When a BIOS update fails, all manner of consequences follow - usually resulting in a dead system. Did the BIOS in fact complete the update?
If it did complete the update, it may be the hard drive coincidentally failed -- this system dates from 2009, so the hard drive if original is well beyond its design life. Bottom line: if the data on the drive wasn't backed up, you'll need to decide what its value is. If it's worth enough, the cost of data recovery (starting around $600) is likely your only option now. Even if you have Dell remove the system hard drive password, if there's one on the drive itself, that's not recoverable short of sending the drive for data recovery.
You CAN try a quick test - remove the drive and attach it to another system. If you can read it, you're set. If not, proceed as above.
If not, you now have to face the consequences of a BIOS update that failed for whatever reason on a system that is old enough to have been on borrowed time in the first place.
Thank you for the reply, luckily the problem has taken care of itself already. My colleauge called me after work hours today to inform me that they had in-fact put an hdd password on the disk themselves, they just forgot about it. :D
On the BIOS update, it did freeze at the last step but there doesn't seem to be any damage, other drives boot up fine and everything seems to be running swell. I did downgrade the BIOS to the oldest version I could find with Hiren's Boot CD using Mini Windows XP and upgraded it incrementally from oldest to newest while trying the locked drive with all of them, but all the BIOS flashes ended up working fine, guess I jumped to conclusions much too soon.
That's a good ending - and a second chance. Make absolutely sure you have a backup of the data on the system - at about seven years old, the drive is well past its design life and it's borrowed time from here on.
WiZE183
3 Posts
0
June 8th, 2016 06:00
Still waiting for support on this...
ejn63
9 Legend
•
87.5K Posts
0
June 9th, 2016 14:00
When a BIOS update fails, all manner of consequences follow - usually resulting in a dead system. Did the BIOS in fact complete the update?
If it did complete the update, it may be the hard drive coincidentally failed -- this system dates from 2009, so the hard drive if original is well beyond its design life. Bottom line: if the data on the drive wasn't backed up, you'll need to decide what its value is. If it's worth enough, the cost of data recovery (starting around $600) is likely your only option now. Even if you have Dell remove the system hard drive password, if there's one on the drive itself, that's not recoverable short of sending the drive for data recovery.
You CAN try a quick test - remove the drive and attach it to another system. If you can read it, you're set. If not, proceed as above.
If not, you now have to face the consequences of a BIOS update that failed for whatever reason on a system that is old enough to have been on borrowed time in the first place.
WiZE183
3 Posts
0
June 9th, 2016 15:00
Thank you for the reply, luckily the problem has taken care of itself already. My colleauge called me after work hours today to inform me that they had in-fact put an hdd password on the disk themselves, they just forgot about it. :D
On the BIOS update, it did freeze at the last step but there doesn't seem to be any damage, other drives boot up fine and everything seems to be running swell. I did downgrade the BIOS to the oldest version I could find with Hiren's Boot CD using Mini Windows XP and upgraded it incrementally from oldest to newest while trying the locked drive with all of them, but all the BIOS flashes ended up working fine, guess I jumped to conclusions much too soon.
Mods can close the topic now. :)
ejn63
9 Legend
•
87.5K Posts
0
June 9th, 2016 16:00
That's a good ending - and a second chance. Make absolutely sure you have a backup of the data on the system - at about seven years old, the drive is well past its design life and it's borrowed time from here on.