DELL & BIOS UPDATES - Process is a failure.

Question

My client asked me to come over and clean up her recently deceased husband's computer. I set it up a few years ago, each year I come over and do some light maintenance for both of their computers. When I got to the machine, an X P S 13 9360, I wanted to check to make sure everything was up to date and there was the usual red dot around a computer indicating that there were updates waiting on a reboot. I clicked it, it rebooted and then I saw that it decided to update the firmware. Next came the dreaded BIT LOCKER RECOVERY lock out screen... After reading forums and such, and trying to downgrade the BIOS 7 time, most failing due to Dell blocking the downgrade, I have to set it back to the 2017 factory image. First: Dell, you need to step up to the plate and change the delivery and operation of ANY BIOS update on a computer where BIT LOCKER and a T P M are installed. Second: There needs to be some program that CHECKS to see if these are present and that BIT LOCKER is active and the drive is ENCRYPTED and that T P M is ON. THIRD: If the program detects that state, it should immediately have the owner STOP the UPDATE and CONFIRM that the BIT LOCKER KEY is BACKED up, OR it could do it prior to doing the update to a USB device. Have a RADIO BUTTON or a CHECKBOX indicating that the user has backed that key up PRIOR to installing the update. This is seriously the most messed up system I have seen where DELL sends out the update and unsuspecting end users (this is the second one reported to me) now lose everything if they did not have a backup and have to reformat and reinstall the operating system back to factory. Dell - you folks can program that in a few minutes....get 'er done! I hope someone at Dell realizes what a mess this is becoming for users.

DELL-Cares · Answer

We tried reaching you on a private message asking for the Service Tag number to ascertain the warranty but did not receive a response. Please feel free to reply to the private message whenever you are available.

PC-ASSIST · Answer

The point I am making has nothing to do with Service Tags or warranties; only that the process that allows Dell to update a BIOS with TPM enabled and BITLOCKER active WITHOUT prior backing up the BITLOCKER KEY is a flawed one that leads to serious data loss.

XPS

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