Latitude E6230 Bios does not update

Before trying to update, be sure to set the BIOS options to default, and then save.

It's very possible there is an enabled option that is not allowing the BIOS to be written or a feature setting that is not compatible with the newer BIOS.

If that still doesn't work, post again and we can see where to proceed from there.

I set BIOS to default and what it does is change SATA configuration from AHCI to something else and Windows don't boot. Even when I set BIOS to default, BIOS update didn't work.

Another thing is that when I try to update, in the preparation phase the system shows the details of the current Bios and the Bios I want to update it to. Some elements (lines) seem to be missing from the current Bios.

I can post more details if you think this will be helpful.

That does not sound good, and see if you can post a screenshot of the BIOS update and the "missing lines".

It might have been a corrupt BIOS install the previous time you successfully updated - have you tried reinstalling the current version of the BIOS again?

The photo is not very clear but I hope you can see there are missing elements.

Yes, I did try to install the same version of the bios, but the system does the preparation, reaches the screen you can see in the photo but when it is supposed to update the Bios, it just boots normally to Windows without updating.

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@Marios1st wrote:

The photo is not very clear but I hope you can see there are missing elements.

Yes, I did try to install the same version of the bios, but the system does the preparation, reaches the screen you can see in the photo but when it is supposed to update the Bios, it just boots normally to Windows without updating.

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I have a E6230 running Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, and I am on A18.

My Embedded Controller : A06

Intel Management Engine Update : 8.1.71.3608

Legacy RAID OROM and Legacy Video OROM are the same as yours.

Please, read carefully the "Important Information" section on the BIOS description.  It seems there are two BIOS images for your computer (a pre-Windows 8 released BIOS and a Windows 8 feature enhanced BIOS), an unusual event that could matter considering the odd change in the embedded controller version numbering scheme.  I would suggest trying the bootable USB method again, as it is the most reliable path to flash firmware on computers that do not support upgrading BIOS from non-bootable drives, this time making a 8 GB or less bootable USB drive with Dell's Real-Mode kernel (DRMK) operating system.

Sorry I am out of ideas so this is just a wild guessing.

Note: I am not sure what keyboard layout does your computer have.  On some layouts (e.g. German's QWERTZ) the "y" key is not mapped the same on a full-featured operating system than on a simple BIOS upgrade tool that usually defaults to U.S. layout.  Make sure you are pressing the right key while upgrading.

Note: make sure the battery is fully charged and the computer is connected to a working power outlet too.

Thanks for the pic, and I wondered if it looks the same when trying to update to A08, A09, A10, etc.?

There were also 2 notes I found in the BIOS files:

• Please note that if the A05 or after A05 BIOS and before A08 is currently installed on your system you must first update to A08 BIOS and then flash to the latest A-rev BIOS.

• Please note that if the A03 or after A03 BIOS and before A09 is currently installed on your system you must first update to A09 BIOS and then flash to the latest A-rev BIOS.

Kind of contradictory in a sense, but I just wanted to confirm you have tried both A08 and A09 BIOS updates, as it appears you cannot just progress to anything A09 without first performing intermediate BIOS updates. As mentioned earlier, there is definitely a "Win 8 Enhanced" change in the BIOS files that may be causing the problem.

There is also a A07 BIOS (Recommended, so it's not on the main support list) available that you might try:

https://www.dell.com/support/home/ca/en/cadhs1/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=r314384

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have tried both A08 and A09 versions. The BIOS just doesn't update and I don't know if I can find a BIOS version that is not enhanced for win8.

I am not quite sure whether I need to copy anything else onto my USB stick apart from the Bios update .exe file.

What I do is create a bootable USB stick with Rufus and then copy the .exe file on the USB stick. Is there anything else I should copy on the USB stick?

To provide more information, I had my BIOS chip flashed by an "expert" after a failed bios update to the latest version (A19). Before that my bios version was A18. After the failed update, the computer was dead and I took it to a repair shop where they re-programmed my bios and installed the old A06 version.

I thought about taking the CMOS battery pack off, but I don't know how the system will react.

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@Marios1st wrote:

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have tried both A08 and A09 versions. The BIOS just doesn't update and I don't know if I can find a BIOS version that is not enhanced for win8.

I am not quite sure whether I need to copy anything else onto my USB stick apart from the Bios update .exe file.

What I do is create a bootable USB stick with Rufus and then copy the .exe file on the USB stick. Is there anything else I should copy on the USB stick?

To provide more information, I had my BIOS chip flashed by an "expert" after a failed bios update to the latest version (A19). Before that my bios version was A18. After the failed update, the computer was dead and I took it to a repair shop where they re-programmed my bios and installed the old A06 version.

I thought about taking the CMOS battery pack off, but I don't know how the system will react.

 

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Personally I think the "expert" messed up.

For the E6400, I used a FreeDOS image (    https://derek.chezmarcotte.ca/freedos-1-1-usb-boot-image  ) and added the BIOS exe file to upgrade the BIOS.

Sadly I agree with nyc10036.

There is an odd embedded controller revision on your computer right now (X43).  It may be the right one, don't know, but it does not follow the usual numbering scheme for that model (Axx).  You should contact the expert that recovered your laptop and ask him to fix it if possible at all.

Thank you all for your ideas.

I checked the embedded controller against the one on the official A06 bios version from the Dell website and it is the correct one.

Today I upgraded to windows 10 but the problem persists; the bios just doesn't update without displaying any error messages.

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@Marios1st wrote:

Thank you all for your ideas.

I checked the embedded controller against the one on the official A06 bios version from the Dell website and it is the correct one.

Today I upgraded to windows 10 but the problem persists; the bios just doesn't update without displaying any error messages.

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You can continue to defend the "expert" and make excuses.

There is nothing you can do except make him fix the problem!

.

Ok mate, thanks for your time but I have no reason to make excuses for the person who fixed my computer.

I just hope someone may have encountered something similar or is knowledgeable enough to give me some ideas that might prove helpful.

Thanks anyway though.

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@Marios1st wrote:

Thanks for the replies guys.

To provide more information, I had my BIOS chip flashed by an "expert" after a failed bios update to the latest version (A19). Before that my bios version was A18. After the failed update, the computer was dead and I took it to a repair shop where they re-programmed my bios and installed the old A06 version.

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Then what you need to do is take it back to the shop and get them to reprogram it to the latest version.

Who knows what they did, maybe even replaced the physical BIOS chip with one already-programmed with A06 on it, but it's not 100% compatible for your system and can't be updated. They may need to remove the new BIOS chip and program it again outside the system.

You really need to call the shop and figure out *exactly* what they did and how to get it to the latest BIOS revision. Until you do that, your system will continue as-is - someone messed up the update/repair and there is no "magic bullet" for this problem.