Find your backup or do another one before writing anything to the chip. Post or attach the backup, you’ll need parts of it to cerate a complete firmware image together with a (stock) bios region.
All mentioned tries to write “something” to the chip would’ve bricked your pc.
The Acer ‘exe’ can easily unpacked with 7-zip, but it contains 4 different bios regions (still no complete firmware image!!).
Backup.bin attached – initially I extracted this with flashrom but, now, I can’t recognize the BIOS chip using that.
I’ve ordered a replacement chip and may be to the point where I need to test and program that with the chip module and, then, try to desolder and replace the old chip with the newly formatted one
That seems to be a valid backup, thank you. What’s the fault with this firmware- there are some posts of you 2 years ago, but I won’t read them all since this might no longer be the problem.
Look into the file with UEFIToolNE, you’ll recognize the structure and the different regions.
Acer offers just the bios region, open the acer- file in 7-zip, extract the exe, open the exe again in 7 zip, you’ll see 4 files og type “ZAA?.fd” Searching for ZAA in your backup would tell you that it’s ZAAR that you need. But the file in the Acer archive still has the flash program in the beginning and end. So you’d have to cut 0xDE8F0 in the beginning and 0xD980 in the end from ZAAR_multi.fd to get the bios region out of it.
Machine specific data in the start of bios region- 0x218000, WIndows OEM Lic 0x21F000.
Static areas of bios region are identical to stock bios, if there’s a fault it might be in NVRAM 0x540000 to 0x574000
Somehow, the BIOS was corrupted and I can’t select any of the options in it; all options are greyed out/inaccessible. I’m unable to upgrade or install firmware for WiFi cards and I think that’s directly related to the BIOS (though I’m not sure and don’t know how to troubleshoot that).
I was also trying to get a working BIOS on the machine so that I could have flexibility when booting, e.g. run Linux or some other OS with Rufus (or similar).
But, as I mentioned in my last post, I can’t access the BIOS chip at all (currently) – the binary I shared with you was from a previous session. And the machine seems to boot, but the monitor isn’t coming up at all, so I need to look at:
The BIOS chip
My connection to the screen (I’m working in an Acer laptop and despite my best attempts to be careful with the components I may have corrupted something)
If I ever get this resolved I report back (or if I have questions along the way).
Remove if necessary the sticker from the SPI, use a hand magnifier or phone camera zoom to correctly identify the ID and search for the datasheet on the web.
thanks for the reply, I will check it when the unit arrives, I also ordered 1.8v adapter just in case. I have checked asrock x370 taichi schematics and it uses W25Q128FWSIQ, I think it is the same as professional gaming.
I have Panasonic CF-D1NW200TZ, it has MX25l12873F BIOS that is protected with password which I want to remove, I made backup with AFUWINGUIx64 and removed password but could not write it to the BIOS again due to some errors coming, so I used CH341A programmer to read the full BIOS data on board and then I deleted the password, then i wrote back the unlocked BIOS file using CH341A, removed protection, then did full erase , then blank check and write, then verify
all are ok, but tablet refuse to start now, it is just showing power and WIFI LED, nothing more, no fan spin or anything else
tried to write back original dump, but still the same
I used another 3 bios dump but all giving same result
I used several applications ( CH341A 1.31 - ASprogrammer - Colibri)
That’s not important for now- just use what you used trying to write before. If you find the chip is properly written, then it’s no longer the firmware image that keeps your system from booting. And most often it’s the seating of the SOIC clamp that gives errors and not the software combination.
@_haru I followed your steps (Via Linux) and worked well until it was time to write the new bios file to the chip. receive a error stating the image file is larger than chip size. Am I missing a step?
I am attempting to flash a Z77 sabertooth with a stock bios, It was corrupted when I attempted to use Flashback to update it to the NVMe bios.
That user last post was in 2020…
The Sabertooth Z77 can recover with USB BFB and a CAP file from ASUS, simple task.
Also the NVMe mod on this motherboard is straight trough…no fuss, if the mod you flash was not well made then its the cause of it.
It only needs a CH341A program if no light on the USB BFB function.
For this the bios image must be removed from the ASUS CAPSULE with the UEFItool, the result saved ROM/BIN file is the file to program.
The SN, MAC etc must be recovered from a previous bios dump or other original backup, with the tool FD44 editor, transferred to the BIN to program.
EDIT: Yes you need, i said use the tool FD44
Get the original data from a valid file previous saved, when opened with the tool you can confirm the data.
EDIT: Edit your post, no need new ones. Then no recover possible with the tool and no UUID, add the SN and the MAC, let this be a lesson to you.
Ok I dumped the NVMe bios file via UEFI tool then added the MAC and S/N (Found on the actual MB) using the FD44editor but do I need the system UUID?
I ended up here because while attempting the NVMe via Flashback the board seemed to crash and the board would no longer post. Only turn on then turn right off. I assume thats the Bios corrupted.
Also I got a Rom file from the UEFI dump and not a BIN
I dont have a previously saved good BIOS file, I backed up what was on the assumed corrupted bios chip using flashrom but when I read that in FD44 its blank.
I found the MAC on the board along with S/N but not sure what to do for the System UUID.
EDIT: The S/N found on the back of my board seems to be 3 characters short from what FD44 seems to be requiring. Not sure what to do, any ideas?
I would assume the system UUID not being there just means I would need to re activate OS correct? Or would that stop me from bring this MB back to working condition?
I grabbed this board second hand and the BIOS would freeze when I attempted to access. Would be the Bios screen but blank and no options.
EDIT: Would buying a new BIOS chip preprogrammed work or is this board basically useless?
The serial on the back of the board is 3 short from what is being asked by FD44.
UUID is unique for each hardware piece. Its a conjunction of several data, not recoverable.
Board will work without UUID, no OS interaction for activation as they dont come with licence.
A new chip has bios with blank data, as obvious.
FD44 works with several SN models.
Thats it, good luck, over_n_out.
EDIT: 15 correct, if you have an incomplete sticker…nothing i can do right. Other sticker only in box or in a dump/backup
”