Firmware upgrade using Linux tool, requires no hardware

[zefs]

Hi guys,
I made a Ubuntu USB boot disk and successfully booted into it, but I have never used Linux before. So I do not know what I'm doing.
I got the v4 firmware for the XL 2720Z and want to update from V2 to V4.

Can someone please instruct a person who is a complete clueless person on how to do this? I will be booting through a laptop that has a VGA port (also has hdmi).

I posted earlier (months ago) for help but never got a reply back at all

Well I was a noob too when I flashed it but had no issues, I followed this: http://forums.blurbusters.com/viewtopic ... t=40#p5953
Maybe you can try and if you find it hard I can do it for you using teamviewer? I think there is a linux version.
Send me a pm if you need help so I can give you my skype or mail.

[Falkentyne]

PM sent
Sorry, this is so confusing to me.
I did used to use MS Dos back in the day, so I'm no stranger to the command line (Heck I used to use a C64).
But new languages..well...they don't come easy to me

Also to clarify my edit of my last post, I noticed that after editing the sources.list file to add the universe multiverse words, after I *REBOOTED* the computer and rebooted back, it acted like nothing had ever been changed. So I have no idea where the packages it had downloaded the first time were even saved.

Do I have to do everything at once, with the monitor actually already plugged into the laptop?
If so, I need to find a way to put the patch file and the V4 firmware file (which is currently on the ROOT folder of the USB drive) onto the Ubuntu disk, somehow. I don't want to wipe my OS to actually install Ubuntu. So where exactly was it saving the downloaded packages to?

*Edit again*
I am reading Bishis post on page 5, but it doesn't explain a few things:
Where is the flashrom folder?
How do you even get the (in this case, 2720Z V4 firmware) to be SEEN in Ubuntu?
Where am I supposed to put it ?
The instructions say "make sure your firmware is in the same folder as the flashrom folder"
That's nice and all, but HOW do you get your firmware into the same folder as the flashrom folder if you can't even FIND the flashrom folder while you're in windows (browsing the USB flash drive?)

I was able to run flashrom (after installing the packages the first time) as well as an i2c command, but I don't know where or how to access the firmware file at all. I named it 2720Z_V4.BIN.

Since the monitor wasn't hooked to the laptop, I restarted, and everything I downloaded was completely gone, even the SOURCES.LIST file had the edit removed.......

And I need to clarify again:

***Make sure the bin filename you use below matches the downloaded file and place it in the flashrom folder before running the following

How do you do this if there is no flashrom folder in the first place? o.o
You can't access windows from Ubuntu if you boot in "Try Ubuntu now" mode...

My Skype name is the same as my username here. I'm sure I'll have V4 firmware in no time if I can figure out what's going on

[Falkentyne]

Just got my XL2720Z flashed to V4 !
Was difficult, but that was first due to me forgetting the | patch -p1 parameter, but even that wouldn't have mattered, because the instructions on page 5 link to the wrong version of flashrom. Patching the wrong version of flashrom causes hash errors and then you will get the "Programmer not found" error when trying to flash or verify the flash. The link on post 1 of the first page links to the correct flasher and then everything works.

The only way the monitor can be bricked is by mistakes with resizing the firmware. The firmware has to be 2 MB in size, but the firmware you download "raw" from benq are around 800k or something. So as per the instructions, you make a 2 mb 'dummy' file and then merge the firmware file into it so that the firmware becomes 2mb. So forgetting to merge and flashing the 'dummy' 2 mb file or flashing the raw 800k file will cause problems.

Thanks to zefs for the help!!

[asunawa]

I also flashed my XL2411Z to V4 yesterday and everything went well.
The only problem I had was that the flashing part took an extremely
long time, like 2 hours instead of the 10-15 minutes mentioned.

[Falkentyne]

Were you flashing through VGA or DVI?
I think mine took 15 minutes.
May have even been 20.
And that doesn't even include the time it took to back up the firmware file in the first place.

[Sglord]

Hi

I having some issue. In the i2c bus I only can detect my dell monitor but not e benq xl2420l
I tired on my pc i5 4690k impact vii gtx980
Ubuntu also only can 1 display btw
Dell - hdmi - motherboard
Either
Benq - vga - adapter - dvi gpu
Benq - dvi - dvi gpu

Then I tried on my sis pc
Dell - hdmi- motherboard
Benq - vga - adapter - motherboard dvi
Same result only can find dell 0x50

[Falkentyne]

Try 0x49, but ONLY if the bus changes below don't work.

Try bus 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 first.
One poster said that when he used a PC instead of a laptop, his Benq was on bus 4.
Example, here's the default line for trying to probe the Benq:

sudo i2cdump -r 0-127 1 0x50
The 1 means bus 1.

Try 0, 2, 3 or 4.
sudo i2cdump -r 0-127 0 0x50 <--this is bus 0. (the 0x50 is not a bus, just an address).

If one of those works, then you can use that in the dump the backup command,

# identify flash chip, on bus 1 (/dev/i2c-1) at address 0x49
sudo ./flashrom -p mstarddc_spi:dev=/dev/i2c-1:49

If the Benq were on bus 0, that line would read:
sudo ./flashrom -p mstarddc_spi:dev=/dev/i2c-0:49

Bus 4 would look like this:
sudo i2cdump -r 0-127 4 0x50
sudo ./flashrom -p mstarddc_spi:dev=/dev/i2c-4:49

[Sglord]

Yea I know what is bus. Earlier on I alrdy tested all e bus.
Only bus 5 show 0x50 while e rest is xxxxxx
So when to identify bus 5, right side show dell s2340l not benq xl2420Z

[Falkentyne]

Sorry. I don't know how to help because it's highly recommended you flash with a laptop's VGA connector precisely to avoid problems like this.

Just keep probing. You'll eventually find it.
BTW if you see xxxx's then you are on the wrong IC address.
The Dell and Benq should show up on the same ic address.
If the Dell were on 0x50 then the Benq 'should' also be on 0x50, although there are always exceptions.

I wrote in my post on how to flash the firmware, that if you flash with a desktop, you're on your own
Hope you find it.

[Sglord]

Could it be that I didn't install benq driver from e disc?
* itx rig no DVD reader ...
In ubuntu, it shows s2340l and unknown
Benq classified as generic pnp monitor in windows os