BIOS update in USB boot DOS Model ( c1yf)

bkacer
bkacer Member Posts: 3 New User
edited October 2023 in 2020 Archives

I have an Acer 131t c1yf

I want to wipe windows from my laptop and go full time linux.  Before I do that I want to know how to upgrade the BIOS without Windows.

I have read that it can be done with using a bootable FREE DOS USB

I do not know which file to use.  

The BIOS files are compressed zips.  Inside the zip is a compressed exe.  Inside that are some exe files.  Are these for windows only or can they be used for DOS installation of BIOS.

 

I do not use Windows 10 for much and it takes up 14gb of my 32 gb hard drive. 

 

I do not need to update my bios right now, but sometimes I do need to do so.

 

 

Answers

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    as far as i know, the flasher will work only under windows OS enviroment.

     

    probably you can try to find a flasher that will work under DOS (i never searched to be honest) but you will need to extract the BIOS file, normally is *.bin or *.FD

     

    normally to extract correctly these files, you need to run the exe under windows (don't close the flasher) and then look under for a folder labeled xxxxx.tmp on user/appdata/local/temp

    (%temp%)

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • bkacer
    bkacer Member Posts: 3 New User

    Here are the files of the exe that I renamed as zip to extract it (in linux) here is the file list.

    If you are a person of authority and have many acer's can you verify that one of these can be run in "free dos" for me?

     

    flashfiles.png

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer

    CHO109.fd is the BIOS file

     

    as far as i know, none of the exe file is for FreeDOS.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • bkacer
    bkacer Member Posts: 3 New User

    I googled  Insyderh20 upgrade BIOS dos and got a lenovo site which shows what to do.

    However, it looks a little bit sketchy and very dangerous and someone destroyed the BIOS.

    Even with windows, this is a dangerous thing to do.

     

    I have settled on making a USB Windows install using wintousb since I have a valid license ID that came with the computer.

    This will give me windows for the few times that I use it which is cool and allow me to flash the bios.

     

  • Xyberdude
    Xyberdude Member Posts: 3 New User
    Unhappy, Win-10 could NOT update due to insufficient space, so deleted Win-10  and installed Bodhi linux which works quite well, but now cannot update the BIOS as the installer provided only works in Win-10. No Linus bios installer, no DOS BIOS installer. I have a terrabyte SD card but cannot boot from it as existing BIOS does not evensee it. Wanter to install and run Win-10 from the SD card, but was unsupported by obsolete BIOS.

    Hiren's Repair CD includes a micro version of Windows, could it be used to run the BIOS update?
  • Xyberdude
    Xyberdude Member Posts: 3 New User
    Tried using the W-10 LATEST VERSION - install/repair command prompt to run the BIOS update, which returns the message, BIOS file not designed to run under this version of Windows.
  • Xyberdude
    Xyberdude Member Posts: 3 New User
    Fixed what no one here could offer. Used "Windows to USB" to create a bootable from USB W-10 stick, ran it and selected the BIOS update file, executed it and system rebooted into a DOS like window where it completed the BIOS update successfully. Unit already has bodhi Linux running flawlessly. next will put W-10 onto a micro-Sd card using the "Windows to USB " program. Then will switch at will between Linus and Windows by changing from UEFI boot (for W-10) or to Legacy boot (for Linux) both will exist fully funcutional on this tiny laptop that now has a 1 Terrabyte micro-SD class 10 running Win-10.
  • ynikitenko
    ynikitenko Member Posts: 5

    Tinkerer

    "I have read that it can be done with using a bootable FREE DOS USB" - yes, this can be done.

    I have Acer Swift 5. I downloaded the most recent BIOS update from Acer site (https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/7008?b=1&pn=NX.GLDER.005). It is BIOS/firmware version 1.15 (I had 1.13, which is the previous version), and officially it's only for Windows 10 (poor Windows 8 users!). I copied the EXE file from that update (which is a zip archive) into a directory in a FreeDOS USB (it's great that the used filesystem on the iso allows that).
    To create a FreeDOS live USB I followed the instructions here https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Flashing_BIOS_from_Linux#FreeDOS

    I launched FreeDOS USB in Legacy mode (set from BIOS), and the installer appeared. I refused to install FreeDOS, got into the shell and launched the EXE I copied. After several minutes of fan's hissing the BIOS was upgraded successfully (I could launch the USB again and change BIOS settings after that as well).


    There is a good UNIX/Linux tool 'file'. When you call it for the extracted EXE, it gives

    $ file B3ZMS115.exe
    B3ZMS115.exe: MS-DOS executable, COFF for MS-DOS, DJGPP go32 DOS extender, UPX compressed
    - so the EXE is in fact an MS-DOS one. Based on that I decided to try it. However, I don't know what would be reported for a 'true' Windows 10 EXE.


    What I mean by 'can be done' - unfortunately, Acer gives no guarantee that this will work. Officially the updates are only for Windows. Even though I specifically bought a laptop without Windows! And even though Acer has already officialy joined the LVFS! (https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2019/09/acer-firmware-join-lvfs-linux) So in theory if you try this with another BIOS upgrade with another model, you may brick your motherboard. However, I think that in most cases that would be fine, and wish all users good luck and courage. ... And hope that Acer will improve, but I don't know what we can do for that.