BIOS recovery procedure

BIOS recovery procedure

Prerequisites:

  • Failed motherboard with F9 POST code
  • Latest BIOS release for your motherboard
  • A FreeDOS / MS-DOS formatted USB drive (see our FreeDOS USB creation guide here)

Instructions:

  1. If you do not already have a copy of the latest BIOS, head to Supermicro’s main web site: http://www.supermicro.com/index_home.cfm. 
  2. If you have a copy of the latest BIOS already, skip to step 7.
  3. Enter your motherboard model number in the Search field to the upper right of the page. This model number should be listed in DMI and FRU info for your system.
  4. Select one of the top results from the next page to enter the motherboard support page.
  5. This will take you to the motherboard support web page. On this page, click on “Update Your BIOS” under Links & Resources.
  6. Click on the hyperlink for the .zip file on the next page, and accept the EULA to start the download.
  7. Once you have a copy of the latest BIOS, extract the .zip file and locate the BIOS binary file. Motherboard BIOS files are named by their motherboard model and release number, and will have a number for the file exension.
  8. Rename the file to “SUPER.ROM”. Be sure to replace the file extension, otherwise the file will not work.
  9. Copy the SUPER.ROM file to the root of the FreeDOS/MS-DOS USB drive.
  10. Make sure the server is completely powered down. Plug in the USB drive into a USB port on the motherboard, then power on the server.
  11. The BIOS recovery should automatically start. If it fails to start automatically, you may need to manually force the recovery with a hotkey combination. While the system is powered off, press and hold down the <CTRL> and <HOME> keys simultaneously, then press the power button while holding down the keys. Watch for I/O on your USB drive: As soon as the drive activity light flashes you can release the keys.

    • Related Articles

    • X9/X10 motherboard POST codes

      B2 This error indicates a failure to connect to legacy peripherals. If you are using a KVM switch for the monitor and USB keyboard/mouse, remove it and plug the monitor and USB devices directly to the motherboard. Or, if your system’s operating ...

    • Finding resources for your motherboard

      This guide focuses on navigating Supermicro's website to obtain the latest drivers, firmware, and utilities for motherboards. You will need to know your motherboard model number, so if you do not have this information available you can obtain it with ...

    • Supermicro Update Manager (SUM)

      Introduction The Supermicro Update Manager (SUM) can be used to manage the BIOS and BMC firmware image update and configuration update for select systems. In addition, system checks as well as event log management are also supported. Moreover, ...

    • Checking Smbios Event Log

      Applies to: Supermicro X9 and X10 series motherboards Description: Occasionally you may receive events in the IPMI system event log after a memory failure that do not point to a particular faulted component. The output of the errors can vary ...

    • Update BIOS firmware on multiple systems at once using Supermicro Update Manager (SUM)

      One method to update BIOS and IPMI firmware remotely is via the Supermicro Update Manager command-line tool, a.k.a. "SUM". Before using SUM for BIOS updates, it is critical to ensure that all target systems are of the same motherboard model. If you ...