[Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

lagagnon · 2011-01-29 18:02:51

I want to flash an upgraded BIOS onto my laptop. I want to use a FreeDOS Live CD with the BIOS binary file copied onto the Live CD. Basically using the method outline in the wiki I have downloaded the FreeDOS ISO file.

However, when I attempt to mount the FreeDos ISO file with :

#mount -o loop -t iso9660 fullcd.iso /mnt/tmp

I get the error:

mount: warning: /mnt/tmp seems to be mounted read-only.

Even if I add "-o loop,rw" I still get the same error. As this is read only I can therefore not copy the BIOS file to /mnt/tmp.
Any ideas?

Last edited by lagagnon (2011-01-29 22:31:30)

tomk · 2011-01-29 18:18:33

It's a read-only medium - you can't write to a CD.

Best solution is to use a USB stick. If that's not possible, you will need to add the BIOS to the ISO image before burning it.

graysky · 2011-01-29 18:56:34

Silly question but does your laptop have a built in BIOS update utility? Often they are there but you need to hit some key combo to enable them such as alt+7 or the like. If it does, you only need the bios.bin on a USB stick or CD, etc.

karol · 2011-01-29 19:34:06

graysky wrote:

Silly question but does your laptop have a built in BIOS update utility? Often they are there but you need to hit some key combo to enable them such as alt+7 or the like. If it does, you only need the bios.bin on a USB stick or CD, etc.

If this fails and you can't use a pendrive, you may need to 'remaster' the iso with the content you want.

lagagnon · 2011-01-29 21:00:28

Update: thanks for all your support. Using this method here: http://0sumgain.blogspot.com/2009/11/up … buntu.html I was able to create a bootable FreeDOS USB stick with my .exe BIOS update file.

However, that .exe file is a 7z compressed file containing:

Ding.wav
platform.ini
PS10220M.fd
InsydeFlash.exe
iscflash.dll
iscflash.sys
iscflashx64.sys

and therefore appears to me only useable in Windows, and is not usable in any DOS system. And no, my BIOS does not have the option to upgrade BIOS from BIOS itself. Short of installing Windows on this laptop, for the only purpose of upgrading my BIOS does anyone have any other ideas?

Last edited by lagagnon (2011-01-29 21:07:23)

graysky · 2011-01-29 21:04:22

@lag - that's bullshit. Everyone knows never to update a BIOS from Windows. Always do it from a clean DOS bootdisk. Are you sure that the exe isn't compressed? I have XP in a vm. What's the URL to d/l the BIOS?

.:B:. · 2011-01-29 21:06:57

lagagnon wrote:

Update: thanks for all your support. Using this method here: http://0sumgain.blogspot.com/2009/11/up … buntu.html I was able to create a bootable FreeDOS USB stick with my .exe BIOS update file.
However, that .exe file is only good for Windows, it is not an extractable .bin file so will only work from a Windows system apparently and not from a DOS system. And no, my BIOS does not have the option to upgrade BIOS from BIOS itself. Short of installing Windows on this laptop, for the only purpose of upgrading my BIOS does anyone have any other ideas?

Cabextract doesn't work on the exe file? It can unpack quite a few, though not all.

lagagnon · 2011-01-29 21:08:34

graysky and B: see my edit above. I was able to extract the files in that .exe with 7z, and my edit above shows the files. Are those usable in DOS?

Gusar · 2011-01-29 21:23:46

graysky wrote:

@lag - that's bullshit. Everyone knows never to update a BIOS from Windows.

Your info is outdated. Many mainboards/laptops have a flasher that is intended to be used and works perfectly in Windows. I know, I've done it. No problems whatsoever, cos well, it's intended.

@lag: The only way to really know if that flasher is for DOS or Windows is to boot your FreeDOS stick and run it. And if it's for Windows... well, search around, maybe one for DOS exists as well. It's the case for my laptop, I have both DOS and Windows flashers available.

lagagnon · 2011-01-29 21:36:21

Update: OK with more searching around I have discovered that the important file in the extract is the PS10220M.fd file. This is the actual ROM code to be flashed. There is a "debricking" method for these InsydeH2O BIOS codes which I found here:
http://forums.toshiba.com/t5/System-Rec … m-p/130554

So I should be able to flash the BIOS that way without resorting to Windows. Will keep you informed if this works.
PS: I did try the .exe files in FreeDOS and it crashed, so I do believe that flash code was specifically designed for Windows only. Toshiba provided no other options.

Last edited by lagagnon (2011-01-29 21:36:59)

hokasch · 2011-01-29 21:38:21

I flashed my laptop's BIOS last year, and was to lazy to set up a dos-bootdisk. Dual booted into windows, clicked the windows bios update tool aaaand - blue screen. The Laptop was toast.
No warranty for Bios updates, Acer support was to replace the mainboard which would have cost almost as much as I paid for it in the first place. Next I mailed it to a company who soldered in a new BIOS chip, but even that did no good - they said the screwed update must have taken down the EC controller or something, and they could not get hold of those chips for my model yet. Ended up buying a similar model with broken screen from the bay and transplanting my LCD on it.

Long story short, I strongly recommend a DOS boot disk for BIOS updates, and only do it if you really need one.

graysky · 2011-01-29 21:39:54

Gusar wrote:

graysky wrote:
@lag - that's bullshit. Everyone knows never to update a BIOS from Windows.
Your info is outdated. Many mainboards/laptops have a flasher that is intended to be used and works perfectly in Windows. I know, I've done it. No problems whatsoever, cos well, it's intended.

Might be outdated, but the fact that they would require windows to do it seems reason enough for me to avoid that hardware. /end ot rant

Gusar · 2011-01-29 21:52:36

graysky wrote:

Might be outdated, but the fact that they would require windows to do it seems reason enough for me to avoid that hardware. /end ot rant

You have a point. But if you consider that the laptop was extremely likely sold with Windows preinstalled and it's all the user knows to use, a graphical click-click utility to flash the bios from within Windows makes perfect sense. The ideal scenario is the availability of both DOS and Windows flashers.
Or, even better, modern BIOSes have an internal flasher: Copy new bios onto a fat32 formatted USB stick, press the correct button at boot, follow the presented instructions.

Last edited by Gusar (2011-01-29 22:49:09)

lagagnon · 2011-01-29 22:31:10

Update: using method described in my last post I was successful flashing an updated BIOS using the *.fd file, and have now solved my Toshiba Satellite L300 fan problems. I will update the wiki entry on that laptop shortly.

Arch Linux

#1 2011-01-29 18:02:51

[Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#2 2011-01-29 18:18:33

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#3 2011-01-29 18:56:34

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#4 2011-01-29 19:34:06

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#5 2011-01-29 21:00:28

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#6 2011-01-29 21:04:22

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#7 2011-01-29 21:06:57

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#8 2011-01-29 21:08:34

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#9 2011-01-29 21:23:46

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#10 2011-01-29 21:36:21

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#11 2011-01-29 21:38:21

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#12 2011-01-29 21:39:54

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#13 2011-01-29 21:52:36

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

#14 2011-01-29 22:31:10

Re: [Solved] Attempt to mount ISO throws read-only error

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