# Black Screen after downgrading bios to lowest version



## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

I recently downgraded my acer nitro 5 bios version by going into a file in the bios temp and changing Flag=2 to Flag=0 and it did go past the bios not letting me downgrade because I already have an earlier one, after process done laptop restarted but after that laptop stays in black screen without acer logo or anything, fan sounds like its working led keyboard lit up, I tried cmos battery reset didnt work, reason why I did the bios downgrade is because my gtx1050 was getting errors on newest bios version when it didnt happen before on older versions as well as laptop boots up in like 2min


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

I presume you mean you downloaded the BIOS flash file to a usb or whatever and then changed the Flag value in an attempt to flash the bios to the lower version, which of course you often cannot do with a normal BIOS flash
I have bad news for you - the only way you will recover is to send/take the laptop back to Acer or oine of their service agents and pay for a firmware chip flash
There is no other reliable way round this problem.
Depending on the value you put on the Acer Nitro - you may when you find the cost, consider it unworthwhile.

Some skilled local computer repair shops, not one of the giant mulitples MAY have the means to do this cheaper than Acer

You will find on a google search other suggestion to access crisis BIOS recovery mode - my advice is not to waste your time, or indeed make the situation worse than you already have done.
Therefore I do not think it appropriate to provide such links, but you are of course perfectly entitled to try if you wish.

I am sorry my reply is not what you were hoping for, but what you tried in the first place was most inadvisable.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Macboatmaster said:


> I presume you mean you downloaded the BIOS flash file to a usb or whatever and then changed the Flag value in an attempt to flash the bios to the lower version, which of course you often cannot do with a normal BIOS flash
> I have bad news for you - the only way you will recover is to send/take the laptop back to Acer or oine of their service agents and pay for a firmware chip flash
> There is no other reliable way round this problem.
> Depending on the value you put on the Acer Nitro - you may when you find the cost, consider it unworthwhile.
> ...


Well no I didnt use a usb to downgrade bios I did it using my own acer nitro 5, I wanna see if I can fix it myself by flashing it myself somehow can u help me out on trying to do so as I cant really take my laptop to a repair shop at the moment please


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

So you downloaded the earlier version BIOS extracted it and then changed the values in an attempt to have the system accept the flash back to the earlier BIOS
The principle of the basis of my opinion is still the same.
You are IMHO in a dead end alley from which there is no return except by the means I have suggested


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Macboatmaster said:


> So you downloaded the earlier version BIOS extracted it and then changed the values in an attempt to have the system accept the flash back to the earlier BIOS
> The principle of the basis of my opinion is still the same.
> You are IMHO in a dead end alley from which there is no return except by the means I have suggested


Yes, and theres no possible way I can flash it using a usb as I've seen on youtube videos?


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

My best wishes with the problem 
I have never encountered a problem with a graphics chip - where the soloution was to try some manner of unofficial BIOS flash attempt
If you succeed I will be surprised.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Macboatmaster said:


> My best wishes with the problem
> I have never encountered a problem with a graphics chip - where the soloution was to try some manner of unofficial BIOS flash attempt
> If you succeed I will be surprised.


Well it cant be with my GPU, obviously It had to be with the bios update i did, my acer nitro 5 was on the newest version so probably the older versions started having issues and now I'm stuck with a black screen cant even do anything I tried the fn and esc button and it just makes my fans go high speed


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

There is a recovery procedure however NO guarantees that it will work.
1 Download the correct bios file and put it on the root of a fat32 formatted usb
2 Insert the usb in a usb port if you have both usb2 and usb3, use usb2
3 Press and hold the Fn and Esc keys
4 Plug in A/C pw and you should see the pw light flash
5 Hit the ON button and it should start a blind flash of the bios
6 Let it run like this for at least 10min and pw OFF
7 Now pw ON and hope for the best


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

BTW do not mess with the bios file you download. Just download the correct one and do not attempt to edit the file.
Ops I forgot to list to release the Fn and Esc keys after you see the pw light flash.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Good luck; off to cook dinner.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

crjdriver said:


> Good luck; off to cook dinner.


Oh I see so basically I put the file of the bios.exe file and the read me into the usb formatted into fat32 and put it into my laptop and while holding fn and esc i turn on the laptop and it shouldn't be black anymore itll show something? I tried something similar I'm just not sure if it worked or not because no screen showed maybe bc it didnt boot off the usb?


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

TraxxDemon said:


> Well it cant be with my GPU, obviously It had to be with the bios update i did, my acer nitro 5 was on the newest version so probably the older versions started having issues


I did not mean that the problem was with the actual GPU chip itself
It may well have been the BIOS update, but the solution was not to try and modify BIOS file values.



TraxxDemon said:


> reason why I did the bios downgrade is because my gtx1050 was getting errors on newest bios version when it didnt happen before on older versions as well as laptop boots up in like 2min


When my colleague advises on the root of the drive - that means NOT in a folder on the drive - and a blind flash means you will not see a screen at that stage.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

No. If the file is in a .exe, it is probably a self extracting file. You must extract the file and put it on the root of the flash drive. A bios file will have a suffix such as .rom . img, whatever.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Macboatmaster said:


> I did not mean that the problem was with the actual GPU chip itself
> It may well have been the BIOS update, but the solution was not to try and modify BIOS file values.
> 
> When my colleague advises on the root of the drive - that means NOT in a folder on the drive - and a blind flash means you will not see a screen at that stage.


I'm a little confused on what I quoted above, if you can rephrase it please


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

I should have included use something like 7zip to extract the file.
Read through the instructions again and perform each step as outlined.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

crjdriver said:


> I should have included use something like 7zip to extract the file.


I used winrar to see files inside the exe bios file


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Winrar will work fine. Again no guarantees; if it does not work, it needs to be sent to the factory for repair. This will [probably] exceed the cost of a new laptop.


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

BTW I would not try and edit a bios file in the future. It is an involved process that requires a reasonably high level of skill to accomplish.
Editing a bios file is one of those things that IF you have to ask how it is done, you do not have the skill level to accomplish the task.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

crjdriver said:


> BTW I would not try and edit a bios file in the future. It is an involved process that requires a reasonably high level of skill to accomplish.
> Editing a bios file is one of those things that IF you have to ask how it is done, you do not have the skill level to accomplish the task.


Oh I see, ok so for the files when I download from acer site itll give me a winrar folder containing 2 files 1 the .exe and the read me file, I put those 2 into the usb formatted as fat32? And then plug into my broken laptop?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

You can try that however I think the .exe is a self extracting archive. Right click the .exe file and see if you have the option to extract then put those files on the root of the flash drive.

Usually a .exe type file is one that is intended to be used under windows [which IMO should NEVER be used to flash a bios]


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

crjdriver said:


> No. If the file is in a .exe, it is probably a self extracting file. You must extract the file and put it on the root of the flash drive. A bios file will have a suffix such as .rom . img, whatever.


There is no rom inside the .exe file no rom no bin and no fd file


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Well, then give it a try. When you reply, just type and post. Do not quote back the previous post unless there is a reason to do so.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Will do, I'll give it a try tomorrow if that's ok, is that fine? I'll let u guys know if anything helped


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

No problem. Good luck.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Thank u


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Ok hi I'm downloading the files right now hopefully I download how u told me


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Ok I plugged in the usb I extracted the files from exe into the usb, and the exe file is still in the usb too i plugged the usb in a 2.0 usb port which I'm guessing should be black and not blue, the usb is only staying on one red light no blinking and still black screen 1 min has gone by


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

10min have passed nothing still black screen usb still on red light no flashing red


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

Either it will work or it will not work. If not, either scrap the laptop OR send it in to the factory for repair. Most likely they would replace the motherboard and that is going to cost quite a bit of money. 

If it does not work AND you decide to have it repaired, make sure you get an estimate as to the cost.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Ok my question is I left the .exe file I downloaded in the usb with the extracted files from the .exe inside the usb, maybe that caused it not to work?


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Oh also forgot to mention the issue was when downgrading to lowest bios file, the bios version I'm using on usb is the newest, is that what I must do?


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

As long as all of the files are on the root of a fat32 formatted usb, that should suffice. 
The way a bios recovery works is that there is a part of the bios [sometimes called a boot block] that is not written to when you flash the bios. This section will look for a bios file when the proper procedure is initiated.

I have used this on a few asus motherboards and in my experience it only works about half of the time.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

crjdriver said:


> As long as all of the files are on the root of a fat32 formatted usb, that should suffice.
> The way a bios recovery works is that there is a part of the bios [sometimes called a boot block] that is not written to when you flash the bios. This section will look for a bios file when the proper procedure is initiated.
> 
> I have used this on a few asus motherboards and in my experience it only works about half of the time.


Ok so basically I can use the .exe without extracting its files into the usb and it should work? I'm scared bc my usb isnt flashing red which means it's not reading anything off of it, also cant reply on other account bc of the 24h waiting period


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

As I told you before, the .exe file should be a self extracting archive. The needed files should be inside the archive.
Here is what I would do;
1 Extract the files and put ALL files including the .exe file on the root of the flash drive
2 Follow the procedure outlined in post #8
3 Either it will work or it will not


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Well first off I did that, as I stated b4 I dont have any rom, bin, or fd files if that's what's needed, my laptops on light doesnt flash how u said, it's on blue the usb isnt flashing which means not reading so idk what to do


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

According to some posts I have read, the motherboard on the Acer Nitro 5 can be in the range of $600-800, which is about as close as a whole new machine is. Having said that, the board seems to be an issue but there was no product recall/fix on the motherboards, however you have stated you made changes to the BIOS which looks like you have rendered this computer useless. Maybe you can get lucky in finding someone that is good at component level repair and replace the BIOS chip, as well as checking other components to make sure you didn't fluff anything else up but from what I have read on here, I think your options are getting a new board or a new laptop.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

My question is how is it possible for a bios to mess up a whole motherboard that makes no sense to me, it has to just be the bios and most likely because the lowest version has had problems before so maybe this version is the reason why I'm getting this black screen


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

TraxxDemon1 said:


> My question is how is it possible for a bios to mess up a whole motherboard that makes no sense to me, it has to just be the bios and most likely because the lowest version has had problems before so maybe this version is the reason why I'm getting this black screen


If the coding is wrong, then it will render the device useless, like if you pull the power out before the BIOS finishes, then it's incomplete and the computer will not boot because the BIOS is corrupt.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Couriant said:


> If the coding is wrong, then it will render the device useless, like if you pull the power out before the BIOS finishes, then it's incomplete and the computer will not boot because the BIOS is corrupt.


That's not what happened though, what I did was install the oldest bios version for my laptop and it didnt allow me to do it so I edited a file and the text was flag=2 so I put flag=0 as shown on a youtube video and that's the cause


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

Why did you create a new account? You started this thread with the name TraxxDemon.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Cookiegal said:


> Why did you create a new account? You started this thread with the name TraxxDemon.


Because I cant type with the other one I'm not going to wait 24h to reply that's insane, I need my issue resolved I cant stay behind in my classes so I need my laptop or my issue solved or some info


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

You don't have to wait 24 hours. If you forgot your password then you should have clicked on the log in link and then have a new password sent to you.

Please let me know which account you prefer to keep and I'll merge them together. I can fix it so that you use the log in credentials of the new account but without the "1" in the name.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Well it said I can reply to this post after 24h I was using my main one I created this thread with and I was logged in and I know my password and everything that's why I made this new account


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

TraxxDemon1 said:


> My question is how is it possible for a bios to mess up a whole motherboard that makes no sense to me, it has to just be the bios and most likely because the lowest version has had problems before so maybe this version is the reason why I'm getting this black screen


The factory is not going to waste time attempting to recover or replace a bios. They are just going to sell you a new motherboard.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

TraxxDemon1 said:


> Well it said I can reply to this post after 24h I was using my main one I created this thread with and I was logged in and I know my password and everything that's why I made this new account


OK I see. It's because you made the maximum amount of 15 posts in a 24-hour period so then you have to wait 24 hours before posting again. That doesn't excuse creating a new account. You really have to wait. In any event, it's a moot point now. I will merge the first account into the new account.


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

I do not think it will make any difference but if you do come back to the topic - my colleague posted the advice for the BIOS recovery procedure
3 Press and hold the Fn and Esc keys
4 Plug in A/C pw and you should see the pw light flash
5 Hit the ON button and it should start a blind flash of the bios

I think you keep the Fn and Esc keys pressed whilst doing step 5 - until you hear the fans operate at speed, then release the Fn+Esc and if all goes well the system should then power off.

As I said I will be amazed if it makes any difference.

I agree that your best bet if it does not is as I said on my post 2.


Macboatmaster said:


> Some skilled local computer repair shops, not one of the giant mulitples MAY have the means to do this cheaper than Acer


so perhaps if your tech is very good


TraxxDemon1 said:


> Oh I see I do have a technician that has fixed my laptops before I can trust him, I will just take it to him since theres nothing really to be done


he can replace the BIOS chip or possibly he may even know how to write to it
The actual chip - if one can be bought for your Nitro is only about £15 - the skill of course is removing the old one and soldering the new one in.
and that is a REAL skill


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

Oh ok sounds good anyways thank you guys um nothing helped but I'm glad you guys tried to help I talked to my local technician he says to bring him the laptop and see what it has he says my graphics card could've fried or the backlight is burnt, idk what the issue is but he said that could be the issue


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## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

TraxxDemon1 said:


> Oh ok sounds good anyways thank you guys um nothing helped but I'm glad you guys tried to help I talked to my local technician he says to bring him the laptop and see what it has *he says my graphics card could've fried or the backlight is burnt*, idk what the issue is but he said that could be the issue


That's a possibility. If you have an old monitor that has VGA, or any monitor that can connect to the laptop, then try using that to see if you can see the POST. If you can, then it would be safe to assume the laptop monitor is not working


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## crjdriver (Jan 2, 2001)

While it _might_ be a possibility, I find it hard to believe the monitor failed at the exact same time he flashed the bios with a bios file he modded. The odds of that happening are pretty high.

A much more realistic explanation is that he made a mistake modding the file.


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## TraxxDemon1 (Oct 2, 2020)

I have a tv I used the hdmi but I've tried using it b4 for a second monitor and nothing would pass to the tv when laptop was working, also all I did was just edit a ini file I think where it said at the bottom flag=2 and I edited that to flag=0 saw the video on youtube and it helped me bypass the cannot downgrade as I have the newest version for bios downgrade


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