Switch One 10 SW-011 NVRAM unlock, the unit become sloe and the update's dont work

nmoon88

I find that Windows 10 runs intolerably slow on this device and has gotten to the point where updates don't work so I have been trying to install alternative operating systems, mostly forms of Linux that support UEFI booting. The installation of all these operating systems has failed because the NVRAM is locked and no matter what I have tried I cannot unlock it so that I can install an alternative operating system and make this device usable. Is there anything I am missing in the BIOS or other settings? I have tried deleting all the secure boot keys setting the TPM to Setup mode, turning off secure boot, reinstalling the keys and forcing the device into User mode. There is no BIOS battery on this device and I need to unlock the NVRAM to allow for these operating systems to install.

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/702131/switch-one-10-sw-011-nvram-unlock

Unfortunately, you can't as the Switch One 10 SW-011 is stuck with DDR3 2GB soldered ram and you can't upgrade it. But this laptop comes oem from Acer with Win-10 Home, so if you keep it basic, this OS should work. Its similar to my Aspire One Happy 2 that also has 2GB (removable ram) that came with Win-7 Basic and Android, btw I'm using that as a paper weight😀. Either Try Win-7 Basic or Home 64bit or buy a new laptop as the Switch One 10 SW-011 is designed to run simple office and internet-related applications and running anything else, it will give you problems. Good luck and hope this helps you out.

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nmoon88

NVRAM is a different story compared to the other types of RAM which are volatile and some instructions relating to EFI boot are stored in NVRAM on this device. The funny thing is there are Linux distributions where the installer will boot but the installation will fail because of the locked NVRAM. And by the way, I tried Windows 7 and it did not work. It just went directly to the BIOS setup instead of the installer. I am not using this as a primary computer, mostly as something to play around with at the moment because if I lose data it does not matter.

nmoon88

I went through everything I thought of again and NOTHING is working, all attempted installations are failing now because of the NVRAM being locked and I can't unlock it which was the whole reason for starting this thread. This has not been answered in any meaningful way and I am still stuck with a tablet which is nearly useless entirely and would not be any better if Windows 10 was installed it on it again. The lack of flash storage makes this a ticking time bomb where when you run out of storage and Windows updates alone will do that as will the files created by even the most basic programs very quickly as Windows alone uses the vast majority of the memory it will brick itself over time. And Linux or Chrome OS is about the only way to make this thing usable because they are lighter on resources and given this is a VERY low end device which honestly should have never even been introduced in the first place resources are limited. At the moment I am getting more and more frustrated with this because I don't know how to unlock the NVRAM or Non Volatile Read Only Memory where the bootloader instructions are stored which is completely separate from the system RAM and apparently no one knows the answer.

billsey

There shouldn't be an issue with installing an alternate OS, as long as it is a 32bit OS, not 64bit. The SW-011 requires a 32bit image…

nmoon88

I have tried 32 bit and 64 bit and the same thing happens, either the installer will not even boot and it just goes over to the BIOS or it will give an NVRAM Locked error when trying to install. The processor is an Intel Atom Z-8350 which is x86_64. 32 bit Linux distributions are VERY rare now, most are 64 bit only and these results are not only on the very few 32 bit ones I could find but also the 64 bit ones so the processor architecture has nothing to do with it. The issue is clearly in the BIOS somewhere and no matter what it is set to it will not allow alternative operating systems to install for the most part. The latest version of Debian will work somewhat but audio and the MicroSD card reader don't work and automatic rotation is reversed. On ones where I have had them boot and the audio functioning I get the NVRAM Locked error when the installer attempts to write the necessary bootloader code.

billsey

I no longer have any of the small Windows tablets like this, so can't physically verify, but when they were more current I remember several people getting a 32bit Linux distribution running on them easily, but never with a 64bit version. Same thing with Windows. Since the maximum ram installed is 2GB there is no performance gain with a 64bit version.