Hi @Vqmp welcome to this free user to user Alienware laptop discussion forum. 

The BIOS protection system will try and stop user from bricking the system. To update BIOS, the ac adapter must be powering the laptop and the battery must have more than 10% charge. 

If ac adapter is not acknowledged by laptop, and the Windows operating system is working, use Command Prompt to Forcing a BIOS Update without the AC adapter that is attached on a Dell Laptop.  

Please note that users are not allowed to post their private System Service Tag or Express Service Code in this public forum. For your own protection your images with private Service Tag have been rejected and deleted. See Forum Code of Conduct - Dell Community Paragraph 15. 

Please click on Product Support and enter Service Tag to identify your system. Alienware M18 R2 is not recognised by product support. 

@Vqmp I've never come across this one when flashing the unlocked BIOS before. 

The unlocked BIOS version on NotebookTalk is A11, not A15 so are you flashing the M18x R2 version? The M17x R4 is A15 but it's a different BIOS so don't try and flash that one. 

Once you put all the files onto the Bootable USB, restart the laptop and boot into the USB. Then you should just have to type flash.bat and the flash should start. I've never ran that command that you show in the image above. I can only see the final image, not sure what the first two are. 

No passwords set. I'm waiting for engineer to get back to me and try on mains. Think he may of been on charged battery only, but we will see. 

Sorry wrong way round. From newer version to older one on the forum. 

Try flashing the Dell A11 first and then the unlocked version. 

Do you know if you have any BIOS password protections on? Do you have a working battery installed?

ok, keep us posted. It's usually a pretty simple procedure so maybe he's doing something wrong. 

Hi @Vqmp thread title has changed to Alienware 18 (R1). Support for Alienware 18 | Overview | Dell US 

Hi All,

First of all thanks for your continued assistance!

Unable to flash the modded M18 bios.

• MISTAKE: appears model is M18 (and not M18 R2)...
  • some have had issue trying to use older modded driver when installed is newer original
• Managed to down grade bios to earlier non-modded version (A15 to A10)
• Unable to patch modded bios for M18 (M18 R2 does not work of course!)
• Laptop had nearlly fully charged battery (battery is new 4 months ago) and plugged in to mains
• Engineer tried via dos bootable disk and some other way

@Vqmp Go over to NotebookTalk and ask ssj92 for assistance. I don't have much experience with the Alienware 18 (mainly the M18x R2) but he has done major upgrades to his 18.