Help clearing grayed out options in bios ( Acer Aspire 3 A315-31)

claytonsililo
claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
edited August 2023 in 2018 Archives
  Hello, I have been having problems with my bios. My laptop's bios is unusable (all options are grayed out), it is preventing me from adding new hardware and installing Linux. I have tried updating my bios firmware and removing the cmos battery for 10-30min but they failed. I have also been looking for the location of the jumpers but I can't seem to find where they are located. I have an Acer Aspire 3 A315-31, any help regarding the location of jumpers on the motherboard and clearing of the grayed out options in bios will be appreaciated.

Answers

  • wis
    wis Member Posts: 713 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    Unable to find an image with the jumpers clearly delineated, perhaps this will serve as a guide post, under Method 3.
  • claytonsililo
    claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
     Hello, how are you? Thank you for the feedback. I will tell you if it works.


  • claytonsililo
    claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
    wis
     
    Thanks for the help but I can't seem to find the jumpers on motherboard or anywhere near the rtc (cmos battery).




  • claytonsililo
    claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
     This is what my motherboard looks like


  • wis
    wis Member Posts: 713 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    edited October 2018
    The link said:
    "On a laptop, you may not see jumpers, but dip switches instead. All you have to do here is move the switch up or down."

    dip switch

    Even when I magnify the image of your motherboard, I can't see a dip switch.

    If you can't find it either, another option is to short the pins in the RAM slot as shown at 2:15 in the video, which is not specific for your model; so check your service manual first for the RTS-RSD point. If you still can't find the pins, ask the motherboard manufacturer for the location.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scpy4jH6HY4

  • claytonsililo
    claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
    wis

     Thanks for the info about contacting the motherboard manufacturer. I'm waiting for their response. Hope they help me with my problem.
  • wis
    wis Member Posts: 713 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    If you do find the jumpers & the problem is not resolved; we need to go back to square one. We need to know what exactly was done before you encountered the grey out options in the UEFI settings.  We will have to look for a solution elsewhere, because we were barking up the wrong tree.  If the use of American idioms is confusing, let me know.   I forget periodically that this is an international forum.
  • claytonsililo
    claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
    wis
     
      Hello again, don't worry I'm fluent in English (American or British). I first encountered this problem when I cleared my tmp and did a full reset of my machine. Then, I updated the bios from 1.09 to 1.12, after the flashing finished I noticed that all the options had become gray.
  • wis
    wis Member Posts: 713 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    Hopefully you have a system image & backed up the 1.09 firmware before embarking on this little adventure.  Recovery may be easier than hunting down those elusive & rascally jumpers.
  • claytonsililo
    claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
     No luck there. I didn't make a system image recovery. Well, it's a lesson learned.


  • wis
    wis Member Posts: 713 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    Bitter lessons are those best remembered. 
    Two other thoughts:
    1) Seek help at Reddit.  Matt DeVillier (a.k.a "MrChromebox", who wrote the utility for Chromebox conversions) is a member there.  If this is a dead end, then...
    2) Inquire about his un-bricking service.  The email link is at the bottom of this webpage. He seems to be a kindly & unavaricious fellow.

  • claytonsililo
    claytonsililo Member Posts: 23 Troubleshooter
    wis

    Thanks for all the information, it is really helpful I will ask for further help from him...
  • wis
    wis Member Posts: 713 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    Matt seems to be a really nice guy, but you may want to try this first.