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Bios for win 7 Inspiron 530s
When I purchased the Inspiron 530s it had Vista 32 bit installed. I have since upgraded to Win 7 64 bit and would like to upgrade the Dell Bios to Win 7 version. But when I go into the download area it only shows or allows me to download the Bios for Vista. Also would it make a difference upgrading or should I not worry about it. Thanks
tgsmith
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December 18th, 2010 21:00
Astryker,
What is the current version of your BIOS? If it is 1.0.18 or 1.0.2, I probably wouldn't worry about it. When updating a desktop computer BIOS it is very wise to have it connected to an uninterruptible power supply. If you lose power for any reason during a BIOS update, your motherboard will be toast.
Tony
astryker
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December 19th, 2010 10:00
Currently using Bios 1.0.18 for Vista. Thanks for the info info on the UPS. I'm currently using one, but was unaware of toasting the motherboard
tgsmith
2.9K Posts
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December 19th, 2010 14:00
Astryker,
Looks like you're using the latest BIOS for your model of the 530S. BIOS version 1.0.2 adds a fan enhancement for the 530b/530Sb models. It's release date is actually before the 1.0.18 version, so I would hesitate to use it on a straight 530S motherboard.
Several years ago my wife's cousin, a "computer guru", was flashing his BIOS and the local flash & flicker electrical system decided to flicker. Fortunately, his motherboard had a socketed BIOS chip and we were able to obtain another one from the motherboard manufacturer. Most newer motherboards do not have socketed BIOS chips, so if power is lost during the flash update, it "flashes" the motherboard into oblivion. Some older routers such as the Linksys WRT54G can actually be "debricked" if such a problem occurs while updating their firmware BIOS. I haven't found a "debricking" method for motherboards.
Hope this info helps.
Tony
Davet50
14.4K Posts
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December 19th, 2010 15:00
Bios's are OS independent. What you see in the download section is the Program to Flash the bios not the bios itself. So you have the latest bios for your system .
DELL Shaine
2 Posts
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December 19th, 2010 17:00
Hi, I am a dell tech.... Bios's are non discrimitory ... It doesnt matter what OS you have (vista or win7) it will flash.... the BIOS is a completely seperate Operating system... soo in other words the "vista" listed version will work...
tgsmith
2.9K Posts
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December 20th, 2010 01:00
Astryker,
Simply put: If your system installed Windows 7, then your BIOS is compatible with Windows 7. The BIOS is OS-independent. However, the OS is not BIOS-independent.
For example: If you attempt to install Windows 7 on a Dell Latitude D630 with BIOS version A09, you will receive the following message: "
Windows cannot be installed on this computer with the current system BIOS version. Contact your computer manufacturer for a BIOS update, install the update, and then start Windows installation again. OEM Name: Dell Inc.; OEM Model: Latitude D630 ; BIOS Version: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A09; BIOS Date: 20080403000000.000000+000 ".
Also, if you attempt to install Windows 7 on a Dell XPS M1330 with BIOS version A10, you will receive this similar message: "Windows cannot be installed on this computer with the current system BIOS version. Contact your computer manufacturer for a BIOS update, install the update, and then start Windows installation again. OEM Name: Dell Inc.; XPS M1330 , BIOS Version: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A10; BIOS Date: 20080421000000.000000+000" .
Tony