Update the Dell BIOS in a Linux or Ubuntu environment

Question

I am following the instructions for this at https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000131486/update-the-dell-bios-in-a-linux-or-ubuntu-environment#Creating%20a%20USB%20Bootable%20Storage%20Device. When I boot to the USB created using UNetBootin and I select FreeDOS, I get "Invalid or corrupt kernel image."

For the record, the md5sum and sha256sum are good for the FreeDOS file I downloaded, and I am using the binary for UNetBootin from https://unetbootin.github.io/.

My laptop is a Latitude E6430, and I used the USB 2.0 port to create and boot to the bootable USB.

torreydale · Accepted Answer

@nyc10036

I solved it.

Even though I ended up using Rufus via an old Windows 7 VM, I don't think UNetbootin was the problem. I was getting the same results with a Rufus built USB stick. I believe the problem I was having, which yielded the following error on my PC and a Linux VM I created, was because of FreeDOS 1.2. I found an archived version of FreeDOS 1.0, and the instructions Dell gave worked. I am somewhat pleased to know the LUKS disk encryption wasn't an issue.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/A1CPlJv.png[/img]

nyc10036 · Answer

Try using something else other than UNetBootin.

I don't remember which tool I used but it wasn't UNetBootin, but I have USB with FreeDOS that boots. I have had to update BIOS on Dell , Acer, and Lenovo laptops using it.

torreydale · Answer

@nyc10036 , I've tried others, but the BIOS exe file still needs to be copied to the usb stick.  Other programs used don't allow for that.

nyc10036 · Answer

I know. You need to try another way of creating a USB with bootable FreeDOS.   .

qenta22 · Answer

Following the Dell instructions, FreeDOS is asking me to "Remove diskette in drive A:, Insert diskette in drive B:" when I try to change to the USB drive (having successfully booted using a FreeDOS 1.0 archived version). I can't seem to get it to recognize the USB at this point. Which FreeDOS iso did you use?

Is it possible my computer is also expecting a CDROM (since it has a drive)?

Thanks!

torreydale · Answer

Freedos 1_0

qenta22 · Answer

basecd, basews, fullcd, fullws? I'm using here: https://archive.org/details/freedos1.0

torreydale · Answer

I don't remember, but looking at the USB I saved, all the files only add up to 16.3MB (528 files), so I would say it's fdbasecd.iso since that's the smallest ISO.

qenta22 · Answer

Thanks. Looks like I'm out of luck unless you want to do a real deep dive. I should probably make a new thread.

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Update the Dell BIOS in a Linux or Ubuntu environment

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