I posted about this about half a year ago but got no replies, so I'm trying my luck again. I want to unlock my laptop's BIOS, which has some hidden advanced options available.
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/su...roduct/7213?b=1
I am running the latest BIOS available, version 1.22 (Acer supported a gaming laptop for 2 years... sad).
I don't have a flasher, but am ready to get one if needed.
Thanks for any help in advance.

@brian105 - Sorry I missed your previous post about this, you should have bumped your thread then too! Flash programmer may or may not be needed, sometimes we can get past the locks without it
This BIOS, once unlocked, will give you some options this time!! And this one I can unlock too!
Please do below and let me know what error you get on step #2 - DO NOT send me file from #1 yet, you can actually toss it out, or rename to .old, after you do step #2, because we will create a new once at next step when we unlock things to get past the error at step #2

Thanks. The error I got when trying to write the BIOS was, "Error 368: Failed to disable write protection for the BIOS space. FPT Operation Failed."

@brian105 - Thanks! Now, please download the following package, and run the command below from each versions folder that directly contains it's exe.
Once done, copy the entire folder somewhere, delete everything but any created vars.txt and then repackage this and send to me, this way all created vars.txt remain in place in the folders of the version that created them.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil...212104496994806

H2OUVE.exe -gv vars.txt

http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil...293783107048205
Here you go. There should be a vars.txt in each folder.

@brian105 - Thanks, please drop this file into H20UVE_100.00.16.08 folder and then run the following command from that folders location >> H2OUVE.exe -sv varsM.txt
There will be long list of success/fail, this is normal and expected, reboot once it's done. We are writing to [03D] and [016], if both = success then error at #2 should be gone, unless there is a lock inside a module aside from the settings themselves locking things down
After reboot, do FPT step #1-2 again using new name if you did not delete the previously created file. #2 should pass, if so send me file created at this time using step #1. If #2 still fails, tell me error #
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil...349872079358016

Sadly, there's a new error:
GbE Region does not exist.

Error 316: Protected Range Registers are currently set by BIOS, preventing flash access.
Please contact the target system BIOS vendor for an option to disable Protected Range Registers.
FPT Operation Failed.

@brian105 - Sorry, I forgot to mention GbE region does not exist is normal, but error 316 is unexpected here, you may need flash programmer
When you were flashing back edited vars, did 03D and 016 both say success?
Please run this command with FPT and show me image of the entire output >> FPTw.exe -i

Yes, both 03D and 016 were set successfully. Here is the output of the command:
Intel (R) Flash Programming Tool. Version: 11.8.77.3665
Copyright (c) 2007 - 2019, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.

Reading HSFSTS register... Flash Descriptor: Valid

--- Flash Devices Found ---
W25Q64FV ID:0xEF4017 Size: 8192KB (65536Kb)

--- Flash Image Information --
Signature: VALID
Number of Flash Components: 1
Component 1 - 8192KB (65536Kb)
Regions:
DESC - Base: 0x00000000, Limit: 0x00000FFF
BIOS - Base: 0x00200000, Limit: 0x007FFFFF
CSME - Base: 0x00001000, Limit: 0x001FFFFF
GbE - Not present
PDR - Not present
EC - Not present
Master Region Access:
CPU/BIOS - ID: 0x00, Read: 0x00B, Write: 0x00A
ME - ID: 0x00, Read: 0x00D, Write: 0x00C
GbE - ID: 0x00, Read: 0x009, Write: 0x008
EC - ID: 0x00, Read: 0xFFF, Write: 0xFFF

Total Accessible SPI Memory: 8192KB, Total Installed SPI Memory: 8192KB

FPT Operation Successful.

@brian105 - Thanks!

OK, looks like we can get around this via direct volume flash instead of entire BIOS region flash!
Please send me your newly created BIOSreg.bin file from AFTER the mod vars flash in.

http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil...927801236043200
Here it is.

@brian105 - Thanks, now run this command and send me this created file, and test flashing it back as outlined below too (should be success)
FPTw.exe -a 0x252000 -l 0x2EF000 -d DXEvol2.bin << Read
FPTw.exe -a 0x252000 -l 0x2EF000 -f DXEvol2.bin << Write

If you can write this back, then we can do BIOS unlock without programmer

It gives the same error as before, unfortunately:
Error 316: Protected Range Registers are currently set by BIOS, preventing flash access.
Please contact the target system BIOS vendor for an option to disable Protected Range Registers.
FPT Operation Failed.
Forgot to add the file: http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil...116588136532267

Bummer! Lets confirm the mod vars went back in properly before we confirm flash programmer is needed, please do this with H20UVE_100.00.16.08 and send me the file >> H2OUVE.exe -gv varsnewaftermod.txt

Also, lets dig deeper into that volume and see if it helps, just to be sure, please test this, if write passes send me the created file
FPTw.exe -a 0x252078 -l 0x2D7FE6 -d DXEvol2VI.bin << Read
FPTw.exe -a 0x252078 -l 0x2D7FE6 -f DXEvol2VI.bin << Write

If both changed areas are set how I changed them in vars, and the above fails too, then you will need flash programmer to unlock BIOS menu here.

Same error... sucks. Which programmer should I get? (preferably on Amazon)
Here's the file: http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil...357449181011499