I can try running it from Safemode. I want to say I attempted that previously, but I'll do it again to ensure I'm leaving no stones unturned. There are a few software differences between the devices, however, there are actually more restrictions on the system that had the BIOS updated compared to the system that will not update. The box that was successful has various McAfee security tools, while the other box only has Windows Defender and no active Internet connection. I believe both boxes also have EMET configured. However, the EMET configurations should be identical between devices. Regardless, I'll see if I can temporarily disable them and run the flash.
Still no success in safemode and disabling EMET/Defender. I don't see anything in the background running that's unexpectedly different than the two boxes. I'm not quite sure how to proceed from here. Is there a way/chance of success by putting the BIOS on a CD/DVD? I tried doing this previously, but I was unable to locate the actual BIOS file in the filesystem navigation menu. To be fair, it's very probable I'm not browsing the correct filesystem/locating the correct file, as there were 3-4 choices and I wasn't sure what I was looking for.
You never mentioned the version of Windows. And you can go directly from A13 to A16, without A14 in between.
Is there a reason for doing the BIOS update? Does either A14 or A16 fix a problem you actually have, or add a capability you need? (NOTE: Changes in A14 should be cumulative in A16.) Flashing BIOS always has a risk of bricking the motherboard, so every time you try, you increase that probability...
Since you can't bring in your own USB stick, will the site provide an "approved" DOS bootable USB stick with the flash .exe on it, since the file is in "universal' format?
Have you compared the existing BIOS settings on the 2 systems? You might consider resetting the problem system to default BIOS settings by removing the motherboard battery and pressing/holding the power button for ~30 sec before reinstalling the battery. Then run the flash update.
CAVEAT: I take no responsibility if you brick the motherboard, so you run the flash update entirely at your own risk.
EDIT: Be sure to copy all the current BIOS settings down before you reset to the defaults, just to be safe. :emotion-5:
Thanks for the reply and all the thoughts! My primary concern isn't that I'm losing functionality, it's that one device is behaving differently than the other and I want to have as consistent as possible of a software/hardware baseline between the two devices. Relating to Windows, they're both on Windows 10 Pro Version 1611 Build 14393.693. I omitted the specific Windows build, as I'm patching them within a few days of their release, but I have attempted to flash on different builds of Windows to no avail. I'm aware that the BIOS updates are cumulative too - I only stated it more to show that I have updated one of the 5810s multiple times successfully, while the other does not initiate the flash process. Specifically, it does a standard reboot and never enters the "Updating Firmware" screen that a Dell device would otherwise do.
I can't use or bring a USB in any capacity. I could bring in a DVD, however. I attempted to flash from the disc by loading the BIOS settings and browsing for the file, but I don't think I prepared the disc properly or I was not using the file system browser properly, as I could not find the file. That's likely my error, but most the tutorials I saw were catered around the use of USB. Additionally, as I don't think I mentioned this previously, neither device has network access.
In regards to the BIOS settings, I attempted to compare the A13 to the A16 to the best of my ability. The BIOS menus have changed between the two, but I am reasonably comfortable and confident that the settings were as closely identical as the GUI indicated.
I have also contemplated resetting it, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to reset the BIOS and potentially cause more damage solely to sate my need of "fixing" this and aligning the configurations.
The everyday-user(s) probably won't access BIOS, especially if you set a BIOS password, so I don't think that's an issue, as long as the 2 PCs behave identically when running the same software.
If the system is under warranty, you might want to contact Dell Tech Support. I guess it's possible there's an issue with the CMOS chip in this PC which prevents it from being flashed and that would probably require a new motherboard.
And if you copy down all the current BIOS settings and the PC fails just by resetting BIOS to the defaults, as long as the system is under warranty, Dell should take care of any problems.
NOTE: If PC fails to boot after resetting BIOS, open BIOS setup and make sure all settings match what you copied, or change to match, and be sure to save any changes before exiting BIOS setup.
One more useless idea...Create a second user account that also has full administrator privileges. Log into Windows using that new account and try to run the flash update. Maybe the one you're using has a problem and that's why it won't run the flash...???
You can always delete the new account whether or not the flash works.
The only problem with the warranty and replacement parts is that this workstation is installed in a secure area, and I can't simply procure hardware directly from Dell and bring it into the lab - it has to go through the proper supply chain control, which is something I'd prefer to avoid.
I can absolutely try flashing with a different Windows account, and it's definitely not a useless idea. Another thought that I had is that I believe when these systems were initially setup (which was before I was working on them), they configured Windows on one box, imaged it, and then deployed it on the other. I wonder if that process may be causing any issues.
I also only typically go to these devices once a week. I want to see if it's possible to put the BIOS on a CD and see if I can load it directly from that, but I'm unsure if I can.
I guess it's possible using the image could have created a problem.
Don't know if you can run the flash from a CD. But you'll have to create a bootable CD and burn the BIOS .exe to it. Then put the disk in the drive, reboot and immediately press F12 to open the menu where you should be able to select the optical drive as the boot drive.
And at some point, you may just have to let this go... :emotion-5:
scjohnson1988
10 Posts
0
December 16th, 2016 05:00
Still looking for any ideas or advice on how to resolve this. Thanks!
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
December 16th, 2016 11:00
Just guessing...
Something different running in the background on these two systems?
Have you tried disabling antiviral / antimalware software before attempting the flash? (Be sure to re-enable afterwards!)
Have you tried booting in Safe Mode to run the flash?
scjohnson1988
10 Posts
0
December 21st, 2016 07:00
I can try running it from Safemode. I want to say I attempted that previously, but I'll do it again to ensure I'm leaving no stones unturned. There are a few software differences between the devices, however, there are actually more restrictions on the system that had the BIOS updated compared to the system that will not update. The box that was successful has various McAfee security tools, while the other box only has Windows Defender and no active Internet connection. I believe both boxes also have EMET configured. However, the EMET configurations should be identical between devices. Regardless, I'll see if I can temporarily disable them and run the flash.
scjohnson1988
10 Posts
0
January 10th, 2017 07:00
Still no success in safemode and disabling EMET/Defender. I don't see anything in the background running that's unexpectedly different than the two boxes. I'm not quite sure how to proceed from here. Is there a way/chance of success by putting the BIOS on a CD/DVD? I tried doing this previously, but I was unable to locate the actual BIOS file in the filesystem navigation menu. To be fair, it's very probable I'm not browsing the correct filesystem/locating the correct file, as there were 3-4 choices and I wasn't sure what I was looking for.
malbertorr016
1 Message
0
January 10th, 2017 13:00
A16 updates is perfec
scjohnson1988
10 Posts
0
January 18th, 2017 06:00
I'm still having this issue. Has anyone heard of any similar issues?
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
January 18th, 2017 11:00
You never mentioned the version of Windows. And you can go directly from A13 to A16, without A14 in between.
Is there a reason for doing the BIOS update? Does either A14 or A16 fix a problem you actually have, or add a capability you need? (NOTE: Changes in A14 should be cumulative in A16.) Flashing BIOS always has a risk of bricking the motherboard, so every time you try, you increase that probability...
Since you can't bring in your own USB stick, will the site provide an "approved" DOS bootable USB stick with the flash .exe on it, since the file is in "universal' format?
Have you compared the existing BIOS settings on the 2 systems? You might consider resetting the problem system to default BIOS settings by removing the motherboard battery and pressing/holding the power button for ~30 sec before reinstalling the battery. Then run the flash update.
CAVEAT: I take no responsibility if you brick the motherboard, so you run the flash update entirely at your own risk.
EDIT: Be sure to copy all the current BIOS settings down before you reset to the defaults, just to be safe. :emotion-5:
scjohnson1988
10 Posts
0
January 19th, 2017 07:00
Thanks for the reply and all the thoughts! My primary concern isn't that I'm losing functionality, it's that one device is behaving differently than the other and I want to have as consistent as possible of a software/hardware baseline between the two devices. Relating to Windows, they're both on Windows 10 Pro Version 1611 Build 14393.693. I omitted the specific Windows build, as I'm patching them within a few days of their release, but I have attempted to flash on different builds of Windows to no avail. I'm aware that the BIOS updates are cumulative too - I only stated it more to show that I have updated one of the 5810s multiple times successfully, while the other does not initiate the flash process. Specifically, it does a standard reboot and never enters the "Updating Firmware" screen that a Dell device would otherwise do.
I can't use or bring a USB in any capacity. I could bring in a DVD, however. I attempted to flash from the disc by loading the BIOS settings and browsing for the file, but I don't think I prepared the disc properly or I was not using the file system browser properly, as I could not find the file. That's likely my error, but most the tutorials I saw were catered around the use of USB. Additionally, as I don't think I mentioned this previously, neither device has network access.
In regards to the BIOS settings, I attempted to compare the A13 to the A16 to the best of my ability. The BIOS menus have changed between the two, but I am reasonably comfortable and confident that the settings were as closely identical as the GUI indicated.
I have also contemplated resetting it, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to reset the BIOS and potentially cause more damage solely to sate my need of "fixing" this and aligning the configurations.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
January 19th, 2017 10:00
The everyday-user(s) probably won't access BIOS, especially if you set a BIOS password, so I don't think that's an issue, as long as the 2 PCs behave identically when running the same software.
If the system is under warranty, you might want to contact Dell Tech Support. I guess it's possible there's an issue with the CMOS chip in this PC which prevents it from being flashed and that would probably require a new motherboard.
And if you copy down all the current BIOS settings and the PC fails just by resetting BIOS to the defaults, as long as the system is under warranty, Dell should take care of any problems.
NOTE: If PC fails to boot after resetting BIOS, open BIOS setup and make sure all settings match what you copied, or change to match, and be sure to save any changes before exiting BIOS setup.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
January 19th, 2017 11:00
One more useless idea...Create a second user account that also has full administrator privileges. Log into Windows using that new account and try to run the flash update. Maybe the one you're using has a problem and that's why it won't run the flash...???
You can always delete the new account whether or not the flash works.
scjohnson1988
10 Posts
0
January 20th, 2017 06:00
The only problem with the warranty and replacement parts is that this workstation is installed in a secure area, and I can't simply procure hardware directly from Dell and bring it into the lab - it has to go through the proper supply chain control, which is something I'd prefer to avoid.
I can absolutely try flashing with a different Windows account, and it's definitely not a useless idea. Another thought that I had is that I believe when these systems were initially setup (which was before I was working on them), they configured Windows on one box, imaged it, and then deployed it on the other. I wonder if that process may be causing any issues.
I also only typically go to these devices once a week. I want to see if it's possible to put the BIOS on a CD and see if I can load it directly from that, but I'm unsure if I can.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
January 20th, 2017 10:00
I guess it's possible using the image could have created a problem.
Don't know if you can run the flash from a CD. But you'll have to create a bootable CD and burn the BIOS .exe to it. Then put the disk in the drive, reboot and immediately press F12 to open the menu where you should be able to select the optical drive as the boot drive.
And at some point, you may just have to let this go... :emotion-5: