Great, good to know. My question is, can I take out the USB Drive that is plugged in right now that I tried these steps on? The solid green light is on, and I'm wondering if I can just pull it out without causing any damage to the motherboard. Pretty sure a solid light means the procedure didn't start. The light should be OFF when it's done. You can shutdown the system. It's fine. The BIOS flashback didn't work or should I say didn't start. Answer from Nemesia on forums.tomshardware.com
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Tom's Hardware Forum
forums.tomshardware.com › home › motherboards
HeLp !! Problems with USB Bios Flashback. How long does it take?? [ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha] | Tom's Hardware Forum
March 13, 2016 - polar papa you did not rename the usb flashback file right. the usb flashback will take 2-3 min of the port flashing then it turn off. if it blinks and turns off the file is not names right or the usb stick is not fat32 formated or the bios file name not in the root of the usb stick or the ...
Discussions

how long does ittake to update BIOS? - Republic of Gamers Forum - 624801
I am putting together a Hero IX. I used the flashback button to load a new BIOS. I put in a thumb drive with the renamed BIOS in the root. I pushed the button until it started blinking. It quickly went to a solid on light. It has been more than 45 minutes and the light on the button is still ... More on rog-forum.asus.com
🌐 rog-forum.asus.com
March 5, 2024
ASUS BIOS Flashback
Hello! I have an ASUS TUF Gaming B550-PLUS (Wi-Fi) motherboard, and I am attempting to update the BIOS so that it will support my Ryzen 5 5600X CPU. However, I tried to do it, and it has been stuck on a solid green light for about half an hour now. Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Can I just pull... More on forums.tomshardware.com
🌐 forums.tomshardware.com
12
0
January 24, 2021
BIOS flashback with button taking forever
UPDATE: I feel soo so dumb after finding out the problem, the problem was the 8 pin cpu connector wasn't fully connected into my modular power supply, if you have bios flashback problems be sure to check connectors if they are plugged in fully or not. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/MSI_Gaming
31
4
January 6, 2021
How long does BIOS update take?
Ooof. I hope it finishes for you. It should reboot after it is done by itself. I hope it comes back up one way or the other. Firmware probably wouldn't fix a boot failure that happens out of the blue that clearing the CMOS wouldn't fix. The good news is that the board has a recovery firmware image normally (Q-LED code F0 through F4 for the BIOS attempting to use the recovery image). The LED you are talking is the Flashback LED (in between the Flashback button and the USB port) or the Q-LED (which displays the code and is located below the bottom most long PCIE x16 slot)? What I hope is happening is that you didn't unzip the firmware on the USB and it hasn't actually started flashing the BIOS. What you are supposed to do is unzip the file and either run the BIOSRenamer.exe file OR manually rename the .cap file to SX570EG.CAP on your USB stick. You then put your USB stick into the Flashback USB port (the very bottom one) and then press and hold the Flashback button for 3 seconds. Once the LED flashes 3 times and then starts flashing the BIOS. If you didn't rename the file, then I'd probably power it off since it has been roughly an hour, rename the file, clear the CMOS which will reset BIOS settings to the defaults and try to flash again. Though flashing the CMOS is optional and isn't always required, I definitely recommend it. You can clear the CMOS by completely powering down the PC, unplugging it and waiting about 10 seconds. All of the LED's should be off at this point and capacitors discharge. Now locate the CLRTC jumper pins (should be just 2 pins) located to the right of the bottom long PCIE x16 slot, left of the SATA connectors, Below the M.2 slot and above the RGB_HEAD2 pins. Apparently ASUS didn't make this a 3 pin with a jumper just sitting there for you to use, so you'll have to use something like a screw driver and lightly touch it between both pins at the same time (no pressure needed, it just needs to touch both) for a second. Now remove the screw driver and plug the cord back in try to do the Flashback process again. There is a CMOS battery, after powering down, that you can pop out to do the same thing but I wouldn't recommend it since the cradles can sometimes break easily when trying to get the battery out and the only way to fix that is to re-solder it back into place. Plus it is between the top two PCIE x16 slots and probably inconveniently under your GPU. IF your BIOS flashes and comes back up, it may still fail to boot due to the original problem. If that happens, find your Q-LED display (not the Flashback LED) and check the Q-Code table in the appendix of your motherboard manual to figure out why it is failing POST. Hopefully it is just 50 up to 55 and you just need to reseat your RAM sticks. You can also follow the POST process as it does its different test by watching the codes progress. If it was E8 thru EB, then the CMOS reset should have fixed that anyway. Good luck! More on reddit.com
🌐 r/buildapc
28
51
January 19, 2022
People also ask

How long does a BIOS Flashback take?
The USB BIOS Flashback process usually takes 1-2 minutes and maximum 3-5 minutes. The light staying solid means the process has completed or failed.
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tech-latest.com
tech-latest.com › home › tips & tricks › how to › what is bios flashback and how to use it?
What is BIOS Flashback and How to Use it? | TechLatest
Do you need BIOS Flashback?
As I mentioned earlier, if you want to roll back or update to any BIOS version but you don’t have access to the GUI updater, then BIOS Flashback comes in handy.
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tech-latest.com
tech-latest.com › home › tips & tricks › how to › what is bios flashback and how to use it?
What is BIOS Flashback and How to Use it? | TechLatest
What if my motherboard doesn't have BIOS Flashback?
In that case, you will have to get the BIOS updated with regular means or visit a service center to do it.
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tech-latest.com
tech-latest.com › home › tips & tricks › how to › what is bios flashback and how to use it?
What is BIOS Flashback and How to Use it? | TechLatest
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ASUS
asus.com › support › faq › 1038568
[Motherboard] How to use USB BIOS FlashBack™? | Official Support | ASUS Global
April 9, 2026 - *The BIOS file size will affect the update time. It can be completed in 8 minutes. Please do not remove the USB flash drive, unplug the power supply, turn on the power or press the CLR_CMOS button during the execution. This will cause the update to be interrupted and the system will not boot. (Ex: ROG CROSSHAIR VII HERO model, Flashback indicator flashes)
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Asus
rog-forum.asus.com › t5 › hardware-build-advice › how-long-does-ittake-to-update-bios › td-p › 624801
how long does ittake to update BIOS? - Republic of Gamers Forum - 624801
March 5, 2024 - A few seconds usually means the USB is not in the correct USB port, the file name is incorrect or the USB inst formatted or has other stuff on it besides the single CAP file (should be nothing else) Also try and use a small capacity USB.
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Visioncomputers
visioncomputers.com › asus-bios-flashback-looping
ASUS BIOS Flashback Looping Fix | Vision Computers | Vision Computers
March 22, 2026 - Do not touch the system, press buttons, or remove the USB drive. The controller did not detect a valid BIOS file on the drive. Wrong filename, wrong port, or the drive was not recognized. Re-check everything and try again. For boards where the LED stays solid and never turns off, see our ASUS BIOS Flashback solid light troubleshooting guide which covers that specific behavior. ... A normal BIOS Flashback cycle takes 3 to 8 minutes depending on the file size and USB speed.
Find elsewhere
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TechLatest
tech-latest.com › home › tips & tricks › how to › what is bios flashback and how to use it?
What is BIOS Flashback and How to Use it? | TechLatest
August 29, 2025 - ASUS’s BIOS flashback is one of the easiest to do, as ASUS motherboards come with a dedicated USB BIOS flashback port and button. Insert the USB flash drive, which contains the flash file, into the USB BIOS flashback port (indicated with white border and BIOS text) and press the USB BIOS flashback button for at least 3 seconds until you see the flashback LED start blinking (to be precise, it will blink 3 times).
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › bios flashback with button taking forever
r/MSI_Gaming on Reddit: BIOS flashback with button taking forever
January 6, 2021 -

hello, I have the b550 a pro motherboard, and I have completely built up my system, I tried to run it and it didn't post which I expected because I am using a ryzen 5 5600x proccessor which needs a bios update. I installed the bios file from msi's official site and I have renamed it to MSI.ROM. I put the flashstick in the correct usb slot, pressed the BIOS button, the red light started flashing and fans started spinning, I waited 10 minutes still flashing, waited 20 minutes still flashing, waited a hour still flashing. I read some things online and people suggest to reset cmos battery which I did after stopping the flash. After I resetted the cmos, than started the BIOS flashback again. It was getting late at night and I decided to sleep while it is still flashing hoping it will end by the time I wake up, I was wrong it still was flashing when I woke up. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I hope I haven't bricked my motherboard by accident.

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ASUS
asus.com › support › faq › 1053582
[Desktop] How to use USB BIOS FlashBack™ Update BIOS? | Official Support | ASUS Global
July 12, 2024 - Note: The update time may vary depending on the size of the BIOS file, but it is estimated to be completed within 8 minutes. During the process, do not remove the USB flash drive, disconnect the power, or power on the computer, as this may interrupt the update and cause failure to boot. 10. When the BIOS FlashBack™ indicator light goes off, it means that the BIOS update is complete.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/buildapc › how long does bios update take?
r/buildapc on Reddit: How long does BIOS update take?
January 19, 2022 -

I have Asus X-570 E-Gaming. The mobo was showing green Q-LED today, I came to know it's because of failed boot. So, I'm updating the BIOS(firmware or host boot software). The size of the flash file is 32 MiB and the flash drive used is 2.0 one. It's been 22 min now and the green LED(which indicates the BIOS is being flashed) still hasn't gone off, and now I'm worried. What to do?

For reference:

Asus X570 E-Gaming, GSkill RipJaws 32 GiB DDR4 @ 3200MHz, Ryzen 5 3600, Samsung 980 Pro PCIe4 SSD, DeepCool 850W PSU, Zotac RTX 3090 Trinity

Top answer
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Ooof. I hope it finishes for you. It should reboot after it is done by itself. I hope it comes back up one way or the other. Firmware probably wouldn't fix a boot failure that happens out of the blue that clearing the CMOS wouldn't fix. The good news is that the board has a recovery firmware image normally (Q-LED code F0 through F4 for the BIOS attempting to use the recovery image). The LED you are talking is the Flashback LED (in between the Flashback button and the USB port) or the Q-LED (which displays the code and is located below the bottom most long PCIE x16 slot)? What I hope is happening is that you didn't unzip the firmware on the USB and it hasn't actually started flashing the BIOS. What you are supposed to do is unzip the file and either run the BIOSRenamer.exe file OR manually rename the .cap file to SX570EG.CAP on your USB stick. You then put your USB stick into the Flashback USB port (the very bottom one) and then press and hold the Flashback button for 3 seconds. Once the LED flashes 3 times and then starts flashing the BIOS. If you didn't rename the file, then I'd probably power it off since it has been roughly an hour, rename the file, clear the CMOS which will reset BIOS settings to the defaults and try to flash again. Though flashing the CMOS is optional and isn't always required, I definitely recommend it. You can clear the CMOS by completely powering down the PC, unplugging it and waiting about 10 seconds. All of the LED's should be off at this point and capacitors discharge. Now locate the CLRTC jumper pins (should be just 2 pins) located to the right of the bottom long PCIE x16 slot, left of the SATA connectors, Below the M.2 slot and above the RGB_HEAD2 pins. Apparently ASUS didn't make this a 3 pin with a jumper just sitting there for you to use, so you'll have to use something like a screw driver and lightly touch it between both pins at the same time (no pressure needed, it just needs to touch both) for a second. Now remove the screw driver and plug the cord back in try to do the Flashback process again. There is a CMOS battery, after powering down, that you can pop out to do the same thing but I wouldn't recommend it since the cradles can sometimes break easily when trying to get the battery out and the only way to fix that is to re-solder it back into place. Plus it is between the top two PCIE x16 slots and probably inconveniently under your GPU. IF your BIOS flashes and comes back up, it may still fail to boot due to the original problem. If that happens, find your Q-LED display (not the Flashback LED) and check the Q-Code table in the appendix of your motherboard manual to figure out why it is failing POST. Hopefully it is just 50 up to 55 and you just need to reseat your RAM sticks. You can also follow the POST process as it does its different test by watching the codes progress. If it was E8 thru EB, then the CMOS reset should have fixed that anyway. Good luck!
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3-5 minutes in my experience. I've also had a BIOS flash seem like it was taking way too long. And it wasn't going to finish. It wouldn't boot. So I did clear CMOS and retried the flash. It worked the 2nd time. Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro for reference.
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TinyGrab
tinygrab.com › home › how long does asus bios flashback take?
How long does Asus BIOS Flashback take? - TinyGrab
April 28, 2025 - A slow, outdated USB 2.0 drive will dramatically increase the flashing time compared to a fast USB 3.0 drive. Always use a USB 2.0 drive as Asus recommends, even if the motherboard supports USB 3.0 for this function, and ensure it is in good ...
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Asus
rog-forum.asus.com › t5 › rampage-vi-strix-x299-series › bios-flashback-not-working-at-all-please-help-solved › td-p › 758259
Bios flashback not working at all please help [SOL... - Republic of Gamers Forum - 758259
March 7, 2024 - Mr. Fox wrote: BIOS flashback only works for me with the USB sticks formatted in FAT16, and FAT16 (aka FAT) requires a 4GB or smaller stick. It has never worked for me with a NTFS or FAT32 USB stick, although I have tried numerous times with my Rampage VI Apex and the Maximus X Hero.
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H|ard|Forum
hardforum.com › [h]ard|ware › motherboards
bios flashback question, asus z690-f | [H]ard|Forum
February 22, 2024 - I waited about 10 minutes, just in case, and then rebooted. No update. Flashed the bios from the same drive using the bios EZ Flash, and it worked the first time. The--several years old--page about bios flashback on ASUS' site--which doesn't list any boards newer than Z490--said USB2 and USB3 are supported.
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Tom's Hardware Forum
forums.tomshardware.com › home › motherboards
Question - Flash BIOS Update taking forever | Tom's Hardware Forum
March 4, 2023 - Ok so I was building my new PC today and when I connected all of the components I plugged in a USB drive that had the correct BIOS version I needed to run my CPU. I waited around 5 minutes which I heard was how long it would usually take until I flipped the switch on my power supply and repeated this process again until I decided to disconnect all of the other components from the motherboard except for the power supply and tried flashing it again.
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Asus
rog-forum.asus.com › t5 › x99 › usb-bios-flashback-will-not-work › td-p › 578437
USB BIOS Flashback Will Not Work - ROG Forum - ASUS
March 6, 2024 - Cywok wrote: Cannot get the USB BIOS Flashback to work. Push the ROG Connect button and release when the light starts to flash. Light flashes 3 times and then goes dark. The expect behavior I believe is for the light to remain on for a certain time period (not sure how long) and then go dark to indicate the BIOS has been updated I have tried the following for both BIOS1 & BIOS2.
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Overclockers
overclockers.com › home › forums › hardware › motherboards › intel motherboards
ASUS ROG HERO VII - Stuck in Bios FlashBack!!! | Overclockers Forums
November 30, 2016 - Id say you Bios chip is bad or that USB stick is shot, it looks like the MB is trying to read the data from the stick but something fails or it's stalling cause the Bios chip is bad.
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Asus
rog-forum.asus.com › t5 › z170 › the-flashback-button-does-not-seem-to-work › td-p › 619450
The flashback button does not seem to work - Republic of Gamers Forum - 619450
March 7, 2024 - What I have done is: 1. Download the bios from the official asus page. 2. Unzip the file 3. Rename the file to M8H.CAP 4. Formatting a flash drive in FAT32 (ALSO I TESTED WITH NTFS) 5. Copy the M8H.CAP file to the pendrive 6. Turn off the computer, leaving the power supply ON 7. Insert the Pendrive into the flashback port 8. Press the flashback button for 3 or 4 seconds (and sometimes longer) But the result is that the button does not light at any time It seems that the board detects that it has the pendrive inserted since the light of the pendrive if light.