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Hi. I know that, after building a new PC, some people will update the BIOS and some won't (on the basis of 'if it ain't broke...). Once I get my PC together, I probably won't flash but I would like to know if my BIOS version is radically different from the latest one on the ASUS website. I take it there's somewhere in the BIOS screen that tells you the version number?

With regard to updating the drivers for NIC, USB, audio etc, I see that ASUS have a facility called EZ Update but I'm curious about how to update the drivers manually. For example, I have a memory stick with the USB driver on it and in the main folder are a bunch of files and four sub-folders. Amongst all those are at least four .exe files. How exactly is this driver installed from the stick?

Thanks in advance.

When your computer POSTS you should see the BIOS version and I assume its also visible in the BIOS menu. ASUS and other motherboard manufacturers usually list the changes with each revision on their website, and you should be able to determine if they affect you. I am pretty OCD about having the latest BIOS version installed, but understand there are risks.. for example power failure mid operation.

I am not certain what you mean by USB driver. If you are installing a modern version of Windows, the OS normally takes care of the USB driver. If Asus have released their own driver to take care of bugs then of course use that. In your case you might need to load the manufacturers supplied driver from a CD.

As for installing drivers manually I normally install the chipset driver first and then everything else in no particular order. Then I apply any Windows service packs and updates etc. Someone please tell me if there is a better order?

Hi Dirge. You'll see what I mean by 'USB Driver' at 17m10s of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok
He downloads a bunch of drivers, one of which is USB. It's not shown clearly how he instals them and, as I said, the download itself is a lot more than just a single file...

Apart from the boot screen (you may need to hit Tab or some other key to disable a fancier "boot logo"). Inside the UEFI BIOS there may be an "About" screen that shows you the BIOS version. And really, if you have to ask, I would say you may not be ready to play with BIOS flashing just yet. There is nothing wrong with leaving it alone.

The USB drivers you see in the video refer to "3rd party" chip that implement additional USB ports, in addition to the motherboard chipset. That is why you need drivers.

Your motherboard's drivers page do not list USB drivers so you don't have to worry about it. What you can do is use that list to figure out which drivers you need, and go to the component manufacturers' sites to get the latest versions of each. However, except the GPU drivers, I would say the drivers linked from Asus' support page should be good enough.

Hello and thanks, Flying Fox. I've actually gone with the H97M-Plus which DOES have a USB driver listed in its support page. However, installing drivers individually appears to be a bit of a rigmarole so I think I'll try the mobo's 'EZ Update' feature and see how that goes.

dortmunder wrote:

Hello and thanks, Flying Fox. I've actually gone with the H97M-Plus which DOES have a USB driver listed in its support page. However, installing drivers individually appears to be a bit of a rigmarole so I think I'll try the mobo's 'EZ Update' feature and see how that goes.

Seems like only if you are using Windows 7 then you will need the USB drivers. In Windows 8/8.1 there is no USB driver listing.

Thanks again. Win 7 it is. My components have started to arrive so the day of my first build is not far off. Once Win 7 installed I'll go to Intel for the chipset driver then try the 'EZ Update' feature for all others.

Flying Fox wrote:

dortmunder wrote:

Hello and thanks, Flying Fox. I've actually gone with the H97M-Plus which DOES have a USB driver listed in its support page. However, installing drivers individually appears to be a bit of a rigmarole so I think I'll try the mobo's 'EZ Update' feature and see how that goes.

Seems like only if you are using Windows 7 then you will need the USB drivers. In Windows 8/8.1 there is no USB driver listing.

Windows 8 has a native xHCI driver, so USBs 1.0 through 3.0 inclusive are supported without any additional drivers. A few third party controllers will need an additional driver as well, but not many, IME.

If I'm going through the trouble of reinstalling Windows, I usually update the BIOS as well. That is, unless I've had a board for years and know it to be rock solid in its current config.

dortmunder wrote:

Hi. I know that, after building a new PC, some people will update the BIOS and some won't (on the basis of 'if it ain't broke...). Once I get my PC together, I probably won't flash but I would like to know if my BIOS version is radically different from the latest one on the ASUS website. I take it there's somewhere in the BIOS screen that tells you the version number?

If you are buying an slightly older board and a brand new processor you have no choice but to flash so that the motherboard recognizes the processor.

As to versions there is an info screen somewhere that has the version.