Restore UEFI BIOS (Legacy currently running) -- E5 576G

dooflite
dooflite Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
edited October 2023 in 2020 Archives
I rolled back the UEFI Bios to Legacy (UNDI) and now I need to return to UEFI. Per Acer's utility to create a recovery disk, I created a backup USB but, sadly, that doesn't work past a certain point (74%).  I also downloaded the UEFI Bios from the support site, Acer but, unfortunately, the Windows 32 I can boot from the recover disc doesn't support it:

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My question: How I can flash UEFI BIOS (Insyde H2 utility for BIOS distribution) to my laptop again? The option to select and run any other boot disc isn't available in UNDI BIOS:



Answers

  • aphanic
    aphanic Member Posts: 959 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    I have no idea what UNDI means in all of this, but I think you have several options.
    • One of them I'm not acquainted with, but @JackE might. It involves putting the BIOS file in a specially crafted recovery USB stick and then using the Fn+Esc combination while booting.

    • The other is just using the updater Acer provides, but I understand (I think) what your problem is, you're running on a version of Windows PE that is 64-bit and the subsystem to run 32-bit Windows programs is unavailable, so maybe I still have some 32-bit live Windows environment around that you could try to use. Give me some time and I'll see if I can find it.
  • aphanic
    aphanic Member Posts: 959 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    edited August 2020
    Found one that could be of use, at least it should boot just fine in legacy settings which is what you're running right now. I wouldn't know abut UEFI though, being 32-bit and all, but maybe you can use it to create a bootable USB and try to flash the BIOS from there: https://mega.nz/file/hM9EDIBI#C6Bh5lI3-NbbNI1-q_CsmhltdMGwDm56AcbD63t5oVc

    There's a file explorer at the bottom left that can be used to navigate to where you have the BIOS file stored.

    Settings for booting in a legacy environment would be as follows with Rufus for example:

           
  • dooflite
    dooflite Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    So, yeah, currently I cannot load Windows at all on the Acer. Luckily, I can access it via another machine (Mac OS using a VM, Parelles, I'll find out if there are IO issues writing to USB soon enough) to try and create recovery drives ... BUT when I put the BIOS currently available on the support site for my laptop and ran it from the command line, I got the initial error I posted.

    Google-fu shows some threads on the BIOS currently running (UNDI PXE 2.0 build 83) but, for some reason, all the options are greyed out/not available in my BIOS. For that reason, I can't follow most of the troubleshooting guides online -- I can't select startup discs! When I go to boot manager (F12 on start up) and press Enter to select a drive and move it up to primary boot device, it automatically enters into BIOS DOS screen.

    Hmmmmm ....

    I'll poke around what you sent and let you know if I can dig up a solution. Thanks for your thoughts!


  • aphanic
    aphanic Member Posts: 959 Seasoned Specialist WiFi Icon
    You can create a bootable disk for legacy systems in macOS as well, but I can't provide you with specifics because I have no access to any at the moment.

    The thing would go as follows:
     - Create a partition table in the USB stick following the MBR scheme (not GPT).
     - Create a partition in there, NTFS formatted (may be tricky in macOS) and set it as active, or bootable, it's a flag.
     - Dump in there the contents of that ISO.

    Or, write that ISO file onto a CD/CD-RW and boot that way. I was able to boot it in machines set to legacy and not UEFI (there is UEFI code in there as well, but many 64-bit UEFI machines will refuse to load 32-bit UEFI boot code).
  • dooflite
    dooflite Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    Cool. Yeah, now I can't load Parallels on my Mac because it's so old! So I need to track down another PC to create recovery discs. Because *none* of the bootable options are available in the legacy UNDI PXE 2.0 (Build 83) BIOS (that's pretty ***** poor Acer), I imagine I'll end up doing something like this user: https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/377621/acer-aspire-5349-bios-recovery-rebuild-method
  • dooflite
    dooflite Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    And I forgot to mention that I tracked down the error code for the media: "Your PC/Device needs to be repaired The Boot Configuration Data file doesn't contain valid information for an operating system File: \Boot\BCD Error Code: 0xc0000098" https://neosmart.net/wiki/0xc0000098/
  • xapim
    xapim ACE Posts: 7,253 Pathfinder
    edited August 2020
    The main lesson to learn in all of this do not mess with your bios if you dunno what you are exactly doing especially because widows made all manufacturers to comply and remove the legacy support from all the bios on all recent laptops or bios updates so no one can downgrade from win 10 ever again i only see a viable option here if you cant fix it contact acer support and ask them if they can help you to flash your stock bios back of course you would have to send it to acer for them to do it and if out of warranty there would be a price to pay good luck 

    Also bios downgrade process its also part of the ACUA to not be discussed in this community as its not officially supported by acer thsi includes modding/unlocking


    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/11532543

    UserBenchmarks: Game 43%, Desk 61%, Work 40%
    CPU: Intel Core i5-7300HQ - 63.5%
    GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050-Ti (Mobile) - 41.9%
    SSD: WDC WDS200T2B0B-00YS70 2TB - 71.4%
    HDD: WD WD10SPZX-00HKTT0 1TB - 93.7%
    RAM: Kingston HyperX DDR4 2666 C15 2x16GB - 76.8%
    MBD: Acer Predator G3-572

    I'm not an Acer employee. (just here to help in the best way i can)
    If my answer fixed you issue please accept it for any other users who search for it would find it quickly thanks :)
    If you want to learn more about undervolting/optimizing windows join the Predator fb group and youtube channel:

    Owner/Admin (HOTEL HERO/Red-Sand/Opoka Opoka)
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/PredatorHelios300
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNJwGUHxSJ8FKqAhnOqQuAw
    Acer support:
    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/service-contact
    http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/  


  • xapim
    xapim ACE Posts: 7,253 Pathfinder
    edited August 2020
    dooflite said:
    Cool. Yeah, now I can't load Parallels on my Mac because it's so old! So I need to track down another PC to create recovery discs. Because *none* of the bootable options are available in the legacy UNDI PXE 2.0 (Build 83) BIOS (that's pretty ***** poor Acer), I imagine I'll end up doing something like this user: https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/377621/acer-aspire-5349-bios-recovery-rebuild-method
    That recovery method its too old much has changed since then since flashing to bios build most probably wouldnt work and as i said the legacy support was removed from all latest bios and models as far as im aware from 2017 onwards


    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/11532543

    UserBenchmarks: Game 43%, Desk 61%, Work 40%
    CPU: Intel Core i5-7300HQ - 63.5%
    GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050-Ti (Mobile) - 41.9%
    SSD: WDC WDS200T2B0B-00YS70 2TB - 71.4%
    HDD: WD WD10SPZX-00HKTT0 1TB - 93.7%
    RAM: Kingston HyperX DDR4 2666 C15 2x16GB - 76.8%
    MBD: Acer Predator G3-572

    I'm not an Acer employee. (just here to help in the best way i can)
    If my answer fixed you issue please accept it for any other users who search for it would find it quickly thanks :)
    If you want to learn more about undervolting/optimizing windows join the Predator fb group and youtube channel:

    Owner/Admin (HOTEL HERO/Red-Sand/Opoka Opoka)
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/PredatorHelios300
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNJwGUHxSJ8FKqAhnOqQuAw
    Acer support:
    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/service-contact
    http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/  


  • dooflite
    dooflite Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    @aphanic -- some long-overdue updates to you and for @xapim, yes, messing with BIOS is for bad boyz only. Got it. 

    Restore updates:
    --Rufus: I followed your instructions to boot from Rufus (including the ISO you shared). Unfortunately, no luck. The problem now is that I cannot restore any image built on UEFI firmware because I'm stuck in Legacy. 
    --Similarly, I tried restoring from my own Win 10 recovery image and the Win 10 install USB with the same result:





    Because I'm not able to use Win 10 restore tools, we're back where we started and that seems to be some kind of hard (factory) reset of the BIOS so that I can try to get to UEFI again. 

    @xapim, you'll be happy to hear that I have moved this discussion to other boards, I'm merely posting now in case other users have similar issues. For other users, these forums are better suited to the issues I'm facing: https://www.win-raid.com/https://www.bios-mods.com/, and https://www.wimsbios.com/forum/

    Any idea how I can get the technical (not user's) manual for the 576G?


  • xapim
    xapim ACE Posts: 7,253 Pathfinder
    edited August 2020
    dooflite we Aces have access to all service guides for all acer products (same level as the repair engineers and acer staff) either be laptops desktops tablets phones displays etc some really old products are not even in the database but unfortunately we cannot share them its not allowed under NDA we can only take parts of it in order to help users and in your case we cant do anything as acer doesnt allow any discussions regarding bios mods/unlocking or any messing up thats not stock settings as i previously stated bios intrusion security/modding has changed a lot since a few years ago its not as easy to mod anything as it was in the paste and some bios cant even be modded at all but i wish u good luck with it and i hope you manage to fix the issue if not i only see another way try to reach acer support to see if they can do anything at all :)

    Since your bios is in legacy mode have you tried to convert your drive to mbr and burn a windows install to the old mbr not uefi gpt its just a guess but since your goal its to get the bios restored to the stock uefi/gpt theres probably not point anyway it was just an idea :)


    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/11532543

    UserBenchmarks: Game 43%, Desk 61%, Work 40%
    CPU: Intel Core i5-7300HQ - 63.5%
    GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050-Ti (Mobile) - 41.9%
    SSD: WDC WDS200T2B0B-00YS70 2TB - 71.4%
    HDD: WD WD10SPZX-00HKTT0 1TB - 93.7%
    RAM: Kingston HyperX DDR4 2666 C15 2x16GB - 76.8%
    MBD: Acer Predator G3-572

    I'm not an Acer employee. (just here to help in the best way i can)
    If my answer fixed you issue please accept it for any other users who search for it would find it quickly thanks :)
    If you want to learn more about undervolting/optimizing windows join the Predator fb group and youtube channel:

    Owner/Admin (HOTEL HERO/Red-Sand/Opoka Opoka)
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/PredatorHelios300
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNJwGUHxSJ8FKqAhnOqQuAw
    Acer support:
    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/service-contact
    http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/  


  • dooflite
    dooflite Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    Now here's a new one ... I was able to restore UEFI by doing a hard reset (removing battery, removing CMOS) but rather than reverting to the UEFI that shipped, it booted what was last updated (in my case, Zaar V 1.49 from Insyde H20). 

    Even now, I still can't activate and choose UEFI menu items in the UEFI menu -- everything is greyed out and not available. 

    Hmmmm ... 


  • xapim
    xapim ACE Posts: 7,253 Pathfinder
    edited August 2020
    dooflite so that means youre sorted now youre able to install windows now to change the uefi/secure boot settings u need to input a supervisor password first also uefi will only allow you to boot windows either created via media creation tool or if you have previously created a stock recovery drive to boot any other uefi systems you need to disable secure boot


    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/11532543

    UserBenchmarks: Game 43%, Desk 61%, Work 40%
    CPU: Intel Core i5-7300HQ - 63.5%
    GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050-Ti (Mobile) - 41.9%
    SSD: WDC WDS200T2B0B-00YS70 2TB - 71.4%
    HDD: WD WD10SPZX-00HKTT0 1TB - 93.7%
    RAM: Kingston HyperX DDR4 2666 C15 2x16GB - 76.8%
    MBD: Acer Predator G3-572

    I'm not an Acer employee. (just here to help in the best way i can)
    If my answer fixed you issue please accept it for any other users who search for it would find it quickly thanks :)
    If you want to learn more about undervolting/optimizing windows join the Predator fb group and youtube channel:

    Owner/Admin (HOTEL HERO/Red-Sand/Opoka Opoka)
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/PredatorHelios300
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNJwGUHxSJ8FKqAhnOqQuAw
    Acer support:
    https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/service-contact
    http://www.acer.com/worldwide/support/  


  • dooflite
    dooflite Member Posts: 16 Troubleshooter
    Well, if by sorted you mean that I can run Windows, then yes. However, it's bothersome that the UEFI isn't working correctly; it's been suggested that they're corrupt and I continue to troubleshoot that with input from members on other boards. 

    Thanks for the follow-up.