Dell Dimension 4550 BIOS upgrade (im scared to do this)

Your concern is understandable, but 99% of BIOS upgrades work out just fine.

In your case you have three options.  1.  Bootable DOS diskette, 2.  Bare BIOS file, 3. A file that executes within Windows.

The first file in the list, BR67246, is a program that creates a bootable DOS diskette having the BIOS flash file incorporated.  To use it you first download the file to your computer, place a blank 3.5" diskette into the diskette drive, and double click the file to execute it.  The program will write the DOS system files to the diskette, make it bootable, and write the BIOS flash file to the diskette.  In order to flash the BIOS you make the diskette drive number 1 in the boot order and place the diskette in the drive.  Restart the computer, the computer will boot from the diskette, flash the BIOS, and tell you to remove the diskette and restart the computer when it is finished.

The second file in the list is the bare BIOS flash in executable format.  This file is designed for use at a real DOS prompt, not Windows.  The intent was to provide a file to the user who already had bootable DOS disks and only needed to copy the file to one of them.  The file executes from the DOS prompt by typing its full name, in this case, D4550A08.exe.  Doing this causes the file to execute and flash the BIOS.  When the computer restarts you will boot again from the DOS diskette unless you remove it, but since you must direct execution of the file you should just boot into DOS without any reported errors.

The third file is supposed to be executed from Windows as you would execute any file; double clicking on the file name.  When you do that in this case, the file will self extract like any other driver and start an install wizard when you click to close out the self extractor when all the files have been extracted.

In my experience, the first method is the most foolproof, but it means you must have a working diskette drive in the computer.  The second file must execute from a DOS prompt, but there are ways of getting to a prompt from the Dell Resource CD.  The method used for the third file has worked ok for me when updating the BIOS on my laptop; I've never tried it on a desktop but the principle is the same.  Whichever method you use, make sure you remove all extra peripherals before you begin.  Leave only the monitor, keyboard and mouse connected to the computer, and make sure that you are not doing this in a thunderstorm or any other time that power could be interrupted.  Once you have started the flash it must be allowed to go to completion or you risk bricking the mainboard.  Have patience when you execute whatever method you choose; the flash should require only about a minute, but don't be in a hurry and allow extra time to be sure it is finished.

 Allen S

You need a formatted floppy disk.

In case you need it, a guide is HERE showing how to format a floppy disk.

Bev.

does it matter what kind of floppys they are?  i see unformatted and formatted.  Does it matter if they're formatted or not?

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/405891/Office-Depot-35-Diskettes-IBM-Format/  . so would these floppys work?

 Allen S

Yes, 1.44mb diskettes shown, should be fine.

Bev.

Allen S:

Just one more suggestion; if you haven't used your diskette drive in a while it might be advisable to follow the instructions found at the link given by shesagordie on formatting the diskette.  After that, write some small file to the disk and make sure that you can read it back to the computer.  Most of us seldom use that device these days and giving it a bit of exercise should assure you that it is working properly.

Ya. i checked the inside of my floppy drive last night OH BOY.  it was full of lint and dust.  i was able to clean most of it out with a q tip but theirs still a good amount of dust in it.  It should still work though. for the most part

Deleted, duplicated post, cause by forum error.

Allen S

Best to go to a Walmart, Office Depot, or any computer store, buy a can of compressed air and use that to clean the inside of the floppy drive.

Remember to read the instructions prior to using.   :emotion-5:

Bev.

Allen S

Either would be fine.

 When I was using floppy disks, I purchased unformatted disks and formatted them myself.

Bev.

now im pondering if i should by the formated or unformatted diskettes. would it be best to buy both kinds?

so i finally bought some diskettes, and canned air.  Cleaned out the entire computer and then checked the floppy drive.  I used two diskettes, each a different file.

1.  Diskette 1 had a sample image from the computer.  The sunset one.  It was able to be put on the disk, but when i tried to reload the picture, nothing would happen.  I left it alone for 10 minutes, came back, and the picture had not yet loaded.  So i tried to close the program and when i tried to close it, a box came up saying something like this, "Floppy A:: Drive is not responding"  I clicked "end program" then everything disappeared.  No icons, no anything except my cursor and background.  Then about 10 seconds later, everything came back.  Weird eh?

2. Diskette 2 had a simple word document of just random writing on it.  Saved it to the diskette, removed it, and loaded it back up and it worked fine.

So should i continue with my BIOS upgrade after all that?

And i also read  this thread and i became worried that this might happen to me also http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19256780/19425053.aspx  

And i need BIOS instructions step-by-step so i don't mess this up bad.  Thank you guys for your quick responses and useful advice

Allen S

You can find the BIOS version A08 for the Dimension 4550 HERE, together with the detailed instructions for creating the floppy and flashing the BIOS.

It's best not to use the Dell Download Manager for the update, reading the Wiki HERE and the post by Alexandra_P HERE should help.

Note: There's always an inherent risk of failure, when the BIOS are flashed, do not attempt the flash during stormy weather, when there's a risk of a power outage.

Bev.

The image file could easily just be too much for one floppy.Try another text file and the actual BIOS flash file, see if those copy correctly.

Jeff

so when i try to download the file, the file shown isnt the file listed.  The file i need starts with "D" but the one shown is "b"