Small splash screen after Bios Upgrade and installed the splash utility

Question

I just upgraded my Bios for an Inspiron 4000. I noticed that I lost my bios splash after the upgrade. I then downladed the splash utility from Dell.com and installed in the notebook. I got my splash back, however, it was smaller than normal. Does anybody know hot to fix this?

Help me please!

Oscarr95

bacillus · Answer

have you tried Fn+F7?

johnallg · Answer

Ahhhhh, the 'ole Fn+F7!  Haven't seen this one in quite a while.  Then again, I don't frequent the Video forum, so it may still be the most asked question.  Nothing like reminiscing!!

SteveMRose · Answer

I also am about to update the I4K BIOS and have found 3 splash screen utilities: splasha0.exe spl-a01.exe spl-a02.exe Which of these should I use?   Thanks and sorry to be so dense.   steve rose

johnallg · Answer

SplashA0 will work with the 4000 - but - use the floppy method to upgrade the BIOS (much safer!) and you won't need to replace the splash screen.  If you do decide to use a different method, use the /nvram switch when you invoke the 14000A23.exe program and it will leave the splash screen intact.

SteveMRose · Answer

Thanks- the BIOS update worked like a champ (FD method) but it did erase my splash screen so I just restored it using the splasha0 and it is back to normal.   Thanks again.   steve rose

johnallg · Answer

I have now upgraded three 4000s to A23 using the floppy download file that when it is run makes a bootable floppy and when booted to automatically runs the BIOS upgrade - none of the three lost the splash screen because the auto routine uses the /nvram call.

SteveMRose · Answer

I hear you and can not explain the difference, but in my case, running the BIOS update from the bootable FDD lost the splash screen- was I susposed to run it with the /NAVRAM switch (I didn't)? It is no biggy- actually, I kind of like seeing the boot process as the bar goes across the screen- it shows me that something is actually happening, rather than the process being hidden behind a splash screen (much like the DOS days when I did not hide the process using echo off, but instead watched everything load so I knew when something went wrong.

Thanks for the help; as usual you are most knowledgeable and helpful

steve rose

johnallg · Answer

You should have booted to the floppy.  Sounds like you just ran the I4000A23.EXE file, in which case you would have needed the /nvram switch.  For all who read this:  Because of the severity of a failed BIOS upgrade (read: boat anchor), READ THE DIRECTIONS AND FOLLOW THEM!

SteveMRose · Answer

John- thanks for the admonition. I have always followed your advice on this when updating the BIOS on any of my Dell laptops. I always make a bootable floppy and boot from that floppy disk that also has the BIOS update program (I4000A23.exe in this case).

Under no circumstances would I attempt to update the BIOS from the HDD- I don't own a boat and therefore do not need an anchor.

Why in my case booting from a floppy and running the BIOS update from the floppy is unclear, but in reality it is no big deal. Having splasha0 to restore the splash screen is just fine.

Thanks

steve rose

Message Edited by SteveMRose on 10-01-2003 07:23 AM

johnallg · Answer

The admonition was not aimed at you exclusively - it needs repeating often, so please don't take it personally or hard.

It would be really interesting to see why the floppy boot wiped the flash. I just looked and the file size of !40-A23.EXE (the floppy download) is the same size as the one I had used. Hmmm.

As for having the splash utility, it offers the chance to customize the splash pic, with limitations - 16 colors and a certain file size (151kb in size). I have one made for me by Dell|Talk member join from Spain. There are a lot to choose from here.

SteveMRose · Answer

Thanks- just to clarify, I used I4000A23.exe, not I40-A23.exe. Does I40-A23.exe make an Autoexec.bat file and if so, does it invoked the /NVRAM switch?

Anyway, no big deal and thanks for the link to the splash screens- really neat. Also, note that the new 2003 splash program (A02-spl.exe) works for the I4k.

steve rose

johnallg · Answer

I4000A23.exe is the unpackaged version - the actual program that does the flash - and yes you would have needed the /nvram switch. That explains it! I40-A23.exe is the floppy version and running that file will create a bootable floppy amd in the autoexec.bat file on that floppy when I4000A23.exe is called, the /nvram switch is also added.\

Thanks for the heads up on the A02 version of Splash.

boogeye · Answer

Where exactly did you find that splash utility?

boogeye · Answer

I'm trying to get back the original bios splash screen for an Inspiron 8200. I found splasha0, but there appears to be several of these types of files. How do you know what they look like and if it will work on your computer. It looks like others have had problems with the size of the splash image.

Thanks

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Small splash screen after Bios Upgrade and installed the splash utility

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