How-To Guides

The newer student laptop models have a new-looking BIOS menu. Instructions have been updated to keep that in mind, but the key changes that are required remain the same: Disable Secure Boot, Enable F12 Boot menu / USB Boot.

  • Auto Upgrade Process

    All Ubermix systems are now running an automatic system updater which will take care of Ubermix upgrades from now on, however some devices running older versions of Ubermix will need to be manually reset and upgraded using a new Ubermix USB key. If you need new Ubermix USB keys, please contact your site technician.

    Upgrade Process

    When a system is turned on or restarted, within a minute a message will appear informing the user that an upgrade is available, and whether or not it needs to be reset manually first:

    Manual Reset/Upgrade:

    manual upgrade needed window

    Follow the Install/Update Ubermix instructions to reinstall Ubermix

    Automatic Upgrade:

    automatic upgrade available window

    1. Click “Yes” on the upgrade pop-up
    2. Wait for the computer to restart and perform the upgrade process
      1. This will take approximately 10-15 minutes
    3. The computer will automatically restart after the upgrade

  • Update Chrome Browser

    1. Click on the status icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, near the system information panel
    2. Click on “Chrome Version: …”
    3. Wait a few minutes for updates to install

    update browser window

    Update via Terminal

    If the update doesn’t work from the status icon for whatever reason, it is possible to perform a manual update using Terminal commands.

    1. Open Terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T)

    2. Enter the below commands, followed by Enter. Wait for each process to complete before proceeding.

       sudo apt update
 sudo apt install -y google-chrome-stable
    3. Restart the computer and Chrome should be up-to-date

  • Factory Reset

    1. Completely power off the system
    2. Press the power button and immediately start tapping Esc to get into the Grub menu
    3. Use the arrow keys to select “Restore Factory Settings” and press Enter
    4. Press 1 then Enter to retain user files; OR
    5. Press 2 then Enter to completely erase the laptop
    6. Follow any additional instructions on screen

  • Set Clock

    1. Click the Applications button in the Dock
    2. Type “clock” and hit Enter to view “Date & Time Settings”
    3. Turn “Automatic Date & Time” off by clicking on the slider to the right
    4. Click on the date/time shown below the sliders, and change to be the correct date and time
    5. Turn “Automatic Date & Time” and “Automatic Time Zone” on

  • Check Ubermix Version

    1. Click on the update icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, to the left of the power menu and battery indicator
    2. Look for “Version: ubermix (…)”
    3. “ubermix 6.06lv9” is version 6v9

  • Install/Update Ubermix

    Acer B117, B118-RN, B118-G2, B311R-31, B311R-33

    1. Completely power off the system
    2. Insert Ubermix install key
    3. Press the power button and immediately start tapping F2 to get into the BIOS
    4. Enable F12 Boot Menu
      1. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the “Main” tab
      2. Make sure “F12 Boot Menu” is “Enabled”
    5. Disable Secure Boot
      1. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the “Security” tab
      2. Select “Set Supervisor Password” and enter “1” for the password
      3. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the “Boot” tab
      4. Select “Secure Boot” and make sure it is “Disabled”
      5. Use the arrow keys to navigate back to the “Security” tab
      6. Select “Set Supervisor Password” and enter “1” for the password to remove it
    6. Press F10, then Enter to save settings and exit
    7. Begin tapping F12 to get to the boot menu
    8. Use the arrow keys to select the USB device (usually called USB FDD, USB HDD, or Linpus Lite) and press Enter
    9. Install Ubermix
      1. (Optional) Reset Disk Partition. This will erase everything on the laptop
        1. Press 5 then press Enter for expert options
        2. Press 4 then press Enter, type yes, and press Enter to reset the primary disk partition
        3. Press Enter once more to return to the main menu
      2. Press 1 to Easy Image and Enter to continue
      3. Type yes then Enter to continue
      4. B117(2018) & Later ONLY Type uefi then press Enter to continue
      5. Press Enter twice to restart

    Lenovo 300w

    1. Completely power off the system
    2. Insert Ubermix install key
    3. Press the power button and immediately start tapping F2 to get into the BIOS
    4. Disable Secure Boot
      1. Use the down arrow key to navigate to the “Security” tab
      2. Use the right arrow key to enter the “Security” tab, then down to select “Secure Boot”
      3. Hit Enter, choose “Disabled”, then Enter again
    5. Enable USB Boot
      1. Use the left arrow key then down to navigate to the “Boot” tab
      2. Make sure “USB Boot” is “Enabled”
    6. Press Fn+F10, then Enter to save settings and exit
    7. Begin tapping F12 to get to the boot menu
    8. Use the arrow keys to select the USB device (usually called USB FDD, USB HDD, or Linpus Lite) and press Enter
    9. Install Ubermix
      1. (Optional) Reset Disk Partition. This will erase everything on the laptop
        1. Press 5 then press Enter for expert options
        2. Press 4 then press Enter, type yes, and press Enter to reset the primary disk partition
        3. Press Enter once more to return to the main menu
      2. Press 1 to Easy Image and Enter to continue
      3. Type yes then Enter to continue
      4. Type uefi then press Enter to continue
      5. Press Enter twice to restart

  • Disable Secure Boot

    Acer B117, B118-RN, B118-G2, B311R-31, B311R-33

    1. Press power button while tapping F2 to enter BIOS
    2. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the “Security” tab
    3. Use the arrow keys to select “Set Supervisor Password”, then hit “Enter”
    4. Enter 1 twice
    5. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the “Boot” tab
    6. Select “Secure Boot”, hit “Enter”, and make sure it is “Disabled”
    7. Use the arrow keys to navigate back to the “Security” tab
    8. Select “Set Supervisor Password”
    9. Enter 1 once and press Enter 3 times to disable the password
    10. Press F10 then Enter to save and exit

    Lenovo 300w

    1. Press power button while tapping F2 to enter BIOS
    2. Use the down arrow key to navigate to the “Security” tab
    3. Use the right arrow key to enter the “Security” tab, then down to select “Secure Boot”
    4. Hit Enter, choose “Disabled”, then Enter again

  • Reset BIOS Password (ACER LAPTOPS ONLY)

    1. Use the UMC BIOS Reset Tool to get the Unlock Key
    2. Enter the Unlock Key as stated on UMC2, and enter BIOS Setup
    3. Use the arrow keys to move to the Security tab.
    4. Press Enter to set the Supervisor Password
    5. Enter the Unlock Password once more
    6. Press Enter four times to clear the password
    7. Press F10 then Enter to save and exit

  • Update BIOS

    BIOS Auto-Updater

    This updater does not work on the Acer B118-G2 laptop model; instructions on using the B118-G2 BIOS key are at the bottom of this page

    1. Plug the system in to power
    2. Insert the BIOS update key
    3. Turn on the system and enter BIOS setup using the F2 key
    4. Switch “Network Boot” to “Enabled” on the “Main” tab
    5. Disable “Secure Boot” on the “Boot” tab and make sure “Boot Mode” is set to UEFI
    6. Press F10, then Enter to save settings
    7. Begin tapping F12 to enter the boot menu
    8. Use the arrow keys to select the “USB Device” and press Enter
    9. The Windows loading icon will appear below the laptop logo. This is normal.
    10. A Command Prompt window will appear with some automated commands running.
    11. This BIOS update key is automated, so just read the prompts and either: Press Enter to continue with the update process or press x to cancel and shutdown the computer
      1. The computer will be automatically checked to make sure it is plugged into a charger and the battery is at or above 15%
      2. You will be prompted to plug in the charger if it isn’t already
      3. If the battery is below 15%, you will be asked to wait, with Current Charge prompts appearing with the current percentage (in multiples of 5%)
    12. Enter BIOS once again using the F2 key
    13. Use the Enter and arrow keys to correct the BIOS settings
    14. “Secure Boot” Disabled, “F12 Boot Menu” Enabled
    15. Press F10 then Enter to save the settings

    B118-G2 BIOS Updater

    1. Plug the system in to power
    2. Insert the B118-G2 BIOS update key
    3. Turn on the system and enter BIOS setup using the F2 key
    4. Disable “Secure Boot” on the “Boot” tab and make sure “Boot Mode” is set to UEFI
    5. Press F10, then Enter to save settings
    6. Begin tapping F12 to enter the boot menu
    7. Use the arrow keys to select the “USB Device” and press Enter
    8. A black screen with text will appear; simply leave it alone and the update will proceed automatically
    9. Once the update completes the system will restart
    10. Enter BIOS once again using the F2 key
    11. Use the Enter and arrow keys to correct the BIOS settings
    12. “Secure Boot” Disabled, “F12 Boot Menu” Enabled
    13. Press F10 then Enter to save the settings