UEFI BIOS / boot Problem On Precision T3610

Question

I am having a problem with the UEFI BIOS and booting.

On my T3610, my goal is to run hardware encryption on a Samsung 840 EVO SSD using DDPE or SecureDoc. I haven't decided which yet. The original machine came with a 2GB hard drive with Win8Pro64 installed. I did the free upgrade to 8.1 without any issues. I then used the Samsung software to image my boot drive onto the SSD and then replaced the 2GB drive with the SSD. The machine worked fine for a few days, so I don't think the issue is with the SSD.

Neither DDPE or SecureDoc support the T3610 in UEFI mode, so I started playing around with the machine. The machine came with UEFI enabled, Secure Boot disabled, and Load Legacy Option ROMS enabled. I created a USB boot jump drive and attempted to boot the computer from it. It didn't see the USB jump drive. I went into BIOS and changed from UEFI boot to Legacy boot and placed the USB device higher than the hard drive on the boot list. I was able to boot from the USB jump drive. I changed the BIOS back to UEFI boot with the windows boot enabled and was still able to boot. I verified at this point that secure boot was still disabled and load legacy roms was still enabled. They were and I was still booting okay. I rebooted and went back into the BIOS, I was going to try something else but thought better of it and exited the BIOS.

When I re-booted the machine, it wouldn't boot. I also can't access the BIOS any more. I get to the first Dell logo boot screen but booting stalls with a low resolution cursor in the upper left hand corner of a otherwise blank screen. I tried power cycling and going to the BIOS via F12, but got the same result. I tried F2 with the same result. I unplugged the machine, pulled the battery (while at a static station with my wrist strap on), held down the power button for 30 sec, waited 30 min before re-plugging the machine back in. The volatile portion of the BIOS should have been cleared. I got the same result on re-boot except the computer powered itself off a couple of times before getting to the low resolution cursor.

I achieved the same results with all drives unplugged and wasn't able to boot with the graphics card unplugged.

At this point, the SSD is fully backed up so I am not in danger of losing data, but I can't get the machine to boot or go into the BIOS. Also, I wasn't inside the machine for a few days before the original failure so it is unlikely I zapped anything.

The situation leaves me with a couple of questions.

1. Does anything about UEFI allow the system to be put in a state that clearing the volatile portion of the BIOS doesn't return the computer to its default configuration?

2. Any thoughts about how to get the computer back into its default configuration?

DELL-Shawn B · Accepted Answer

Hey OuttaLuck / SpeedStep,

Happy to hear you have the system in for repair. While it’s not common it’s certainly possible the firmware became corrupt through the operating system reinstall. I have seen a motherboard bricked after OSRI due to compatibility changes in the SATA operation settings are made and preboot drivers not installed but this couldn’t be replicated and would usually just cause image corruption/failure to recognize a hard drive, I wouldn’t expect this to happen with a cloned image. But would still recommend confirming the SATA settings have not changed while replacing a drive like this and if a change.

Aside from that make sure the systems BIOS are up to date and all firmware fixes applied to the hardware prior to making big changes to the system would be the best way in my opinion to prevent the chance of corruption.

While it doesn’t sound like its applicable to your situation I would like to add some of our newer workstation models systems are now running memory checks pre Dell splash screen in post rather that the traditional, after splash screen. It’s caused a few calls with customers thinking a motherboard has failed due to a, up to 30 second, blank screen before the splash screen loads.

techrealm · Accepted Answer

I have bricked three T3610 motherboards so far trying to set Secure boot.

This is with no drives installed, with drives installed, and up to date bios, chipset.

Step 1. Set UEFI boot

Step 2. Unset legacy ROM support

Step 3. Set TPM

Step 4. Set Secure Boot

Step 5. Apply.

Step 6. Reboot into black screen - no access to anything ever again. Clearing CMOS, pwr drain, different video cards, different power supplies, different keyboards, mouse, monitor, tech, machine essentially DOA on the above required corporate settings...

DELL-Shawn B · Answer

Hi OuttaLuck,

Thanks for the detailed post! In response to your questions:

1. The BIOS would not have a format tool allowing a reset / clearing of the drives partitions but you could perform a hard drive format through command prompt, This guide at About.com has a great syntax run down: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/commandlinereference/p/format-command.htm

2. In order to reset the default configuration fully I would recommend installing a clean Dell OS image on your SSD rather than the Samsung cloned image. This should help prevent any compatibility / corruption issues and reset systems defaults for you.

I would be happy to look into our Windows media option for you. Could you direct message me your systems service tag.

Thanks,

OuttaLuck · Answer

Hi Shawn,

Thanks for the reply.

The problem that I have been having is that I can't get into the BIOS and I can't boot. I put the system back into the original configuration (without the SSD) and get the same results.

I sent the machine back for repair, but I would like to understand what actually happened. I supposed that I really could have had a hardware failure: bad SATA, motherboard, etc. It really didn't feel like that though. I tried booting various recovery drives through the USB and the CD and also with the original hard drive. I'd do a new install, but I can't get to the machine with a blank hard drive to install on.

My gut feel is that either something was corrupted in the BIOS or that the the UEFI BIOS has some evil, nasty way of causing a problem like this. I say this toung in cheek, but I don't know enough about UEFI to not say it at all. In the Statement of Volatility, Dell states that encryption and other configuration information can be stored in the BIOS. What I don't know is if a) I unwittingly did this or b) the system did something like this or c) I am barking up the wrong tree. But the real question is if anything that I or the system did could have written the non-volatile portion of the BIOS enough to brick the machine.

Thanks again

speedstep · Answer

I have had and others have had issue with Booting Ubuntu Prior to 12.04.2 bricking windows 8 machines.

OuttaLuck · Answer

Thanks for the help guys. I'm assuming that I couldn't have re-flashed the non-volatile BIOS by myself anyway, but I hate sending back a new machine. It does happen though. That's what warranties are for.

My general concern is as the operating systems and 3rd party products move toward tighter pre-boot authentication and full disk encryption in the name of tighter security that issues like this will become more common.

speedstep · Answer

I think people will become angry when they find out that they are locked down by microsoft and earlier OS and booting aka DOS floppy and MBR partitions are no longer even possible.

When bios gets to class 3 they remove all legacy CSM mode and therefore NO hardware or Software or Drivers will load or run unless they have a microsoft certificate in BIOS.

UBUNTU is one of the few that Paid to have the UEFI Secure Boot Windows 8 certificate in bios.

Other versions of windows, Dos, Linux, Grub, OSX, etc will not boot or run EVER and cracking the bios will be a violation of DMCA.

This means you will want to go out and buy Optiplex 620 or better to have around so you can load older OS and newer OS without being locked down.

Locked Topics – Desktops General

UEFI BIOS / boot Problem On Precision T3610

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