Updated bios. Now Windows can't start

[Sonikku]

My motherboard is an Asrock H77M running Windows Seven 64 and when I updated to the latest bios, Windows blue screens at the Windows logo and resets just before the loading bar can get started. I've done a restore, tried a repair from the disc, a windows startup fix, all of it didn't work.

Clearly the bios update did something to mess it up. I'm always nervous when updating this damn thing. But over the course of three different systems over the years I've never had an issue like this before. I've been using an Intel g630 sandy bridge for 3 years and needed to update it to make use of an i5 Ivy Bridge that the board wasn't compatible with with it's initial bios release at launch. I flashed it from a thumb drive to 1.60 version from here, right on Asrocks website.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H77M/?cat=Download&os=BIOS

It completed without a hitch and didn't power off or anything until it was all done and told me to hit ENTER to complete the process. Indeed, now when I go into the bios the 1.60 version is reflected in it's status. But what happened to Windows? And what can I do to resolve this? As I've never had this issue before I can only speculate. Would flashing earlier bios releases fix it? Or resetting the CMOS jumper? Removing the mobo battery? Or might I be forced to do a clean install of Windows? Or perhaps the motherboard itself is now borked. I have NO idea.

 

[LTC8K6]

SATA setting / ACHI?

I meant AHCI...

 

[inachu]

True to the last post try AHCI or LEGACY

 

[TheELF]

Did you reset bios to defaults?
This is part of the update process and has to be done.

You did not yet replace the cpu right?

 

[Ketchup]

SATA setting / ACHI?

I meant AHCI...

3rd on this one. It is always the best plan to verify your BIOS settings after an update like this.

Just curious, what make you want to update?

 

[Sonikku]

True to the last post try AHCI or LEGACY

I know my 500gb hdd (non ssd) is hooked up through SATA. I use the new kind of bios, ahci I think, not the really old kind used for 20 years. I did not know those were even usable. As for the settings, all of those went to default when the bios were updated.

Did you reset bios to defaults?
This is part of the update process and has to be done.

You did not yet replace the cpu right?

correct.

3rd on this one. It is always the best plan to verify your BIOS settings after an update like this.

Just curious, what make you want to update?

Outlined in my original post. The mobo wasn't compatabile with Ivy Bridges at release in 2012, but was expanded in an update. I wanted to upgrade the cpu without buying a whole new motherboard.

 

[Ketchup]

OK. But did you try different Storage options to get up and running yet?

To be clear, this setting is on the Storage Configuration page. The options for Storage Mode Selection are IDE, AHCI, and RAID. Make sure you set it to the same option you had when installing Windows.

 

[Fardringle]

If setting the Storage option in the BIOS doesn't help, post the actual blue screen error here. Specifically the STOP: code and any text immediately after the 0x.... numbers.

 

[tcsenter]

It also may have updated the Intel Management Engine to a completely different version level, in order to support the newer processors. That can and has been known on some boards/systems to cause problems with an existing install of Windows.

 

[Ketchup]

It also may have updated the Intel Management Engine to a completely different version level, in order to support the newer processors. That can and has been known on some boards/systems to cause problems with an existing install of Windows.

If the is the issue, would it still allow it to boot in safe mode?

In either case, a clean install would fix it. But hopefully it will just take a BIOS settings switch.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Check the simple things like boot order, drive settings and everything else that a bios flash resets. Entering the bios should be job one when you boot after a bios update to reset everything back where you had it. There are a lot of good suggestions in this thread and good luck with your search for the problem.

 

[Sonikku]

I got it working finally. I had to change the hard drive settings from ACHI to IDE. Apparently after the bios update it defaulted to ACHI which doesn't work for some reason. At first I changed it to raid, which also didn't work. Changing it to IDE was a last ditch effort. But I'm still a little out of the loop here. Isn't IDE that fat ribbon cable hard drives used to use way back before Sata? What does that have to do with anything and how does ACHI hard drive mode impact things? Just for my own curiosity.

 

[Ketchup]

The "mode" for this purpose needs to stay the same the life of the install. You can google the advantages of ahci, but for most home use purposes, they are the same.

 

[tcsenter]

Here you can change back to AHCI (if you want): https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/922976

Then later, after a reboot, install the latest Intel Rapid Storage Driver which has the Intel AHCI drivers (SetupRST.exe).