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Cannot Update A08 > A09 BIOS Latitude XT
Im trying to update the BIOS on my Latitude XT from A08 to A09 to see if it corrects the two issues Im currently experiencing which are:
System hangs on starting wireless with Intel 4965AGN MM1 Mini PCI WLAN Card
and
Phantom 'touches' on digitizer when using lastest N-Trig drivers
I know its a long shot, but I'm sure that N-Trig cant have released that driver in that state and still have it available for download, and I guess they will have tested it with a machine running the latest BIOS.
On the WLAN front I have read that some OEMs lock which WLAN cards can be installed in a system (no idea why they do this), and I have also read a post on these forums from a Dell support guy saying that the 4965AGN card can be used in the Latitude XT, so again Im hoping this is a BIOS issue.
I have also tried installing the BIOS from DOS to see if there were any error messages, and I got "data compare error programming flash". I have tried downloading the DXT_A09.exe file again to ensure that this wasn't due to a corrupted download, but get the same result.
Please can anyone shed any light on this. Im having to use a wired connection (as the 1505 draft card I had from new drops the network every 15mins) and I have to have the digitizer disabled.
TIA,
Jon.
Enceladus
297 Posts
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February 23rd, 2011 07:00
As I understand it you have replaced the original wireless card in the laptop.
First and foremost make sure you are trying to flash the correct bios. Double check your model etc. Dell have thousands of bioses for different machines version A09. However my guess is you know that.
I would remove the new card. Start the laptop, enter setup and then select "set defaults. and then "save and exit".
Now attempt to update the bios. It is always safer to do this from a dos bootable USB stick then from Windows.
Once again, start the laptop, enter setup and then select "set defaults. and then "save and exit".
Now re-instate the new card.
Once again, start the laptop, enter setup and then select "set defaults. and then "save and exit".
If the new wireless card is in the whitelist of the new bios then it should be OK.Assuming the new card is an officially supported option for your model then it should be in the whitelist, at least the whitelist in the latest bios version. If the new card is not in the whitelist then it is not going to work. Computer makers whitelist certain wireless cards in laptops and blacklist all others so that they can be certain that the total laptop will still comply with the originally certified emission standards and the like. Arguably a bit ridiculous since nobody makes wiireless card that would push the laptop outside of the certification.
BTW it is entirely possible that a generic Intel 4965AGN or a 4965AGN from Lenovo or HP etc will not be in the whitelist, but one from Dell will be. Such is the case with Thinkpads, the generic Intel will not work but one from Lenove will, even though they are functionally and electrically identical.
Jon_Gillibrand
10 Posts
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February 24th, 2011 06:00
Hi thanks for your reply. I have just tried setting the defaults and applying the flash from DOS (no hi-mem) again to no avail. I have double checked that the bios is the one offered from the Latitude XT (not XT2) download page.
When I start the flash util it checks the CRC of the file and reports it as OK. THe flash gets too 100%, but at 3% of the verify it fails with the error reported previously.
Just to confirm when I was attempting this before I was doing with the 4965 removed.
Any further ideas?
Enceladus
297 Posts
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February 24th, 2011 07:00
Did you let windows start in between re-setting bios setup to defaults and attempting to flash?
If yes, then try again but do not let Windows start. Other than that I am thinking there is some faulty hardware, or a device not properly recognised. Might be one of the memory modules, in which case try reseating them. If that does not work, then you should run the onboard diagnostice or a diagnostic CD and see if anything comes back.
If you still get nowhere, you could try removing everything you can, such as the hard drive, blue tooth module etc. Everything that can be unplugged from the system board except for the video. Reset the bios to defaults, save and exit and then try the flash
Did you try to modify/edit the existing bios to whitelist the wireless card? If you did then that might be the issue.
PS. You should be carefull here as it is very easy to brick the system board whilst flashing the bios if there is something wrong with the hardware or the file.
Jon_Gillibrand
10 Posts
0
February 25th, 2011 08:00
No the first time, I reset the defaults and booted straight to CD to run the flash.
I have now tried again with the additional SoDIMM, SD card, Bluetooth module and WLAN card removed. Attempting from CD exact same problem, although the updater did hard lock the PC on the first attempt so I had to remove the AC and battery to get it to shut down, on the next attempt if failed during the verify at 3% again. Just out of interest I tried running it from windows again and although no error message was given, the BIOS remained at A08.
I also ran the onboard diagnostics with everything re-installed and it passed the basic and extended tests without problem.
No I havent modified the A08 BIOS in anyway. My plan was to upgrade to A09 and if the 4965 card still doesn't work look into if its possible to modify that one to allow the card to work. The 1505 connection drop problem is extremely frustrating!
Enceladus
297 Posts
0
February 25th, 2011 11:00
With everything disconnected and no hardware faults the bios should update, provided default settings and from a clean DOS boot. So maybe your original download is corrupted in some way. Triple check you have input the right model into Dell support. Do you get the exact same file if you do not input the service code tag, and go through the model selection menu? Flush the cache on your web browser and download the file again.
The reason I asked you to make sure that windows did not start is that Windows can re-write the ACPI data. However if you reset the bios setup to default and then saved the changes and then tried the flash before Windows intervenes you have eliminated that issue.
When you reset to defaults, did the system remain longer on the Dell Logo than normal?
Jon_Gillibrand
10 Posts
0
February 25th, 2011 14:00
*NOT attempt to write to the EEPROM
Jon_Gillibrand
10 Posts
0
February 25th, 2011 14:00
Ive downloaded the bios 3 times now, once on a completely different machine so Im pretty sure that the file Im getting isnt corrup. I dont have a service tag on my machine as it was a factory refurb bought from ebay, its not even set in the bios.
Using the machine selection section of the support site I am definitely choosing Latitude XT and keep coming back to the same file. I would suspect that if there was a problem with the file, or it was an incompatibility issue, that it would either fail the CRC check, or would attempt to write to the EEPROM. Its only during the verification that it fails with a 'data mismatch error' or words to that effect.
When I load setup defaults and exit the BIOS then the POST take longer than normal with the last 20% of the progress bar updating very slowly
Enceladus
297 Posts
0
February 25th, 2011 17:00
Well the slow progress bar is good. Means the system is checking every device it finds and re-writing the ESCD data. The system should revert to fast boot on the next cold start.
Seems to me the flash error means that there is some faulty hardware somewhere. How to find out what is faulty though? You have run the diags and found nothing. You have unplugged everything that can be unplugged.
Could it be faulty memory? Did you thoroughly test the RAM? Extended testing?
I note that XT has 1GB of non-removable memory and one customer slot. So is any memory module in the expansion slot the correct speed? Mixed speeds might cause a problem like this. But then I would expect Windows to be flaky.
I suggest you remove any expansion memory and see does that make any difference.
There may be a fault on the system board.
Jon_Gillibrand
10 Posts
0
February 26th, 2011 03:00
Yes I ran the memory test with the additional module (which was supplied by Dell) installed and it passed both the basic and extended tests. The system is rock solid in windows, no BSOD page faults etc which usually occur when a system has faulty memory.
With nothing installed and the update still failing Im wondering if it is a problem with the A08 BIOS that is installed and thinking I should possibly try to downgrade to A07 then try the upgrade to A09.
All of this may be irrelevant though, as Im just hoping that the A09 BIOS corrects the issues with the digitizer and allows me to install the 4965 card. If I can get a definitive answer on whether this will be the case that would help so I know if all this is in vain or not. Ive had 5 Dell laptops in the past and never seen any show this problem when attempting to update the BIOS.
Enceladus
297 Posts
1
February 28th, 2011 13:00
Is there free space on your USB memory stick?
The bios flash .exe file writes temp files to the drive and then deletes them. At least it did for some Dell bioses. So maybe check free space and failing that format the usb stick as FAT rather than FAT32. It will need to be less than 2GB for FAT. And make it bootable using native DOS or Win 98.
Jon_Gillibrand
10 Posts
0
February 28th, 2011 15:00
Im currently booting from a modified image of Hiren's boot cd, and starting into DOS with USBASPI.SYS (no Hi-Mem) option as Im using an external USB DVD-RW drive. Do you think this could be the problem? I have read about other ppl using the Dell flash tool from a usb cd before.
Ill try and find an old pen drive and give it a whirl using FAT16 FS.
Enceladus
297 Posts
0
February 28th, 2011 15:00
You could try FAT32 if your pen drive is greater the 2GB, I imagine that it is limited to 4GB. Don't know if you can partition flash memory.
I use an old SD card in a USB adapter/reader. You don't want any config.sys or autoexec. Just plain vanilla DOS or the DOS from Windows '98. Copy the bios executable file to the usb stick. Remove any peripherals from the laptop and make sure the power brick is plugged in.
Boot and execute the file.
Be aware that flashing your bios might brick the system board, if there is a fault somewhere. And you have failed several times. However plain vanilla DOS is the safest method. I never ever flash from Windows.
Jon_Gillibrand
10 Posts
0
March 1st, 2011 05:00
Ok so I found a flash drive and formatted it using the HPUSB format tool using the system from a 98 boot disk. Could only format FAT32 but I dont think the filesystem of the boot media is the problem as thinking on I have previously updated this machine from windows, and the whole of the C drive it NTFS (I have removed the diagnostics partition when installing Win7). Still the same problem with the data mismatch error during the verification stage of the update.
What I really need to know now is if these update are likely to resolve the issues with the digitizer and 4965 card, as I dont want to risk downgrading to upgrade if its all going to be in vain...
Any ideas?
Enceladus
297 Posts
0
March 1st, 2011 06:00
Why it does not flash seems to be a mystery. Firstly a reminder. Flashing a system when there is a fault can be fatal. You can kill the system-board and prevent it booting at all. And my advice is never to flash from Windows. Even if Windows appears to work correctly. Flash from DOS. That way you minimise any risks. It does not matter if the hard drive is NTFS as you are not trying to read/write any files from there when booting from the USB stick. Assuming you had the new bios file on the USB stick. In fact it might be better to remove the hard drive and and the optical drive and reset defaults before flashing.
If I were to flash the bios it would be a reflash with the existing A08 rather than a downgrade to A07. And from DOS, no config.sys and no autoexec. Nothing!
As I see it there must be a fault with your system.
The ESCD data my be corrupt or incorrect. Setup via F2, reload defaults and save should correct that. Do not let Windows start before you attempt the flash and disconnect all perhieral devices and remove any USB sticks or flash memory cards. You could also remove the CMOS battery, leave it out for a while and then re-instate.
or
One of the memory modules is faulty or the wrong speed. Try re-seating them or using only one of them.
or
There is faulty hardware in the system somewhere. Identify what part and remove it, if it can be removed. Did you run the diags and fully test everything?
or
There is a fault on the system board.
or
The A08 bios that is in the eeprom is corrupted somehow. In that case try a reflash of A08.
or
The A08 bios that is in the eeprom is not for this model or the A09 you want to flash is not for this model. If the latter I would expect a message about an incompatible system. And how you could have flashed an incorrect A08 I don't know.
or
The A09 bios on the Dell website is somehow corrupt. In that case I would expect that others have complained and the file would be withdrawn. Who knows? Have you searched on this forum and google for similar problems.
This is the revision history. I see no mention of either of your issues, so whether or not A09 will fix them I cannot say. I suspect not!.
Faulty hardware somewhere else might be causing your digitizer issue etc.
A09 Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Added Remote TPM Activation support.
2. Removed HDD Acoustic support.
3. Enhanced support for WoL and WoWL.
4. Enhanced support for boot with external USB CD/DVD drive.
A08 Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Fixed battery drain issue occurring after a long period running on AC.
2. Improved support for discharged Media Bay Battery.
3. Improved support for TPM.
4. Add the support of feature where disable the external USB ports in BIOS but still have the optical drive work in the media slice.
A07 Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Fixed intermittent hang on resume with Driver Verifier enabled.
2. TPM enhancements.
A06 Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Added enhancement for TPM.