Fantastic thanks @SergioFernandez that worked for me. Phew.

Hi,

I've found that marking TPM On box in BIOS solves the issue. Seems that the upgrade disables it, but configuration values aren't modified.

Hope it helps.

having exactly the same problem since upgrading right now

I ran into the same problem myself today. I hadn't updated the system BIOS since I bought the machine (version 1.0.7), and found that updating the BIOS to the latest available version (2.4.2) solved the issue. I guess the latest Ubuntu grub bootloader uses UEFI options the older BIOS doesn't understand.

Flashing the BIOS if you only have Ubuntu on the box is a little annoying, since Dell distributes the update as a DOS executable. So to do this:

1. Download a bootable FreeDOS USB image (google should find one for you).

2. Using either the Ubuntu install USB stick in 'try it out' mode, or another computer, use 'dd' to copy the FreeDOS image onto another USB stick.

3. Mount the FreeDOS USB stick and copy the Dell BIOS update to it.

4. Unmount the FreeDOS USB stick and then reboot the system booting off the FreeDOS USB stick in legacy mode (F12 when you first power on the system).

5. Run the BIOS update.

Thanks for the info @SR Foxley. That makes sense as my BIOS version is also 1.0.7.

I was under the impression that the system would update you via the OS of BIOS updates (and that is what it seems to say here https://www.dell.com/support/article/ie/en/iedhs1/sln171755/updating-the-dell-bios-in-linux-and-ubuntu-environments?lang=en) however I don't receive those notifications. Maybe Dell could confirm on this point?

Also just for anyone else following on from @SR Foxley's instructions for newer models (post 2015) there are easier instructions for updating the BIOS at this link also https://www.dell.com/support/article/ie/en/iedhs1/sln171755/updating-the-dell-bios-in-linux-and-ubuntu-environments?lang=en

Joseph

Yeah, I didn't get any notifications from my OS that BIOS updates were available. Perhaps there's a package I'm missing on my Ubuntu 16.04 install.

Also, I didn't know the BIOS would recognize the .EXE file and process it natively. That vastly simplifies the BIOS update process, as you just need a FAT32-formatted USB stick (and to copy the BIOS update executable to it) to do the update, rather than futzing with the FreeDOS image. Simple!

Awesome, thanks @SergioFernandez

Way to go Dell for breaking my computer shortly after the warranty expired- not that it worked properly before, but at least it booted.

I experienced the same issue today after running an update and rebooting.

I found a clue on an HP site.

Go into the bios settings and into the security options.

Look for an option that has a box next to TPM on. Check the box, apply the settings, and reboot.

I can now reboot my machine. I hope this works for you too.

Regarding BIOS update procedures on Ubuntu I can confirm that a couple of times I got them normally from Ubuntu Software (one of the available updated packages launched the BIOS updater).  This doesn't always work, though, and I guess it has to do with whether those updates are uploaded or notified to official Ubuntu repositories.

The rest of the time I manually updated the BIOS by following the steps below. (not sure if this is documented anywhere). The essential requirement is that you haven't altered the original partition table: out of the box the disk comes with a FAT32 partition, mounted on /boot/efi

Steps:

1. Download new BIOS firmware (an .exe file) from Dell site
2. Move it somewhere into the /boot/efi partition
3. Restart
4. While the Dell logo is showing up, press F12 repeatedly
5. Select Flash BIOS and Choose that exe file
6. Wait until the flashing procedure terminates