Aspire xc-605 - bios update question

Malechai · January 2023

Hi there, running win10. hoping someone can clarify something for me regarding the files on the bios update page here:

Support | Acer United States

https://www.acer.com/us-en/support?search=AXC-605&filter=global_download&suggest=Axc-605;1

Find service & support for your Acer products, search for BIOS updates, manuals, drivers and patches.

The file dates and version numbering for the top 3 bios updates aren't clear. 2014 higher version than 2016? Which of these 3 is the latest/newest bios?

Date: 2014/11/12

Version: P21.A4

Date: 2016/04/27

Version: P11-B4L

Date: 2015/08/19

Version: P11.B4

Thank you!

StevenGen · January 2023

Aspire xc-605 - bios update question

Malechai

Jan 21, 2023

Hi there, running win10. hoping someone can clarify something for me regarding the files on the bios update page here:
https://www.acer.com/us-en/support?search=AXC-605&filter=global_download&suggest=Axc-605;1
The file dates and version numbering for the top 3 bios update aren't clear because the version numbers and release dates are a mess. Which of these 3 is the latest/newest bios?
Date: 2014/11/12
Version: P21.A4
Date: 2016/04/27
Version: P11-B4L
Date: 2015/08/19
Version: P11.B4
Thank you!

Why do you want to update the BIOS? BIOS updates are not done like a software update, they are done for reason and fixes that the actual BIOS title either fixes or improves your desktop functionality and these last 3 BIOS updates are for different reasons.

Modify keep setup data while after flash BIOS - Version: P21.A4
1.Modify version for Capsule update function. - Version: P11-B4Lwhich is for the UEFI capsule that is the mechanism by which the firmware being updated is transferred from the operating system to the UEFI BIOS. Along with the firmware image and code to perform the update securely, the capsule contains a header used to identify device and content.
BIOS - which the last update for the general BIOS functionality that is Version: P11.B4

Malechai · January 2023

Hi thanks for your reply. Found the answer in this awesome post here

JordanB

Dec 22, 2022

There's two different versions of the mainboard that came from the factory (ok, technically 3, but for compatibility sake, I'll say two.)
XC-605 Windows version (pre-installed with Windows)
XC-605 Linpus linux version (pre-installed with Linpus)
The Linpus version of the mainboard uses the BIOS with the L (e.g. P11.B4L)
The Windows mainboard version use the BIOS without the L
The people that were using Windows 7 would generally use the P21.B4 version if they were still using "launch CSM=enabled" and secure boot disabled (and still had legacy MBR).
The people that were using Windows 8.1 with secure boot enable and "launch CSM=never" and the modern GPT partitioning style use the P11.B4 version.
For example, my desktop came pre-installed with Windows 8.1 so I was using BIOS P11.xx. Then I upgraded to the latest which is P11.B4. And then I subsequently did the free upgrade to Windows 10.
If I had the Linpus version of the mainboard (that uses the L version of the BIOS), then I would have to download the L version of BIOS and follow the README instructions in the extracted P11-B4L BIOS file.
If your mainboard/computer came pre-installed from factory with Windows, don't use the L version.
If your mainboard/computer came pre-installed from factory with Linpus, then use the L version.
"
Edit: If you have XC-605G, then search for XC-605G instead of XC-605
https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/drivers-and-manuals