Gigabyte DualBIOS will not run as advertised

[ignatzatsonic]

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.

 

[Golden]

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

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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.

 

[Golden]

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????

 

[Sardonicus]

GIGABYTE - Support & Downloads - FAQ

 

[PooMan UK]

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

 

[ignatzatsonic]

GIGABYTE - Support & Downloads - FAQ

F8 leads me to Qflash--the BIOS flashing utility.

Which I know how to operate. It's menus say nothing about a second BIOS.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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

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.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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

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?

 

[Sardonicus]

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

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.

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.

 

[Sardonicus]

The DualBIOS files cannot be modified, manually.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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.

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.

 

[Golden]

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

 

[Sardonicus]

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.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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

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?

 

[Golden]

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

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

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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?

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.

 

[Golden]

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

 

[ignatzatsonic]

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.

 

[Golden]

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