How to flash BIOS on Aspire S3-391 when no OS present?

I have a new Acer Aspire S3-391-6862 Ultrabook. I want to update the BIOS on the unit but am having difficulties because there is no OS on the Ultrabook yet (it came with Win8 on it but I wiped the HDD in order to put Win7 on it). I downloaded the newest BIOS (BIOS_Acer_2.17_A_A.zip) and unzipped it. It contained 2 files:
1) HB2V217.exe (size=4,664,003 bytes)
2) Readme.txt (this simply says "Windows flash: Please click "HB2V217.exe" to update bios").

I then added this "HB2V217.exe" (4,664,003 bytes) to the Win7 DVD (I made an ISO of the DVD, then added the "HB2V217.exe" file to the ISO, then burned a new Win7 DVD from that new ISO).
The new Win7 DVD boots fine, at which time I hit "shift-F10" for a command prompt, navigate to the "HB2V217.exe" file and execute it, at which time it gives me a "the subsystem needed to support the image is not present" error message.

Other misc notes:
-if I look inside "HB2V217.exe" (4,664,003 bytes) with 7Zip, it contains 4 files:
1) HB2V217.exe (size=4564828, but it has the same name as it's 4,664,003 byte HB2V217.exe container).
2) PopMsg.exe
3) wFlash.bat
4) wFlash.exe

Obvious questions:
-Should I be copying the 4 files to the Win7 install disk rather then thier container?
-Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Thanks

Accepted answers

quietlytrying

Thank you for your help Charitha, although I have now solved the problem, albeit in a different manner.
To answer your question though, the current BIOS version was 2.09.

My solution was tedious though in that I downloaded "Windows PE", built a bootable flash drive with it, copied BIOS file "HB2V217.exe" (4,664,003 byte version) to the flash drive, booted from the flash drive, navigated to "HB2V217.exe" and executed it, at which time it flashed the new 2.17 BIOS to the Ultrabook and rebooted, and success.

For anyone that has the same problem, this was my convoluted solution (in a long winded manner assuming those who read it are not familiar with some aspects of computers).
-on a separate computer I did the following:
1) -download Windows ADK ("adksetup.exe"), which is free (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30652).
2) -plugged a USB flash drive into it (anything bigger than 200MB is fine).
3) -open windows Explorer and noted the drive letter of the USB Flash drive I just plugged into it.
4) -ran the "adksetup.exe", and chose only "Windows PE" from all it's features (I forget if I had to execute "adksetup.exe" once or twice, but it downloaded over 3GB of files in total.
5) -ran "adksetup.exe" again and got a command prompt box. In this box I typed (but without the quotes):
6) -"copype x86 C:\WinPE_x86" (I chose 32 bit version (x86), although either may have worked).
7) -after it finished I typed "MakeWinPEMedia /UFD C:\WinPE_x86 E:"
8) -where "E:" is the drive letter of your Flash drive you noted in step 3.
-NOTE that it will erase and format your USB Flash drive, so make sure you have no data you want to keep on it, and make sure you have given it the CORRECT DRIVE LETTER OR YOU WILL FORMAT AND LOSE DATA ON ANOTHER DRIVE!
9) -copied the "HB2V217.exe" BIOS file I unzipped from the zip file I had downloaded from Acer, to the flash drive at it's root.
10) -moved the USB Flash drive to the Acer Ultrabook, and booted the Ultrabook (after setting it's BIOS to boot from the USB ports).
11) -navigated to the "C:" drive of the Ultrabook in it's command prompt by typing:
12) -"c:"
13) -"HB2V217.exe"
14) -the Acer Ultrabook appears to reboot twice as it flashes the BIOS and gives you a progress.
15) -After it is all done, reboot the Ultrabook and enter it's BIOS to check your BIOS version is now new and correct.

There is likely a easier way to make a bootable drive with Windows on it, but none I tried seemed to work, so I was stuck with this convoluted scheme.

It would have been nicer if Acer had of supplied their BIOS as an OS independent bootable image like so many other manufacturers do, so that you could simply image/burn the bootable image to a floppy or CD/DVD and then flash the BIOS by booting that media.

Anyway, thank you for your help, and maybe this helps others as well.

All comments

Charitha

Hi

Hit the Shift +F10 in the language / Time & Currency /Keyboard layout changing window as per the below picture

(Refered from seven forum)

quietlytrying

HI Charitha,

The language/time/keyboard screen is where I did hit the "Shift F10", which worked fine to get me the commend prompt, but then when I navigated to and executed the "HB2V217.exe" I had placed on the DVD, that is when I got the "the subsystem needed to support the image is not present" error message.

I even tried envoking the "Shift F10" command prompt window on the screen after the language/time/keyboard screen (the "install now" screen) but I got the same results.

Charitha

Hi,

What is the current BIOS version?

quietlytrying

Thank you for your help Charitha, although I have now solved the problem, albeit in a different manner.
To answer your question though, the current BIOS version was 2.09.

My solution was tedious though in that I downloaded "Windows PE", built a bootable flash drive with it, copied BIOS file "HB2V217.exe" (4,664,003 byte version) to the flash drive, booted from the flash drive, navigated to "HB2V217.exe" and executed it, at which time it flashed the new 2.17 BIOS to the Ultrabook and rebooted, and success.

For anyone that has the same problem, this was my convoluted solution (in a long winded manner assuming those who read it are not familiar with some aspects of computers).
-on a separate computer I did the following:
1) -download Windows ADK ("adksetup.exe"), which is free (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30652).
2) -plugged a USB flash drive into it (anything bigger than 200MB is fine).
3) -open windows Explorer and noted the drive letter of the USB Flash drive I just plugged into it.
4) -ran the "adksetup.exe", and chose only "Windows PE" from all it's features (I forget if I had to execute "adksetup.exe" once or twice, but it downloaded over 3GB of files in total.
5) -ran "adksetup.exe" again and got a command prompt box. In this box I typed (but without the quotes):
6) -"copype x86 C:\WinPE_x86" (I chose 32 bit version (x86), although either may have worked).
7) -after it finished I typed "MakeWinPEMedia /UFD C:\WinPE_x86 E:"
8) -where "E:" is the drive letter of your Flash drive you noted in step 3.
-NOTE that it will erase and format your USB Flash drive, so make sure you have no data you want to keep on it, and make sure you have given it the CORRECT DRIVE LETTER OR YOU WILL FORMAT AND LOSE DATA ON ANOTHER DRIVE!
9) -copied the "HB2V217.exe" BIOS file I unzipped from the zip file I had downloaded from Acer, to the flash drive at it's root.
10) -moved the USB Flash drive to the Acer Ultrabook, and booted the Ultrabook (after setting it's BIOS to boot from the USB ports).
11) -navigated to the "C:" drive of the Ultrabook in it's command prompt by typing:
12) -"c:"
13) -"HB2V217.exe"
14) -the Acer Ultrabook appears to reboot twice as it flashes the BIOS and gives you a progress.
15) -After it is all done, reboot the Ultrabook and enter it's BIOS to check your BIOS version is now new and correct.

There is likely a easier way to make a bootable drive with Windows on it, but none I tried seemed to work, so I was stuck with this convoluted scheme.

It would have been nicer if Acer had of supplied their BIOS as an OS independent bootable image like so many other manufacturers do, so that you could simply image/burn the bootable image to a floppy or CD/DVD and then flash the BIOS by booting that media.