Clevo BIOS Thread

No. In the options to choose the boot order, is there an option to choose EFI? Also secure boot. I suspect not, just hoping maybe that one would support Windows 8 features.

 

Those will only appear if you install windows in 'EFI mode', when you try to boot from the CD, there will be 2 options to boot from, the cdrom in normal mode, or the cdrom in EFI mode. If you install in EFI mode then the windows efi bootloader will show up in the bios to boot from after install. (This is the same for windows 7)

 

So if I have Windows 7, I don't need the new BIOS/EC then? Just stick with my .09 and .10? I was also asking that since I have Windows 7 (with no plans on updating to 8), if I do go with the newer BIOS and EC, and I know I need the HotKey for Windows 8, all the other drivers can stay the way they are? No need to update the rest?

Thanks again.

 

I highly recommend to update BIOS,bc many bugs fixed, whether you use windws 7 or 8 follow bios update instructions and all will be fine! after bios update you dont need any new drivers ! I have changed OS from widnows 7 to windows 8 bc AMD Catalyst drivers works better in win8 (beta 12.11)

 

Alright! That answers my questions. Many thanks. I'd rep you again, but I can't. Lol.

 

Just reporting back in... I have successfully updated my EC and BIOS (in that order, of course) and everything is working wonderfully. 6.0069 HotKey is still working since I'm on Windows 7 and I've learned that NONE of the Windows 8 drivers are necessary as long as you're still on Windows 7 even after the EC/BIOS update. So yes, the Hotkey is still working for me. I can open the dialog and change stuff and it works as intended.

 

So I placed a shellx64.efi file onto the USB install. In the BIOS chose the boot EFI from file system option. Installed Windows. I don't have any options to have it boot from EFI by default in BIOS still.

If I did it wrong, please explain how to install 'EFI mode' so those options do appear.

Thanks.

 

I will have to try it out to see exactly how to do it on these laptops. I know it works like that on ASRock motherboards, as I just built a bunch of systems with them lately.

Booting from EFI file system is something different, I actually didnt know how to do that. Where do I get the shellx64.efi file from? Is it on the windows dvd?

 

You're supposed to be able to do it just normally through BIOS or whatever. That's what I meant, Clevo needs to provide us a BIOS that supports this. Right now, I have to do a moronic workaround with a shellx64.efi. UEFI - Gentoo Linux Wiki

I already have my drive formatted GPT and my USB is FAT32 with boot efi files, but our BIOS still don't recognize it as EFI. It's dumb.

 

my card GTX 460m clevo p150hm work if install the gpu clevo in dell Alienware m15x ? both mxm 3.0b

 

clevo cards usually work in alienware machines, so i dont see a problem there

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

New BIOS out for W150ER/W170ER... Two updates within the past week, actually.

W150ERM_W170ER_BIOS_1.02.14.zip

W150ERM_W170ER_EC_1.02.08.zip

Fixed secure boot options in the latest. Previous version FINALLY implemented UEFI.

 

jaybee still has the old gtx 485m ?

 

nope, have upgraded to 7970m. why u ask?

edit: ah u mean if i still have the 485m card lying around? sold that one on ebay for 300€

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

Hi i'm here with a p157em bricked i had flashed on my p150em with p170em bios version 10 and keep my ec firmware original 1.07 sl and worked flawless without issues for weeks, so i decided update to ec firmware 1.08 p150em and the computer did the process and boot normally and i had entered in windows, and after a minutes of using i restarted the laptop and after that him don't boot up more! Only the fan works, no pen drive read no windows no cd appears like a killed lap. So what i can doto save my clevo? I did that because some user had used the ec firmware 08 with sucess to work fn + 1 fan. Help me please i need

 

To any P150 users with 1.02.xx ec and bios, and Win7. Is your kb lighting working properly? Mine is not switching automatically on startup. It stays in the default blue, until I switch it off and back on (Win + *), when it swithes to my chosen color. Same thing with returning from sleep. It defaults off.
Tried already HotKey 6.0045, 56 and 69. No dice.

 

Hmm, ignoring the fact that you crossflashed...you may try to rename the original 10 BIOS for P150EM & P170EM to

P17EM_08.rom or P15EMx08.rom

(try renaming the P150EM 10 BIOS to P17EM_08.rom first, if that doesn't help try all 4 combinations)

And follow this tutorial:

http://biosmods.wordpress.com/bios-recovery/

Also removing the mains & battery and then disconnecting the cmos battery below the keyboard for 30 sec. maybe a good idea...

GOOD LUCK!

 

Uhh... So I saw the new BIOS and decided to try and update. The EC worked fine to flash to .10, but then the BIOS would never flash up from .7 to .8, so I decided to try the Clevo ones. This thread says you can't go Clevo-->Sager, but nothing about the other way way around. The Clevo version flashed alright, but then the computer blue screens at startup, and won't boot from any windows device (including CD) or into my dual boot Ubuntu. I decided to flash back to .5 and .5 for the Clevo EC/BIOS, but now the computer is locked in an infinite restart loop if plugged into power and turned on. The screen stays black, but the keyboard along with wifi and hard drink lights all turn on for a few seconds, then the machine shuts itself off and back on agajn. It does this infinitely until I unplug the laptop. This is on a P150EM and I dot know what todo next. I'm not sure how to disconnect the CMOS battery and don't want to destroy the computer physically.

 

We can't downgrade any of the newer BIOS & EC for any model...
...try the above use the v10 P150EM BIOS and rename it to P15EMx08.rom then follow the FN+B unbrick guide...

P.S.: GOOD LUCK!

 

The blue screen issue you were having could have been due to your BIOS settings reverting to default. Specifically your HDD mode. i.e. AHCI (ACPI?) or IDE.

Could I encourage you this Sunday evening with a few pints?

 

the computer won't power on at all if I have FN+B depressed on the keyboard. If I let it turn on and start cycling through its infinite reboots, pressing FN+B while it's "off" and holding won't prevent it from booting, but won't bring any recovery menu up either.

EDIT: @above no, the BIOS settings were all as I had left them. I use an SSD and it was still in AHCI mode.

EDIT2: holding FN+B causes the power light to blink orange instead of staying solid orange when the machine is "off" and plugged in

 

Thanks Prema i will dissect the lap and try all combinations, after i will come back to answer if work ( i hope ). Beginning now...

 

@Tyranids You have the renamed file on the usb stick and in the usb 2 port, right?
Press FN+B right after you press the power button and hold it.

 

I renamed P150EM.10 to P17EM_08.rom, I have the USB stick in the USB 2.0 port on the right hand side of the P150EM. I will try cycling through all 4 permutations of naming you suggested:
P150EM.10 --> P15EMx08.rom, P15EM_08.rom
P170EM.10 --> P17EMx08.rom, P17EM_08.rom

These are the correct names, right?

I have tried each of these named files and held FN+B through 4 completely black screen reboots with each one. Should the names perhaps include the 0 (for instance, P150EM.10 --> P150EMx08.rom) or change the 08 to 10 (P150EM.10 --> P15x10.rom), or even both? This is a really unfortunate situation right now.

This is the flashdrive, correct?

 

You have to rename P150EM.10 to P15EMx08.rom

Cleber, as he has crossflashed, has to go through the whole cicle starting with P150EM.10 to P17EM_08.rom

TBH the chances that the 05 BIOS which you are using now has recovery enabled are slim...do a cmos reset and keep the latest EC & BIOS ready to flash in case you get it to boot.

EDIT: The names are coded into the BIOS files and need to be exactly like that...also the small and capital letters


EDIT2: You are doing it right, it's not your fault if it doesn't work...it's more of a last resort...

EDIT3: You forgot the 'x' P15EM x08.rom

All 4 combinations means:

P150EM.10 --> P15EMx08.rom, P17EM_08.rom
P170EM.10 --> P17EM_08.rom, P15EMx08.rom

 

Ok, thank you for all your help. I have it now named as such and the CMOS battery is currently sitting pulled out. After this message I'll try to get it booted one more time. Sadly, I don't see that happening since I am fairly sure I have tried with this name before. In future, what should the standard procedure be if the computer BSODs immediately at the Windows boot logo after a BIOS update? We shouldn't try to flash older BIOS (clearly, which I should have paid attention to, I read the whole first page multiple times, dunno how I missed that), so would CMOS battery be the first guess? I read online also unplugging the boot drive for a bit might help?

 

First we should go into BIOS and load the new setup defaults, then save and quit.
If you had a RAID or the HDD was in AHCI mode those settings have to be set to match the earlier version, otherwise windows may BSOD.

And don't worry man it's just a computer, switch that damn thing off and enjoy the rest of the sunday with real life...monday you do the RMA and by next weekend it maybe already back.

 

Haha I'm pretty sure screwing with the BIOS voids any type of warranty I may have had... I shall look into that though, I've only had the computer 4 months now, so I'll see what's covered in the default 1 year thing. Enjoy your weekend now too, you;ve been incredibly helpful.

 

You didn't screw with the BIOS, you just tried to update and downgrade...screwing with the BIOS is something else
Anyway if your shop has a programmer at hand it's recovered pretty fast...

 

Do Clevo and Sager develop the new BIOS updates? Do they have a statement some where that says something like "yes these updates are official you just have to download them at another website."

 

Happened the same thing than Tyranides with me i tryed many ways and more closer that i got was the orange led blinking. I will forget a little about that and try more after, maybe the things become more easy. Tomorrow work and i will be busy, if Tyranides find something PM me please and if get sucess also i will reply here !

Thanks Prema and Tyranides you are not alone !

 

Ha ha ha,

[rant] believe me even resellers are bricking their machines because the way Clevo handles their updates.
Many of them are not even provided any files or instructions and are left in the dark...
It's simply Clevos lack of service towards their smaller distributers, which causes these problems...
I mean every major notebook brand also has the recovery procedure enabled on all their models...not so Clevo...they have outsourced the BIOS development to a third party and don't do anything in-house... [\rant]

 

Hello Prema,

I have BIOS and EC versions 1.02.14/1.02.11 respectively. However, I wanted to get fan control in my system and possibly XTU support (from what I heard when going from Clevo to Sager BIOS). I don't have the latest Sager BIOS or even know where to get the latest ones, but I wanted to know if its safe to flash from my current version to whatever version Sager BIOS is currently at.

 

Prema, good post. All I have seen is "oh new BIOS update, download and install it" all over this forum and no one every questions the mirrors they are downloading from, the legitimacy and quality of the downloads, and whether these updates are really worth flashing. You can't download the updates from the Sager/Clevo websites, and like you said, Clevo shows no real support for the updates. BIOS work is not done in house, even after I thought that Clevo was the "insider" in the laptop business doing all the dirty work. Nope.

Clevo kind of reminds me of the Stormcloaks in Skyrim. It represents a good cause, which is to get the best and latest to the customer at a reasonable price, but it is unorganized compared to the Empire (HP, Alienware, MSI, Asus, etc) and can be questionable or even "corrupt" in some ways. Alienware is over priced, yes, but provides actual customer service and fully understands that switchable graphics wasn't mature enough to take over the mobile market (thus the mux was included in the newer models).

While I enjoy my Sager, I don't plan on staying with the brand for the future. It seems like a brand meant for those who think they know more about the market and are getting an inside deal (Stormcloak followers, any one?) but in reality, you are truly getting what you pay for. Hell, I paid a lot of money for my laptop, and still the support is sketchy. The build quality is great, and functionality wise, the laptop is solid, but past that it gets a bit dark. In the end, the single reason that justifies my purchase is the 7970m. This card destroys every thing else in terms of performance/dollar, and let alone destroys every thing performance wise period sans the 680m. I don't think the card can be found in many other laptops. I haven't seen it in any thing but Clevos, Alienwares and maybe one MSI (correct me if I am wrong). Right now, AMD is the savior of my laptop as the company continues to work on new drivers with great performance improvements. I do hope Clevo and Sager can improve though, because if they can get support right, they would be much more appealing.

 

Today my seller posted a new bios + EC for the clevo w150ERM/w170ERM . You can find it here : Index of /Notebooks (Drivers)/15CL45 - 17CL45 (W150ERM - W170ER)/BIOS/Windows 8

perhaps prema can do a little magic again with this bios dont know what the chnages are for this bios. maybe someone can find a changelog somewhere?

Remeber that if you flash to this bios update the EC first then the bios! and you will be stuck with the BTO logo at boot instead of the nice prema logo cause thats my reseller

heres the info they put:

It is necessary to update system's EC firmware to 1.02.xx first.

How to flash EC firmware:

1. Plug in AC adaptor.
2. Run ECFlash.bat under pure DOS to start EC flash procedure, the system will shut down automatically when the procedure is finished.
3. Plug off AC adapter for 5 seconds then plug in AC adapter.
4. Power on system and enter CMOS setup to check EC firmware version.


How to flash whole BIOS ROM that include ME:

1. Make sure plugin AC adaptor.
2. Run MeSet.EXE under pure DOS, the system will auto cold boot.
3. Run FlashMe.bat under pure DOS.
4. The system display flash complete message after flash success.
5. Press power button override 4 seconds, and then re-plugin AC adaptor

DESCRIPTION EC:
1. EC firmware 1.02.08.
2. support both Windows 7 and Windows 8.
3. It is necessary to refer to the instruction of readme_EC.txt to update firmware.

DESCRIPTION BIOS:
1. System BIOS 1.02.14 (can't work with all 1.00.xx EC firmware).
2. Support both Windows 7 and Windows 8.
3. It is necessary to update system's EC firmware to 1.02.xx first.
4. It is necessary to refer to the instruction of readme.txt to update firmware.

 

@TrantaLocked

Clevo's biggest strenght is US

@WulffM

I have all the new Win8 BIOS except the one for my own W110ER to test it myself before porting it to other models... LOL...

 

Cool, thanx prema! i will wait for sure. do it when you have some time. you happen to know if there were any big changes to this windows 8 bios versions? or is it lets say just to let the notebook know win 8 is supported or whatever..lol dunno anything about bios stuff except how to install m hehe

 

You're telling us, yea its a mess now with all these versions not compatible with one another, we have to have this big ole flowchart to figure out what we give our customers. Its not just as easy as here's the latest update.. Apply. Its a here flash your machine 3 times to get to the latest version. But make sure you reboot here but NOT here or else you'll brick it.

And for some models the BIOS update for windows 8 is really important (W-series) as some things won't work in Win 8, while others (P Series so far) its more just to move menu's around than anything.

But yea, this BIOS soup is killing us support wise too

 

I am thinking on postponing updates of the initial post. With all this mess, it's more than certain that some will get their machines bricked.

Numer 1 rule from now will be: NO DOWNGRADES!

 

Hi !

A just wanted to tell you I have updated my mirror : Index of /clevo-mirror

 

If you want to stay with Sager BIOS, then stick to emailing or calling their Tech Support. But it seems Sager is always behind the rest of the brands for their BIOS.

 

A quick update: I jumped to Windows 8, but I'm still having the same issue. Hotkey version is 8.0071.

 

FYI, Sager finally has the updated BIOS with Secure Boot enabled. Just email their tech support, no different than the one MySn offers, other than the logo. I went ahead and flashed to theirs since I don't like seeing Style Note, whatever that is. I prefer the Sager splash

It seems instead of having the made for Windows 8 splash with secure boot, Clevo has your manufacturer logo instead. Sager is cooler than Style Note IMO.

 

Hulawafu, can you post it here or on your other thread?

 

hulawafu77 ,hello! how you think, will be possible use Intel XTU utility on P150EM with new Sager Bios?

 

I don't have any XTU enabled in the BIOS for P150EM. I thought there was some issue with cross-flashing a 170EM on a 150EM now with the newer BIOS.

I just wouldn't risk it, probably brick it. And I don't see why you want it either. What are you doing that you need to overclock? These CPU are already monsters. The 3610QM will be good for any game for a while and the faster Ivey Bridge can chew through x264 encoding fast, even with placebo settings. So I don't understand what you need to OC for to risk bricking your notebook.

 

for OC RAM, I have slow memory : (

 

Wouldn't it be easier and safer to just get faster ram? Also you may want to do some research on effects of ram speed. It has been shown low latency has more impact than faster ram. For example, 1600 @ CL9 is more beneficial than 1866 @ CL11/CL12. But right now ram is fast enough doubt you would notice any difference.

What do you do that requires you to OC ram? Can you actually prove that you notice a difference by OC'ing your ram?

 

you are right , now I think - placebo

 

I´ve updated my BIOS and EC to the one sager gave me according to my serial number, the flashing went good, with no erros. However, my Fn key is now the windows key and vice versa, and the function to turn on/off WLAN doesn´t work.

I thought it was a driver issue and I tried to uninstall then reinstall intel and hotkey drivers, before uninstalling it was giving me internet and the blue led indicator in the chassis was turned on, but after uninstalling the led indicator was turned off and the drivers wouldn't install because my wifi card wasn´t connected. Now every time I try to use the Fn+F11 cobination to turn on WLAN, the card wont connect and the led indicator stays off.

What can i do?

Edit: Solved it, just was a bad driver download. Now everything works right, so far.

New BIOS and EC info:
BIOS Revision: 1.02.14LS1
KBC/EC Revision: 1.02.11SA