XPS 9500 not booting after firmware udpate (RAM DETECTION)

The problem

I recently updated the firmware of my XPS 9500 to 1.11.0.

In doing so, my laptop became unbootable. Starting the device resulted in a black screen with only the keyboard lighting up (no dell logo). After taking the battery out for a few minutes and rebooting it, the laptop would cycle through colors (red, green, blue, etc) before turning off and going back to black screen boots.

The "fix"

I was able to get the laptop working by

• Removing all the screws off the baseplate (and stripping them in the process because I was away from home and without the right tools)
• Unplugging the battery
• Plugging in the charger
• Starting the laptop
• Quickly unplugging the charger after the keyboard lights up
• Plugging in the battery
• Starting the laptop
• Waiting ~3 minutes for the laptop to boot multiple times
• Acknowledging the "memory changed" notice (memory was not changed)

Additional info

The only thing I can think that is happening here is that memory detection is broken. I am using aftermarket memory which has been working fine prior to the firmware update and a Dell rep confirmed it should be compatible when I initially purchased + installed it.

It seems when new memory is installed (or a firmware update takes place - clearing the CMOS?) the laptop goes into an infinite boot loop and does not try to reconfigure the RAM.

It also seems the laptop needs to be abruptly powered off (i.e. unplugging the power cable while the battery is unplugged) in order to trigger memory reconfiguration (holding the power button down for 1+ minutes will not do this).

Please do something about this Dell

It's insane that this is happening on a laptop that costs over £1000 - and pretty scary when depending on this laptop for work/business.

My guess is that whatever is being done to detect RAM after a sudden power outage should also be being attempted after frequent POST failures. This is necessary for anyone using aftermarket ram to be able to use their laptop without also carrying around a screwdriver in fear of firmware updates/bios resets bricking the device.

I would also recommend that effective RAM detection steps should be documented properly - I've had service reps suggest holding the power button but it seems like RAM reconfiguration only occurs after a sudden loss of power.