bios L2.11A 990fx extreme 4 what are the improvements?

[mach1korea]

Hi Guys has any one tried the beta bios L2.11A for the 990fx extreme 4? Also what are the improvements, Asrock say improved memory compatibility but what exactly they dont give much info?

[SchneiderComp]

I just sent a comment to ASRock technical support stating that this BIOS version appears to be defective. I successfully flashed the L2.11A version the same way I had flashed 1.80 and 2.00 and when I allowed the flash process to restart the machine, POST hung in an infinite loop. The machine was going nowhere fast. I got another chip and am running back on 2.00 successfully. The only problem I have now is that the 1394 GUID needs to be set so I don't have to press F1 on every reboot/startup. My comments to ASRock technical support are shown below:

SUBJECT: Defective BIOS version L2.11a causes POST to loop.
The purpose of this notification is to alert you to the fact that BIOS L2.11a released on 1/8/2013 for the 990FX Extreme4 Motherboard which is supposed to improve memory compatibility is DEFECTIVE, causing the motherboard POST routine to remain in an infinite loop during power-on/reset, and preventing the BIOS configuration screen to be displayed by pressing F2 or the "Del" key, and stopping the hardware from loading any operating system. In my case, this BIOS was flashed successfully from a USB memory stick using "Method 1" as per the ASRock instructions, on a machine which had been running BIOS 2.00 successfully for some time. Version 2.00 had been flashed to the board in the identical manner several months ago. After the "flash" of the L2.11a BIOS, the flash process asked to reboot the machine which I allowed. The board was unable to function, since as it looped in the POST routine as stated. Naturally, I cleared CMOS, etc.

To bring the board back from the dead, I installed a NEW BIOS chip with the 2.00 version in the board. I am not a "newbie" at this, having worked in the computer industry for 30 years and have dealt with many computer hardware/software issues during that time. Clearly, this BIOS (L2.11a) is defective and should have NEVER been posted to your site and made available to the public, even as a "beta" release since it renders a working machine unusable. In the past, I have used other ASRock motherboards installing them in PCs for various clients.

WHAT I NEED NOW: to correct the 1394 GUID error where the CMOS and FLASH memory are out of sync with the board. Please send me the utility for this motherboard so I may correct having to press F1 on every reboot.

To tell the truth, I am rather aggravated at all of this and am contemplating never purchasing anymore ASRock components for either myself or clients.

[mach1korea]

Thanks for the update, I think I will not use it.
I agree with you about Asrock they do not seem very helpful and don't give much information away. And best of luck trying to get an answer from them, it's like trying to get blood out of a stone.

[SchneiderComp]

I did receive a response from ASRock which is quoted below, but I am not impressed. The only reason for purchasing this particular board was that it did have the desired characteristics for the particular job, like an IDE connection, two PS2 connectors, a floppy drive connection, etc. Otherwise, I would have gone with a different manufacturer. It seems to be EXTREMELY picky about memory, which is why I was testing the Beta L2.11A BIOS. I've used ASRock in the past and they have been OK, but nothing to rave about. And I'm certainly going to stay away from their "Beta" BIOS releases from now on!

The only ASRock response to my message above:

Please read the instruction how to reprogram the FireWire

which included an attachment (program and documentation).

[pxist]

I did receive a response from ASRock which is quoted below, but I am not impressed. The only reason for purchasing this particular board was that it did have the desired characteristics for the particular job, like an IDE connection, two PS2 connectors, a floppy drive connection, etc. Otherwise, I would have gone with a different manufacturer. It seems to be EXTREMELY picky about memory, which is why I was testing the Beta L2.11A BIOS. I've used ASRock in the past and they have been OK, but nothing to rave about. And I'm certainly going to stay away from their "Beta" BIOS releases from now on!

The only ASRock response to my message above:

Please read the instruction how to reprogram the FireWire

which included an attachment (program and documentation).

Dear Mr. Schneider,

This was really a brief answer.

Since you also have the old BIOS chip, you could maybe revive the old chip with a hotflash, this way you always have a backup copy.
The following steps are necessary in order to hotflash a BIOS chip using instant flash:
1. Extract the correct Instant flash BIOS version on a USB stick formatted under FAT16 or FAT32
2. insert the USB stick in a (black) USB2 port
3. boot up the system and go into the BIOS and go to instant flash, and check if the BIOS version is found
4. carefully remove the BIOS chip without making a short circuit
5. insert the Bios chip that you want to hotflash into the socket
6. go to instantflash in the BIOS and press enter to carry out the BIOS flash
7. when finished, press a key to reboot the system, and don’t remove the USB stick until everything is completely finished, the system can reboot several times, before the update is finished.
8. enter the BIOS and check if the settings are okay

Kind regards, Peter Fest

[SchneiderComp]

Dear Mr. Schneider,

This was really a brief answer.

Since you also have the old BIOS chip, you could maybe revive the old chip with a hotflash, this way you always have a backup copy.
The following steps are necessary in order to hotflash a BIOS chip using instant flash:
1. Extract the correct Instant flash BIOS version on a USB stick formatted under FAT16 or FAT32
2. insert the USB stick in a (black) USB2 port
3. boot up the system and go into the BIOS and go to instant flash, and check if the BIOS version is found
4. carefully remove the BIOS chip without making a short circuit
5. insert the Bios chip that you want to hotflash into the socket
6. go to instantflash in the BIOS and press enter to carry out the BIOS flash
7. when finished, press a key to reboot the system, and don’t remove the USB stick until everything is completely finished, the system can reboot several times, before the update is finished.
8. enter the BIOS and check if the settings are okay

Kind regards, Peter Fest

Mr. Fest,

Thank you so much for the instructions for the "hotflash"! I'll give it a try as the procedure seems most promising.

Steve Schneider