How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desktops

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How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desktops

Post by Apoptosis »

I went to update the BIOS on my ASUS N56VM laptop this morning as a new one was out and ran into some issues that I thought I would share in case someone else does and wants to know how to fix them. As we all know, sometimes a BIOS update can conflict with your hardware, a setting or your operating system. You can usually revert back to previous BIOS version or downgrade your ASUS BIOS if needed. The problem is that on the newer EFI BIOS versions the upgrade/downgrade process is done in the BIOS with easy flash or on the desktop with a windows utility. Okay, let's get to it.

I ran into problems with my memory kit after updating my laptops BIOS, so I put in another memory kit and tried to downgrade the BIOS.
asus-bios-older.png
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The only problem was that the ASUS Windows BIOS Flash Utility won't let you use an older BIOS image and gives an error saying that The BIOS file is older than the current version. The button to flash the BIOS is greyed out and not an option.


command-prompt.png
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The easiest solution to this BIOS downgrade option is to launch ASUS WinFlash through Command Prompt. (Command Prompt can be found under Start Menu under Accessories.) Once you are in Command Prompt you must navigate to where you have Winflash installed. If you installed it with the default settings on Windows 7 it will be located in the C:\Program Files (x86)\ASUS\WinFlash directory. Just enter the command cd C:\Program Files (x86)\ASUS\WinFlash to get into that directory.

Once you are in thar folder you can run the command Winflash /nodate and the utility will launch like normal. Only this time it will ignore the date of the BIOS images that you are trying to downgrade to.
nodate.png
nodate.png (57.57 KiB) Viewed 122498 times


Now you can select your desired bios file, ignore the warning about it being an older version and press Flash. After the WinFlash utility tells you it is done, you can reboot your computer and should have successfully downgraded your BIOS.

This should work on desktop and notebooks and is an easy way to fix the issue of how to install an older BIOS version. I see this being a problem for many in the future, so just wanted to point it out.
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desk

Post by DragonFury »

Great guide, why not just flash it in dos mode. Use a win 98 boot disc and stick flashing utility and flash onto a usb fat32 drive and flash it that way. or did they do away with doing it that way on laptops?
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desk

Post by Apoptosis »

Well, on the newer laptops and motherboards they don't give you the files to do that, so you have to look for the flash utility to go along with the BIOS file. You then might have to use additional flags to force the older BIOS on. I think this method is easier than getting a flash drive, formatting it to become Win 98 bootable and then placing the BIOS and flash utility on there. This method you just download the utility and file and run it from the command prompt and you are golden in under a minute.
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desk

Post by Clouseau »

A shortcut with the /nodate included in the target line does not work?
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desk

Post by Kairat »

You made my day!
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desk

Post by Apoptosis »

glad it helped you and thanks for saying that it did!
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desk

Post by geokilla »

So I haven't been around in a long time, but I found this thread after using Winflash to update the BIOS on my sister's UX32A-DB31. Turns out there was a ASUS EZ Flash so I used this method to downgrade then re-upgrade to the latest BIOS again. Now all I need to do is reinstall Windows 7 and hope everything goes well. Thanks Nate for this tip!
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desktops

Post by vazhagelashvili »

Didn't work,I warned about restarting G751JL but nothing happend.I ahve the same bios version 205
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desktops

Post by Payan »

vazhagelashvili wrote:Didn't test link work,I warned about restarting G751JL but nothing happend.I ahve the same bios version 205
Any luck getting it to work yet vaz?
Last edited by Payan on Thu Sep 30, 2021 9:14 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: How to flash an older bios version on ASUS laptop & desktops

Post by DrPsyche »

Payan wrote:
vazhagelashvili wrote: Didn't work,I warned about restarting G751JL but nothing happend.I ahve the same bios version 205
Any luck getting it to work yet vaz?
Hello,

I used EZ Flash to update the version on my Asus. But first, I consulted with ASUS Service Center and they directed me to the tutorial on their official page - Update BIOS - How to use EZ Flash to update the Notebook BIOS version? Hope this helps (in case someone still needs it).
Last edited by KnightRid on Thu Aug 01, 2019 4:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: removed old spam link
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