A Useful Tip for Users of GigaByte Motherboards

[Radish]

Over the last few years I've found that I nearly always end up with computers that are based on Gigabyte motherboards. My current computer, just bought, also has a Gigabyte motherboard. Over the last couple of days I found that I couldn't get into the BIOS to check some settings. No matter what I did the BIOS just would not open up for me.

 

Cutting a long story short, I looked for a solution on the web and that lead me to the following website: http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/369/images/app-center.html

 

Wow, if you download the "Gigabyte App Center Utility" from there you are in for a treat - there are some very useful progams available using that center for users of Gigabyte motherboards. Once I had the App Center installed and figured how to use it I downloaded an app called "Fast Boot" and at one click, while I was in Windows, it let me issue the instruction that on the next system reboot I would automatically go into the BIOS (after clicking the setting it automatically reboots the computer). Works like a charm. Days of muttering solved at a click.

 

I'm surprised that I've used Gigabyte motherboards for years and never knew of this - so many useful programs for tweaking the system. So I thought I'd post up here and share the tip for others.

 

P.S. I'm vaguely aware that Win8 has 'apps' that won't run on Win7 systems (I have Win7 myself) but this isn't anything to do with that kind of 'app'.

[jaclaz]

Very likely you get to the UEFI firmware (which is not the BIOS).

 

I know it is confusing , but to clarify (hopefully ) any motherboard has a firmware.

 

Traditionally this firmware was a BIOS.

 

Nowadays the firmware is more likely to be a UEFI.

 

Most UEFI's also a have a CSM (Compatibility Support Mode) which is actually a BIOS .

 

Gigabyte (and it's trademarks 3D BIOS and DualBIOS) is adding to the confusion.

 

In a nutshell it is not that you missed anything in the last few years , UEFI (and the specific Gigabyte's 3D BIOS and DualBIOS approach) are relatively recent.

 

jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

Plus, when you press the F2 or DEL to go into the "BIOS" you are actually going into BIOS or CMOS Setup. So on newer PCs either you are entering UEFI Setup or UEFI+CSM=BIOS Setup.

 

I just call it BIOS. Sometimes like to call it "The Cosmos" a term coined by a former co-worker when trying to pronounce CMOS.

[puntoMX]

The application the OP is talking about let you enter the BIOS without pushing a button, and it's the BIOS indeed and not the EUFI on older motherboards or "BIOS" versions.

 

Some motherboards won't let you enter the EUFI or BIOS when you have an USB keyboard although some USB keyboard might actually work. Using a PS/2 keyboard will solve this problem (yep, been there, done that... price you pay for being an overclocker/tweaker ).

 

Ow, and dual BIOS is just an auto-backup BIOS; works well, even fools will have a hard time messing up a motherboard with dual BIOS . 3D BIOS is just a graphical "explication" to the new "geek", "tweaker" or "overclocker"; waste of usefulness  . Just marketing stuff. (this is a side-note for the people who don't know the trademarks mentioned).

[Roffen]

Hope I am not disturbing this thread, but since the subject is Gigabyte motherboards:

 

I recdently got a kit consisting of a GA-F2A98XM-HD3 motherboard, AMD CPU and 8GB RAM. I thought it would be a good candidate for my preferred setup: Dual boot with Win XP and Win 7.

 

What a disappointment. I have struggled and struggled, but it was, and probably is, a permanent problem. It just isn't possible to get the NIC to accept both systems. I am not even quite certain if it ever worked with XP,  but Win 7 was ok! So after several long days of work I decided to surrender and install a NIC on the PCI Express bus. I already had twin Internet sockets on the wall so it wasn't all that much of a problem, except the solution violates my sense of how things should be.

 

I returned the kit (assembled) and it is in the mail now, the distributor says they found a fault and the board has been replaced. I am not holding my breath, I will be quite surprised if it any different from what it was. If it is, there's another board here to be replaced!

 

I have complained to Gigabyte, it was quite a job to enter all the details they requested before the complaint could be sent.

 

I don't know if I'll get a reply. I just regret I didn't go for ASUS again, they've never given me any problems