Alienware Aurora R4 Bios reset and UEFI

Question

I was interested in transforming my Alienware Aurora R4 Bios into Uefi to gain Uefi's benefits. I had a few questions first :

1-After replacing the coin battery following a mother board problem (it fixed the problem), I realized I completely forgot to write down the BIOS parameters, including the Voltage, and other complicated things. It reset the BIOS to its default settings. I'm really worried. Did the settings changed ? Can it damage my whole computer ? How to know ?

2-Before replacing the battery coin, I tried to change the pin to reset CMOS. However, I also forget to check the little green pin side; here is a picture : http://en.community.dell.com/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/3746/4747.AuroraR4Jumpers.jpg

There's chances that I put the second green component facing left (or right) instead of having it facing right (or left).

Is it a problem/does it change anything ?

3-As for UEFI, is it possible for my mother board to handle it ? I remember "flashing" the BIOS with a program (upgrade to A11) and as far as I know, it was a BIOS flashing, not UEFI flashing, and I know that if such update goes bad, it can kill the whole computer with no possible repair. I was wondering if going to UEFI was that simple, and if UEFI was somewhat included in the A11 flashing program.

If so, is all I have to do is change in the BIOS Legacy to UEFI (after hitting OK in the big red box), and then perform a clean command on my ssd, then create a clean windows 10 install on it with GPT (UEFI+GPT as opposed to BIOS+MBR, if I understood it right) ?

Thank you for any information regarding those 3 questions.

dupre_7 · Answer

Anyone ?

Tesla1856 · Answer

AFAIK, the Aurora R4 is already UEFI-based.

Yes, if you must replace battery, it is correct to reset BIOS values to Default on first power-up. It should be fine, but write correct ones down this time. Download its PDF Service-Manual and read it.

Try setting BIOS to:

SATA Mode = AHCI Mode

Boot Mode = UEFI

Win7-DVD, Win-8-DVD, or Win-10 USB flash drive should now boot. Use F12 one-time-boot menu.

For Win-8 or Win-10 installs, if SecureBoot option is available, it should be Enabled.

Install to completely blank C: drives (no existing partitions). Windows will pick optimal MBR/GPT partition type automatically.

And if UEFI Mode doesn't work, you can always try MBR (Legacy BIOS).

dupre_7 · Answer

Thank you for your answer.

I'll take a look at the uefi setting next time I'm reinstalling Windows 10.

So you confirm the BIOS reset I did, the green jumper side I wasn't sure of, and trying the UEFI mode, those 3 things are not damaging my system ?

Tesla1856 · Answer

Thank you for your answer.

I'll take a look at the uefi setting next time I'm reinstalling Windows 10.

So you confirm the BIOS reset I did, the green jumper side I wasn't sure of, and trying the UEFI mode, those 3 things are not damaging my system ?

Yes, you are suppose to use the "Default" option immediately after replacing battery. This resets any trashed parameters and loads a good set of operational settings (usually fairly conservative and most compatible).

As for the exact jumpers on an Aurora-R4 motherboard (and their use), please consult Owners/Service Manuals.

I'm not seeing anything in your posts that would cause permanent damage. If you keep jacking with it, you might corrupt your current Windows install. But then, you just start the "nuke and pave" over again.

dupre_7 · Answer

Thank you again. As for the jumper, nothing was said about the side in the Manuals. However I found a youtube video where it is said that the side doesn't matter as long as the top/bottom is in the right place : youtu.be/-9RnIj-EcdQ

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Alienware Aurora R4 Bios reset and UEFI

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