Background: I have an Asus X202E notebook with broken display.
Because of the broken display I cannot access to POST screen, BIOS or even early windows boot.
HDMI/VGA display is only activated after Windows boots. The laptop has a button for switching displays (fn+f8 or smth. like that) but it is useless. I cannot see anything on the monitor until the login screen appears.
What I want: I want to be able to attach a monitor and use it as a regular computer where can I access BIOS, boot linux etc.
What I intend to do:
I think changing these configuration settings might let me have what I want (so that bios screen will be shown on external VGA/HDMI ports.) (AMIBCP screenshot showing the relevant options are attached)
Problem:
I cannot boot DOS and use flashing tools to flash the BIOS. I’ve tried using Windows tools like AFUWIN but I could not use them since they’ve either failed to flash, or their changes were not effective after flashing.
I think just changing these options and flashing the saved ROM is not enough. I’m not sure why but this may be either the bios chip is locked and does not accept the modified rom, or maybe NVRAM is required to be modified separately .
Help needed:
I don’t know anything about this so a guidance is needed.
I have ch341a programmer and SOIC clip. I’ll preferably use flashrom on linux to drive those tools. I’ve previously used those to update a BIOS of another motherboard but this is different since I need to flash a modified bios and maybe nvram.
I don’t want to do a blind dump&modify&write because I’m afraid I might be missing some area I was not aware of and mess things up.
Did you test this change with AMIBCP yet? As long as your dumped BIOS is OK (ie looks like stock BIOS when opened in BIOS tools), then you have no worries, can always program back your dump Since you have programmer, dump the BIOS, modify that dump with AMIBCP for the change you mention above (But do it on the other row - Optimal row, not failsafe), then test. If that does not work, you need a vBIOS edit (notice the default there is “vBIOS Default”). If you find the AMIBCP edit does not work, then send me your programmer dump and I can make that change in vBIOS for you (Please let me know if you are using UEFI/Secure boot, or CSM/Legacy)
Chip is not locked, but flashing mod BIOS is an issue on Asus laptop, hopefully you did not already try AFU . If you did, hopefully you made a backup first, because use of AFU, especially old ones that are made for decades old BIOS that allow /GAN, break the BIOS for certain things dealing with flashing for the future. If you did use AFU already, but made a AFU or other backup first, please include that with your programmer dump, so I can fix your BIOS.
Flashing mod BIOS be possible by dumping BIOS region with FPT, but then you may need to unlock somethings to flash back, and since you have programmer that may be easier/safer, but up to you.
If you want to try the FPT way, here’s where you need to start - Check BIOS main page and see if ME FW version is shown, if not then download HWINFO64 and on the large window on left side, expand motherboard and find ME area, inside that get the ME Firmware version. Once you have that, go to this thread and in the section “C” download the matching ME System Tools Package (ie if ME FW version = 10.x get V10 package, if 9.0-9.1 get V9.1 package, if 9.5 or above get V9.5 package etc) Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools
Once downloaded, inside you will find Flash Programming Tool folder, and inside that a Windows or Win/Win32 folder. Select that Win folder, hold shift and press right click, choose open command window here (Not power shell). At the command prompt type the following command and send me the created file to modify >> FPTw.exe -bios -d biosreg.bin
Right after you do that, try to write back the BIOS Region dump and see if you get any error, if you do show me image of the command entered and the error given >> FPTw.exe -bios -f biosreg.bin ^^ This is important step, don’t forget ^^
Or here is simply registry edit that adds “Open command window here as Administrator” to the right click menu Double-click to install, reboot after install may be required http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil…134606820377175
** Edit - a simple vBIOS update could also fix the issue, without changing BIOS settings, how you said you can’t see BIOS/POST info or anything on screen until windows loads. Sometimes vBIOS update fixes this, as does switching on/off CSM or using UEFI Boot vs Legacy boot. Just other things for you to test and or consider here.
1. Unfortunately I used afuwin /GAN previously on the system. After that I flashed the stock BIOS using ASUS EZ flasher on Windows so maybe it’s not broken anymore?
2. I have a file called “afuwin_original.rom” and I think I’ve saved it before running afuwin /GAN. I’m not 100% sure but it is highly probable. (I’ve attached the file. I’m also attaching the bios from ASUS website)
Here is the my progress:
1. My attempts to read the chip via the programmer was not successful. Maybe I cannot seat the clip properly but I don’t know, I gave up on that.
2. I decided to proceed with FPT. I could not determine the version of the ME on the bios screen (since I cannot see the bios screen), and hwinfo64 does not display it either. But various drivers etc. on the installed Windows system is version 8 so I determined to go with version 8 of fpt tools.
3. FPT dump & verify was successful. . I’m attaching the dump file.
4. After dumping, I’ve copied, opened and modified the image in AMIBCP. I set both failsafe and optimal to EFP.
5. I’ve flashed it using FPT. Flash was successfull. I did shutdown & remove/plug bios battery & boot. I did another dump, opened the dumped image in AMIBCP and verified the settings were correctly set.
6. Still I can’t get any image on monitor until after the windows boot.
7. About VBIOS: This laptop does not have discrete graphics, is it still relevant? The machine has Intel i3-3217U with HD graphics 4000 Ivy Bridge GT2. HM76 Chipset.
About CSM/other settings: I cannot see the bios screen on monitor so I cannot change those.
I did however, updated GOP driver using UBU (based on the vanilla bios image from ASUS, I did not use amibcp to change settings.) Now I’m able to see the Windows boot screen and I can see the BIOS screen when restarted via the Windows recovery dialog.
I would still like to update the vbios (it is at version 2130. I would like to switch to 2158 then the latest 2170), and change VBIOS settings using BMP tool (to completely disable the ghost built in display).
I wonder what’s the issue with firmware image that both mmtool and UBU fails.
Edit:
Okay I managed to replace the vbios using mmtool. I only changed the settings though, I didn’t updated it. Will try updating tomorrow.
It’s not that it (AFU, or /GAN) breaks the BIOS, it just causes issues with future BIOS flashing using proper methods that should be used here instead (Intel FPT). No, EX Flash will not fix the issue this causes, it can only be fixed with flash programmer and original backup BIOS. Otherwise, as you have it now, you can only continue flashing BIOS with AFU and risk easier bricking of the BIOS or other random issues due to using an AFU made for BIOS that is decade+ old and 2 entire BIOS series/types before current.
Yes, probably you didn’t make a good connection with programmer clip, this is common issue. Very nice you were able to flash via FPT, we may need to try setup edit on-top of, or instead of AMIBCP edit, some BIOS use one or the other (or NVRAM), all can be changed
Yes, vBIOS always relevant, all display output goes through this before it hits a screen. I’ll have to check what the defaults are for secure boot, CSM, etc, since you can’t see, this decides what vBIOS you need to edit (vBIOS/Legacy boot, or GOP/UEFI/Secure boot)
vBIOS settings, or GOP settings, are not changed with AMIBCP, those are changed with the BMP tool you used. In all those 100’s of settings in there for vBIOS and GOP, you will find similar display panel defaults for various scenarios, what’s set as default for all etc. As for your edited vBIOS, probably just a bad edit, or you are extracting differently then you are inserting etc. Hard to know, and not worth time to try and sort out, best to just do myself.
Now that you can see BIOS screen, please test if while set to secure boot (without CSM), can you see BIOS at bootup?
Thank you very much for your help. I’m almost done and I would not now where to even look without your guidance. It wouldn’t even come to my mind updating vbios
1. Fortunately the bios wasn’t borked and fpt could flash a bios successfully. I wish I asked earlier before wasting hours with afuwin.
2. Just updating the GOP driver using UBU was enough for me to see bios setup screen. After flashing the bios with updated gop drivers I started to see the bios & boot screens. (while at it I’ve also updated microcodes and lan roms)
3. After that I’ve changed vbios settings using BMP. I turned off the ghost display completely. It turns out my problem with mmtool was that I wasn’t running it as administrator.
4. Later I’ve updated vbios 2130->2143->2158->2171
Now I see that secure boot & legacy boot options are hidden in the bios so my next task is fiddling with amibcp to reveal those.
. If you did, hopefully you made a backup first, because use of AFU, especially old ones that are made for decades old BIOS that allow /GAN, break the BIOS for certain things dealing with flashing for the future.
