Acer V5-531 Corrupted bios, black screen after splash, f2 & f12 also. Fixable?

Hello,

Yesterday I attempted to install Win 7 so I could play D&D Neverwinter on Arc after using various *nix systems for study ( looking to start a career as an admin ). I had plugged into a power strip that was, unbeknownst to me, switched off and I went to make some coffee and watch some news. When I came back to check the progress my laptop had powered off and since then I havn't been avle to boot without being stuck at a black screen after the bios' splash page. Both f2 and f12 also leads to a black screen, so I can't change boot device or enter bios set-up.

Is this at all fixable? For instance, is the a key-combo I can use to restore the bios from a back-up? Or, do I need to take it to a tech who can install a new bios chip or flash this old one some how? Or, did I pemanently brick my device?

Accepted answers

Cory-Acer

So v1.22 is what you'd want to be one with a Windows 7 unit.

The issue is that if it crashed during the upgrade process, it will take some special tools clear out the chip on the MB and reload it with a new BIOS. I would contact your local support team to see what options are available.

All comments

Edge-Case

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iHkGkw9EE8c

Im on my phone so I appologize if I fat finger a word or two and misspell.

I have summer courses going on right now and I really can not afford to go more than a few more days without my laptop, Im taking programming courses and have my homework on it.

I was wondering if there was a fix similar to the one explained in the link I posted above. Are there any fixes specific for my model, the Acer Aspire V5-531?

Edge-Case

Well seeing as how there is so much help from everyone and my warranty expired a year ago, i have been trying the method described above but without renaming the file because mine ends in .ROM and not .fd.

So far I have actually had some text appear and the light on the thumb drive goes off.

If anyone knows more about this , please help. Worse case i rip out the hard drive tomorrow and mail thia piece of junk back to Acer with a very colorful I hate you note.

Edge-Case

I tried different key combos, alt+esc seems to produce the following text for a split second after the splash and after entering my bios password, I only captured the top with my phone camera recording ? Denote unreadable chars due to glare on the screen:

Phoenix SecureCore ??ano (T?)
Copyright 1985-2011 Phonix Technologies LTD.
All rights Reserved
This Bios is exclusively for Acer only
Cpu = Intel(R) Pentium?? CPU 967 @ 1.30 GHz
4096 MB System RAM Passed
256 kb L2 Cache
System Bios shadowed
Video Bios shadowed
Bios Version: 1.10.
USB Device: Kingston Datatraveler 2.0
fixed disk: ??? [Off camera's screen]
.....
.....

The rest was off the camera screen, it all happened in a jiffy.

laurent_14

Hello Edge-Case,

You should read this topic (Chigers): black screen - flash bios V5-571

You have the same setup bios utility (V5-531 or V5-571): Phoenix SecureCore Tiano BIOS

To summarize:

1- Download the bios file on the acer support website

2- If it's necessary (Windows version), extract the self-extratible file (*.exe) contained in the zip

file with 7-zip

3- Format an USB flash drive to FAT or FAT32

4- Copy all files on this one (contained in the Dos or Windows(#2) folder)

5- Follow the instructions of Chigers to recorver the bios

Edge-Case

Thank you very much for the reply.

I had gone over that thread before to no avail. That is where I got the idea to try alt+esc+power.

Just to recap, on a power=up without holding any keys down this is what happens:

1) Press power

2) Splash screen displays, the part were you can hit f2 to enter BIOS menu or f12 to change boot device.

3a) If no f key is pressed; Password screen (blue box)

3b) If either f key is pressed; Password screen (blue box)

4) After entering password, in both cases after either step (3), black screen

5) Indefinite silence....

I tried a different version (2.something) of the bios and the fn+esc+power combination and something different happened,

the following displayed, not all at once, I could tell it was executing and then displaying to stdout (the screen) one line at a time:

"""

TDK OEM Version v0.5 for Shell v1.3.23.3, Build 120806

Read BIOS from memory.

Initialize Flash module.

Read current BIOS.

Please update to the same type of BIOS (v1.x)

ERROR 235 - OEM check failed from BIOS service!

Warning System will Shut Down in 5 sec...

Press any key to continue

_

"""

But it never shuts down, then after pressing a key, it goes to a black screen.

I tried every version of BIOS there was except for those labeled Windows 8 and one other one gave the same result, the rest just go to black screen with the fn+esc+power combo and with the alt+esc+power combo they all quickly (less than a sec) display the message I captured with my phone and relayed in my previous post afte authentication. In all cases I am left with a black screen and silence.

Do you know what this could mean?

I wish Acer would have techs in this place instead of dumping the customer service responsibility on their customers.

If only I could get away that sort of service, I'd be rich by doing nothing.

laurent_14

Hello

In your first "screencopy":

"System Bios shadowed
Video Bios shadowed
Bios Version: 1.10.
USB Device: Kingston Datatraveler 2.0"

In your second "screen copy":

Read BIOS from memory.

Initialize Flash module.

Read current BIOS.

Please update to the same type of BIOS (v1.x)

As far as possible, you need the bios version V1.10. I asked to a member if it exists really. I wait the reply.

We talk about Recovery Bios and not Update Bios. That's not the same thing.

Edge-Case

Thanks, I will cross my fingers.

I don't think I saw BIOS version 1.10 at the download page for my product, just 1.14.

When I tried 1.14 nothing appeared on the screen, no messages like I posted, just a black screen. Maybe the messages are not in the programming/code.

Cory-Acer

Hi All,

I just want to confirm that I'm not aware of a 1.10. As you mentioned, the first BIOS release I see available is a 1.14.

Out of curiousity, what was the original operating system on this unit? Windows 7 or Windows 8?

Edge-Case

Hello Cory, and thanks for the reply.

The original OS was Windows 7.

I never performed a BIOS update so unless I got hit by a trojaned BIOS, it should be the original BIOS.

Cory-Acer

So v1.22 is what you'd want to be one with a Windows 7 unit.

The issue is that if it crashed during the upgrade process, it will take some special tools clear out the chip on the MB and reload it with a new BIOS. I would contact your local support team to see what options are available.

Edge-Case

I wasn't upgrading my BIOS when this happened, I was (re)installing Windows 7 onto a partition of my internal HDD while plugged into a power strip that was switched off.

When I came back from making coffee and watching the tube, my laptop was off. When I would try to turn it on it would turn off again until I plugged it into the wall, took me half an hour to figure out the switch on the power strip was in the off position.

After it charged up a bit thats when I got passes POST ( I think thats what it's called) and was prompted for my BIOS password, which is still in tact, so the CMOS retained that and probably my other configurations such as boot device order. But after authenticating I was presented with this "beautiful" black screen that never went away.

Seeming as how I can't seem to fix this myself, how much should I expect to pay for professional help, assuming it is fixable?

P.S. I vow to never touch Windows ever again, ever. I don't even want to see a "start" menu.

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