Maybe the board was on the way out anyway, and updating the BIOS was the last straw for it.
I would doubt that.
Or why would they ALWAYS strongly advise that you should know what you are doing or leave it up-to a expert, not to mention the other warnings that sometimes it may not be reversed if anything goes wrong of which can and does happen from time-to-time.
As it just has, unfortunately, to poor Eric.
However, there has to come a point where even the experts can't solve something, which is purely out of their hands.
I would consider myself an 'expert' (that really sounds big-headed doesn't it!!
), the point is I would update a BIOS, using the tools provided by the motherboard manufacturer, as roseway has done, and would expect it to go smoothly and work properly. This certainly isn't a problem that should ever come from a routine BIOS upgrade!!
I should think the warnings are mainly to prevent people doing silly things, e.g. flashing with the wrong BIOS file, turning the PC off or resetting it, right in the middle of the BIOS flashing, doing it on a notebook computer on battery power, etc.