XPS 15 9550, bricked after BIOS update

Question

I have a XPS 9550 that will not boot or even show the Dell logo when powered up. I've tried everything mentioned in other posts unplugged battery (and CMOS battery, even replaced the CMOS battery with a new one). Holding D on startup does a screen test ok. Keyboard lights up but that's about all. I'm assuming a problem with the BIOS. If I put the BIOS update file (renamed the .exe as BIOS_IMG.rcv) on a USB stick and CTRL+Esc whilst plugging in the power I see it accesses the USB stick (I can see a LED on the stick flashes). It flashes for a few seconds and then stops but the BIOS does not appear to be updated and the machine remains dead. Is there anything else I can try?

Techgee · Accepted Answer

I'd double-check BIOS recovery procedure against what's at end of this post - after "In case something went wrong". Specifically, that USB sticks is FAT or FAT32. (I'd personally make sure if the thumb drive is over 32 GB that it's partitioned/formatted 32 GB or less for FAT32.) And, that it's powered off, Ctrl/Esc is pressed before plugging in A/C and until BIOS Recovery Screen [hopefully] shows up.

Also, ran across someone who successfully recovered from "bricking" the XPS 15 9550 several times here (person also details BIOS recovery procedure, specifically mentioning using port on left hand side of laptop). Note in one case person had to do a no-batteries A/C plug-in to force a reset in order to be able to get to BIOS recovery screen. A/C unplugged, main and coin battery were disconnected, flea power drained for 30 seconds by pressing Power button, then A/C power was applied with no batteries in the laptop. Might be worth a shot.

Techgee · Answer

There's a XPS 15 9550 post here where removing the drive allowed BIOS recovery to run but it still had a blank screen with drive back in.  Based on that, what I would try to do is remove the drive and see if the Dell Logo shows up and F2 can be used to get into the BIOS menu.  If so, use the BIOS menu to reset it to defaults or reset the BIOS boot and/or drive settings somehow.  Another thing to try would be booting from a USB stick (without the boot drive in) or try a different boot drive.

arjarj · Answer

Yes I saw that post and have already tried it. The good news is the 1TB SSD is fine and I've been able to access the files using a different machine. The boot process does not get as far as the Dell logo so you cannot press F2 or boot off a USB stick. The only keys that work on startup are D (which tests screen - all ok) and Ctrl+Esc when power applied (which appears to access BIOS_IMG.rcv from an external memory stick but does not help). Given something is happening to read files from the USB it suggests the processor is at least running.

Techgee · Answer

Some other things you might think about trying:

I suspect in your and other cases that the BIOS is actually fine, but it's "code" is out of sync with the settings. Same with other firmware updates besides the BIOS. (Some users suggest resetting BIOS to Defaults before doing BIOS updates to hopefully avoid problems with this.) I'd try removing the battery and while it's still removed press Power for a while (15+ seconds) to clear any "flea power". This may clear/reset any Firmware settings. Then try booting again.

If the above doesn't work remove both battery and coin battery (I suggest this as a separate step because coin battery is harder to get to). With both removed press Power for a while (15+ seconds) to clear any "flea power". Hopefully this will force a BIOS/firmware reset. Try booting again.

Other Dell laptop users have reported similar symptoms that were either caused by pressing F8 on startup, bricking their laptop (note F8 toggles monitor output) or "resolved" by connecting an external monitor. In some cases disconnecting main battery as I mentioned above resolved it. (In some cases it seemed to be a monitor BIOS/Firmware issue - monitor worked with only certain drivers - which in one case was actually resolved by replacing the monitor).

Anyway, you might try connecting an external monitor (HDMI and USB-C DisplayPort Alt Mode) to see if there's any output there.

arjarj · Answer

Sadly I've already tried all these things without success. Any more ideas?

Chaotica316 · Answer

Had what sounded like the same problem this morning. With the keyboard lit, I just held down the power button until eventually the Dell logo appeared

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XPS 15 9550, bricked after BIOS update

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