Alfawise X5 Mini PC - Intel Atom X5-Z8350 2GB DDR3 + 32GB ROM Gig LAN Windows 10 Android 5.1

[eldonT]

...problem is i dont know how the hell cloudready literally wipe the boot logo (android/win boot logo and intel)..as soon as i turn on the pc it boot straight to cloudready logo skipping bios..i cant enter bios now..every key pressed from f1 to f12 del nothing happened.

bios cannot be skipped, to enter it on my x5 i use the escape key not FX/del.

Not sure how the dualboot thingy/logo actually works but that can most certainly be wiped, initially thought it was on the hdd efi partition but i cleared all those to install a single win10 partition and the boot choice is still there.. so it's probably embedded in the bios..

[Kayler]

here's a dump from my x5 bios, done in win 10 using Aptio V gui tool.
Did 5 dumps, 2 had different sums, 3 identical.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1SArsQ9y3F6S0bTaucDs9PlOxlzsR52jv

not sure how you'll update it but well..

Many thanks eldonT, but it is very confused, the chip gigadevice 25lq64cvig has 8MB of memory, but when i did a backup, my file like your file, has only 4MB, and with the chip programmer, i need 8MB of rom file

[eldonT]

yeah, when i dumped the bios with the tool, it only displayed reading the second part of the rom, i have no idea why and there didn't seem to be any option to configure the "save" function.
i tested the other tools but aptio V was the only one recognizing this rom.

unfortunately i wiped my windows install to put a linux server, but it seems my device is actually faulty and keeps randomly rebooting with the linux too.

if you have a picture of the motherboard pinout to read the flash and setup/tools, i can try to do that, i just don't have time to look it up myself.

of course i could try to dump it in linux between to reboots, i'll try that over the weekend.

[eldonT]

Many thanks eldonT, but it is very confused, the chip gigadevice 25lq64cvig has 8MB of memory, but when i did a backup, my file like your file, has only 4MB, and with the chip programmer, i need 8MB of rom file

okay dumped the whole 8MB flash in linux with flashrom , 3 times, identical md5sums.

files are on the same gdrive share in the directory flashrom.

[eldonT]

weird thing, i still get the dual boot screen but only the android logo on the left and will try to boot it and fail of course.

i can boot ubuntu from the bios, if you know how to fix that i'd be interested, i remember getting rid of the dual boot with a windows tool but i really don't want to install win again..

[imranlah]

Previously reinstall Windows 10 from backup image on this forum..delete all partition and boot from USB and successfully reinstall Windows without android OS..but the Android/windows logo was still there...now when I installed cloudready (chromium based OS) the boot selection logo is gone..I need to enter bios..ESC del F1-F12,changed usb port, on/off 5times,reset button like 10 times same thing nothing happened...I thought maybe i have enabled fastboot option so I dissambled the device and remove the battery connector ..it took a little bit longer to initialize then it still boot to OS..any trick for me to try?I'm stuck with cloudready OS now..sure its a good simple browsing OS but no hardware acceleration for the device..basically slow internet browsing/video streaming..can't change display resolution to fixed at 1025x768..

[eldonT]

we would have to investigate that boot system, having wiped the hdd, my guess is that it is stored in the bios, i know you can store boot logos in there.
I don't know if it's efi specific or not.

AMI have tools to edit bios options and logos and such, unfortunately you can't download it directly from their website, maybe when i have time i'll check that, kinda interesting.

[Kayler]

okay dumped the whole 8MB flash in linux with flashrom , 3 times, identical md5sums.

files are on the same gdrive share in the directory flashrom.

Many thanks eldonT, finally i have repair my x5 . Now i only like to find a bios version with auto boot when power failure...

[eldonT]

Many thanks eldonT, finally i have repair my x5 . Now i only like to find a bios version with auto boot when power failure...

nice, if you find compatible bioses with more features make sure to post them here, thx.

Also if you did flash a wrong bios, how you restored your dead box ?

[Kayler]

nice, if you find compatible bioses with more features make sure to post them here, thx.

Also if you did flash a wrong bios, how you restored your dead box ?

Yes, I'm searching a bios with power failure feature.

You can buy this programmer for write any bios: CH341A

[filnirv]

Hi
Intel hd graphics continues crashing windows. Uninstalled at the moment. Windows works but no sound. Any fix?
Thanks

[ThumbOne]

OK, I got me one of these boxes and have no truck from Win 10 or Android on it so wanted to install Linux. I've done that and it runs. Sort of. It's a little shy of slick. I've read through this whole thread as it's one of the most complete I've found on-line, with current enthusiasts working together to try and solve stuff. So I will contribute my piece and hope to learn something as well. I'll do this first by summarising what I have and then responding to various posts above.

Learning to date:

1. Out of the shop it booted fine into Win 10 and Android, as a splash screen on boot with a large Android Logo left and a Windows logo on right.
2. I wanted to take a disk image with Clonezilla before I trashed it so I did, but:
   1. discovered I cannot boot off any USB drive
   2. Found I could enter the Megatreds BIOS menus by pressing DEL when the Intel logo is display on startup
   3. Using this I could boot from USB with a boot override selected on the last page of the Bios.
   4. This only worked on either of the USB2 ports not the USB3 port.
   5. I could though boot Clonezilla and took a full disk image
3. Then I repeated with a Mint Stick (Linux Mint 19 USB drive) to test Linux
   1. Linux Mint ran fine, and all seems in order.
   2. So I installed Linux Mint. All went fine till the near end when it bailed, with a grub install failure.
   3. I resolved this with the help of Jeremy on the Linix Mint forums here: https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtop...?f=46&t=290471
   4. I can now boot Linux Mint, albeit not cleanly
4. The boot problem is simple.
   1. If I boot the machine it just displays the Intel Logo then moves onto the old familiar splash screen now with the Android Logo on left and the Windows Logo missing. But it ticks down from 6 or so and then resets and reboots. I presume it's trying to boot Android and failing (as it should as I trashed it). But somewhere, somehow there is still an Android config lingering.
   2. I can set the boot order and I see three options, ubuntu, Android-IA, ubuntu. Bizarre. I delete the last two and reboot but nothing changes, still just displays Android logo and enters reboot cycle.
   3. I can however select ubuntu on the Boot override and it boots into Linux Mint just fine.
5. I used efibootmgr on Linux to remove all but the first boot entry, and rebooted but the three are back as ubuntu, ubuntu and Android-IA but behaviour is downright bizarre.
   1. I disabled Quiet Boot in the BIOS menu
   2. That means on startup it now shows the American Megatrends logo with instructions to press DEL for setup (in place of the Intel logo)
   3. But now it boots straight into Linux Mint (yeah!) unless I press DEL, then ESC out of the BIOS menu then it dives back into the Android splash, counts down, fails toot Android, resets, back to Megatrends logo and then Mint starts.
   4. It's fickle though, after numerous boot cycles (very time consuming) am fairly convinced it will endlessly try and reboot Android if Fast Boot is not enabled. If Fast Boot is enabled But with Fast Boot enabled from a power up it boots into Linux Mint. Albeit with a disconcerting delay on a blank screen after the Intel logo, like it's taking ages to load or something. Not zippy and I wish tehre was some screen activity.

Now onto some responses:

rkpisanu wrote:

I am searching for an entire initial clone image of 32 GB ROM (Clonezilla or similar). Can someone share the image? Thanks.

I have a complete Clonezilla dump. It's in 29 files 12.4GB in total size. I have not tried to restore from it, but Clonezilla does a check after writing them to confirm restorability. Still, untested. It did confirm restorability though. If it helps I can zip it up and provide a share for you.

FilP wrote"

Does anyone have an original drivers backup for windows 10? Not the Beelink ones... i've tried those and still can´t instal audio drivers.

I've not explicitly backed up drivers no, but as per above have a complete Clonezilla image of the disk as it was after I tried Windows once and Android once.

eldonT wrote:

here's a dump from my x5 bios, done in win 10 using Aptio V gui tool.
Did 5 dumps, 2 had different sums, 3 identical.

Interesting. What tool did you use? Your screen shot says:

Core Version: 05.11
Project Version: 00.12
Firmware ID: YB1_64website

And My BIOS reports:
Core Version: 5.011
BIOS Version: TB1_64BIT_64BIT V12

Which looks a LOT like they are the self same version (expressed a little differently). Somewhere in that BIOS image methinks is an Android logo and a stupid splash screen ... that I finally don't see if in Fast Boot mode.

weird thing, i still get the dual boot screen but only the android logo on the left and will try to boot it and fail of course.

Precisely what I saw! And as described above, when in Fast Boot mode, this seems to be skipped and from power up I land straight in Linux. UNLESS and this is weird, I enter the BIOS menu, then I exit from it or reset from it, either way, when it come sup again it does the stupid Android logo on left thing ... but from power up it's clean.

i can boot ubuntu from the bios, if you know how to fix that i'd be interested, i remember getting rid of the dual boot with a windows tool but i really don't want to install win again..

Try Fast Boot mode. Seems to do it for me. In a flaky sort of way.

AMI have tools to edit bios options and logos and such, unfortunately you can't download it directly from their website, maybe when i have time i'll check that, kinda interesting.

Who are AMI and any news on this? I'd be very curious. it would be nice to have tools to:

1. Dump a BIOS image
2. Edit it sensibly
3. Reload it

KY69 wrote:

Yes, my boxes boot directly into GRUB. I made a few changes in the boot section of the BIOS, which should not affect any OS as far as being able to boot or not, just the boot order and devices available for booting. I enabled Fast Boot, set USB Support to Full Initial, and set Boot option #1 to my Linux installation in the USB HDD

Enabling Fast Boot seems to be what did the trick for me. The only way I can seem to get it to boot up Linux from powerup without a stupid Adroid Logo popping up.

Anyhow, hope that helps a few folk, and I in turn am eager to learn more about AMI and BIOS editing tools.

This box is cheap, not badly specced for the price, but their decision to make installing Linux so hard is a pain it the right royals, and it continues to blow my mind what a perverse fetish for Windows and Android the Chinese manufacturers seem to have. Phewwy I say. Am glad to have MINT running on it.

[tudej]

I have a complete Clonezilla dump. It's in 29 files 12.4GB in total size. I have not tried to restore from it, but Clonezilla does a check after writing them to confirm restorability. Still, untested. It did confirm restorability though. If it helps I can zip it up and provide a share for you.

Hey
Could you share the system image with clonezilla?
I will be grateful
This is only windows?

[ThumbOne]

Could you share the system image with clonezilla?
I will be grateful
This is only windows?

Yes I can. Am uploading a copy to a cloudshare service now (Mega). Will share the link in a PM when it's done. It's  but 13GB.

The image has Windows 10 and Android.

I'm still keen to hear more about AMI tools and how to modify this cruddy bios.
 

[tudej]

Yes I can. Am uploading a copy to a cloudshare service now (Mega). Will share the link in a PM when it's done. It's?* but 13GB.

The image has Windows 10 and Android.

I'm still keen to hear more about AMI tools and how to modify this cruddy bios.
?*

Thank you
Unfortunately, it's not like I want to.
Windows does not want to activate and Android does not start - it crashes at startup.
A clean Windows installation also does not want to be activated.
Of course, I enter the Windows key from my device (the key can be read from the bottom of the device using a barcode application)