XC-603 BIOS update, can it be done!?

[TacticalTimbo]

Hi, I have an Acer XC-603, and would like to update it to the latest BIOS. As an I.T. Engineer I thought it would be a walk in the park for me, but I've followed their instructions to the tee, plus I've tried a few other tricks, yet no success.

I would like to load the 'P11-B0L' BIOS;Acer | Download , but doing as they suggest results in failure. I've tried placing the BIOS on a bootable USB, but even that doesn't want to work!?

Has anybody with this system succeeded where I've failed?

 

[Britton30]

Your link goes to a generic Acer download page and I can't find the XC-603.

Are you having an issue that the later BIOS says to fix?

 

[maxie]

Are you using Windows 8 .. The reason i ask is because that BIOS Version is for Windows 8 ..

 

[TacticalTimbo]

Are you using Windows 8 .. The reason i ask is because that BIOS Version is for Windows 8 ..

Yes, I'm using Win8.

Sorry for the poor link btw, here's a better one; http://goo.gl/yVQIJh

 

[maxie]

I do not see any Documentation for the BIOS Version .. Is there a specific reason why you think you need this Version or why it might improve any thing ?

 

[TacticalTimbo]

I do not see any Documentation for the BIOS Version .. Is there a specific reason why you think you need this Version or why it might improve any thing ?

My apologies, I once again gave the incorrect link, here's the BIOS I want to install; http://goo.gl/gBscUF . The BIOS is marked 'L', for Linux, thus can cope with Win but also Linux. If you unzip it, there's a read me that if followed, leads to failure.

The reason I want to install this BIOS, is down to the weird behaviour of the PC speaker. When performing a cold boot, it fails to beep, but when restarting it's sometimes quite, other times borked and on occasions so loud that it makes you poop your pants! I just want to know if it's a BIOS issue, or whether the thing is screwball.

 

[Britton30]

BIOSes should be OS neutral, at least I've found then to be.

With the anomalous beeps I would suspect the motherboard or some add on card is fried.

 

[TacticalTimbo]

BIOSes should be OS neutral, at least I've found then to be.

With the anomalous beeps I would suspect the motherboard or some add on card is fried.

I agree, that's the way it should be. However Acer in their infinite wisdom, decided to lock down the BIOS on this system. I believe only 'L' revisions of the BIOS allow Linux to be installed, and all but one BIOS (which Acer no longer distribute), forbid anything on the Windows side, lower than 8!

...however, on my challenge I can report success! Turns out that FreeDOS was my problem, it just wouldn't work for me. I've since reformatted the USB drive as MS-DOS and it breezed through!

Even better, the erratic behaviour of the mobo speaker seems to have ended! Although it's consistent behaviour is still slightly odd, in that it will never beep after a shut down, but only when performing a restart!? I also notice that the post screen only shows the Acer logo during a boot following a shut down, yet gives the 'del' for set up and 'F12' for boot menu when a restart is done... maybe that's the way it's meant to be?

 

[Britton30]

You should have a single short beep on a cold start and a reboot. But "infinite wisdom" may have better ideas.

Also if Win 8 was resident on the machine when you bought it, MS requires it to have the silly "Secure boot" enabled to prevent other OSes being installed. I suspect it was to help stop upgrading to w7 but will also stop Linux installs too.