Samsung Series 7 - NP700Z5C-S03CA: My Last Hope

HI, thx for answer me again.
Now I think he can boot external ODD too. when he start the note have a delay and ODD becomes to ready, but he restart and go to F4 message...
I'm able to acess advaced settings only one time, when I put HDD2(lenovo) and he boots on windows 10, after that its impossible...
Today I get my HDD2 and erase the windows partition and put the files of windows 8.1 only after extract the first screen.
I thought he would start to identify the devices like the windows intall, but he get mes the acpi bios error again. I think is something on the iSSD.
Tomorrow i go try resold the bios, because the notebook is unable to boot.

What makes me confused is that I cloned the hdd2 to hdd1 but only 2 is read by the notebook, even the partition schemas being identical.

 

Hi, i'm back, now i can boot in samsung recovery mode, I find other samsung notebook, boot into recovery and use the option 'clone disk' to the disk of the bricked samsung, the windows wont starte yet, but i can acess the recovery.... now i have 3 options to try.
1 - recovery up to memory WIM file, who i can switch from one Windows PE like gandalf, and see if still booting
2 - switch all files of this partition
3 - find one way to use the commands in the recovery modes, put the files on the partition and call the prompt if possible

 

Hi again, Luiz.

Thank you for the updates.

Do you happen to know which version of Samsung Recovery Solution (SRS) was used to clone that disk? SRS5 and earlier use legacy BIOS/CSM mode and create MBR disks. SRS6 and newer use UEFI and create GPT disks.

This is important because your laptop's BIOS must match that setting. So if you are able to boot into Samsung Recovery on your own laptop using that cloned disk, that tells us whether your own BIOS is set to CSM or UEFI mode. And that, in turn, tells us which kind of boot sources you should try to create in your search for a way to clear NVRAM.

I am not sure Samsung Recovery is going to help us if your computer suffers from corrupted NVRAM. SRS runs on WinPE, and if there was a way to open a command prompt in SRS, you could clear NVRAM from there. But I don't believe there is a command prompt in SRS.

In your situation I would use Management Mode in SRS to create an Admin tool and use that to completely re-image the disk. See this post for details. Or this post. You can search around Management Mode and see if you find anything else that is useful.

I noticed that you were able to boot from ODD, but then got ACPI error, which indicates to me a BIOS error, not necessarily corrupted NVRAM.

I would still pursue resetting your BIOS settings (removing coin battery and holding power down, or through Advanced Repair if possible). And then disable Fast BIOS Boot and SecureBoot, but keep OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS. You could even try OS Mode Selection=OS or UEFI mode, which in theory should allow you to booth both GPT and MBR boot sources.

 

Hi, I FIX !!!!!! YEPPPPPPPP UHHHUUUULLL
It's a srs6, I can open the prompt with ctrl alt f10, but that dont help me a lot because i'm afraid to use the commands to reset nvram in srs mode, because i discovery samsung have same boards numbers, but the boards are actualy different, my board its LOTUS 13 TSP REV 1.0 (N Y BA41-02155A), but my board dont have the onboard memory ram who make all bios i have flashed dont show video, i try 13 bios files. I'm afrai to run commands based on different bios version, and **** all. I have assigned a letter to the 1GB partition of recovery, and replace the boot.win for a windows 8 PE. he starts to boot but give a blue screen who cant find winload.efi, and the options F8 for more options, and ESC to go go UEFI setting, when i have pressed ESC the notebook restart and I enter into the BIOS settings.
The reset removing both battering and jumping rst and cris, dont really reset the bios, when i enterin bios my config on boot option is CSM only, like I change in the past... but i dont now how they boot on UEFI samsung recovey, and try to boot on my HD lenovo who is GPT (giving me the acpi bios erros in the past like other thread on this forum). Now i change CMS to CMS and UEFI, and the windows boot normaly, now I have updated the bios by the SW firmware, and all its fine.
I have created a disk image of that HD with samsung recovery, i can upload then to help other people who dont boot anyway like my problem.
Sorry for my bad english. Thx a lot for the help

 

Pictures of the board and the bios

 

If those BIOS settings are your current state, then congratulations on being able to get back into BIOS. Whatever you did, well done!

The recommended path is now to install Windows from ODD -- NOT from USB flash drive, since you will run into another problem with the iSSD. That is avoided if you install from ODD.

1) Verify that you can boot your Windows disk from ODD.

2) Re-attach your HDD (looks like none are currently attached).

3) Once Windows Setup has booted, go to the Advanced partition screen and load a command prompt (Shift-F10), then wipe the disk and convert it to GPT using the following commands:

DISKPART (to start the Disk Partition manager)
LIST DISK (to show all your disks. Notice which one is your disk)
SELECT DISK x (replace x with the disk number found above)
DETAIL DISK (just to verify that you selected the right disk)
CLEAN (to wipe the disk)
CONVERT GPT (to convert the disk from MBR to GPT)
EXIT (to close DISKPART)
EXIT (to close Command Prompt)

4) While in DISKPART, wipe the iSSD as well, using the same commands.

5) Proceed to install Windows. Hopefully it will install in UEFI mode (seeing the GPT disk) even with OS Mode Selection=UEFI and CSM OS. And hopefully it will boot from the HDD when you get to that part.

6) As soon as you have Windows running -- and even before you finish installing drivers and setting it up -- I recommend you clear NVRAM using the steps in post #7 of this thread: Extract the BIOS flashing utility from a BIOS update file for your model (version doesn't matter), then run that flashing utility with the /cvar /patch parameters.

Good luck! And again, please keep us updated.

Edit:

Silly me, I didn't notice your success post before writing the above, just your post with the screendumps.

Indeed then, congratulations. A job well done there!

And thank you for reminding me that SRS can open command prompt with Ctrl-Alt-F10, I seem to recall that now from the past

For others with corrupted NVRAM: If you manage to get into SRS (which is rare) you can use Command Prompt there to clear NVRAM. The version of BIOS update file doesn't matter, as long as long as it is the right Platform ID for your model. You're just using the flashing utility to clear NVRAM. Of course you still need to download and extract a BIOS update file, which is best done on another computer.

Once again well done, @luiz eduardo. And again thank you for posting your updates here

 

Hi all with your good ideas and great knowledge

I am one of the many with boot loop problems on a Samsung computer but do not yet exactly know if it is the same problem as discussed here. However, since I tried a lot and made obviously some mistakes (after reading this threads in NBR).

My story:

Tried to revive the Computer of my girlfriend a Ultrabook NP530U3C with Win 8 preinstalled: BIOS version: P09ABH like in this thread

The computer started to have some problems in Win 8.1, resulting in a few blue screens, so I thought I upgrade to Win 10, if there problems with Win 8.1. This is still possible with the Win10 October Update. However blue screens problems persisted so I used chkdsk it did restore some damage sectors so that led me to the conclusion that I the hard disk is on its brink to proper malfunction.
Win 10 was then working and booting normally.
I bought a new SSD installed a clean Win 10 on it and everything worked after the second restart. Now my computer got bricked.
Samsung Logo appears and then the Win 10 logo, 2 seconds later Samsung logo again, then for 4 seconds the Win 10 automatic repair and then it starts all over with the Samsung logo. Additionally I have no chance to get either into Bios nor into the boot manager.

I tried:

• Pressing the battery punch hole, Win 10 miracously started booting and I then I tried to install all updates using the SW update. However when the computer restarted the boot loop started all over again, and it doesn't work. (didn't read the thread until then, a chance gone)
• Installing with USB ISO: Win 8.0, Win 8.1 and Win 10.
  
• Restore the hard disk, but the whole processes failed when it rebooted

I was reading this thread (and a few similiar here on NBR) and thought it might have something to do with NVRAM!

Last but not least I tried to install Ubunto 18.04 using USB ISO and it worked for whatever reason. Funny enough I can also enter the Bios via the the Bootmanager (ESC at start).
My girlfriend, is not the most computer prone person and I think she would enjoy a windows environment more than getting used to Linux.

So my questions to you smart guys:

1. Would you suggest me to try to update BIOS P09ABH to the P13ABH and try to flush the NVRAM (if that is possible via ubunto) and then try to boot with the old hard drive to see if it works?
2. Do you think it has nothing to do with the NVRAM, because I can access BIOS via with the Ubunto installation?
3. Or do you have any other smart suggestions on how to proceed?

I am a bit scared now that if I deinstall Ubunto and the Gandalf Win PE that I still might have the same issues and can't get ubunto to run again, so I am thinking to borrow another Hard disk and try to Gandalf Win PE on it and flushing the NVRAM.

Thanks already in advance
Alex

 

Hi Alex, welcome to NBR.

If you can wait a few hours, I'll take a look at your post. I suggest you don't do anything until then, so as not to make the problem worse. I know you're probably itching to get on with it

 

Hi again, Alex @FalscherFreund,

So yes, it's hard to say if your computer has NVRAM problems or whether other things are going on. Or maybe both. The fact that you are unable to get into BIOS with F2 (as I understand) is usually a sign of NVRAM problems. OTOH your computer does boot, just isn't able to complete booting Windows, which indicates it's a problem with the Windows installation -- or possibly a mismatch between the BIOS settings and the Windows installation.

If you are able to boot Windows or WinPE from whatever media (HDD, SSD, USB, DVD) I would advise you to clear NVRAM. It eliminates an issue that has a tendency to only get worse with each installation or update of an OS; it has rescued countless semi-bricked computers, and fixed a large number of boot problems; and we've never seen reports where where it caused a problem.

You already identified the BIOS for your model as P09ABH, which is great. According to the Samsung link below, the latest version is P13ABH:

http://sbuservice.samsungmobile.com/BUWebServiceProc.asmx/GetContents?platformID=ABH&PartNumber=AAAA

It can be downloaded from the following Samsung link:

http://sbuservice.samsungmobile.com/upload/BIOSUpdateItem/ITEM_20150810_21499_WIN_P13ABH.exe

Since that update is newer than your current BIOS (by quite a bit), you simply need to run that file to update to the latest BIOS. This in itself will clear NVRAM on the laptop.

If you are able to boot a Gandalf WinPE (from USB or DVD) then do that and update the BIOS form there. Otherwise I suggest you plug the original HDD back in, which it sounds like was able to boot Win10, just had some messy disk repair (maybe I misunderstood). Unfortunately, you cannot update the BIOS or clear NVRAM from Ubuntu.

But the fact that you are able to get into BIOS settings through the Ubuntu Bootmanager is a big advantage. If you have problems booting Windows/WinPE, then go to there and reset BIOS settings (F9), then make sure Fast BIOS Boot and SecureBoot are disabled and OS Mode Selection is either UEFI OS or UEFI and CSM OS. The latter will make it easier to boot a variety of boot sources by allowing both UEFI/GPT and CSM/MBR.

Once BIOS is updated and NVRAM cleared, make sure OS Mode Selection= UEFI OS before installing Windows. Once everything is up and running, you can reset BIOS settings to default again, including enabling SecureBoot.

As for installing Windows, follow the steps I gave in the post just above yours. In particular, make sure to install Windows from DVD, not from USB flash drive. Otherwise you'll be running into another problem with the laptop's iSSD.

That's all I can think of right now. It sounds like you have been doing your homework, which makes you well prepared for this.

Please post your updates here.

Good luck. Fingers crossed for you. If this works out, maybe we can change your username to WahrerFreund

 

Dannemand,
thanks for your messages.

First of all, I am not in a hurry, since Ubunuto is running since a week and the basic stuff is working for her. I have a new born at home, so if it takes a week or two and the computer works on Windows smoothly afterwards I am still extremely happy.

Sorry for the misunderstanding but none of the HDD with Windows were able to boot. When to boot loop problem started, I just could boot Windows once after pressing the battery pinch hole. Now this doesn't help anymore.

Thanks for the link with the P13ABH BIOS!

I already disabled Fast BIOS and SecureBoot and UEFI OS is selected, already but couldn't boot Windows on the old HDD either. Maybe it works if I updated BIOS via Gandalf.

A friend lend me an old HDD today on which I will try to install the Gandalf WinPE. I will keep you updated on the progress I made, as soon as I have time.


cheers Alex

PS: The username is a relict of my teenager days, so if ti works we could change it to FalscherFreund the WahrerFreund

 

Thank you for that clarification. Re-reading your post now, it makes sense.

Windows boot looping alone would not necessarily indicate NVRAM corruption to me. In fact, it is most likely just a symptom of the BIOS being outdated when you updated to Win10. We've had other reports of that. (General rule: Always check for BIOS updates before starting an OS update or installation).

But the fact that you are unable to use the F-keys on startup (F2 to enter BIOS, F4 to enter Recovery, F10 to select boot device) does indicate NVRAM corruption. In light of that, I recommend you avoid performing new OS installations on that laptop (Windows or WinPE or Ubuntu) since each new installation will write to NVRAM and increase the risk of getting to a point where you are unable to boot anything.

Your focus should be to create Windows or WinPE boot sources (HDD, USB flash drives or DVD) that you are able to boot on the Samsung, so that you can clear NVRAM by updating to the latest BIOS. It is best to create these on another computer, then try booting them on the Sammy.

The fact that Fast BIOS is disabled will help, since it tells the computer to search USB and DVD for a boot source. Otherwise it checks just the HDD, and only searches other sources if the HDD is disconnected. But in your case you are actually able to boot from HDD, another advantage compared to most users with corrupted NVRAM.

I would temporarily select OS Mode Selection=UEFI or CSM OS as that will allow booting both UEFI/GPT and CSM/MBR boot sources. That said, you should focus on UEFI/GPT sources as your computer defaults to UEFI mode.

I think there is a good chance you will be able to boot WinPE from HDD. If so, you merely have to run the BIOS updater from that link I posted to update the BIOS and clear NVRAM in the process.

Assuming you succeed in that, just follow the steps in my post #206 above to install Windows anew -- from DVD (to avoid problems with the iSSD) and making sure to wipe and re-partition the disk in the process.

Again, good luck. I look forward to hearing the outcome.

PS. And of course I was joking with the username remark, as you realized. You can have any name you like. Well... I guess almost any name, as long as it stays within our general language rules

 

Finally I had time to work on the computer!

Installed Win 10 yesterday evening and everything runs smoothly! Thanks again.

If I would have known at the start it would have been really easy.

My workflow to fix it:
Prepared a USB stick with Gandalfs Win PE x64 and a Win10 Installation DVD and formated my new SSD.

Plugged in the USB stick with Win PE + an old empty harddrive in so that it boots from the USB stick. I think if I would have worked as well by just removing any hard drive, with plainly the USB stick.
Then I upgraded BIOS via WinPE to WIN_P13ABH.
Plugin of the new SSD and installed Win 10 on it without any problems.

Thanks Again for you help and all your previous effort for the whole community!

My girlfriend actually got used to Ubunto but I think she is happy now that she can use her Lightroom and some of her other software.


PS: I don't hope the problem arises again but if then I know how to easily flush NVRAM.

 

@FalscherFreund: I am very glad to hear that. Great job!

Everything makes perfect sense with the steps you took and the outcome you got.

As you say, now you can easily clear NVRAM going forward. I'm not necessarily recommending to clear it with every spring cleaning, but after several OS installs or updates, it's not a bad idea.

Just know that next time simply running the BIOS updater won't do it, as you are now on the latest BIOS version. You will need to run the flashing utility (extracted from the updater) with the /cvar /patch parameters, as described in post #7. I would extract that now, while everything is working, and keep it on that same Gandalf WinPE USB stick.

Thank you for posting your update here. Once again, well done!

 

Hi everyone! Reading this has been super helpful, though I think I still haven't seen someone discuss the issue I've just encountered.

I installed Ubuntu on a Samsung NP300 laptop from a Live USB, and got a prompt asking if I wanted to force UEFI mode. I said yes, installation went through, but it wouldn't boot: it'd go straight into a grub2 prompt. I attempted reinstalling with different images via Live USB, both using the default installation option, and sometimes creating partitions myself, but always got the same result (and sometimes the 'force UEFI?' prompt).

After reading online for a while, someone suggested using efibootmgr to change the boot order. I run it with --bootorder, specifying a single option (the ubuntu one). It didn't work, but it seems to have had the side effect of removing all other boot options. The USB entry is not listed in the BIOS any more, despite me rebuilding the USB drive, resetting to BIOS defaults, enabling and disabling Fast Boot, etc.

From the grub2 prompt I was eventually able to boot into the Live USB, where I once more attempted a reinstall. However, once I was done, booting into that entry causes the computer to immediately shut down. I'm able to access the BIOS menu, but despite having tried all combinations of AHCI, Secure Boot, etc., a) the only entry in the boot order list still causes a shut down, and b) the Live USB is not listed.

It seems to me like this configuration was corrupted somehow (probably by me running efibootmgr), but I have no idea how to fix this, since I'm unable to get a command line running. Should I attempt to remove the motherboard battery in the hopes that this configuration is cleared?

Any help will be extremely welcome. Thanks!

 

Hi @nventuro, welcome to NBR.

Installing various forms of linux did indeed cause the original wave of NVRAM corruption on Samsung laptops, even before Microsoft switched to UEFI with Win8, and thereby caused an even greater wave.

In most cases it prevents using the F-keys during boot, and thus prevents access to BIOS (F2), Samsung Recovery (F4) or selecting a boot device (F10). But it also often prevents selecting boot sources that otherwise should boot just fine. That seems to be the case on your laptop.

You need to follow the steps in post #7 of this thread. Also read the threads linked in that guide and at the end of that post.

Basically you need to boot some form of Windows or WinPE (Win7 or newer). I do not know of a way to clear NVRAM from a linux command line, nor (unfortunately) from a Windows Setup command line. If you cannot boot Windows from your harddisk, alternatives are WinPE from USB flash drive, DVD drive or memory card.

The fact that you are able to get into BIOS is an advantage, since it allows you to choose BIOS settings that help you solve the problem. Specifically, enable Fast BIOS Boot (if your BIOS has that) which lets BIOS look for external boot sources. (Others who cannot access BIOS can remove the HDD to force looking for external boot sources, even if Fast BIOS Boot is disabled.)

Also in BIOS, choose SecureBoot=disable and OS Mode Selection=UEFI or CSM OS which will try to boot UEFI/GPT boot sources as well as good old BIOS/MBR sources. This gives you more flexibility.

It can sometimes be helpful to reset CMOS by unplugging the charger, disconnecting the battery (or poking the battery disconnect pinhole button on the bottom) then holding down Power for 60 seconds (see this post). It doesn't solve NVRAM corruption, but it can reset BIOS to default settings, including Fast BIOS Boot=enable and OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS, making it more predictable which kind of boot source might work . Unfortunately it will also enable SecureBoot, which doesn't make it easier to boot an external WinPE boot source.

Once you are able to boot some form of Windows, you need to either (1) update to the latest BIOS, or (2) if you are already on the latest BIOS, download the latest BIOS update file from Samsung, extract its content, and run its flashing utility with the parameters /cvar /patch (such as sflash64 /cvar /patch or WinFlash64 /cvar /patch).

The guide in post #7 links to the BIOS rollback thread which has details on how to find, download and extract the latest BIOS update file.

You have some work ahead of you, but the success rate for those who manage to boot WinPE and do the remaining steps is almost 100%.

Good luck. Please keep us posted on your progress

 

My Samsung Ultrabook Series 5 while upgrading to windows 10 crashed and now unresponsive to any F-key. It keeps looping with restarts. I have done so far:
-reset the CMOS
-pressed the small hole for 30sec
-removed the battery
-tried to boot with another HDD

Nothing is responding and unable to enter BIOS. I gave up and took it to Microcenter, the tech now is stating that my motherboard is done. Any help, suggestions will be great! Let me know if you want email, contact info.

Thanks,
Mulay

 

Hi @mullertime1827, welcome to NBR.

I am very sorry to hear that.

The NVRAM used by BIOS was probably messed up (corrupted) during that Win10 upgrade, which can cause those symptoms. It happens too often on that generation of Samsung laptops, and even Samsung would resort to replacing the motherboard when it occurred.

But if you can find a way to boot some form of Windows or WinPE, either from your HDD or from USB flash drive or DVD or memory card, there is a good chance it can be fixed by clearing the corrupted NVRAM. You will need another computer to prepare various WinPE boot sources, which you can then try to boot on the Samsung.

So my answer to you is essentially the same as I gave in my post just above yours: You have to follow the guide in post #7 of this thread -- and study the links in that post, and subsequent posts in this thread. It requires study, patience and some technical knowledge. Armed with those, the information in here has allowed many, many users in similar situations to salvage their semi-bricked Samsung laptops.

Beyond that there really isn't much more I can say or offer, other than good luck. Please keep us posted on your progress

 

Hey guys, i too have a problem with a Sammy NP300e5x-S02RO. The problem is that it's stuck at the Boot menu, but i have no option to select.
-I cant enter the bios,
-it doesn't see any external bootable device(cd with windows, bootable usb with windows, linux, both mbr and gpt, fat32 or ntfs),
-the F2, F4, F10 seem to work but they all go to the same empty boot menu.(why i say they seem to work, if i press one of them in the "pheonix loading bar it says <Please wait> or smth"; if i don't press anything it goes to empty boot menu.)

Also when i start the laptop it goes to the pheonix screen with the loading bar, then does a hard reset(i believe this is the name when it shuts down and starts again) and then goes to the same empty boot menu.

What i have done till now:
-tried booting all the stuff i have as said,
-tried resetting the bios from both jumpers near the ram( bios reset and crisis reset)
-removed the bios battery, waited around 9 minutes(couldn't wait another minute), put it back, although didn't press the power button as others said,
tried selling my soul to satan but he said he has enough samsung owners.

I guess, the question is: is this beyond semi-bricked, is it totally bricked ? Should i spend my time searching the 22 pages for a case like mine, do you guys found someone like me that solved this without flasing the bios with an eprom?
Also another question, if the mobo is completely bricked can i use another np300 mobo? I found an NP300E5z that is being sold for parts.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi @danny3man, welcome to NBR.

Hard to say if this is caused by NVRAM corruption (the topic of this thread) of something else.

Did you try disconnecting the internal HDD and see if that allows you to boot from an external boot source? If not, that's what I suggest, since it forces BIOS to look for external sources: Try booting from USB flash drive, Memory card, DVD (internal or external USB optical drive). And try formatting these boot sources as UEFI GPT/FAT32 or good old MBR, since we don't know what kind of boot source your BIOS is looking for.

I am afraid I don't have time to dig deeper into this matter with you (also why it took me several days to respond to your post). Reading through the posts of this thread would seem a good way forward. Make sure you also check the links in post #6. Of course follow the steps in post #6 if/when you manage to boot something.

 

Hi @Dannemand, thanks for taking your time to answer, don't worry about late replies, i don't use the laptop daily, i keep it if i travel which happens only a few times a year.

I knew i forgot something and yes i did tried with no internals attached, i even disconnected the empty caddy. I tried boot-ing both linux 19.2 and windows 10 from usb stick, both UEFI GPT/FAT32/ NTFS and MBR. I also tried booting an windows 7 from CD. Same thing, the boot menu stays empty. I also tried a combination of Fn+F4/F5 as someone said here on one of these posts, same result. I think it completely bricked. I`m gonna continue reading trough here though.


LE:
I was finally able to boot from dvd using the F3 key as stated here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ed-unbricking-solutions.775777/#post-10040061
Then i followed the steps from post #7 and managed to reset the bios.
Thank you all for your work.
I think you should add the above link to post #7 for completely bricked samsungs.

 

@danny3man: Excellent work there, recovering your laptop. And thank you for posting your updated report here!

That post about using F3 is actually earlier in this thread by member @Dave-D. @TANWare posted a quote of it in the Accumulated Unbricking Solutions thread. It is still for semi-bricked Samsungs only, as the computer is alive, just unable to find a boot source. I am glad you found it and pointed it out!

Once again congrats on a job well done

 

I have NP700Z5C

May I just ask if my proposed update/reconfiguration will be a problem, I've already corrupted the BIOS some years back and had to re-flash to recover so would like to avoid that scenario again.

I currently have WIN10/Linux Mint dual boot (MBR non-UEFI), but now want to only run Linux and replace my SDD at the same time.

I'd like to format the new SSD to GPT, and in BIOS set to UEFI and install Manjaro (ARCH-Linux). Is this safe to do or should I just stick with MBR and non-UEFI version of Linux?

Sorry for my confusion, I'm struggling a little to understand the differences between the Windows installing from USB bug, the original Linux corrupting bug and the Samsung GPT/UEFI bug.

Many thanks for any guidance.

 

You are wise to be cautious about this!

The actions we've seen reported to trigger NVRAM corruption in Samsung laptops are:

1) Installing or updating UEFI Operating Systems, both Windows and Linux. Some of the first cases were indeed Linux installations because at the time Windows was still MBR/Legacy BIOS by default (even though a few people choose to perform Win7 UEFI installations). Once Windows went default UEFI (starting with Win8) corruption cases exploded.

2) When changing OS Mode Selection in BIOS settings from UEFI to CSM or vice versa. I was surprised when a member reported that this change in itself triggered corruption, maybe because BIOS makes a final update to NVRAM before switching to CSM (which doesn't use NVRAM).

So if you are currently in CSM mode, and haven't had any problems in several years, I absolutely recommend to stay that way and don't poke the sleeping bear. Even if newer Linux versions are more aware of not overloading NVRAM (which to my understanding is what causes the corruption) it's still a risk not worth taking, if you value your laptop.

Of course if anybody wants to sacrifice a Samsung laptop to science, there are many experiments one could perform, which would greatly help us understand what triggers corruption and what doesn't. But it doesn't sound like where you are with your NP700Z5C

 

Thank you, your advice is taken and much appreciated.

So if it helps anyone else I've simply replaced SSD formatted to MBR and installed Manjaro in non-UEFI mode.

GPT/UEFI issues aside, all the other hardware on the 700z is supported and this distro of ARCH-Linux is good to go.

Thanks again, had I not thought to post here first I'd probably be trying recover a corrupt BIOS now, and no real need for GPT UEFI anyway.

 

I try to update the bios with the exe but it says i hab low battery and i dont hab a battery np300e5c-a05uk

 

In most other cases it makes sense to simply update the BIOS when there is a newer version, as that is the simplest way to clear NVRAM. But I understand from your other thread that it won't update because your laptop doesn't have a battery.

Well, the whole point of this thread is that you don't HAVE to update our flash a BIOS, you can just clear NVRAM using the flashing utility. As described in post #7 of this thread.

I would do that to make sure the corruption is cleared. THEN you can proceed to work on updating the BIOS.

 

Yes but i found a modded bios i flashed it using winflash but it now bootloops instad of showing empty boot menu which by pressing f10 i can, but it still shows empty, however pressing f9 boots into my windows to go 8.1 external hdd still works, do i have to flash po5rac bios which i originally had but sadly i cant find any rom file for it, or does clearing nvram fix it?

Also i cant clear nvram cuz it wont extract the files since i think. It does it before the plug in battery or charge to atleast 30% error, and i got rid of the battery (not cmos battery)

Or if someone is willing to do it, then heres the link to the exe file and someone could send back the extracted files

http://www.mediafire.com/file/44v591lyvqovewg/ITEM_20130402_1069_WIN_P07RAC.exe/file

 

I merged your last three posts. You can use the Edit button to update a post. Better than scattering a series of posts in a row.

I downloaded the official P07RAC from Samsung using the link below:

http://sbuservice.samsungmobile.com/upload/BIOSUpdateItem/ITEM_20130402_1069_WIN_P07RAC.exe

In the future (and for others reading this): Please follow the excellent guide in our BIOS rollback thread to find out what is the latest BIOS version for a given Platform ID (in this case RAC) and insert that filename into the Samsung download URL given in the guide. Then extract it as described in that same guide.

In this case I extracted it and re-packed it as a ZIP file, which I shared on my Google drive because it was too large to attach to this post. Please download it quickly, as it may not stay there forever.

Use SFlash64.exe or SWinFlash_64.exe to clear NVRAM as described in post #7. WinFlash will NOT work.

It is quite possible that the bootlooping will be resolved by this. But I would still recommend you then flash the official BIOS instead of the modded one. That will be more difficult now, since the BIOS update utility will now see you as already on the latest. Use the BIOS rollback guide and advice in that thread (again, linked above).

This is a good example that oftentimes the best advice we can give in cases of NVRAM corruption is "sit there, don't just do something!" Since you were able to boot that external Win8.1 drive AND you weren't already on the latest BIOS version, it should have been the simplest case to clear NVRAM -- although I do understand the battery situation was an added complexity.

Fingers crossed for you. Make sure to post the outcome here

 

tried but got this
RAC>sflash64 /cvar /patch

Samsung-Phoenix SCT Flash for Windows V1.3.25.13-1.1, Build 120820
Copyright (c) 2011-2012 Phoenix Technologies Ltd.

Error: AC Adapter or Battery is not connected.

ERROR 220 - Failed at power status check! Status = 171.

Tried winflash which didnt work but thats cuz the micom is at po5rac so maybe u can send over the extracted po5rac exe (samsung np300e5c-a05uk btw) OR give me the po7rac bin micom since theres a micom tool inside

 

Oh wow, so it's actually the flashing utility itself that refuses to work without battery. I'm not sure how to get around that, other than by connecting a battery -- which you can buy on eBay for $15. I doubt it's going to be any different with P05RAC.

It sounds like you still have not read post #7, or you would have seen that WinFlash doesn't support the /patch parameter. Also, why is it you cannot download and extract these files yourself, using the same steps in the BIOS rollback guide that I use? You do have Win8.1 running right?

I have a lot of other work to do today, but I'll take another peak tonight if I have some spare time.

Edit, I managed to find P05RAC in the cached list posted in the BIOS rollback thread. It's ITEM_20120823_634_WIN_P05RAC.exe. Insert that into the URL in the rollback guide and download it from Samsung. Then extract is using the steps in that guide. That's what I would do anyway if I were to do it for you.

 

i cant extract those files cuz i think the battery error is before it extracts, i do have 8.1 on it, theres also a sforce cmd which forces to flash the bios so i add /sforce somewhere but sadly it says

Addtional actions are not allowed when /force was specified!

 

I see. Do you not get ANY prompts at all when you run that BIOS file (as Administrator)? You're supposed to copy the Samsung temp folder while that prompt is open, regardless of what the prompt says.

Anyways, sit on your hands for awhile and I'll take a look. (Seriously, sit on your hands, since you're just one misstep away from a hard bricked computer.)

 

When i run the exe as admin it says that theres no battery or the level is below 30%

What if i flash p05rac rom through the winflash thing since it dosent work cuz the micom is on p05rac but the bios is on po7rac

 

I bet it's still extracting alright, it usually does. I got an error too related to my OS when trying to extract P05RAC (it's probaly looking for Win7, being so old). I had to use the trick described later in the rollback thread ( here) with a BAT file looping to copy the temp folder contents while running the BIOS update file.

Anyways, I managed to download and extract P05RAC, zipped it and shared it on my Google Drive. I'll be interested to hear if that makes a difference for you. Again, please post the outcome here along with any steps you took to get there. Good luck to you.

I really have to get back to my other work now

Sure, you can try that. Or there may be additional parameters on SFlash64 to bypass checks like the battery. Otherwise the solution is probably to get a battery.

 

I flashed the p05rac bios with winflash no longer boot loops but still cant boot into bios and empty boot menu still showing up (still can boot into windows 8.1 usb)

Is there a way to JUST wipe nvram without flashing bios and micom? OR make winflash wipe nvram?

Theres also a /sforce which says in help that it forces to flash the bios i try it and says some error about arguments

 

Your STILL have not read post #7!

 

Well doing /cvar /patch gives me the no battery error, again theres a /sforce cmd but it dosent work with /cvar /patch

Or is there another way to clear the nvram?

 

Yes, but that IS the way to clear NVRAM without flashing. And again, WinFlash cannot do it.

What we don't have is a way to do these things without a working battery in the laptop. That situation never occurred to me, but I do see the issue.

Again, my recommendation is to get a battery. But if there is another solution it would be great to know about it.

 

Maybe making the program think theres 100% of battery, like driver stuff?

 

Developing a driver to do that would be very time consuming, considering you can buy a new battery for $15. Probably less if you can find a used one.

 

I can buy a battery for less than 7 eur, obv used but yeah ill just buy it, hope the bios thing works after change and i dont waste money since i have very little money lol thanks for the help anyway

 

Good choice!

Since you're now on P05RAC, you should be able to update simply by running ITEM_20130402_1069_WIN_P07RAC.exe as Administrator. That will clear the NVRAM as well. Make sure to close all other tasks before running it to make sure it isn't interrupted.

Of course I don't know if there are other things going on with your computer too. But if you cannot get into BIOS, it is almost certain that NVRAM is corrupted.

 

Yes but also it shows empty boot menu when booting, is that a nvram issue?

 

Yes, usually is.

 

However this didnt happen right away, at first i installed linux (deepin) onto this thing my bios wasnt working however everything else was working, day after i installed ubuntu 20 dual booting with windows 10 i got the empty boot menu, no manufactor should require a battery to flash a bios but eh even a unoriginal used one that works but still, i really hope i get this thing up again, and i will never switch uefi even for just windows since i heard uefi on samsungs are overall buggy

 

There are several possible symptoms when NVRAM gets corrupted, and yours fits the patterns. Read a few of the posts above yours, and you'll see.

The one exception is that you can consistently boot Windows from USB. That is rare and very fortunate, since without it, you can't do anything.

Again, of course I cannot guarantee that there isn't also something else going on with your computer. But you definitely want that NVRAM cleared while you still can and before it gets worse.

 

Just purchased the battery!

Its just a used 4400mah battery by green cell (had good experience with custom made battery so)

Will keep you and everyone else reading this updated

It should arrive in like a week or less

Oh and even tho i wont install linux on it im staying on legacy mbr since uefi is buggy, and anyone else reading this, just get rid of uefi

 

Back in 2012 it was indeed mostly Linux installations that caused NVRAM corruption, because they accounted for most of the UEFI installations.

But since Windows went UEFI starting with Win8, more cases have had no Linux installations. Some only had Windows updates. And a few merely changed the OS Mode Selection, and that triggered the corruption.

My recommendation is to leave OS Mode Selection at whatever it currently is, and clear NVRAM prior to any OS installation.

 

Yeah i had uefi on it but for some reason it switched to legacy by itself, and my notebook had windows 7 preinstalled with legacy on it

 

Most models pre-installed with Win7 have the older UEFI implementation (just a simple toggle - Off by default). Starting with the Win8 models came the newer implementation with SecureBoot and OS Mode Selection (UEFI OS, CSM OS, UEFI & CSM OS - UEFI by default).

A few "Business Variants" of later models came with Win7 and CSM OS by default, but those were exceptions.

If yours came with Win7 pre-installed, it almost certainly had UEFI disabled by default. I am guessing you enabled UEFI to install Linux (which is common). Then UEFI got disabled when BIOS settings were reset to default, either with F9 or through a BIOS update.

Even without NVRAM corruption, this alone would cause boot problems, as legacy BIOS cannot boot from a GPT disk, while UEFI can ONLY boot from a GPT disk. (I assume an Intel marketing strategist came up with this rule to ensure a steady sales of new chips when users replace their borked computers )

Until you can get into BIOS and change the UEFI setting, you won't be able to boot your internal disk. And NVRAM corruption (either from installing OSs or from switching UEFI in BIOS) is now preventing you from getting into BIOS.

At least that's my forensic analysis, based on your descriptions