How to update BIOS for EVGA with .ISO file?

[Trivius]

I have been attempting to do this for several days now, with no success, and not much help from the EVGA support forums.

It seems that something is missing. I have been using a CD (and now a DVD+RW after wasting a stack to prior failed attempts) to try and update my BIOS with a version 83.iso file. After the EVGA support finally clarified that I cannot just copy the files in Windows that I have to use a boot-disk, I have been trying to use a trail version of MagicISO, to no avail, at least thus far. Isn’t something missing here? I mean OK, I boot off my DVD and there I am with a .ISO file, how does the motherboard know to flash its BIOS from this? Isn’t there some other program or mode that needs to first be accessed or even an CTRL-command?

Also to note, the reason I need to update my BIOS is that each time I install the drivers for my EVGA 680GTX Classified, Windows will freeze during startup, I can now only access Windows in safe-mode, which also limits what I am able to do (using my GPU as a basic VGA card at this point). EVGA support is advising me that my motherboard is a too old (a EVGA X58 Classified 3), so I need to reflash the BIOS with an update and then my GPU should work fine. I am starting to think that maybe something else is going on here. Seriously, compatibility issues were the last thing I thought I was going to be dealing with in using both a EVGA MOBO and GPU, and yet here I am, one week into my build and four days spend going backwards, getting nothing accomplished.

And while attempting to resolve this issue, my problems have only gotten better (err... worse). After setting the BIOS to default as per the vague instructions for updating the BIOS, I can no longer warmboot, as the power to monitor will not reengage, which means that I have to switch the PSU to off, wait about a minute and then turn back on and press the case’s power button… I have to do this for each and every reboot, so far EVGA support can provide me not assistance as to how to stop this issue, which I am rather certain is just draining the life from all of the brand new equipment in my build.

I am really hoping for some guidance on how to properly solve these issues.

My primary issues are:

1. How to resolve loss of power to the monitor during reboots (this is very time consuming and is increasingly damaging my hardware).
2. The proper way to make a bootable disk, as I have never done this before using a CD/DVD (that MagicISO program has many options and several windows in it, I am not sure what I am suppose to be doing inside of it—and Windows will not let me install a free version of Nero while in safe-mode).
3. How to correctly flash the BIOS for the EVGA motherboard during boot or while posting.

* And one of my primary worries, is there any likelihood that the issue I am having with the GPU actually related to a failed piece of hardware within the GPU itself rather than just a matter of the BIOS being outdated (this just seems a little odd to me that a mere outdated BIOS would be the cause of all of this)?

 

[I.M.O.G.]

Try the USB instructions for flashing?

http://www.evga.com/forumsarchive/tm.asp?m=671353

I'd bet its a bios problem not initializing the GPU properly.

 

[petteyg359]

Sounds like you have no idea what an .ISO image is. See MagicISO instructions.

Or, use unetbootin to make a bootable USB stick from the ISO image.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

I missed that the first time... In order to use the iso file, you have to write the I so to the disk. That is different than burning the iso file onto the disc. The magiciso instructions should fix you up.

 

[Trivius]

OK, following those instructions, the DVD is blank in Windows Explorer and in the MagicISO Maker is is only showing a desktop.ini file 174 bytes in size and also "Non-Bootable" is showing as well. So I don't see this doing anything productive during bootup.

 

[Trivius]

The link to the EVGA forum for booting on the USB does not appear that it is valid any longer all of the links are broken, images gone, etc. I cannot find Dr. DOS anyplace only references to it. I did find that other program though, but I have no idea what to do with anything being that all of the images are no longer viewable.

Also I have still been unable to place any files on a CD or DVD using the MagicISO, having tried several more times now. Is this really suppose to be this difficult? I must have set a triple record by now: (1) for being the biggest idiot that just does not "get it", (2) taking the longest time to flash their motherboard's BIOS, and (3) having the most failed attempts at trying to do so.

 

[moz_21]

Download Imgburn and install. The .iso should now open with Imgburn. Burn it to a disk (DVD/CD/ rewritable would be fine). Once burnt, reboot the computer. Go into the BIOS and set DVD/CD as bootable first (before the hard drive/usb/etc.) The disk should boot. After all that, reboot. Set or clear the BIOS if all is well, then go back into the BIOS and set it how you wish.

 

[Trivius]

Alright, that worked great, straight and to the point. However, that BIOS update file did not fix a single thing, still stuck in the muck.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

Can you start a new thread for that? An appropriate title will get it more exposure. I'd like to help.

 

[Trivius]

Well, EVGA support is now telling me to try my GPU in another computer and then to try some other GPU in my current computer, so basically they are all out of the very few ideas they had. So I guess I am just going to try and RMA it, well that is after first having to jump through their series of requirements to RMA their products (oh joy).

Tonight I guess I will end up removing the old Radeon from my Dell, blowing it out and installing that, probably without its drivers to hold me over until I get the 680 Classified replaced.

Though I was wondering, is it at possible that the 680 is just not compatible with the X58 chipset or perhaps that it is too much power for it to handle?

...Or is a third-party driver addon likely to resolve any issues, such as this (NVIDIA GeForce 306.23 WHQL Drivers): http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=2967

 

[I.M.O.G.]

Where is your windows install from? Is it new, or carried over from another machine?

Trying different driver versions doesn't take much time, could try it and see if it resolves the freezing when windows loads.

I'm sure there are others with a 680 on x58. I have never heard of a GPU being incompatible with a chip set, I don't think that's possible.

 

[unijabnx2000]

you got to do troubleshooting to see if the mobo is the problem or the GPU

What version of windows are you using? and is it a legit copy?

 

[Trivius]

I am using Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit, it is the one that came as a software upgrade with my Dell XPS 9100. One thing I found odd though is that after installing it, I never need to enter the serial number to verify it (at first I thought because it was connected to the Internet and had self-verified being that it is using the same IP, until I realized I have no connection until I install my Killer2100 software).

CORRECTION: I did have to enter my serial number, though you are given a two-day trial period before having to do so. I found this out/noticed this while setting Windows up in the Control Panel area.

 

[Trivius]

UPDATE: Last night, to be thorough, I had tried reseating the GPU after blowing it and the PCIE slot off/out and reconnected the cables, this did not resolve anything.

Next, I pulled out my old ATI Radeon 5900 1GB from my Dell, wiped it down and blew it off and then placed that into my new build and connected it (is uses an eight pin and six pin). And surprise, this seems to have fixed all of my issues, the monitor is now powering back up after warmbooting, Windows starts up very quickly, and everything remained fine after Windows auto-installed the core drivers for the Radeon 5900 series. So I spent most of the night into the morning installing software, tweaking Windows, and started messing with OC features (which are totally new to me), so far I set the CPU at 4GHz, with a 30-multiplier and 135-?--(I forgot what this is called).

So anyways, this verifies that my GTX 680 is in fact a bad unit and needs to be RMA, right?

 

[Trivius]

Also something that is confusing me (although slightly unrelated to this thread), the EVGA digital display on the MOBO consistently displays between 14-25 degrees Celsius (which is around 57-77F). However, in Windows when running Core Temp, it is showing each core between 80-100 degrees Fahrenheit (at its present OC of 4GHz). I am curious as to why this is. Also something that seems odd is that Core Temp is showing a large variation between cores, for example, Cores 0, 3, and 5 will show 94-99F and Cores 1, 2, and 4 will show 80-89F. Does this indicate that my TG/TIM is not spread evenly across my CPU and the WB?

* And to further note, when in my Dell, this same CPU was running between 90-126F as per Core Temp (using a stock heatsink cooler and no OC). So this new build has brought the temps down, though I was expecting a bit more of a cooling gain that what I am getting presently.