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14144
BIOS update using FreeDOS fails on Inspiron 17 5721
I just attempted to update the BIOS on the above-referenced machine (my wife's laptop) from A14 to A16, using the 3521A16.exe file displayed on the support page under my service tag. I made the attempt for two reasons. First, the BIOS update is marked as urgent and addresses processor microcode security issues. Second, I'm having issues with the laptop intermittently not recognizing the AC power adapter, and a BIOS update is a recommended troubleshooting step for that.
Anyhoo, after suffering through a couple of years of disastrous Windows 10 update cycles, I nuked the Windows installation, installed Mint 19 on the machine, and haven't looked back. My wife loves it, and I no longer have to do clean installs of Win10 after updates render the laptop unbootable. Win-win, without the 10.
But, I digress.
Despite what is said here and here, attempting to apply this BIOS update in a traditional DOS environment DOES NOT WORK. I attempted it using FreeDOS 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3rc2. Each time, I would boot to a DOS prompt and be able to run a variety of DOS commands, i.e., it was a fully functional DOS environment. But, when I attempted to run the 3521A16.exe file, the only thing it did was print "Test." to the console before exiting.
Curious, indeed.
Investigating further, I discovered that 3521A16.exe is actually a package of files, masquerading as a monolithic DOS executable, something the documentation for the update calls the "Universal (Windows/MS DOS) format."
Apparently, since it is a package of files, as opposed to a monolithic application, the update is NOT executable in the traditional DOS environment emulated by FreeDOS.
My wife's laptop was the only Windows device left in our house. The sixteen devices currently on our home network run various flavors of Linux or iOS. As far I am concerned, reinstalling Windows 10 -- and shuffling around a 100+ GB of photos and documents -- on the laptop just to update the BIOS is not an option.
Yet, the BIOS needs to be updated.
Words cannot express how frustrating it is to be placed in this quandary. What should have been a simple and straightforward process -- boot to FreeDOS and update the BIOS -- has become a torturous journey through the Nine Circles of Windows Hell.
So, my question is this: is there any way to update the BIOS on the laptop without reinstalling Windows on it?
I'm pretty much out of ideas.
The Administrator
4 Posts
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January 6th, 2020 16:00
Actually, for Linux environments, that page just provides a link to the page I linked in my original post, which does not work for 3521A16.exe. That executable will not run under DOS.
All is not lost, though. Hiren's BootCD PE came to the rescue. I burned the ISO image to a DVD with Brasero, and used the DVD to boot the laptop into a Windows PE environment. From there, I inserted a FAT-formatted USB stick containing the BIOS updater. After that mounted, it was just a matter of navigating to the thumb drive, finding the updater, and double-clicking on it.
One thing to note: the BIOS flash took place very quickly (just a second or two), and the updater exited without any further instructions. I ended up flashing the BIOS several times before I realized how quick it had worked. When I rebooted the computer, though, the BIOS finished the update from the boot screen. Not exactly user-friendly, but all was forgiven when I F2'd into the BIOS and saw A16 as the version.
A note about Hiren's: I could not get it to boot from a USB stick, but, really, it's probably better to burn it to a DVD and use the USB port for the thumb drive holding the updater.
One more important note: This worked for me, but the usual caveats and warnings about updating a BIOS still apply. A bad update can brick your machine.
The Administrator
4 Posts
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January 6th, 2020 12:00
Update:
Just received an e-mail from one of the developers of FreeDOS. Long story short: 3521A16.exe is NOT a DOS application, and will not run under FreeDOS. It may be a "Universal (Windows/MS DOS)" application, whatever the hell that is, and it may run from a command line operating within a Windows environment, but it will not run in a pure DOS environment, despite what these installation instructions for it say (emphasis added):
The Administrator
4 Posts
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January 6th, 2020 12:00
I am marking this as "solved" since the mystery surrounding the behavior of 3521A16.exe under FreeDOS has been explained.
The underlying (and paramount) issue of how to apply this urgent, security-related BIOS update in a non-Windows environment remains, of course, unresolved.
Clintlgm
1.5K Posts
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January 6th, 2020 14:00
I think you'll find your answer in this KB article https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln129956/dell-bios-updates?lang=en