XPS 8930, no boot with SSD installed

Question

After a minor Windows update, computer didn't reboot. Stuck at the Dell logo. Tried various suggestions from this forum till I found the SSD (Micron 2200s nvme 512gb) was the problem. Removing the SSD from the system corrects the issue.

I reinstalled Windows 10 on a HDD (it was initially on the SSD), but now I have some questions:

- Why is the SSD, even if OS was corrupted, stopping the boot sequence from happening?
- If I buy a new SSD and install it, will I be forced to reinstall the OS there, or the SSD become an extra drive?
- Any suggestions on how to recover data from the bad SSD? Should I get an M.2 PCIe adapter and try accessing the SSD that way?

Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Chino de Oro · Accepted Answer

Several thousands of 8930 owners out there, majority of them are having their machines running well after the update.  You happened to be one of a few dozens owners whom received a new BIOS update which cause your system hung at POST.  I hope that I have the answers for your questions I don't think your OS was corrupted.  I suspected that the backup BIOS on the EFI partition (the recovery partition) was not authenticated with the new BIOS version and causing a BIOS hang.  Once the users reflash the BIOS to previous version.  The POST was able to complete and the OS drive works again.  If you buy a new SSD and install it to the machine, it will be up to you to reinstall OS on the new SSD.  But if that will be the only drive in the system, obviously, you must reinstall OS on the new drive. You can add your old SSD back to the M.2 slot while the hard drive is running right now, must select F12 and boot with hard drive.  You can see the old SSD in file explorer, accessing to users folders and you will see your data.  However, there is a better way, just reflash your BIOS to previous version with a USB drive method, then installing your old SSD back to the computer (remember to remove the hard drive), your should be able to boot your machine like before.

Alux · Answer

@Anonymous

To be honest, I'm not sure when I picked up the BIOS update and what the Windows update was, when the problem happened. I think it was a minor security files update. I don't think BIOS 1.1.27 was installed thru WU.

Now that I think about it, I may have run the Dell update (which triggered the BIOS update), ran the WU, rebooted and walked away from the computer. Never saw if a BIOS update happened or not.

Before I found an article on this forum pointing to issues with BIOS update and SSD, I tried CMOS reset, replaced the CMOS battery and disconnecting all other HDD. Of course none of these work until the SSD was out of the system.

Hope this clarifies things

Alux · Answer

@Chino de Oro

Thanks so much! This worked like a charm. I downgraded the BIOS to 1.1.26, put my SSD back into the systems and everything is as it was.

I'm amazed that Dell support was of not help with this issue, if the issue is a known problem.

Thanks again

RoHe · Answer

Dell pulled BIOS update 1.1.27 off their own support site and from Windows Update at the same time.

So regardless of how you got it, it must have been before they pulled it. This update was first offered on Dec 8 2022 and pulled ~1 week later.

RoHe · Answer

It's all moot since OP successfully downgraded to 1.1.26 and restored full function.

And 1.1.27 should be gone from everywhere. Even Windows Update started offering me 1.1.26 again, after it had been offering 1.1.27 (which I successfully installed manually via the F12 menu, before Dell pulled it.)

Chino de Oro · Answer

I am glad that you got your system up and running again.  Just want to remind you of having your data back up to external sources.  It will help to avoid all the headache trying to recover data from a bad drive.

Alux · Answer

@Anonymous

The problem occurred around 1/12/23, about a week ago. Checking Windows update history, I picked up 2 updates on 12/15/22: Cumulative update for Windows 10 v21H2 (KB5021233) and cumulative update for .NET framework (KB5021088). Dell update does not show update history. Not sure why the issue surfaced until now instead of back in December.

RoHe · Answer

@Alux If the BIOS update was installed by Windows Update, you should see a System Firmware entry, under Firmware, in Device Manager that says version 1.1.27.

Open that entry and click the Details tab. Click box under Properties and select Install Date on list that appears. That tells you exactly when the update was installed via Windows Update.

If 1.1.27 was installed by SupportAssist you shouldn't see an entry for this version in Device Manager. But, you may see an entry for the last BIOS version that had been installed by Windows Update, even if a subsequent up was installed by SupportAssist or manually via the F12 Flash Update option, or via BIOS Recovery.

NOTE: Disabling UEFI Capsule Updates in BIOS setup hides the System Firmware entry in DM. So if you've already disabled Capsule Updates, re-enable it in BIOS setup and when you get to the desktop look for a System Firmware 1.1.27 entry in Device Manager and check its Install Date. Then be sure to go back into BIOS setup and disable Capsule Updates again. You'll know it's disabled when there are no System Firmware entries in DM.

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XPS 8930, no boot with SSD installed

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