MSI Wind Bios Update 1.0B

Kia Ora from New Zealand and a very belated Happy New Year to you all!

Besides putting this blog on the backburner for a while I couldn't ignore all the request and internet noise over the new 1.0B bios from MSI for the U100 Wind Netbook. Truth be told there isn't any improvements worth noting, but take it from me - I highly recommend updating to the latest bios as it seems stable and there are minor improvements and fixes that are better to have than not have.

Overclocking has remained (added in bios 1.07) in this update - HOWEVER some people are reporting overclocking not functioning properly on their machines whereby it did using older bioses like 1.09. If this is the case and you REALLY need overclocking then just use my old guide to flash back to 1.09 here. Other people are experiencing a couple of other niggles but this hasn't changed from previous bioses. Please use the Troubleshooter at the end of this guide to... troubleshoot!

Well enough time wasting the guide and package download are below, enjoy.

EV's Guide to Flashing the 1.0B Bios for the MSI Wind in Windows XP and Vista

CAUTION: Although this method is proven to be the most successfully consistent, its not a surefire method and those not willing to take the technical risk of temporarily or permanently screwing up their machine should not proceed. Any issues at any step of the guide please refer Troubleshooting at the bottom. I have endeavoured to keep this up to date with the latest fixes to any problems so please go through the troubleshooting section before reporting errors.

However, this is an official MSI release available on their website and therefore they legally must support any issues you have with the upgrade. Thanks MSI!

Pre-update) Before proceeding ensure that you have the latest System Control Manager (SCM) from the MSI support page here. Many users have reported issues such as speedstep not working properly or the unavailability of Eco mode - all fixed by the latest SCM.

Step 1) As flashing the bios is an inherently risky procedure it is important that you are running on AC power and that your MSI Wind battery is removed to prevent any potential power issues during the update. Shut Down your Wind, remove the battery, and boot to Windows on wall power only.

Step 2) Download this package which contains the 1.0B official bios, and a modified version of the winflash utility for flashing your bios in Windows. 

Step 3) To be safe turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and disconnect all peripherals from your Wind. Close any virus scanners or 3rd party firewalls that might inadvertently interrupt or cause errors during the bios flashing process. Program your power button to shut down the machine (rather than standby or hibernate).

Step 4) Unzip the package and create a folder in your C Drive called FLASH. Paste the files from the downloaded package into the FLASH folder.

Step 5) Click the Start button, click Run... and type CMD and press OK. This will launch a DOS-like command prompt in a window. Type CD\ at the prompt to return to the core directory and then type CD FLASH to change to the C:\FLASH directory. Type RUNFLASH to execute the batch file that will update your Bios. Wait patiently for the flash to complete. Once done you will be back at the command prompt in C:\FLASH. Type EXIT. If your keyboard is not working at this stage don't panic, just shut down your computer using your mouse or press your power button.

Step 6) Shut Down your machine and remove the wallpower for 20 seconds.

Step 7) Reinstall the battery and boot your machine to Windows ensuring USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Keyboard and Mouse are all functioning. Refer Troubleshooting at the end of this guide if you experience issues during this step. If your computer doesn't boot at all (won't display bios flash screen) and you have additional RAM see the troubleshooting section.

Step 8) Reboot your Wind and enter your bios (Press DEL when you see the MSI splash screen) - navigate to the Advanced tab and where it says DOC you can select between an 8%, 15% and 24% overclock. Also make sure Speedstep is set to Enabled as this will allow your Atom to run at a lower clock when idling.

I advise starting DOC with 8% to make sure that your Wind can handle this overclock and work your way up to 24% (1984MHz c.f. 1600MHz stock) if you wish. Users with upgraded good quality RAM (such as Corsair) will be able to achieve a higher overclock setting with stable results.

Press F10 to save and exit the bios.

Once in Windows, and running on AC Power, pressing Fn+F10 should display 'Turbo On' and your Power LED should turn Orange. You are now running an overclocked Wind!

Note: As an added bonus when running on Battery Power and pressing Fn+F10 for Eco Mode you power LED will turn green. So now you can tell whether you are in Eco, Normal or Turbo modes just by looking the power LED color!

Troubleshooting:

- Did you install the MSI SCM as I said above step 1? Download it here and install it - you may have to uninstall your previous SCM first.

- If your Wind doesn't boot try disconnecting all power sources (battery, wallpower) for 20 seconds (preferably more - like 10 minutes) or holding down the Power button for 10 seconds with AC Power connected.

- If you have additional RAM and your Wind won't boot, you probably need to disable Onboard Memory in the bios. You can display the bios splash screen by holding down Esc and pressing the power on button. You will still need to press Del once you see the MSI splash screen. Alternatively try removing the additional RAM module and booting into the bios (press DEL when the MSI splash screen appears). In the Advanced tab ensure that Onboard Memory is disabled then reinstall your additional RAM and reboot.

- Try enabling/disabling AHCI in bios.

- Try pressing F9 in Bios to restore optimized default settings.

- If you don't see the 'Turbo On' icon (as per the pic in this post, except without a fast looking mouse) then you probably need to install the System Control Manager from MSI's support site here.

- Got Vista? Disable UAC (User Account Control) to solve the driver not found issue.

- Bluetooth not going? Try rebooting several times, this reportedly makes it come right in many circumstances.

- Refer MSI Wind Forums if these methods don't work.