ACER NITRO AN515-42 automatic BIOS update

Hello, a few days ago my pc downloaded some windows updates, he wanted to restart the computer, but after restart, BIOS started to install a new update. I didn't understand, because, I didn't download any BIOS updates or something. But okay, after installed BIOS, my PC automatically restarted and started diagnosing PC, and repair it, so I check the BIOS version and I saw version V1.18 - but on the product support site, I found only V1.17 version (check the picture) . But okay, I changed some settings in BIOS, and I change the BOOT sequence - First boot SSD, second HDD. And after that change, PC normally boot and loaded BUT doesn´t save this boot sequence! Every setting saves normally, but the boot sequence is always in default settings, which means, after start PC, I have to change BOOT sequence because I can´t enter to windows if I don´t change it. WHAT THE HELL ??? Why was BIOS automatically updated ???

BIOS support in acer site:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/uc/cy3f9phdkix1.jpg

Installed BIOS after Windows update:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/kc/aqk91g9erl8t.jpg

Accepted answers

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aphanic

I can offer you some answers as to why.

The firmware was upgraded because there is an UEFI-compliant firmware interface in Windows and if a manufacturer pushes a firmware upgrade through Windows Update, the devices it targets will get updated to it by default in one of the reboots. It has become a somewhat normal practice because those are upgrades that tend not to be applied manually unless there's a problem and someone is directed to upgrade the device firmware.

Which is a shame in my opinion, because they not only bring tweaks but also fixes and security and performance updates like newer microcode for the processor or its subsystems like the power management one.

As to why it isn't published in the support page, because Acer is lazy, plain and simple. I'm sure there are different departments involved in all of this, the one in charge of updating websites is not the one in charge of firmware upgrades for sure, but it doesn't happen with firmware updates only, it happens with all sorts of updates to various components. And Acer is not alone in this, many manufacturers also fall behind in updating their support pages with what they push through Windows Update.

Now, related to the BIOS settings, for some reason, probably related to the way they work on the firmware, they tend to revert its settings back to the defaults after a successful upgrade. So any change the user might have made needs to be done again, like changing the media keys to act as function ones for example, or enabling the boot menu.

Those are innocuous, but what about the SATA operation mode? It is selectable in some models (and in other's it's been hidden until Ctrl+S is pressed in the Main tab), changing from AHCI to RST and vice versa will cause the machine not to boot Windows until the change is made again, or a series of steps are performed.

So if an user had changed it to AHCI and the default for that machine was RST, there you go, after a BIOS update another mandatory change the user has to do.

What you're experiencing with your boot sequence order could be a side effect of all this, of returning to the default settings, or it could be something they changed in that firmware revision. The changlogs they release for what the release is supposed to change are often vague and more things were tweaked/changed, like MCUs being silently updated for example (updating the microcode is a good thing).

I hope this helps you understand why and how things work, even if it is a little bit I hope your understanding on the matter is a bit clearer

sri369

Windows RUN --> gpedit
--> Computer Configuration
--> Administrative Templates
--> Windows Components
--> Windows Update
--> "Do not include drivers with windows update" --> ENABLE
This will disable windows from auto updating drivers and BIOS. Drivers can always be updated only as needed - there is no need to update to the latest version all the time.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/6u/gnnmdi05gp60.png

sri369

aphanic said:

As to why it isn't published in the support page, because Acer is lazy, plain and simple. I'm sure there are different departments involved in all of this, the one in charge of updating websites is not the one in charge of firmware upgrades for sure, but it doesn't happen with firmware updates only, it happens with all sorts of updates to various components. And Acer is not alone in this, many manufacturers also fall behind in updating their support pages with what they push through Windows Update.

You could be grossly wrong here. Almost all devices come with something called support period for updates to BIOS where BIOS gets updated frequently based on manufacturer releasing updates. During this time of 1-2 years manufacturers test the updates on the target model and when satisfied publish to the site. Post that support comes the period of security patching - BIOS is updated to site only for security issues and not for every update the manufacturer releases. We keep the laptop for a few years, companies maintain their updates for about 1-2 years from release date. Companies release updates after testing on the target model, manufacturer releases in generic.

A manufacturer may or may not support if you brick your system with a non manufacturer bios update, example, any bios update via windows that's not published by manufactuer. Also, if they do support, they would only revert it back to one of their supported BIOS versions (factory settings) and the user would need to disable this auto updating of drivers.

aphanic said:

It has become a somewhat normal practice because those are upgrades that tend not to be applied manually unless there's a problem and someone is directed to upgrade the device firmware.

And has also caused pain to many users - this these are not tested on all kinds of hardware mixups being offered. And this "normal process" is something being pushed on to home users to get something they do not really need. Almost all businesses decide on when to update drivers/bios... so do many home users who know how to handles these kinds of things.

aphanic

@sri369, I can tell you right now their testing methodologies aren't worth much (to put it mildly and keep it PG-12) when we have bricked devices out of firmware upgrades. Period. You test in house, and account for all the possibilities (variations of the SPI ROM /EC chips you used in that model, variations in vBIOSes, ME, etc.) and only if no problem happens, then you push the update. Or even better, just do as you do in desktops and add a second SPI ROM chip, problem mitigated!

What makes you think firmware updates published through Windows Update aren't made by the manufacturer or that they are generic in any way? It's the same with drivers, more and more, Windows Update it just an excellent update publishing methodology for them because it's widespread for all their machines of a certain model and doesn't require human interaction. Just look at who's publishing the firmware patches for the A515-54G for example: https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=UEFI%5cRES_%7b12b99262-648c-4365-bafd-eb869fbc1345%7d

Acer, the device manufacturer. Windows Update is but a vessel.

And Security patching... don't get me started, the A515-54G hasn't ha a single ME firmware update in any of its firmware releases, not a single one, what's up with security? It's just not a priority. It's been running on the C6 revision of its microcode until 1.21 where they have silently updated the MCU to CA (the official changelog being "Support ACER ELinux new boot path." and that's not even the latest microcode release! Intel releases those upgrades for the Linux community and through Windows on a regular basis.

Yet, of course, more expensive devices get a better treatment, like the Nitro AN515-55 which saw its first firmware upgrade over a month ago and already has a newer revision that that of the A515-54G has by default. Same goes for the other subsystems, PMC, PCHC, you name it; security is clearly a matter of $ for the company. I reckon my opinion may not be popular, but it's based on sound information. And it's not like the A515-54G is an older model, they still sell it, and sporting Comet Lake processors no less.

Even a clean Windows installation of 1909 leads to, with all of the drivers installed from the support page, plenty that were pushed through Windows Update but aren't published in the support page, including an in-house one:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/qv/xlr14xsw33n4.png

Which, by the way, are still running Realtek on the 8800s line on 2004 and on the dev channel by default, they haven't submitted anything newer. I won't name names, but there are others who are and it's easy to know because you can see the publisher in the catalog.

If you don't want to call it laziness, or lack of a security first mentality, call it lack of inter-department communication. In my opinion, there is clearly room for improvement here in many ways.

As for the policy setting to bypass driver updates through Windows update, that's like killing flies with sledgehammers.

Point the first, the policy editor is not available for Home editions and its related registry setting bypassed if you're running Home. Point the second, you're forgoing any other kind of driver update. Wouldn't it be better to just disable the firmware interface? No more firmware upgrades through WU if that's your thing and you're still open to newer releases of drivers:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6029997/uploads/editor/6u/li1ai3jj480w.png

Specially in older systems, running several years old code for drivers doesn't only constitute a security issue, but is also the source of many incompatibilities with newer Windows updates. See 2004 for example, with the block they had (have still? can't test it) for devices running on NVIDIA graphics card pre v358 release.

F1F1NAK

Guys, thx a lot. I tried to reset BIOS settings to default, and after that, I set up my settings, and wuala, BOOT sequence saves normally. I´m really surprised

.

aphanic said: Point the first, the policy editor is not available for Home editions and its related registry setting bypassed if you're running Home. - Yop, that is true. I can´t change these policy settings.

I like to have the newest drivers and updates, but BIOS is something different. If I can change it to the previous version, I don't care u know... But if some new automatic BIOS update kills my laptop, who is at fault? Me, who trust the Windows Update? Or who?

When someone who doesn't know what is BIOS etc. have this problem, what can he do? He takes the laptop and give it to Acer services and waiting a month for it? He is waiting a month because of 30 seconds work of reset BIOS yes? I think this is a crazy and stupid idea to automatically install a new BIOS update...

Anyway, thx for the answers and new information to me. Have a great day

aphanic

F1F1NAK said:

I like to have the newest drivers and updates, but BIOS is something different. If I can change it to the previous version, I don't care u know... But if some new automatic BIOS update kills my laptop, who is at fault? Me, who trust the Windows Update? Or who?

Acer in this case, the system manufacturer and the author of the firmware itself. Windows Update is just the medium in which they pushed the firmware upgrade this time, but if you download it from the support page and install it yourself following the official procedure (with all the checks that are in place) and the laptop ends up in an un-bootable state they're at fault, nobody else.

They should have tested things better, or at the very least add a secondary SPI ROM chip! I don't know how much would that require in cost, or real state in the motherboard but come on, it's been done in desktops for many many years.

If a firmware upgrade went wrong, for example because the power was cut off during the middle of it (most don't have the luxury of having batter backups) the other one still has a perfectly working copy of the previous code and things can keep on working.

F1F1NAK said:
When someone who doesn't know what is BIOS etc. have this problem, what can he do? He takes the laptop and give it to Acer services and waiting a month for it? He is waiting a month because of 30 seconds work of reset BIOS yes? I think this is a crazy and stupid idea to automatically install a new BIOS update...

Pretty much, they'd call support, who probably wouldn't have much of an idea about what to do, but I think suggesting to load the BIOS' default settings is something they suggest nowadays, it wouldn't save the call though.

Things ought to be tested properly before go-time, and it applies to everything, even in web development they have pre-production which is where they do changes before they're deemed ready for production and the site is really updated. Generally, because we're not perfect, we're all human after all, but we just have to own up and take responsibility for our actions.

If something goes wrong, and it's our fault, the right thing to do is to admit it, learn from our mistakes and carry on.