Vostro 3580 Bios 1.11.1 issues

Question

After updating the Bios on my Vostro 3580 to 1.11.1 there are several issues.

Firstly, after the installation a Bios warning stated the power supply was incorrect despite being the one supplied by Dell with the laptop. The power supply check had to be disabled in the Bios.

Secondly, and I asume related to the power supply warning, the battery levels are dropping despite being plugged in and showing as being powered and not running on the battery.

Lastly, and most serious, the laptop is now slow/unresponsive and almost unusable. The only way to make it usable, after testing many different changes, is to disable Turbo Boost in the Bios, though it is still far from as fast as it was prior to the update.

I have tried downgrading the Bios but this fails.

Other models seem to have had similar issues with the same Bios version number and have since had a newer 1.12.1 made available, when will the Vostro 3580 have a fixed Bios available as this needs resolving ASAP.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

If another Dell adapter works, check the center pin on the one that doesn't. It may be slightly misaligned or bent, which is all it takes for it to cease making contact with the center of the jack and show unknown.

As for Turbo Boost, it's situation dependent. No modern system can sustain turbo boost for more than short bursts spaced widely apart. The cooling system just cannot keep up with the heat generated and the system will throttle back. To reduce the extent of throttling, you have several options:

Disable turbo boost (it'll produce a much more consistent, even level of performance).

Reduce the load on the system to reduce the instance of turbo boost being enabled.

Increase external cooling (reduce the room temperature, or use an add-on external cooling pad).

What you cannot do is run the system at full speed for protracted periods. With the exception of workstation-class portables and some very high-end gaming systems, no current notebook is designed to handle that any more than your car can handle being run at redline for hours on end.

ejn63 · Answer

Disabling the power warning won't fix the issue. Without a recognized AC adapter, the battery will not charge, and the system will run as if on battery all the time (this is why it's running slowly).

If the system is under warranty, call Dell for repair.

If it's out of warranty, one of three things is the cause. Replace in order.

1. The AC adapter DC plug is bad (try a new, or another, OEM Dell adapter. Check setup to see if it's recognized; that may well solve the problem. If it's not,

2. Replace the DC jack in the system. Check again.

https://www.dcjks.com/dell-vostro-3580-dc-jack-in-cable-power-adapter-port-connector-repair-replacement-p-763.html

3. If that doesn't solve the issue, replace the mainboard; the charge circuit is bad.

davidu74 · Answer

This issue, including the power supply warning, only occured immediately after the BIOS update and this is the power supply supplied by Dell. Both the OS and BIOS show the laptop as being powered thus not on power saving battery mode. Also, if it had solely been on battery and not charging it would have run out by now whereas it is simply losing 1% every couple of days. Have you tested this yourselves on another laptop of the same model with the latest BIOS? The laptop, as you should be aware from the service tag supplied, is on NBD Pro Support but as this was an update issue and we are currently not opening the office I tried looking for solutions in the community first and your representative contacted me. If a resolution is not possible then I will have my employer request a replacement. There is an additional issue that downgrading the bios fails when, based on suggestions from your representative, this should be possible.

davidu74 · Answer

Apologies, I realised you may not be from Dell and be unaware of the contact so far. I do not believe this to be a hardware issue but a BIOS issue and it seems that in recent months other models have had similar issues with BIOS updates containing Intel Security fixes. If I get further details from Dell following on from investigations so far then I will post here.

ejn63 · Answer

This is not a BIOS issue - it is a hardware issue.

If the system is under warranty, contact Dell (or have your employer's IT staff contact them). They'll replace the adapter, jack or mainboard as required under warranty.

It may be you didn't notice the issue until after the BIOS update -- but this is not a firmware problem. It's hardware.

davidu74 · Answer

It is not a case of not noticing an issue till then. Immediately after the update the laptop was MUCH slower (partially solved by disabling TurboBoost) and started warning about the adapter, none of this occurred prior to the BIOS update. Also, disabling performance changes based on power supply/battery (both in the BIOS and OS) make no difference. If you search for similar issues you will find other models have had similar problems solved by either downgrading the BIOS or further BIOS updates, unfortunately downgrading fails (another issue) and there is no new version available yet. Dell are currently investigating. I do appreciate the attempt to help but do not believe the symptoms and timeline match your diagnosis though will be willing to admit my mistake should Dell find otherwise.

davidu74 · Answer

I have managed to do some more testing in the office and it seems that in part I must apologise as the power supply is part of the issue.

Testing another Dell power supply with the same output but has a different model no. worked and performance has improved. However, performance is still best with Turbo Boost disabled, which should not be necessary, and though subjective does not seeem to be as good as before.

Also, the same power supply that has issues with the new BIOS does not have issues on another Dell laptop.

It seems that a change in the BIOS is causing issues with Turbo Boost and power supply detection and that it ignores attempts to stop throttling with BIOS and OS settings if it does not like the power supply.

davidu74 · Answer

Thanks for the update, the testing was pretty much from cold and there was no work other than startup before checking so I am not sure thermals are the issue with Turbo Boost, however, it can't be ruled out easily as some load needs to be applied to test performance and the explanation does make sense. Perhaps thermals have been made more sensitive in the BIOS update. Perhaps the reason the adaptor works in the other laptop is a slightly different port design, if you are correct about alignment. My only issue is the the laptop was on a stationary stand, always plugged in and the problems only occurred directly after the BIOS update. Perhaps the update is more sensitive/finicky with regards to the power supply than the previous version and/or throttling is more aggressive.

DELL-Cares · Answer

Hi, we have not heard back from you since our last interaction. Please feel free to reach out to us at your convenience, we will be glad to assist you further.

hiiipowerbass · Answer

I am having the same issue. Please tell me you figured it out? @davidu74  @ejn63

ejn63 · Answer

If the system does not sense and recognize an AC adapter, it will run at reduced speed, as if on battery all the time.

Vostro

Vostro 3580 Bios 1.11.1 issues

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