Why I cant flash BIOS in 64 bit Windows 7?

I'm so glad I found this forum. Got a lot of questions regarding my 5920G and you guys look like pros

Anyway I downloaded the latest 3813 bios from acer europe website. I am tying to run the winflash utility but I get the following error.

Cant load driver flashnt.sys



and so on, take a look at the screenshot

I have tried running as administrator already. Same error.

I was going to try running in vista compability mode or installing xp virtual machine, but I wanted to run it by you guys first.

Updating BIOS is not something to be taken lightly. It can birck your machine easily.

SO whats going on here?

Isn't there a way to update BIOS from the bios?

My asus desktop motherboard allows you to use asus ez flash utility from within the bios and flash from usb or your hdd. I wish this was the case here but I can see nothing of the sort.

I really didnt want to flash from within windows in the first place anyway, but I saw no other way. I'm supirsed there is no readme files or anything that came along with the file. And I cant see documentation on the acer website either. Just a link to the bios zipped with no support

I am currently runing bios 3805. The one that came with my laptop. I have had it for 2 years now and Im the process of trying to upgrade some things on it.

 

Please create a DOS Boot Disk to flash the BIOS.
Flashing in Windows is not a good idea.

 

I'm not really sure how to go about this.
Start googling general purpose DOS boot disk guides? And then just copy paste the contents of the downloadable zip into the bottable drive? I'm sure its more complicated than that. Any guides?

Also is there any way to do this over USB rather than disc?

I know theres a way to set the bios to boot just from USB, if you press x on the other things in the boot order except USB I think you can force it to boot from USB.

 

lol i feel a bit stupid looks like this is a common issue and has been asked before. But I dont think there is a search function until you join?

look at this. reads almost the same as mine.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=439885&highlight=5920

Still no solution though. I guess the best way is to do it from dos. Has anyone written up a guide on this? Or some method where you just paste your BIOS file and burn away?

I'm really considering dual booting back to vista just for this bios flash.

I found this as well.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=440088

weinter i think it would have been more helpfull if you just posted this link

but it still seems like here are complications. Any update on the best method?

 

I thought it was already pretty comprehensive?

 

i have been flashing bios`s in windows for years with 0 problems
in the old days yes it was risky as the window flash programs were badly written

 

there is supposed to be a winphlash 64bit version out .

and i have found it on a few sites but they seem dodgy so im afraid to use it.

If anyone has a good working and trustworthy version of winphlash for 64bit then please let me know also

 

As you saw in Weinter's topic, I had the same issue, but I think that at the time I was getting bluescreens from bad new ram and now I got acer aspire specific ram and all works fine, no reason to update anymore.

BIOS update on my sister's new 5740G worked perfect on w764, and it helps to keep the battery good.

 

It is comprehenvsive. I'm just not sure how first time flasher friendly it is compared to a windows method

I think I could follow your instructions if i tried, but reading over it now I feel like I have to fill in some gaps myself and this makes me nervous if I will fill these gaps incorrectly.

For example you say "Go into the boot disk , delete AUTOEXEC.BAT and copy your flasher utility and BIOS file into the thumbdrive."


You dont exactly state what flasher utility, where to get it etc, and where one would find the bios file amongst a bunch of files in a zip a user would download for their laptop. I get the feeling I could try it, muck up, then ask for help and someone could easily say "oh no this method isnt for the 5920g, you have to use xx for that"


I think the omission of specifc steps or details like that make the user feel like the author assumes you are very familair with the process, in which case you probably woulnt need a guide in the first place.

I mean i can work it out, I guess by reading on/browising through files and deducing i would just google phlash16 and use that, or find the one located in the rescue folder of the activator download your provided, but you dont exactly state that.

"You could have said something like go to the rescue folder in the activator download provided, find phlash16, and paste it in the usb drive" instead and "the BIOs file will have a .wph extenstion in it so look for that in the bios files you downloaded for your motherboard" etc.

I am not slagging your guide btw, its great, just a little scary for a for a first time dos flasher, especially all those parameters!!

It makes you think what if for my specific case I needed to add "/a" so my computer doesnt blow up. This guide isnt exactly written for my specific scenario so i cant know for sure until I ask

Actually I am pretty adept with almost every other aspect of desktop computers, but the only other time I have flashed a a BIOS was a CUSL2-C following instructions to the letter and I bricked that motherboard 10 years ago! Never tried it since!

Yup i had alook around, very dodgy, there is no legit looking source or much info on it.

Well I have the 3805 version in there now, and 3813 is latest, so I'm not sure whether its worthwhile to update? What version are you running

I found a a changelog if you are intrested

http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47421&stc=1&d=1269420245


I think the issue is related to all 64 bit OSes for the winflash that comes with the 5920 BIOS files. I'm suprised you got it to flash for your sister, is acer using something esle for the 5740g thats compatible with 64 bit?

Hmm I wonder if you can use it to flash a 5920g, and if acer will ever release one for 5920g officially. Whats stupid is the bios provided on the acer website is listed under 64 bit 7 secttion, but it doesnt work, and they have no instructions on how to do it outside windows.

I still stay it would have been much much easier this if acer had an ez flash built into the mobo utility like asus...

Anyway looking forward to your replies

 

Ok Answers
Flasher utility refers to the DOS Flashing Program.
To flash you need the flasher utility and the BIOS Image file.
You can use the Phlash16 inside or download phlash17 different version but I have tried both works on my laptop

The reason you have to delete the autobat is so you can custom your own flash parameters otherwise it will execute the paramters in autobat instead.
Actually almost all Phoenix BIOS update methods are like what I described, if you update ASUS BIOS the DOS way it is the same just substitute Phlash16 with Aflash and their relevant BIOS Image file.

DOS flashing seems intimidating at first glance but it is really easy and safer than doing it in Windows because in DOS only 1 program is running: your flashing program while in Windows there are many services running that may potentially interfere with the flashing process.

You still get occasional Windows Flashing hang ups that brick Motherboards but in DOS it doesn't.
Either it finishes or it doesn't start.

 

Wait a second, as koen pointed out to flash you need the flasher utility, bios file, AND the two dos files in in there that make the usb bootable right to flash?

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1807/84091105.png

except instead of BIOS.wph it should read

ZD13813.whp (my specific latest 5920g bios file)
COMMAND
KERNEL.SYS
PHLASH16.EXE

Ok, so Ill just use flash16 then? Unless phlash17 is better? Would would they release a new one if phlash16 works fine?

Yup I get that, but the point is for the motherboard to have its own built in flashing utility, that way you know you cant do anything wrong.

I completely understand this. I actually wondered if it was safer to flash in windows SAFE MODE if you are going to be flashing within windows, but no one talks about it so I try follow as much as I can what others are doing.

Aside form the other things mentioned, the thing that troubles me most with the method you provide is the parameters. Its easy to say dont be intimidated, but there's so many things you can stuff up on and have no explanation about relevance.

For example

Phoenix BIOS parameters

/c Clear CMOS Checksum

Why would I want to clear CMOS checksum? And if its such an important step when flashing why wouldn't the flash utility do it on its own before flashing anyway!?


/v Verify after each flash

This seems very logical and the only one I'm comfortable with. Verify that the bios transferred correctly after flashing is finished cant is always a good thing.

/s Remove the irritating beeps sounds made during flashing

If you only flash once every 10 years, why would you want to remove the beeping sounds? Surely its an extra level of communication from the pc which given the circumstances should not be annoying to you the least.

/x ignore xms memory protection

This sounds scary as well. what is xms memory protection and why would you want to ignore it?

In short, if all these parameters are so important why doesn't the flash utility do them by default? Makes me wonder what will happen if you just flash without the parameters!

Srel

Surely a flash utiility within the bios itself such as asus ez flash is a equivlent/better than this, and much much easier?


If the dos method is so good good why don't manufacturers provide you with a program that you simply insert a usb, press next, it formats and applies whatever changes you need, then you simply boot of the usb and it asks do you want to flash y/n.
I get the feeling if dos was so idioitproof it wouldnt require such precision in the methodology.

Trust me if theres a way to muck it up I'll muck it up, which is exactly why I need to know what Im doing.

 

Don't worry it is very difficult to muck out in DOS Mode.
Because either it finishes or it doesn't start both are safe.
/c - Reset CMOS to default.
/s - Trust me the beep is loud when you hear 14 beeps due to 14 BIOS BLOCK you want to turn it off
/x - For DOS with memory check (Not Applicable for MiniDOS if you downloaded my package)

Phlash16 and 17 will work either one will do no difference.
OEMs don't expect you to flash from DOS, too user unfriendly I presume.

 

Ok no problem. I guess ill just try it.
But again, off course people are going to be following your guide, so why would you specify to use /x parameter if doesn't apply to the minidos thing within your guide? Its quite baffling. I am following only your instructions, and using that mini dos thing to make the bootable flash.

SO lucky I asked eh? I dont need the /x

so I basically write "phlash16.exe /c /v ZD13813.whp" whilst booted up in dos?

 

yep thats right

 

so If I did /x would it break something?

Btw I found this utility

http://www.biosman.com/bios-flash.html

ph614 so I I'll probably use that since its newer.

Thanks

 

It will just flash as per normal /x is used to bypass memory limits in certain DOS (but not applicable to miniDOS).