How to update BIOS and Drivers – After new hardware installations

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Guide to update the BIOS and Drivers of your Asus computer

You have decided to replace a part or adding a new peripheral device to your setup. You have replaced it and/or connected it properly, but it is not functioning or behaving strangely. The odds are that you will need to update the BIOS/Firmware or the drivers in your system. This article will help you understand what these are and how to install them.

Note: ASUS Accessories is here to help you select the correct replacement part for your ASUS device.

What is the BIOS/Firmware

Like software, the BIOS and drivers are programs that instruct the machine to carry out a task. The difference between these is their purpose: The BIOS/Firmware instructs the hardware, the drivers are like translators, and they interpret what the operating system is asking of the specific device. The software is the top layer that uses all of the devices and hardware to accomplish its designed function.

All electronic devices such as computers, mobile devices, remote controllers, gaming consoles, smartwatches, USB drives, have a BIOS/Firmware. The Firmware controls the hardware of a device. It is present on a non-volatile memory chip (NVM / EPROM) and rarely requires an update. In a PC, we call it the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface).

The BIOS is the first thing that animates your computer when it is powered on. It is used by the CPU to perform start-up procedures when the computer is turned on. Its two major procedures are determining what peripheral devices (keyboard, mouse, disk drives, printers, video cards, etc.) are available and loading the operating system (OS) into main memory. The BIOS will initiate the BOOT program which will wake up the OS stored in your hard drive and place it in your RAM (Random Access Memory).

It initializes the hardware during the booting process, and to provide other runtime services for operating systems and programs. BIOS calls another program called a bootloader, which does the job of waking up the operating system sleeping inside the hard drive and put it in the random access memory (RAM). The bootloader is usually part of the OS software.

Before you pull your hair out….the BIOS talks/recognizes your new hardware or peripheral device. If it doesn’t, it may not function at all or may function partially. You will need to update the BIOS. If your BIOS is up to date, then you will need to update the drivers.

What are Drivers

What are Drivers

A drivers task is to drive – control the hardware it’s designed for, example the printer. It is the go between program that allows the hardware and the operating system to communicate properly.

An operating system doesn’t come with support for all hardware present on the machine. Since components and hardware are not always built by the same company, the manufacturer has specific optimized drivers for their hardware that you install in your operating system.

Since Windows 8, Microsoft has tried to reduce driver dependency. The company pre-installs universal or generic device drivers that can work for various devices of a similar type, or delivers required drivers via Windows Update. These are not always the optimal choice for your new devices.

Application Software

This category of software ranges from anti-virus, word processor, web browser, multimedia, games and video editing software. Simply, these are the applications that you use.

Why should you update the BIOS on your ASUS

First you should know updating your BIOS will not make your device faster or keep it from overheating.

The following are good reasons to update your BIOS.

Hardware updates
BIOS updates allow the motherboard to correctly identify new hardware such as processors, RAM, and so on. If you upgraded your RAM and the BIOS doesn’t recognize it than you should update your BIOS.

Security updates
The latest BIOS updates come with security updates. In motherboards that support boot sector scanning, the new BIOS can resist boot sector viruses.

Increased stability
Manufacturers will release updated BIOS to fix bugs and issues that are present in the previous version. These bugs may affect new hardware or new peripherals substantially where they were not noticeable with the old hardware or peripherals.

Check your BIOS Version

Before updating BIOS, you need to check your current version of BIOS and compare it with the latest version on your motherboard’s support page.

1. Type msinfo in the search box and open System Information
2. Check your BIOS Version/Date

Note:

• You cannot downgrade the BIOS Version
• Please back up your personal files before upgrading BIOS to prevent any unexpected issues
• The operation interface may be different because of the model version
• Please keep the power supply / AC adapter connected during the BIOS update process

Before you start

Before you start

1. You may need a portable memory drive such as a USB memory stick
2. Make sure your battery is at least at 20%
3. Plug in your adapter
4. Know your model number and serial number
5. Back up your PC’s existing firmware to an external drive (if possible)

There are two methods to update the BIOS in your ASUS computer.

• Update BIOS in Windows (MyASUS)
• Update BIOS in BIOS Utility (with EZ Flash)

Caution : do not interrupt the update process once initiated.

Method 1: Download the BIOS update utility from MyASUS

1. Type “MyAsus” in the Windows search bar
   1. If MyAsus is not installed on your device, you can go here.
2. Click to open
3. In MyAsus, select “Software update”
   1. Some computers may not show a “software update” tab. If this is the case you will need to use Method 2 and update via the support site.
4. Select “BIOS and Firmware”
5. Search for “BIOS installer for Windows” which is located in the BIOS Update (Windows) category
6. Click “Download”
7. Use BIOS Installer to update BIOS (refer to included appendix for instructions)

Note : some models cannot use the BIOS Installer update in Windows. You should follow the instructions below for EZ Flash.

Method 2: Download the BIOS update utility from the ASUS support site

1. Go to the ASUS Support with your laptop’s model name
2. Search for the EZ Flash and download/install

Downloading the latest version of the BIOS

1. On the Asus Support page and enter your product model name
2. Enter the model number and select the product from the product list to go to the support page for your specific device
3. Go to the Driver & Utility > BIOS & Firmware
4. Download the most recent BIOS version and then extract the BIOS file
5. Copy the extracted file to USB Disk
   1. Do not rename the file
   2. Copy the file to the root directory
   3. Recommended – Read the installation guide (appendix file – ReadMe.txt)
6. Insert your USB Flash driver and boot into BIOS by pressing the hotkey (ex: Delete, F7, or see your manual) repeatedly when your computer starts
7. Do NOT remove the USB Drive during the process
8. Launching the BIOS update tool/Flash utility
   1. Press F7 to open Advanced Mode
   2. Choose Advanced then select ASUS EZ Flash 3 Utility / Start EZ Flash
   3. Select your USB with the extracted BIOS file from the storage device list
      1. Right-click the BIOS File and Extract all
   4. Select the BIOS File and confirm that you wish to read this file
   5. Update the BIOS
   6. Wait until the process is completed
   7. Restart your computer when prompted or wait for your computer to restart automatically

How to update drivers

There areto update the BIOS in your ASUS computer.Note : some modelsthe BIOS Installer update in Windows. You should follow the instructions below for EZ Flash.

Download Drivers at http://www.asus.com/support/

1. Enter the product’s model number
2. Select [Drivers&Tools] > Select your Operating System
3. If your OS is not included in the select menu, it means this motherboard doesn’t support the OS
4. Select the suitable driver from the options
5. Download the latest driver
6. Unzip the file after download and open the folder, double-click on “Asus Setup” or “Setup” to install

How do I ensure that my device has the latest and safest version of ASUS Live Update?

Automatic, real-time software updates are available via the ASUS Live Update application or in newer models MyASUS. If you have a newer model with MyASUS, ASUS live update has been integrated and you should ignore the following.

Updating your ASUS live update

1. Click the ASUS Live Update icon on the bottom right corner
2. Connect to the internet and click “Check update immediately”
3. ASUS Live Update will automatically find the latest driver and utility
4. Click “Install”
5. It will show detailed information of the version. Click “OK”
6. It will take a few minutes for ASUS Live Update to complete
7. After updating, please recheck and make sure it shows “No updates”

How to download the latest version of ASUS Live Update?

Go to the http://www.asus.com/support/

1. Enter the model name in the Search bar and press the Enter key on the keyboard
2. Click [Driver &Tools]
3. Choose [Windows 10 64-bit]
4. Find [ASUS Live Update] in [Utilities], Download and install after the download is complete