BIOS updates keep getting reverted

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[–]LarrySwinger2 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Try to understand the problem. ReeferMadness may have a point when he says it's a virus (a rootkit, I suppose). Maybe Windows corrupts it each time on boot, or maybe it never really got out of a corrupted state. It's curious that it fails to boot multiple GNU/Linux distros, even after a BIOS update. To be safe, it's okay to assume that it's both of these issues, and to find a solution for them both.

I will say that if this is a rootkit, it's a really advanced one. I've never encountered that. But it exists. You want to do the flashing independently of the BIOS itself (since a rootkit in the BIOS may corrupt the update process otherwise).

Option A: backup BIOS

Some motherboards have a backup read-only BIOS which you can use for recovery. Check if yours does (by finding out the model name and looking it up, or by checking the manual), and if so, look up how to boot it.

Option B: DOS

If you only have one BIOS, you can flash it from within FreeDOS, if you have the appropriate program. For Gigabyte boards, the program is called Efiflash, and there's probably an equivalent for boards from other companies. You also need to download the latest update for your BIOS from your an official website. So put FreeDOS on a USB stick or CD-ROM drive alongside the flasher program and a BIOS image (and put those two in the same folder).

Then you need to find a way to boot into it. What you can try is to disconnect all your HDDs / SSDs and boot with just the stick / CD connected. In fact, if you have some other media which you're 100% sure your PC should be able to boot from, you can try it with that media first. If it doesn't work with that, there's no use in trying it with FreeDOS.

Option C: USB programmer

But if the above options are both unavailable, you'll have to resort to flashing with a USB programmer. This is more difficult, but I can guide you.

Please let me know if either option A or B is available. If so, I recommend that you don't actually do it, but that you instead make backups first and wipe the disk with Windows on it. Then you flash your BIOS. If both those options aren't available, it may be worth your while to try the BIOS update again like before, but this time perhaps only after wiping your disk. Alternatively, I can explain how to do it with a programmer.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Option A just gets reverted, and the other two options are too technical for me, so I guess I'm out of luck.

[–]LarrySwinger2 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

It's not that difficult if you go through it step by step. But anyway, you're 100% sure you can boot from those same GNU/Linux images on other computers? If you get into a grub terminal, that's an indication you booted from it. Some images are like that. I recommend that you try it with Trisquel or GNU/Linux Mint.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah, it ain't hard, it's just kind of scary, because if I mess so'm up: I can fry my computer.

I have an old Mint ISO, so I might try it later. So far I've tried Linux Lite and QubesOS, and neither worked right. I know the Linux Lite and Mint ISOs work, because I've installed them onto computers before. I bet they're both out of date, though.