Can't access bios V5-571

galuple
galuple Member Posts: 1 New User

Hello everyone. I have an Acer V5-571. Long since out of warranty. Well the hard drive died, so I figured I'd take the oppertunity to swap in an SSD. 

 

That part went well. However what has since stumped me is that I can't access the bios. I've tried:

 

1) Hammering F2 repeatedly

2) Hammering Del repeatedly

3) Hammering F12 

4) Holding down various keys while pressing the power button.

 

All to no avail. I've seen elsewhere that you can access the bios from Windows 8, but that doesn't do me much good right now if I don't have a hard drive with Windows 8 on it.

 

Thanks for all your replies!

Answers

  • Clyde
    Clyde Member, Knowledge Author Posts: 420 Mr. Fixit WiFi Icon

    The F2 key is the hotkey for entering BIOS on Acer laptops.

     

    Are you sure the keyboard is hooked back up correctly after installing the SSD?

     

    Does the computer beep if you hold down a key?

     

    Do you have an external keyboard you can attach? 

  • DetroitNate
    DetroitNate Member Posts: 1 New User

    We're you able to get into BIOS?  If so, what did you do?  I have the same computer and am having the same problem.  I've double checked the connection of my keyboard.  It appears to be connected.  The ESC key and all of the other function keys are working properly.  I've also tried to use a wireless keyboard.  F2 doesn't beep like it it did before when accessing bios and the computer just boots up like normal, skipping bios. 

  • olaphg
    olaphg Member Posts: 1 New User
    I get the Operating system not found message on my screen no bios no boot menu I use Acer aspire v5-531 help
  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    if you press ALT+F10 at boot, are you able to enter windows 8.x recovery?

     

    windows 8.x recovery

     

    if so

    1. Once the boot menu appears, select Troubleshoot.
    2. In the Troubleshoot menu, select Advanced options.
    3. In the Advanced options menu, click UEFI Firmware Settings.
    4. Click Restart. The system will restart and enter UEFI (BIOS).
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • jace96732
    jace96732 Member Posts: 2 New User

    I have the same problem. I have tried pressing all the keys F2, F8, F9, F10, F11, SHIFT-F10. I still cant get to the bios and still can make my Acer V5-571 to start even on the cd.

     

    Can anyone please help

  • jace96732
    jace96732 Member Posts: 2 New User

    I did tried hooking up an external keyboard. pressed all the same keys nothin happened. still cant go in.

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    it's ALT+F10 not shift+F10

     

    are you able to boot from USB?

    is you system able to boot from HDD?

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • wallijonn
    wallijonn Member Posts: 8 New User

    I have found that when a HDD goes bad it is best to buy a new hard drive and buy a copy of Windows 8 or 8.1 (NOT an Upgrade copy!) If you wish to install W10 instead, buy a full copy of that, instead.

     

    Trying to get into the BIOS via F2, Del, F12, Alt-10, etc., is fruitless. If you haven't already made a Recovery USB then getting into the BIOS is impossible.

     

    If you buy a new HD and insert the Windows disc into the DVD drive it should allow you to easily install a new copy of Windows. It will be cheaper than going to a store and having them do it. (For example, they will charge you $50 for the disk, $50 for installing the disk, $100 for the software and $200 to install the software.)

     

    If by some chance you do have a Recovery disc (or you nstalled a temporary Windows 8 OS) and you Win-C -> PC Settings ->Recovery ->Advanced -> Troubleshooting -> Advanced Options -> UEFI Firmware Settings -> Restart ---

     

    You will find that if you insert the System Recovery Disc (1 of 1) it will eventually fail and say that the BIOS has to be set to Legacy BIOS. If You go back into Windows/Charms/PC Settings -> UEFI Settings/Restart and set the BIOS to Leagcy, F10, the PC restarts and loads disc 1 of 1: it will then say that the BIOS has to be set UEFI. Set it to UEFI and it will say that it needs to be set to Legacy; set it to Legacy and it will say that it needs to be set to UEFI. Turning off Security won't work, resetting it to default won't work - in fact nothing will work that will allow you to use the Acer Recovery disc(s) to rebuild your system.

     

    The Recovery discs will not work. Getting into the BIOS won't work.

     

    Just buy a new HD, install it yourself, and install a new copy of store bought Windows 8 or 8.1. Save yourself countless hours of frustrations.

     

    Once you have installed your new OS, make a Recovery Disc, go back into Win-C/PC Settings/Recoevery/Advanced/Troubleshooting/Advanced Options/UEFI Firmware/Restart and now should be able to change the Boot Order, set or clear Supervisor password, etc.

     

    Now go out and buy another HD and a SATA3 caddy. If you know how you should be able to make an image copy of the disc. Since you will have plenty of room left over, make sure that you copy your documents, pictures, videos, music, source programs, bookmarks (and cookies), etc. on a regular basis.

     

    One thing you can do is to boot the USB Recoevry disc and choose the Command prompt. Then issue the command

    BCDedit /set default BootMenuPolicy {Default}

    exit

     

    to allow you to hit F8 when it starts to boot into Window.

     

    The other commands that can be inserted when the OS can't be found is

    Bootrec /fixboot

    Bootrec /Rebuild BCD

     

    If you have another PC available, and a caddy that you can install the HD from the Acer PC, download and install "Diskinfo". You will probably need to go into Disc Manager and assign a drive letter to the OS partition. When looking at Diskinfo if there are any yellow or red radio buttons lit - replace the HD.

     

    As time goes on, keep making backup images onto your spare caddy/drive. Create a new folder and give it a date as a name and move the last backup into it. Should your new drive ever die you should be able to boot from the USB Recovery stick and restore the disc from the last backup image.

     

     

     

     

     

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    wallijonn wrote:

     

    You will find that if you insert the System Recovery Disc (1 of 1) it will eventually fail and say that the BIOS has to be set to Legacy BIOS. If You go back into Windows/Charms/PC Settings -> UEFI Settings/Restart and set the BIOS to Leagcy, F10, the PC restarts and loads disc 1 of 1: it will then say that the BIOS has to be set UEFI. Set it to UEFI and it will say that it needs to be set to Legacy; set it to Legacy and it will say that it needs to be set to UEFI. Turning off Security won't work, resetting it to default won't work - in fact nothing will work that will allow you to use the Acer Recovery disc(s) to rebuild your system.

     

     


    know issue on Acer recovery, you just need to wipe the target HDD and recovery will boot using  UEFI.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • wallijonn
    wallijonn Member Posts: 8 New User

    No. If one doesn't make a Revocery Disc before one tries to use the Recovery Disc it will be almost impossible to restore the system. If one has a Recovery Disc and uses Windows Charms to restart into the UEFI boot, one mustn'r remove the power plug (and oviously the battery) before attempting it as the PC will automatically reset to UEFI boot.

     

    If it refaults to UEFI boot and one has removed the AC power cord when one changes the HD and then boots the PC with the Rebuild disc in the DVD burner it will fail, exhibiting the rebbot into "Legacy BIOS" message.

     

    If one has mangled their W8.1 system by attempting to upgrade to Windows 10 upon reboot they can try holding down the "0" (zero) key and then depressing the power button.

     

    But chances are that the Windows 10 installation has caused the HD to have 7 partitions. To remove them all one will need to boot into a Linux Lice CD, using the disk utility, deleting the OS partition, formatting the partitions that cannot be deleted and delete them after they have been formatted. A quick format of zeroes may be sufficient, but I have found that even though the disc is empty with no partitions, the Recovery Disc 1-of-1 will not initate a Recovery, even  though it has defaulted back to UEFI.

     

    My BIOS version is 2.11.