirmation at all that it is backed up.

I"ve looked on Gigabyte-dedicated forums, where it is claimed I should see 2 BIOSes mentioned in system info (F9 in BIOS). I do not.

And that I should be able to force a backup from main to secondary by Alt F12 during the boot cycle. I cannot.

But those same Gigabyte forums admit it sometimes doesn't work and they have no solution other than what I stated in my first post--which failed in my case.
Click to expand...

You should be able to make a backup to external media, using Q-Flash, that should be on the menu, or by using the @BIOS utility.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bitIntel Core i7-4790G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNTAMD Radeon R7 250
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
CPU
Intel Core i7-4790
Motherboard
GA-Z87X-D3H
Memory
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon R7 250
Sound Card
Realtek ALC892
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080, 1280 x 1024
Hard Drives
WD5003AZEX
WD10EZEX
Samsung HD103SJ
Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
PSU
SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
Case
Fractal Design Define R4
Cooling
Zalman CNPS9900ALED
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech M705
Internet Speed
16 Mbps
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Firefox
Other Info
Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers
The DualBIOS files cannot be modified, manually.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bitIntel Core i7-4790G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNTAMD Radeon R7 250
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
CPU
Intel Core i7-4790
Motherboard
GA-Z87X-D3H
Memory
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon R7 250
Sound Card
Realtek ALC892
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080, 1280 x 1024
Hard Drives
WD5003AZEX
WD10EZEX
Samsung HD103SJ
Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
PSU
SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
Case
Fractal Design Define R4
Cooling
Zalman CNPS9900ALED
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech M705
Internet Speed
16 Mbps
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Firefox
Other Info
Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers
Sardonicus said:
You should be able to make a backup to external media, using Q-Flash, that should be on the menu, or by using the @BIOS utility.
Click to expand...

How much of that is guessing, considering the 2 "shoulds"?

How would a BIOS backup to external media (USB stick normally) then be presented in a menu read from a motherboard chip?

There isn't the slightest reference in any documentation I have seen that I have to back up anything or use a USB stick in order for DualBIOS to be functional.

It's cryptic and poorly documented. The implication of all I have read is that the board ships with 2 BIOSes---to be revealed in an F9 menu. The "backup" is supposedly updatable via Alt F12---according to Gigabyte forums and Golden's report when he chose Alt F12..."and YES, hitting ALT+F12 during boot give me the option to copy main BIOS to backup".

It works that way in Golden's case, but not in mine.

It may well be that optional software is required and I'm hoping Golden can shed light on that. I typically do not use any optional software found on motherboard manufacturer's discs and have seen no online references that optional software is needed for this functionality.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
Hi,

I didn't install any of the optional Gigabyte applications, incl. the SmartBIOS utility - only the chipset drivers etc. were installed.

Do you think updating the actual main BIOS might help? I'm assuming of course your current F4 ins't the latest....

Regards,
Golden
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Cha...EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
No guessing, I did look at the manual before making the statement. Sorry, I should have been more definitive with my answer, as you can save to external media using those options. :)

The manual is vague about the DualBIOS, cause there's really not to much to say about it. The system makes a second copy of the BIOS that is loaded into the ROM. When the main BIOS in the ROM is detected as corrupt or damaged, the system loads the second copy from the ROM after bootup, which keeps the system from failing to boot.

One can make a copy of the main BIOS file, but not the backup copy, by using Q-Flash and the @BIOS utility. I had a couple of Gigabyte boards with the DualBIOS and like others I too was frustrated with it. The name implies more flexibility, but really it's just the same file sitting in the ROM, twice. :)
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bitIntel Core i7-4790G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNTAMD Radeon R7 250
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
CPU
Intel Core i7-4790
Motherboard
GA-Z87X-D3H
Memory
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Radeon R7 250
Sound Card
Realtek ALC892
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung UN32EH5000, Dell 1703FPT
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080, 1280 x 1024
Hard Drives
WD5003AZEX
WD10EZEX
Samsung HD103SJ
Samsung 128 GB 840 PRO
PSU
SeaSonic M12II SS-500GM
Case
Fractal Design Define R4
Cooling
Zalman CNPS9900ALED
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech M705
Internet Speed
16 Mbps
Antivirus
Avast
Browser
Firefox
Other Info
Bose Companion 2 Multimedia Speakers
Golden said:
Hi,

I didn't install any of the optional Gigabyte applications, incl. the SmartBIOS utility - only the chipset drivers etc. were installed.

Do you think updating the actual main BIOS might help? I'm assuming of course your current F4 ins't the latest....

Regards,
Golden
Click to expand...

Thanks again, Golden.

I seriously doubt the main BIOS is the issue. My F4 is less than a year old. The newest F6 is nearly as old---July 2011. The board was introduced less than a year ago.

There is no indication at GB site that newer BIOSes address any DualBIOS issues.

The only reason I got inquisitive about DualBIOS is that I was contemplating a flash to F6 and I got to wondering about backups. I have a niggling problem or two and foolishly think that F6 might resolve those issues.

There are reports online that it is not highly reliable. I'd probably be even more foolish to count on it in a jam anyway.

The worst of it is the lack of proper documentation. Not surprising, motherboard manufacturers being what they are.

And I don't even know if it is operational at all.

Did you in fact over-ride your backup BIOS with the main BIOS, via Alt F12?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
ignatzatsonic said:
Did you in fact over-ride your backup BIOS with the main BIOS, via Alt F12?
Click to expand...

Nope - I only checked to see that the option is there.

I wonder if its a dud board? BIOS chip?

There is an option in the CMOS to backup the BIOS to an HDD - perhaps try that before the flash to F6?

Regards,
Golden
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Cha...EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
Golden said:
I wonder if its a dud board? BIOS chip?

There is an option in the CMOS to backup the BIOS to an HDD - perhaps try that before the flash to F6?
Click to expand...

Could be an issue peculiar to my board only, but there's quite a few online posts bitching about it, with the recommendation to do some goofy stuff with the PSU switch and power button to get it to "kick in"--which points to it just being not ready for prime time generally.

I also saw a comment from the geniuses at GB tech support that DualBIOS is NOT intended to recover from a "seriously" corrupted BIOS. I'm not even going to try to parse what that means.

Nor would I RMA over it. I'll just ignore it and move on. And do whatever else I can think of to back up the existing BIOS should I be unable to resist flashing.

Thanks for your good work.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
No worries, pity we couldn't get to the bottom of it. Try the BIOS backup to HDD, and see what it does.

Regards,
Golden
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Cha...EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
Here's an update with a new development:

I flashed to F6 using Qflash from a USB drive without issues. I first chose "save bios to drive" from menu, which backed up the existing F4 bios to my USB drive. Then rebooted to confirm the backup and then went back to Qflash and chose "update bios from drive", which did the flash from F4 to F6.

I'm not sure if that backup is valid or will ever bail me out, but it's all I could do. I'm leaving it on the USB stick and also filed it away on my HD.

The new development is that an Alt F12 now DOES bring up a screen offering to overwrite my backup bios with the current bios. I said OK to that and now presumably have F6 as both primary and backup. Probably a doofus move now that I think about it.

However-------an F9 from within the bios still shows only the main bios, with no indication that I have a backup bios at all. I hope I never need it and don't even know if I have it.

I'm not sure what it all means, but I temporarily relieved my itch to do something.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bitIntel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Ignatz Special; 4 speed manual gearbox; factory air conditioning; one of one
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Skylake i5-6600K, not overclocked
Motherboard
AsRock Z170M Extreme 4, micro ATX
Memory
8 GB HyperX DDR4-2666 (2 x 4 GB)
Graphics Card(s)
none; graphics are integrated on CPU
Sound Card
onboard: Realtek ALC1150; external: USB Behringer UF0-202
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell S2340M 23 inch IPS
Screen Resolution
1600 x 900
Hard Drives
System: Crucial MX100 series SSD, 128 GB;
Data: Samsung Spinpoint 103SJ, 1 TB;
Backup: WD Caviar Green WD30EZRX-00D8PB0, 3 TB
PSU
Rosewill SilentNight 500 watt fanless, semi-modular
Case
Antec Solo II
Cooling
Noctua NH-U12S; Noctua F12 intake, Noctua S12A exhaust
Keyboard
Microsoft 200 6JH-00001 USB
Mouse
Dell or Microsoft optical wired; USB
Antivirus
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Pale Moon
Other Info
All fans PWM; speeds at idle: CPU circa 500 rpm; intake circa 600 rpm; exhaust circa 600 rpm; CPU temps 27 idle and 47 C load in a warm room (27 C/81 F) when running Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test.
Mmmm. Thats quite bizarre.

At least you have the backup on HDD/USB if you ever need it, but it would be nice to see both under F9....

And thanks for the rep too.

Regards,
Golden
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Cha...EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

My CPU Speed is not as fast as advertised!
Replies
2
Views
3K
Dwarf
Dwarf
Chkdsk will not run at reboot, only one partition
Replies
10
Views
9K
TVeblen
TVeblen
Solved New Install Win 7 64 Bit Backup Will Not Run
Replies
10
Views
4K
BlakeR
B
Solved Task Manager will not run and SFC is unable to fix anything
2
Replies
28
Views
11K
Britton
Britton
Specific setup.exe file will not run at all
Replies
3
Views
5K
lysdexic
L
Back
Top