Just like JB, I flashed z8300 bios on my z8350 tablet. Clearly my prior research efforts were insufficient.
IMHO, info on the Chuwi forms is fragmented, and the language is unclear, as the number of people having similar problems attests. I think this is something Chuwi can improve. It should be easy for a BIOS flash procedure to verify the hardware is indeed correct before proceeding. Other firmware updates I’ve done were ‘foolproof’ in this respect. If something can be checked automatically, it should be checked automatically!
I purchased from the Chuwi Intelligent Store on aliexpress. I am in touch with them to see what can be done, and how much it may cost. Return shipping to China from here will be about €30. If they’re kind enough to repair and return it for free, I’ll probably do that. Otherwise, I can order the flashing gear from the UK for about €30, and receive them in a week.
If I do flash my BIOS, my Windows product key (in the ACPI tables) will be wiped. I don’t know if that will cause problems for the existing Windows installation, which has already been activated. Even if not, I don’t know if it will cause problems later, at upgrade time. I recall posts on the Chuwi forum indicating that you can use standard windows key extraction software to view your key, and then some specialist AMI software (possibly linked on Chuwi forum) to set that key in your bios directly from Windows. This additional fuss with product keys is another reason why I’d prefer if Chuwi can fix this for me.
I’ll post any response I receive. The first one asked me for a video of the bricked tablet. The second asked me to charge for 36 hours. Waiting on the third.
