MSI: Update Your BIOS From The Linux Desktop

[Michael]

Where is the download link for the tool? Aren't you allowed to redistribute?

I'm not hosting any copy until knowing what MSI plans to do / if it's redistributable, but appears that way as if you Google for that file you can find it in a few different places.

[AJenbo]

I'm not hosting any copy until knowing what MSI plans to do / if it's redistributable, but appears that way as if you Google for that file you can find it in a few different places.

I even posted a link on page one :P

[System25]

I'm not hosting any copy until knowing what MSI plans to do / if it's redistributable, but appears that way as if you Google for that file you can find it in a few different places.

Really promising way to get some brand new ... trojan horse, especially granted it requires root to run. I bet it could install some updated ... rootkit. For that reason such methods of obtaining software MUST DIE. Say if I download flashrom from repos I can be sure it comes from proper server and proper people, thanks to signatures. So it supposed to be program which updates BIOS. But what about "google download"? How would I know if it is not a trojan horse some smartass put on the web?

[System25]

Not to defend proprietary firmwares, but MSI alone cannot open source the implementations of trade secrets in Intel chipsets.

If I remember correctly, Intel usually provides fairly complete datasheets explaining innner working of their chipsets, so I doubt MSI can uncloak any "trade secrets". Not to mention BIOS/UEFI usually written by 3rd parties and so its not like MSI can tell you something valuable I guess.

[schmidtbag]

So, does this utility work on any AMI BIOS? Or just EFI? Or just MSI's EFI?

Anyway definitely nice to see this was released. I hope to see Asus and Gigabyte do the same, but seeing as Gigabyte has a somewhat mean image of linux, I don't expect to see anything from them.

[Styromaniac]

Overly Complicated

I remember updating the BIOS on my DP55KG from the BIOS itself. You just need a flash drive plugged in. Requiring a supported OS just adds more steps and headaches.

[arabek]

So, does this utility work on any AMI BIOS? Or just EFI? Or just MSI's EFI?

Anyway definitely nice to see this was released. I hope to see Asus and Gigabyte do the same, but seeing as Gigabyte has a somewhat mean image of linux, I don't expect to see anything from them.

I've successfully flashed my gigabytes with the opensource flash utility. Multiple times. From Award to UEFI style bios and back. You really don't need no provider based flash utilities for Gigabyte stuff.

[cutterjohn]

I remember updating the BIOS on my DP55KG from the BIOS itself. You just need a flash drive plugged in. Requiring a supported OS just adds more steps and headaches.

MOST "BIOS"es have had this capability for quite some time now, but even MSI apparently until recently, strongly recommended creating a DOS flash bootable device(or *gasp* a floppy) and updating BIOS from a DOS environment.

They've also had windows based updaters for a while now as well, but I tend to stick to the DOS boot or flash from BIOS, which usually seems to be something very low level as from what I can tell it's doing is locates the BIOS file reboots, flashes it, reboots, so I'm guessing that it's not really even the BIOS flashing, just setting the "BIOS" to be some ultra-lowlevel specific file loader(they usually require a specific name or naming convention with the file at "root" level) with some sort of basic flash writer then some reboot code back to "BIOS", but this is all a guess as it's worked for me so far(do't like reflashing BIOS unless I have a good reason to) so I've never had to look into debugging/fixing a borked flash.

DOS is more comfortable (to me) as the flash writing provides some visual feedback while the "BIOS" version is pretty much blind while it's doing the actual writing, with the only feedback of success/phail being it (a) boots back into the new "BIOS" version or (b) apparently beeps or does something else unexpected(never happened, so again, I've never bothered to look too closely).

[EDIT]
So far I've done the "BIOS" based flashing on ASUS(X79), ASROCK(990FX), and Gigabyte(Z87) boards. The ASUS update should have been the most potentially problematic as they made some major changes to the BIOS at one point a few years ago, structure and capabilities. The ASROCK and Gigabyte were just for some necessary bug fixes at build time.
[/EDIT]

[AJSB]

What i wanted from MSI is that their FM2+ mini-ITX Mobo had capacity to select CPU/iGPU voltages in the "BIOS"....it doesn't allow that so i buy AsRock MoBos...

That's all.

[AJSB]

I remember updating the BIOS on my DP55KG from the BIOS itself. You just need a flash drive plugged in. Requiring a supported OS just adds more steps and headaches.

Updating BIOS is a thing i do a LOT of times.
I NEVER updated or EVER will update a BIOS outside the BIOS.
The proper way to update a BIOS is from the BIOS and with a USB pen.