8 Posts
0
10622
E6420 won't upgrade BIOS from freeDOS
First, this is now my 2nd post because the **bleep** board didn't like my first post I guess? Ugh!
Second...the Latitude E6420 doesn't seem to upgrade from FreeDOS past A12 BIOS.
I've now tried them all, A13 > A25 (latest). I followed the upgrade instructions as gospel and to the letter and it's how it updated to A12.
Once I hit A12 I can't get past it.
Can I back revision to A11 then skip A12 perhaps? I'm so frustrated! I tried 2 USB disks both from FreeDOS and I don't want to install Windows on my laptop just to get a BIOS update. Grrrrrrrr, I hate Windows and I use Linux.
OK...I'm done complaining. Any help here Dell? Oh and I also reset my BIOS A12 back to defaults and tried again with no love. After the blue screen > Yes I want to upgrade > green progress bar it just goes back to a d:\ prompt < -- my DOS volume with all the exe's on it.
I got nothing! Help!
wolfsden3
8 Posts
0
May 29th, 2018 19:00
2nd post AGAIN Dell **bleep** is wrong with your forum? It lets you "post" without being signed in THEN it axe's you to sign in AND meanwhile...on the other side of the forum it loses your post!
Gawd awful programming!
So I found out thanks to this post: https://askubuntu.com/questions/100945/how-do-i-update-the-bios-of-a-dell-laptop
...that the M F'ers at Dell are #dellderps and derped the BIOS update process at some date. So, you can't with certain laptop models now use the old FreeDOS boot disk method to update your BIOS. That's why it just sites there and doesn't do anything.
Dell you are total idiots to let your documentation site there stale and / or rotting. Don't be HP please, don't be IBM please.
Ugh. So - if you get the update screen and it goes back to the prompt guess what? You're F'd unless you can go get a windows 7 rescue disk per that ask ubuntu post and THEN do the update.
So annoying. Thanks for wasting 2 hours of my life on this one Dell.
Derps!
Anonymous
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
•
274.2K Posts
0
May 29th, 2018 20:00
Bonjour,
Look at the page:
http://www.dell.com/support/article/fr/fr/frdhs1/sln143196/how-to-create-a-bootable-usb-flash-drive-using-dell-diagnostic-deployment-package-dddp-?lang=en
1: create the USB boot
2: on your USB key, delete everything except:
3: Add the Bios in the usb key by renaming it 'bios'.
4: Boot your computer is usb l-egacy (F12)
5: the usb key will load 'C:' (DOS)
6: typing on your BIOS keyboard
Y for yes install
wolfsden3
8 Posts
0
May 29th, 2018 20:00
No that doesn't work. Dos boot disks no longer work you have to use Windows 7+ repair disks. They did away with freedos & dos options past a certain date.
Another thing I thought I said I didn't use Windows and the link you sent requires windows so your suggestion is not helpful at all. Not one bit!
Anonymous
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
•
274.2K Posts
0
May 29th, 2018 20:00
maybe not for you but for others yes.
For info it works for W7. I have windows 7