Firmware installation instructions for the NEO Z83-4 Pro

MINIX - Martin

Staff member
If you need to re-install the firmware for the NEO Z83-4 Pro, please follow these steps.
Please note, Re-installing the firmware shall wipe everything on the eMMC(C: drive, 32GB) where the Windows 10 OS is installed.
So you'll have to back up your essential data in case they will lose forever.


1. Go to this webpage to download the Windows 10 Pro OS image.


2. Create a UEFI bootable USB memory stick, how to do it?
Prepare an 8GB or 16GB of NTFS format USB memory stick and change the name to “WINPE”.

3. Unzip the firmware files, and then copy all child files and folders to the root directory of the USB stick. (See Firmware files at the root directory.png)

4. Connect the keyboard and USB stick to the Z83-4 Pro, power on the Z83-4 Pro, then press F11 button and select USB stick to boot in the prompt window. (See Boot device.jpg)
You don’t need to do anything, just wait for the installation finished. It’ll take about 15 minutes.

5. When you see the same window as Cleanup Test.jpg, please click the “Cleanup Test” on the desktop, then the box will re-start.
Finish the initial setups and enjoy it.
 

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Been searching on how to "Create a UEFI bootable USB stick.". All instructiuons state that it should be formatted as FAT32 and not NTFS. Can you please confirm that it should be NTFS and what is the preferred method for creating the USB stick?

Many thanks
 
Been searching on how to "Create a UEFI bootable USB stick.". All instructiuons state that it should be formatted as FAT32 and not NTFS. Can you please confirm that it should be NTFS and what is the preferred method for creating the USB stick?

Many thanks
I'd like to explain why do I recommend formatting the USB stick to "NTFS", rather than "FAT32".
If a USB stick is the "FAT32" format, it does NOT allow copying a file over 4GB to the USB stick, while the "NTFS" format does not have this limitation.
As the firmware file is more than 6GB, so I recommend format the USB stick to "NTFS" format.
 
Or you may extract the firmware files directly to the USB stick. Not copy the firmware file to the USB stick and then extract.
For 1803 version firmware, the real system file 'install.swm' takes space for less than 4GB.
While I cannot guarantee that in the later version of firmware, the 'install.swm' is still less than 4GB.
Because if this file is even a little bit larger than 4GB, copying the extracted firmware files to the 'FAT32 format USB stick' will be a failure.
 
Hello Martin

Trying to update the firmware on NEO Z83-4 Pro 32GB

After creating the USB (using Rufus) and Extracting the files to root.

I restarted the device and selected the correct drive. Minix is hanging on the device main Screen see img

WhatsApp Image 2019-03-22 at 2.00.07 PM.jpeg

And its stuck on this for more than 10 mins.

kindly advise

Thanks
 
@sinmaster
No need to use Rufus.
Just format the USB to "NTFS", and copy all the child files and folders to the root directory of the USB.
Then the USB stick is a "bootable USB memory stick".
 
@sinmaster
No need to use Rufus.
Just format the USB to "NTFS", and copy all the child files and folders to the root directory of the USB.
Then the USB stick is a "bootable USB memory stick".
I tried everything you have instructed, but I can never get pass the Minix logo sign as the following will pop up (look at the attachment). It keeps looping and it then crashes. Please please please please help!!!
 

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I tried everything you have instructed, but I can never get pass the Minix logo sign as the following will pop up (look at the attachment). It keeps looping and it then crashes. Please please please please help!!!

Do you have any additional peripherals connected to the device other than your keyboard & the USB flash drive? (Unplug them if you have & then try again.)

Otherwise, are you able to enter the BIOS before the MINIX logo screen & the error loop?

If yes, once in the BIOS (make a note of the current order first) & see if you can change the boot order to the USB flash drive your Windows image is on as the primary boot device, then save & exit the BIOS. Hopefully, the system will then restart & boot off your USB flash drive, avoiding the error screen. Then reinstall Windows.

As soon as your Windows image is reinstalled, don't forget to (unplug USB flash drive), re-enter the BIOS & change the boot order back to its current settings you noted earlier :)!

Let us know how you get on or if you're still stuck :).
 
I tried everything you have instructed, but I can never get pass the Minix logo sign as the following will pop up (look at the attachment). It keeps looping and it then crashes. Please please please please help!!!
Please send an e-mail to MINIX support(support@minix.com.hk), and tell us your problem, or you may attach this thread and tell us you are "jackblack".
We shall take care of it.
 
I have a similar problem.:

I updated the BIOS to v1.8 but since then the system doesn't boot anymore. I have created the USB stick as described above but can't boot from it nor from the internal flash drive. I can open the BIOS but can't select the right boot entry as shown in post #1; I tried "USB hard disk" and "USB key").
 
So how do we update from 1803 to 1809 without restoring the entire firmware, keep current settings? Do I still need to prepare the USB stick, or is there another procedure to update?
 
Last edited:
Update a set of 6 minix z83-4 today. 1 of them crashed at erasing main block. What can I do to recover?
 
Update a set of 6 minix z83-4 today. 1 of them crashed at erasing main block. What can I do to recover?
Hello
can you have more information about it? so that administrators and moderators understand the problem. did the problem show up in the windows 10 update or total reset?
 
Update a set of 6 minix z83-4 today. 1 of them crashed at erasing main block. What can I do to recover?

Were you following the procedure posted here to update to 1903?.....

https://theminixforum.com/index.php...3-4-firmware-re-installation-instructions.15/

Have you attempted to simply start the procedure again from the first step or has the device become completely unresponsive?

As @Alexdroid has pointed out, the more information you can provide as to what you were doing & what subsequently happened, the sooner someone can hopefully get you back on track again.
 
Thanks all for your replies

This is not a windows update or windows installation problem. I was flashing the bios to 1.8

Yes, I followed the instructions and successfully update all machinefirmware to version 1.8 except for this machine. It stopped at “Erasing Main Block) and then screen went blank after a long time. I don’t think I can enter bios at all now. Is this machine bricked? Or can I still recover it?

Were you following the procedure posted here to update to 1903?.....
 
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