What to Do If MSI BIOS Update Fails or Gets Stuck?

MSI BIOS Update Failed

MSI (Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.) is a corporation that designs, develops, and provides computer hardware as well as related products and services, including laptops, desktops, motherboards, graphics cards, all-in-one PCs, servers, industrial computers, PC peripherals, and car infotainment products, among other products.

If you have bought an MSI PC or an MSI motherboard, you may need to update the MSI BIOS. BIOS is a type of firmware pre-installed on the computer’s motherboard, providing runtime services for operating systems and programs and performing hardware initialization during the booting process (power-on startup).

Updating the BIOS can fix some bugs and add new features or supports to new devices. To update MSI BIOS, you can usually use the following 3 methods.

• Update MSI BIOS via Windows Update: The MSI BIOS updates will be included in Windows updates. Installing Windows updates can install the MSI BIOS updates at the same time.
• Update MSI BIOS via MSI Center: MSI Center is an app offered by MSI to manage your PC. It offers a Live Update feature to update all MSI drivers and firmware, including the BIOS.
• Update MSI BIOS via USB: You can also download the BIOS into a USB drive, enter the computer firmware, and then use the M-Flash or UEFI BIOS update feature to install the BIOS from the USB.

However, you may encounter the MSI BIOS update not working issue for various reasons, such as interrupted internet connectivity, power outage, corrupted files, or software conflicts.

The symptoms may include the MSI Center BIOS update black screen, black screen after the MSI BIOS update failed, the stuck MSI BIOS update progress bar and the frozen screen, various errors that pop up during the MSI BIOS update process, etc.

How to Fix the MSI BIOS Update Failed Issue

Is the MSI BIOS update stuck? If so, you can try the following methods to solve the issue.

Way 1. Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

If you update MSI BIOS via Windows update but it fails, you can troubleshoot the Windows update service and then update Windows again to see if the issue can be solved. To troubleshoot the Windows update service, the easiest way is to run the Windows update troubleshooter. Here is the guide:

1. Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot.
2. Select Additional troubleshooters, and then select Windows Update.
3. Select Run the troubleshooter. Then, update Windows again to see if the issue is solved.

Way 2. Repair Windows

If you encounter the MSI BIOS update not working issue when using Windows Update or MSI Center, you can try this way. Here is the guide:

1. Open Command Prompt.
2. Type “sfc /scannow” and press Enter. It will detect and replace corrupt Windows system files.

If no corrupt file is found, try the next solution. If corrupt files are found and replaced, try updating MSI BIOS again to see if the issue disappears.

Way 3. Follow the MSI Update Guide Strictly

If you fail to update the MSI BIOS via Windows update or MSI Center, you can try updating the BIOS via a USB drive. If you get the MSI BIOS update stuck issue when updating the BIOS via a USB drive, the most possible reason is that you don’t follow the MSI update guide strictly. For example:

• You don’t find the correct BIOS file for your PC or motherboard model.
• The USB drive is not a FAT32 file system. No matter how big the USB drive is, you should format it to FAT32.
• The downloaded BIOS file is not unzipped, it is not in the root directory of the USB drive, or there are many other files in the USB drive.
• You don’t select the correct BIOS file when updating the BIOS.

You need to troubleshoot these issues one by one. In addition, do not disconnect the power supply during the BIOS update and be careful not to press any keys on the keyboard or mouse, and plug or unplug any devices.

If this method also fails, you can flash the BIOS via the BIOS FlashBack button or reset the BIOS by removing the CMOS battery.

Bottom Line

What to do if the MSI BIOS update fails? This post offers you 3 solutions. You can try them one by one.