@Luke&Zya
From what i understand, the Bios setting “Windows UEFI mode” enable secure boot and “other OS” disable it. In theory, Windows can be installed in UEFI either way but, in practice, it seems that some hardware or software, mostly older ones, were not made to pass the secure boot process. To get a good idea of what secure boot is doing and checking exactly, you can read this.
It can be hard to know what exactly is causing your problem to enable secure boot. If you really want to enable secure boot, there is a good chance that, even if you can’t enable it before installing Windows, you could be able to enable it after the install is done. The reason being that some of the things secure boot is looking for will have changed. For example, the drivers will probably not be all the same.
So if you really want secure boot, install Windows 10, verify that Windows is really in UEFI mode, then you can try that setting again.
Hi I’ve never modded my board before and was wondering if there were any instructions on how to do it?
I’m using the topic MB “CrossHair v formula z” and want to add an M.2 card to my PCIe x4
Is the Ultimate still the most up-to-date mod (also do I only have to install the ultimate mod and not the other ones too?) and how do I do it?
Is there a step by step guide, as if I do it wrong, it will destroy my PC and I’ll need a new board.
Many thanks
Mein
@Mein
First post is not updated anymore by the thread owner. Latest Bios version is v10 and can be downloaded in post #265.
Basic instructions on how to flash it can be found in posts #267 and 269.
If you don’t want to take any chances to have Bios corruption or any remnants of your old Bios version after flashing (very rare but it happens), then do it the long way by using the instructions in the post #299. Notes: This guide was made to correct the problem after it already happened, but if you do it preventively immediately, you just do it all in your first and only one flash of the Bios. No need to “Redownload” or “Reflash”.
Instructions to install Windows 10 in UEFI is in post #8.
Hi,
After using the Crosshair 5 Formula Z flashback utility via the USB on the back it appeared to do something for about 3mins
Then when I booted the computer and looked in the system info it still stated the old bios version. My old bios version was the final bios submitted by Asus. I used the EZ Flash system about 4 years ago(ish).
Not sure if it worked or not! This is my first time, and I will be installing the new M.2 PCIe card this week. Can you have a look at the enclosed pic and let me know.
Many thanks
@Mein
To make my answer short, please read posts #276 to 281.
Comments: Unfortunately, it is impossible to know if it worked just by looking in Windows 10. All i can say from this picture is that your Windows is presently working in Legacy mode.
Thank you soo much for your help, yes the screen has added that new bit when booting up. It’s initializing something 3.0.0###
You mentioned my windows is in Legacy mode? can I change this and how?
Many thanks and more than happy to donate if there is a link for all your help 
a very happy customer
@Mein
Happy to know that it worked.
Yes, you can change it but it requires you to completely reinstall Windows 10 in UEFI mode using the instructions in post #8. You know it worked after the installation when Windows says “UEFI” at the line “BIOS mode:” instead of “Legacy”.
Be aware that there could rarely happen an issue preventing installing Windows with the secure boot function enabled. On that matter, read posts 288 to 301 to be aware of what the symptoms are, why it happened and what the simple solution is.
In any cases, you said you were planning to get and install a NVMe drive so i recommend you to wait untill you get it because you will probably reinstall Windows on it. That way you will have to do it only once.
As for a donation, my PayPal address is at the bottom of each of my posts between the smiley faces. Any donation is always usefull and deeply appreciated. Thanks for asking.
Many thanks for all your help today and the upgraded bios mod.
Please check for PayPal for a donation and keep up the good work! I may need your services again when I get the NVMe
Thanks again
Mein.
Is it possible to use a 3rd nvme with this Mod? I am using 2 Samsung 970 evo’s not in a raid, one is a back up however one as storage would be nice. Thank you for your reply and these mods (I have mod 10 but no raid) are fantastic or in my day 'Dude, these are Far out, Man."
@MailmanMike
To my knowledge, i don’t see why there would be a limit from the Bios to the number of NVMe drive you can install.
Odd, after installing a new Samsung 970 and a new adapter I have nothing at the bottom Pcie slot on the bottom of the board. I tested in other lane and it works. Could something be causing this in the mod? It could be the board but I don’t believe so.
@MailmanMike
No, it can’t be the mod because nothing was touched related to that except adding the NVMe module. And the NVMe module works because your drive is working. So no, the problem can’t come from there. What i suspect instead is the attribution of the PCIe lanes. I don’t know the repartition for this board but it is usually a division that gives X lanes available to 2 PCIe slots. So the question is which slots are paired together and how many lanes each pair have available. All that to say that i suspect that when you try to use your last slot, all the lanes are already used or at least not enough are remaining available for that pair. But when you try other slots, it works because enough lanes remains available. Also worth noting is the fact that on many boards, the last slot is often not paired with another slot like the others but instead with something else on the board using lanes. To give an exemple, USB is one of those possibilitty.
So, in a sense, you may be right that the Bios could be partially responsible because, apart from the # of lanes available by the southbridge (990FX), the repartition itself is usually dynamically attributed by the Bios at boot according to what was coded in it originally. After the boot attribution, it can’t be changed. By the way, i never touched thoses in the Bios. I know there is a thread somewhere in this forum of some peoples who tried to change thoses attributions to fit their needs. I don’t remember if they were successfull or not.
So if you want to go deeper into that subject, i suggest you make a research on how the attribution is done exactly on this motherboard and try to find the thread i mentionned to see if something can be done or not. If not, you may at least use the slots according to what the attribution is to get the most of it.
My last comment will be to say that, fortunately, that problem is more and more known by the motherboard manufacturers and as a result, more and more new motherboard Bios are starting to come out where you can change the attribution directly in the Bios.
Oh, almost forgot to say this: I hope it is not your case but another possibility for your problem is that your last slot is just dead. But i don’t suspect it is the problem.
Bios updated to v11
Changelog:
[Updated] - EFI LAN Intel PRO/1000 UNDI v8.9.05 -----> v9.0.03
>ASUS-Crosshair-V-Formula-Z-2201 MOD v11 (2019-11-07)<
Hello to Everyone! New to the forum. But had seen it a long time ago and I just flashed the just uploaded v11.
My system runs like it was before the flash, I had the stock asus latest BIOS.
I would like to know If I can check and how, if the modded bios are surely flashed and all components are updated ???
I used the flashback way of course . How can I see that I have the letest as the changelog says?
Many Thanks and congratulations for your time and your support…
@MailmanMike @Phoenix48
I am just getting in on this thread for the first time, but noticed something I could actually potentially help with.
I have an old OCZ RevoDrive (Pre-NVMe PCIe SSD). I went to do an overhaul of my rig, updating some things, swapping others in and out. Similarly found my bottom slot seemed to fit the RevoDrive best. Could not get it working for the life of me. Tried everything (not that there were many options) but similarly ended up just moving it to another slot where it’s been working fine since. I have to assume there’s a physical limitation in lanes per Phoenix48’s last post on the subject. I was able to get an x1 USB expansion card working in that bottom slot, but never tried anything else.
@Evoliddaw @MailmanMike
If you are interrested in the PCIe lanes details for the controller, i suggest you to take a look at the AMD RD990 controller databook. RD990 being the AMD’s in-house name for the 990FX.
First thing i noticed there is the page and figure 2-1 and here is my interpretation of it (so keep in mind that i may be wrong, i am not an expert in that). There you can see that the first 2 are the 2 PCIe x16 for graphics and the last one is for anything onboard like USB. But the 3rd one is supposed to be for the last slot and is, surprisingly, not named a PCIe interface like all the others. It is instead named a A-Link-E interface. So there may be a clue here.
While keeping that figure 2-1 in mind, there is also a reference on the “A-Link-Express III interface” in the first paragraphe of chapter 1-1, it goes like this :
"AMD 990FX/990X/970 (referred to in this document by their code names RD990, RD980, and RX980 respectively) is
the system logic of the latest platform from AMD that enables its next generation CPUs with the leading ATI CrossFire™
solutions. The RD990 has a total of 42 PCI Express® lanes: 10 lanes are dedicated for external PCIe devices, and the rest
support 2 x16 PCIe links or 4 x8 PCIe links for the ultimate graphics setup. With support for a four-lane A-Link Express
III interface to AMD’s Southbridges such as the SB920/950, the RD990 guarantees separate bandwidth for peripherals,
graphics, and General Purpose Graphics Processor Unit (GPGPU). The RD990 also comes equipped with the new
HyperTransport™ 3 and PCIe Gen 2 technologies, with the ability for high system overclocking to deliver leadership
performance. All of these are achieved by a highly integrated, thermally efficient design in a 29mm x 29mm package."
So is it relevant? Maybe, i don’t know. I am no expert in this. But maybe those 4 lanes are shared between the southbridge SB950 and the last slot x4. That would explain why they are probably already in use by the southbridge SB950.
The only other possibility is that the x4 A-Link is purely reserved for the southbridge and those x4 lanes for the last slot come and are borrowed from the PCIe GPP interface (General Purpose for things like USB). That would also explain why they are already in use. If it is that, then the table 2-2 at page 2-6 would become relevant for the attribution of the PCIe GPP lanes.
According to the figure 2-1, it is one or the other and can be nothing else.
Hope this help in your investigation.
On a different subject worth nothing and found also in this document is the fact that the 990FX has an maximum temperature of operation of 95°C. So set your Bios warning accordingly if they are not set already.
Thank you
Thank you for your efforts to keep these Bios updated and for the information that you all have provided
Is the hashlist for v11 correct?
I’ve downloaded v10 and get a 100% match across the boards. I’ve downloaded v11 on 3 different computers / connections now, computers getting consistent hashes but none match the list.