Is it possible to reload the original firmware? Was Win7, now Win10 Home.

After a windows update 2 weeks ago, the computer wouldn't boot, just sat there with an error screen saying Windows failed to load. After many attempts to boot into safe mode, trying to get windows to do a repair or at least tell me what file was corrupted, etc, I had to do a windows reset. Since I'm in hospital long term, I have no access to boot disks or other recovery media. I would really like to re-install the original Acer firmware, which included clear.fi for viewing dvds, etc. does anyone know of a place to download from? There is no way to contact Acer by email that I can find, and searches of the support section turn up nothing, as do searches of this forum. Thanks in advance. Andy

Accepted answers

JackE

If you changed to Win10 during Microsoft's freebie period, the original hidden ACER Win7 recovery partition with all the missing apps has probably been wiped.

You can however download and try to install the Win7 apps from https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/3679?b=1 Most of them are zip files that are auto decompressed to yield installation EXE files. Some of the EXE files may have to be run in Win7 compatibility mode in Win10 (just right click on the EXE, choose properties and click on the compatibility tab).

As for OfficeXP, if you didn't make a backup or have the original installation media, you can certainly install LibreOffice freeware which is much more powerful than OfficeXP, similar interface, and has the added advantage of being able to handle all the latest MSOffice file formats as well as all previous versions.

Jack E/NJ

All comments

JackE

(1) What do you mean by 'firmware'? Firmware is used to program the BIOS chip, not install Windows.
(2) How did you try to re-set Win10 if Win10 didn't load?
(3) What is your full ACER model number?

Jack E/NJ

NS_Andy

Thanks for the reply, Jack.

1) By firmware I mean the original programs that Acer installs on all laptops. There's clear.fi for watching DVDs, Acer Backup Manager, ePower Management, eRecovery, etc...

2) If Windows doesn't load on the first attempt, with repeated tries it will eventually take you to a troubleshooting screen with a number of options to fix the no-load problem. I tried all of them to no avail, & I know from previous experience that "System Reset" is the most powerful, it reloads a lot of windows files, but it also removes almost anything that isn't a MS product. This finally got Windows to load, but of course most of my non-MS files & programs were gone, as well as my copy of Office XP (too old?)

3) ********** The SNID is ************

[Post edited as the member posted in Spanish language -Acer-Harvey]

JackE

If you changed to Win10 during Microsoft's freebie period, the original hidden ACER Win7 recovery partition with all the missing apps has probably been wiped.

You can however download and try to install the Win7 apps from https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/3679?b=1 Most of them are zip files that are auto decompressed to yield installation EXE files. Some of the EXE files may have to be run in Win7 compatibility mode in Win10 (just right click on the EXE, choose properties and click on the compatibility tab).

As for OfficeXP, if you didn't make a backup or have the original installation media, you can certainly install LibreOffice freeware which is much more powerful than OfficeXP, similar interface, and has the added advantage of being able to handle all the latest MSOffice file formats as well as all previous versions.

Jack E/NJ

NS_Andy

Thanks for the quick response.

As soon as I read <Win7>, I realized why I couldn't find what I was looking for on the Acer site. I was looking under Win8, since there's no Win10. The only thing I seem to be missing is the "clear.fi" program for video. I really liked it. I realize there are lots of other programs available for free download, I'm currently using VLC Media Player, the only thing I don't like about it is the lack of fast forward & rewind (multi speeds) buttons, which clear.fi had. Any suggestions are welcome.

Also, thanks for the tip about LibreOffice, I don't recall hearing about it. I have OpenOffice, but I don't like it, so was thinking about coughing up the $$$ for a new version of MS Office, which would be very expensive, since I'm now retired and don't need it for work purposes.

I know that most of the files that are now not accessible are stored in windows.old folder, I'm hoping that LibreOffice will be able to retrieve them.

Again, my thanks,

Andy

JackE

Google clear.fi download Windows 7. Jack E/NJ

NS_Andy

Hi Jack:

Again, thanks for the lead. Took a bit of searching, and looking at where the download link actually led to, one had a virus embedded. I think I finally have a good copy of the zip file.

Andy

JackE

>>>one had a virus embedded>>>

Which one? And which virus scanner detected it? I'd like to test it with one of my standalone scanners. Jack E/NJ

NS_Andy

I downloaded the file from the updatestar site, ignored all of the warnings from Firefox and Avast about a contaminated file, and installed the program. Avast immediately came up with a warning, stating that the contaminated file is "pmls64.dll" and moved it to the virus chest. I'm now restarting that computer to see what happens, since, if there is a virus, there's nothing personal on that laptop, and it can be fixed by a format and reinstall of Win10.

NS_Andy

I now have a "Survey" page popped up on the laptop, going by the title of "Premier*Opinion, which is telling me all of the terms I "consented" to, asking for my age and gender. I will now click on the "discontinue membership" link, to see if they really go away.

On top of which, all that was installed in the Windows start menu was the now infamous link to setup the media sharing, nothing to launch the actual program.

JackE

If you google "clear.fi" "windows 7" this download site comes up clean. https://www.solvusoft.com/en/files/error-virus-removal/exe/windows/acer-incorporated/acer-clear-fi/clear-fi-exe/ on both the Fox browser, standalone stinger and MS malicious software removal tool. Jack E/NJ

NS_Andy

Just running a "boot time scan" from Avast, to make sure nothing got through. Clicking on the "discontinue membership" link launched another page, promising cash rewards for my opinions, with a whole bunch of Q & A that I didn't bother to read. I just went to Add/Remove and uninstalled "Premier*Opinions. I will follow the link you included in your last post as soon as we get back from food shopping later today.

Thanks, Andy

NS_Andy

All I can find on the Solvusoft site are links to various programs that promise to fix all kinds of errors and will download for free, but charge you money to activate. There is no link to actually download the clearfi program that I can find. I think I'll have to give up trying to find a way to reinstall clear.fi,

NS_Andy

and use VLC instead. Thanks for all your time. Andy

JackE

That's weird. The zipfile I downloaded and checked for viruses from solvusoft was --- application_acer_1.05.3000_w7x86w7x64_a.zip . 26.181MB. I googled it and found it on some other sites as well. Jack E/NJ

NS_Andy

But did it install the entire program on your machine? That zip file only installed the Share pare of clear.fi on my machine - 3 times. I've now relaunched the installer, which is uninstalling the program from my laptop, and restarting.

NS_Andy

Ran a search in the C:\directory for clear.fi. All of the items it found are in the windows.old directory, none of them appear to be an exe program to reload clear.fi

JackE

I only checked the zipfile for viruses. My setups can't use clearfi. Is the zipfile size that you downloaded 26MB? Jack E/NJ

NS_Andy

Found one entry in a folder called OEM, which looked like it might install the complete program. Unfurtunately, all it did was install the menu line for clear.fi and a sub-line for the share stttings. All other entries in the OEM folder in the search appear to be Acer programs. There is no folder called OEM that appears in file explorer. If there's a partition on the HDD that contains the original setup files, how do I access them?

NS_Andy

Zipfile is 26181MB, extracts to just more than that.

JackE

>>> All other entries in the OEM folder in the search appear to be Acer programs. There is no folder called OEM that appears in file explorer.>>>

Please explain how you saw ACER entries in the OEM folder when the OEM folder doesn't appear in File Explorer. Jack E/NJ

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