GA H77-DS3H version 1.1 corrupted BIOS

[Richard van den Berg]

How is it possible that a BIOS gets corrupted when a pc is running? I had a home server running on a GA H77-DS3H motherboard until it suddenly stopped. That happened at 1st september. The motherboard had the same symptom as another GA H77-DS3H motherboard had earlier this year, only that pc is powered off after usage. The server runs 24/7.

The symptom is this: after powering on the drive starts spinning, the CPU fan makes a short movement - less then a 1/4 rotation, the drive shuts down and that's it. The GA H77-DS3H motherboard earlier this year has been succesfuly repaired under RMA.

With the server GA H77-DS3H motherboard I tried a lot without result, so it went for RMA. It came back today disallowed from RMA because of a few bent CPU socket pins. I have corrected the socket pins with a tooth pick, installed the CPU, no disk yet - same symptom. I had a USB flash drive ready with the latest F10 BIOS. I succesfully flashed 3 GA H77-DS3H motherboards with the F10 after the defective motherboard; 2 at home and 1 at my fathers place.

With the USB drive I noticed a difference: with the defective motherboard powered off, the USB drive flashed only once on insertion. While at the other pc insterted in a front connection with that pc powered off it kept flashing. So I grabbed a motherboard USB connector with breakout connection and fiddled with that.

Low and behold the motherboard booted



Is there anything to prevent a BIOS from getting corrupted?

[wazza300]

Re: GA H77-DS3H version 1.1 corrupted BIOS

it can corrupt usually at startup from a cold boot,or if it crashes badly

to recover a corrupted main bios,power on the pc at front of case and as soon as the lights on the mb light up and/or fans start to spin immediately switch off the power at rear psu switch (try to be as fast as possible) repeat that two or three times then let the pc powerup normally and you will see the msg above (recovering main bios from backup bios)

then flash to latest bios version

[Richard van den Berg]

Re: GA H77-DS3H version 1.1 corrupted BIOS

it can corrupt usually at startup from a cold boot,or if it crashes badly

The pc has been up more then 100 days. The system received a halt, I think from the motherboard, I was asleep, at 4:40:47. Was running again at 4:46:40 and halted again defenitly 9 seconds later. The logfiles recorded this.

to recover a corrupted main bios,power on the pc at front of case and as soon as the lights on the mb light up and/or fans start to spin immediately switch off the power at rear psu switch (try to be as fast as possible) repeat that two or three times then let the pc powerup normally and you will see the msg above (recovering main bios from backup bios)

That happened when I was fiddling with the onboard USB connections with the pc powered on. A jumper to start with backup BIOS would be much easier.

then flash to latest bios version

Done that. Does this BIOS get to backup BIOS with the next BIOS flashing?

[wazza300]

Re: GA H77-DS3H version 1.1 corrupted BIOS

no it will only flash the main bios

the backup bios will still have original chipped bios on it

[Richard van den Berg]

Re: GA H77-DS3H version 1.1 corrupted BIOS

no it will only flash the main bios

the backup bios will still have original chipped bios on it

That is F7 for this motherboard. I already wondered because with the other motherboard troubles I thought I upgraded the BIOS and I expected F9. This explains why it was F7 after the BIOS backup restore.