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Go to SolutionXPS 8930, UEFI BIOS updates fail since Secure Boot turned on
My Dell XPS 8930 did not have TPM 2.0 and secure boot turned on, so I enabled the in BIOS/UEFI. Then it would not update to Firmware 1.1.18 when it was available on SupportAssist. I turned off Secure Boot and it installed with no problems. I turned Secure Boot back on, and it upgraded to Windows 11. It has failed to install any Firmware since then. Currently Firmware 1.1.22 fails to install via SupportAssist. Any thoughts on how to get this to install without turning off Secure Boot and risking boot problems to get this update to install?
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Posted April 16th, 2022 10:00
@OldyMoldy Instead of using Support Assist. you could download the update and try following the 'Installation instructions' link on this page: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=9crdg&oscode=wt64a&productcode=xps-8930-desktop
The installation instructions offer two methods, updating the BIOS from Windows and updating the BIOS from the BIOS Boot Menu. Try updating the BIOS from the BIOS Boot Menu.
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Posted April 16th, 2022 11:00
@OldyMoldy The second method involves putting the downloaded update file on a USB flash drive and using the F12 BIOS Flash Update from the Other Options sections of the F12 Boot Menu.
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Posted April 16th, 2022 11:00
The instructions said to download and run. That didn't work. When I download and double click to install it does nothing. Is this firmware update only for MBR BIOS? May be a dumb question, but I converted to UEFI.
Support assist says:
- Dell XPS 8930 System BIOS - 1.1.22 - 6.32 MB - Recommended - Unable to install
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Posted April 17th, 2022 17:00
@OldyMoldy Were you logged into an account with Administrator privileges when you tried to run the BIOS update by double-clicking the .exe file (not using SupportAssist)? Sometimes you have to disable your anti-viral app first to allow a BIOS update.
As @Vic384 said, you can run BIOS updates from the F12 boot menu when the BIOS update .exe file is on a (non-bootable) 2GB USB stick. That USB stick has to be plugged into the PC with power completely off. Then power on and tap F12 to open the menu and select the Flash Update option.
That's how I always update BIOS on my XPS 8930, with both Secure Boot and TPM enabled, and haven't had any issues.
Now that your BIOS is updated, open BIOS setup and enabled these options:
BIOS Recovery from Hard Drive
BIOS Auto-Recovery
Always Perform Integrity CheckIf you want Windows Update to install BIOS updates, leave UEFI Firmware Capsule Updates enabled. Otherwise, disable it.
NOTE: These 4 options revert to their default settings every time there's a new BIOS update. So if you change any of them, be sure to check their settings again after each new BIOS update.
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Posted April 17th, 2022 20:00
Hi Ron,
Yes I was logged in as administrator, and the only A/V that I have Microsoft's built in security suite. I have a new Dell laptop, an old Dell workstation, and 2 HP laptops and I have never had to do anything other than allow the laptop to update the BIOS. Never had a problem with A/V interference. That is why it was such a puzzler. And never had a problem with this one until I enabled those features, then subsequently upgraded to Win 11. Thanks for your tips though. I will keep them in my back pocket in case needed.
OldyMoldy
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7 Posts
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Posted April 17th, 2022 12:00
Well, I don't know whether to call this funny or just sad.. I turned off secure boot and retried the firmware update. It again failed. But having read some other posts about firmware update problems, and how some people were railing against Windows Update, I checked to see if WU had the firmware update in their supplemental updates, and it was there. Tried it and it worked with issue... So Microsoft was able to update a Dell firmware update that Dell was not able to complete. I guess I am leaning towards SAD....