Is it a slow flash or a fast paced flash? Either way, the system is having issues with the USB stick. If you have another one and access to another working computer, try following this video ... https://youtu.be/O8MwV-3oWzY Anyway, with the BIOS Flashback feature, you can try updating the BIOS as many times as you want without fear of bricking the board because the feature is designed to add official CPU support and revive bricked or corrupted boards. That's not to say it isn't failsafe, but it is much better than not having it at all. I've seen BIOS Flashback work using different devices such as USB SD card readers. Answer from senpaisai on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › bios flashback taking a lot of time??
Bios flashback taking a lot of time?? : r/MSI_Gaming
September 8, 2023 - From there, copy and paste the "msi.rom" file over and nothing else on the drive. Then try BIOS Flashback again -- after 5 to 7 minutes, the chipset RGB should turn off, and moments later the LED behind the Flashback USB port should stop slow blinking and go dark ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r › MSI_Gaming › comments › 1hm9ni9 › how_long_should_a_bios_flash_take
How long should a BIOS flash take? : r/MSI_Gaming
December 25, 2024 - I’m flashing the BIOS on my b550 Tomahawk and the red led was flashing for a bit but it just never turned off and I’ve been sat here for more than like 10 minutes and I’m a bit worried.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › flash bios has taken 3 hours so far. (msi pro b650m-a wifi)
r/MSI_Gaming on Reddit: Flash BIOS has taken 3 hours so far. (MSI PRO B650M-A Wifi)
August 26, 2023 -

From what I've seen from multiple sources, the process should have only taken 2-5 minutes.

Should I just let it keep going? The light next to the Flash BIOS USB port is flashing white, which I believe means the installation is in progress, correct?

I figured I had to update the BIOS due to having a Ryzen 7800X3D processor for it, which isn't supported by the original BIOS. I neglected to try booting up before starting the Flash process, though, not considering that the motherboard might have come with more recent drivers.

Is it possible to cancel the process and see if it arrived already-updated? Do I have to just wait it out until it finishes whatever it's doing? Am I reading the flashing light wrong and it's not even actually installing?

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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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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › bios update takes 2 hours in msi motherboards
r/MSI_Gaming on Reddit: Bios update takes 2 hours in MSI motherboards
May 3, 2021 - Chances are that your motherboard has bios flashback but you have not stated which MSI board you have.
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › bios flash is taking forever
r/MSI_Gaming on Reddit: Bios flash is taking forever
July 19, 2025 -

I have the mother board MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS I tried updating the bios using MSI center but it took over an hour so I figured I would just turn off the pc and use the bios flash button (I know it's a bad idea but it was stuck) now when I try to flash the bios the red led keep flashing and the dram led is on but it's still taking forever more than an hour I tried downloading an old bios into the USB iam using the fat32 format changed the name of the file to MSI.ROM and I even took all the parts off (CPU, GPU, ram, ssd) but still nothing works is it dead or is there still hope

Top answer
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It's bricked. You'll need to use BIOS Flashback to recover. For this to succeed with the highest compatibility rate, you'll need a SanDisk or Lexar USB 2.0 flash drive under 32gb -- it can't be a 3.x flash drive -- and partitioned as MBR and formatted to FAT or FAT32. Both NTFS and exFAT are not compatible. FAT is for storage devices under 4GB in capacity and have the highest compatibility. FAT32 is for storage devices over 4GB but under 32GB and most flash drives fresh out of the package default to this configuration. For best results, insert the flash drive into a computer with a working Windows environment and use Diskpart's "clean" and "convert MBR" commands on the flash drive to ensure it is wiped clean. Then use Disk Management to create a new simple volume, entire capacity, formatted to FAT32, give it a drive letter, but no label. From here, copy and paste both the "msi.rom" file and the readme file to the root of the flash. The presence of the readme file can help fool BIOS Flashback into detecting the flash drive as an old school USB HDD and some people have had success that way. Safely eject the USB stick into the BIOS Flashback port and with the power off, press and hold the button for 2 seconds. The LED behind the BIOS Flashback port should slow blink first for a few moments then start blinking faster. The fast blink means BIOS Flashback is reading the "msi.rom" file from the USB and reprogramming the BIOS - it should fast blink for 5 to 7 minutes straight. Then it should go back to a slow blink pattern for about 15 seconds and finally stop blinking. You may also hear a click from the PSU indicating the BIOS update succeeded and the motherboard shut off. It's now safe to remove the USB stick and boot up. Give your board up to 90 seconds to memory train and reboot 2 or 3 times but once you see an underscore cursor in the top left corner of your display, your system is about to POST and display the MSI "Pro Series" logo. Press DEL at this underscore cursor to automatically enter the BIOS. You may get a screen of text saying "New CPU detected. Press F1 to clear the fTPM or F2 to continue". Press F1 here instead.
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Are you using the correct USB port? This is why we always warn people not to use MSI Center for BIOS updates (or anything TBH) You might find this thread useful
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › is a ~2 minute bios flashback normal?
r/MSI_Gaming on Reddit: Is a ~2 minute BIOS Flashback Normal?
March 5, 2024 -

I'm building my first PC in forever. B650m mortar with a 7800X3d. I followed the instructions, have most recent (non beta) BIOS version, and renamed to MSI.ROM. I began flashing the BIOS without any components besides the 24 and 8 pin, and the LED flashed for about 1.5-2 minutes, then shut off, flashed rapidly for about 30 seconds then shut down. The MSI video and most other sources say this process should take about 5 minutes. Should I be concerned, or should I try it again?

Thanks in advance

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Tom's Hardware Forum
forums.tomshardware.com › home › motherboards
Question - How long should it flash? | Tom's Hardware Forum
November 20, 2022 - The longest it should EVER take to reflash the BIOS using BIOS flashback is a couple of minutes. If it takes longer than five minutes I'd be suspicious. Longer than ten minutes and something is absolutely wrong. What is your EXACT motherboard model and what is the current BIOS version?
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › bios update - is full bios reset / flashback needed to be safe?
r/MSI_Gaming on Reddit: BIOS Update - Is full BIOS reset / flashback needed to be safe?
July 14, 2025 -

I'm using a MAG B550 TOMAHAWK. My BIOS is from May 2022.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B550-TOMAHAWK/support

I see there are several BIOS update since then with a lot focussing on security patching.

I was planning on just using the M-Flash process to update to the latest, but when I read on Google about the process it says:

"Use a BIOS flash method that fully overwrites the existing firmware (e.g., "BIOS Flashback" via USB if your board supports it)."

It says some motherboards just update/layer the BIOS update, and in case your board has been exploited you should use the flashback process.

Does that sound right, or would the normal M-Flash process be fine and remove any prior compromise that may exist?

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/amd › bios flashback tips for msi mobo owners
r/Amd on Reddit: BIOS Flashback Tips for MSI Mobo Owners
July 8, 2019 -

I wanted to write about my own experience with updating the BIOS on a MSI motherboard for anyone upgrading to 3rd Gen Ryzen, as the stuff I read online were not very helpful.

My setup is: B450 MSI Tomahawk, Ryzen 5 3600

Download the latest BIOS Version from MSI's website and then copy and paste only the BIOS file to a FAT32 USB Thumbdrive of less than 16GB. Leave the text file alone, don't copy that.

Rename the BIOS file to MSI.ROM

Shut down your PC, unplug the power cord and locate the CMOS Battery, which is a button cell battery. Either short the two pins beside the battery labelled BAT1 for 5 to 10 seconds or remove the battery and wait at least 20 minutes before reinserting.

Don't install the CPU yet. Plug your PC back in and turn it on. If you use the same mobo as me, you should see that the red LED on the top right near the 24 pin ATX connector for the CPU should be lit up.

Plug in your thumbdrive into the BIOS Flashback USB Slot on the back of your mobo then press the small button above it. The red LED on the top LEFT side of the mobo should start flashing. Do not turn off the PC or wiggle the thumbdrive. If the LED flashes for less than 5 seconds, repeat the steps again, you might have done something wrong.

Let the LED Flash. After a while your PC should restart. Switch it off again and install your CPU and the rest of your components.

You should have successfully completed your BIOS update and brought your non-X570 motherboard up to date. Good luck!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/msi_gaming › bios flash turns on computer
r/MSI_Gaming on Reddit: Bios flash turns on computer
August 21, 2024 - You'll be told to "Press Any Key" to begin flashing the BIOS. Press the space bar ONCE and then let the tool do it's job without interruption. It should take a total of 5 to 7 minutes total.
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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 - 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. The USB BIOS Flashback process usually takes 1-2 minutes and maximum 3-5 minutes.
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MiniTool Partition Wizard
partitionwizard.com › home › partition magic › how to use bios flashback [asus, msi, gigabyte, asrock boards]
How to Use BIOS FlashBack [ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock Boards] - MiniTool Partition Wizard
October 9, 2023 - Connect the USB flash drive to the USB FlashBack port and press the BIOS FlashBack button for three seconds until the FlashBack LED blinks three times, indicating that the BIOS FlashBack function is enabled.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/amd › can i use msi bios flashback while my pc is fully assembled?
r/Amd on Reddit: Can I use MSI BIOS Flashback while my PC is fully assembled?
March 3, 2021 -

So I fully assembled my new PC, which includes an X570 MAG Tomahawk Wifi and a Ryzen 5 5600X. However, in the event that it does not post, I assume I will have to update the BIOS. The MSI manual says that Flashback can be used "without installing the CPU or RAM." However, since my PC is fully assembled, will anything bad happen (i.e. a bricked motherboard) if I use BIOS Flashback on a fully completed PC?

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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...