Hi

I have an Acer Revo RL85 media pc which features an AMIBIOS UEFI. I flashed it using the AMI windows tool and everything appeared to go well. Upon reboot it failed to detect any drives I looked in the BIOS settings. RAM is reported as 0 and no drives are detected. I cannot save any changes to the BIOS settings - although no errors are reported when I do, the settings are simply gone when I reenter the BIOS.

I booted from a Win 10 recovery USB and attempted a reflash but it stalls with error:

Code:
Code:
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AMI Firmware Update Utility v5.06.00 |
| Copyright (C)2014 American Megatrends Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Reading flash ............... done
Secure Flash enabled, recalculate ROM size with signature...
- FFS checksums ......... ok
Loading capsule to secure memory buffer ... done
43 - Error: Problem erasing flash.0520000 (0%)

There seems to be a lock on the BIOS and I cannot disable it. I have a chip flasher (CH341a) which I've used to dump the flash chip, erase the flash and rewrite it all just fine, so the physical chip is OK. The dump of the ROM is here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6UqBAS...ew?usp=drivesdk

The BIOS .cap file which killed it is here:
http://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/...ACER&SC=EMEA_27

UEFITool reports:
Full size: 1000h (4096)
ME region offset: 1000h
BIOS region offset: 200000h
Region access settings:
BIOS:0B0Ah ME:0D0Ch GbE:0808h
BIOS access table:
Read Write
Desc Yes No
BIOS Yes Yes
ME No No
GbE Yes Yes
PDR No No
Flash chips in VSCC table:
1F4700h
EF4017h
EF6017h
C22017h

I really am out of my depth here and could use some help. I'm fine using the flasher and am a very experienced PC builder/user, I just don't have the level of experience required with BIOSes. I can boot from a USB stick with UEFI on it, for example Ubuntu live or windows 10 installer. I can get to Windows 10 repair command prompt to perform actions there also. I can also reach a Linux Mint Live USB just fine. I installed flashrom there and ran the inital step to ID the system. This came up: "spi configuration lockdown activated"

If anyone can assist I'd be extremely grateful! Acer, despite having done this to other people also (found identical issue posts on Google) simply said "BIOS flashing is at your own risk" and want to charge £260 to repair it!! :O

Hello,

I know this subject is really very old but I have the same Acer Revo One RL-85 and exactly the same problem, did you found a solution ?

Best regards,

@schlimig - You're dump has broken FIT table and other hash related issues too, but I only had a quick look, so there may be other major issues.
Anyway, easy to fix with CH341A

@Boz - Commands used to flash are not shown above, what exactly did you use to flash, what command, or did you just run the flash.bat? If you ran flash.bat, did you run it as Administrator?

The general issue sounds to me like it's a bad BIOS version, or a bad flash/erase (ie partial erase/flash), or corrupted ME FW. If you have flash programmer, such as CH341A or similar, this can easily be fixed.
Without that, we'd have to see if you can bypass the locks using various methods. Can you boot to windows, if not, can you boot to DOS? If you cannot boot to windows or DOS, then order CH341A + SOIC8 / SOP8 test clip with cable

What file did you flash, the one above (P11.A3)?

Hello,

To begin, I prefer to introduce me, I have a little compagny a IT support for little and middle compagnies and per moment (1 time per year on overage) I collect some old PC's from my customers to rebuild it during my free time to give it to a school near to my house. Like this they have a sometime "New" computers for children. My customers are happy to give that, I'm Happy to do that and School is happy to receive this help so everybody is happy :)
This week I collected 3 computers and one of this was a Revo One RL85.
Like every time, I control the HDD, change the themal paste, clean heatsink and Fans an after I do a fresh install of windows, drivers and softwares and if it's necessary, I flash the bios.
Here it was necesary to flash the bios because the version was P11.A1 so downloaded the last version P11.B0 (Between A1 and B0, there are A3, A4)

below, I explain what I did:
- flash the bios from window 10 with AFUWINGUI.EXE without any problem
- Reboot computer.
- No drive found and FAN in full speed
- Reboot computer to enter in BIOS Menu.
- No HDD detected, no RAM detected, FAN in full speed and when I tried to change something in the bios, nothing was saved after reboot.
- So I booted from fa Win 10 recovery USB and go to Repair Menu
- I opened a Command Dos windows
- I tried to flash the same bios again (B0) by command line with manual command line before (afuwinx64 ..\ROM\P11-B0.CAP /P /B /N /R) and after by flash.bat.
- Here the result with both solutions:

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| AMI Firmware Update Utility v5.06.00 |
| Copyright (C)2014 American Megatrends Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Reading flash ............... done
Secure Flash enabled, recalculate ROM size with signature...
- FFS checksums ......... ok
Loading capsule to secure memory buffer ... done
43 - Error: Problem erasing flash.0520000 (0%)
 

- Then I tried with others old bios A3, A4 but I obtained the same error message.

So probably I have to use "CH341A + SOIC8 / SOP8 test clip with cable" like you said but it will be the 1st time I use this so I don't know how it works.
If you wish to help me, it will be a great support because it will be interesting for me to learn that (In case of new problem like this in the futur).
@Lost_N_BIOS : Is it this tool to buy ? https://www.amazon.fr/KeeYees-Pince-EEPR...99990194&sr=8-5

Best regards,

Hello,

@Lost_N_BIOS, is it possible to help me or do you have no time actually ?

Best regards,

@Boz - Great work you do for your community then, thank you! Sorry for the delay, I am always buried here and can never keep up with all the requests each day

This, sounds like corrupted ME FW, but may also be some due to partial BIOS corruption too >>
- No drive found and FAN in full speed
- Reboot computer to enter in BIOS Menu.
- No HDD detected, no RAM detected, FAN in full speed and when I tried to change something in the bios, nothing was saved after reboot.

Don't worry, it's easy to learn to use hardware flash programmer, people do it every day with less computer related knowledge than what you know, so you will be OK once you read a guide and do it a few times.
And, yes, this can save many systems for you in the future, sometimes a dead PC you might get may just be due to bad BIOS, I've purchased fixed and resold MANY boards just for this reason alone.

Yes, the item you linked is all you need on the basic level, for systems with 3.0-3.3V BIOS chips, some more modern systems may have 1.8V chip, for that you need this kind of adapter (may come in some kits like you linked, so look around again maybe - [yrl=https://www.amazon.fr/Ensemble-Programmeur-dadaptation-Adaptateur-Conversion/dp/B08FC8DRKT]Like this[/url])
https://www.amazon.fr/Plastique-Adaptate...n/dp/B07VF8CJ12

If you search "1.8V flash adapter" you will find many listings, in case some are cheaper or closer to you than above, and this way you can see all the bundles kits that mention 1.8v adapter in their titlle

Here is guide with lots of images - [GUIDE] Flash BIOS with CH341A programmer
And here is software package, not all software/versions work for all chip ID's, so this bundle gets you plenty of the versions to cover most chips
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil...213094641136166

@Lost_N_BIOS

Thank you :)

So if I understood, There are 2 types of Kits, 1 for Systems with 3.0-3.3V BIOS chips and another for Systems with 1.8V Bios chip.
But we can also add an adapter for System with 1.8V Bios Chip to a Kit for for Systems with 3.0-3.3V BIOS chips.
Is it True ?

If Yes, then I have to choices:
1- I can bought 1 Kit for for Systems with 3.0-3.3V BIOS chips Like This and also the Adapter Like This
2- Or I can bought 1 Kit for for Systems with 3.0-3.3V BIOS chips Like This and also the Kit for Systems with 1.8V BIOS chips Like This

Also, how to know if it's a system with 3.0-3.3V BIOS chip or 1.8V BIOS chip ?
And last question, how to know what is the good BIOS chip on the Motherboard ? In the motherboard of the RL-85 there 4 similar chips with 8 pins, On only one it wrote "winbond" so I think this is the Bios chip but how to be sure ?

Best regards,

@Lost_N_BIOS

Could you tell me if I have to buy option 1 or 2 and wrote a short answer to my questions ?

Best regards,

@Lost_N_BIOS

Sorry to insist, could you tell me if I have to buy option 1 or 2 and wrote a short answer to my questions ?

Best regards,