Dell Inspiron 3521 System BIOS

Restart required

Do not turn off your computer or disconnect from the power source while updating the BIOS as this could harm your computer. During the update, your computer will restart and you may briefly see a black screen.

Before updating, please read the installation instructions and important information noted below.

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Driver Id : 0CN35

Importance : Critical

Version : 1.20.0, 1.20.0 Latest version Recommended version Latest and Recommended version

Release Date : 09 Apr 2025

Download Type : System BIOS

Category : BIOS

This package contains the Dell system BIOS update. BIOS is a firmware package that is embedded on a small memory chip on the system board. It controls the keyboard, monitor, disk drives, and other devices. This update addresses the Dell Security Advisories (DSA). A security advisory is a statement when a security vulnerability impacts a product, and a remedy is available for the vulnerability.

Download Files

File Format: This file format consists of a BIOS executable file. The Universal (Windows/MS DOS) format can be used to install from any Windows or MS DOS environment.

File Name: Inspiron_3521_1.20.0.exe

File size: 7.06 MB

To ensure the integrity of your download, please verify the checksum value.

MD5: 369e93101e884f32687eb0720ec1da76

SHA1: c8b50394f8d5e9412953f34aa7e2d3a1360b0a7e

SHA-256: a52e0bb51dd008971b8c5898d8d920745b8187229bb54f9b562d71e8136342a2

Download .EXE

File Format: This file format consists of a BIOS Recovery image file. This file is used for the System BIOS Recovery process to recover a system from a corrupted BIOS.

File Name: BIOS_IMG.rcv

File size: 16 MB

To ensure the integrity of your download, please verify the checksum value.

MD5: 6d361cd90b1459e849d806e225a571a4

SHA1: 8bde94e183860d5ae7a8ad8cb223105a5cb1f0a7

SHA-256: 774568a94413b87357389ac1f39e53bdacfcd2e07b51b1593faace0e479a53be

Download .RCV

Fixes & Enhancements

- This release contains security updates as disclosed in the Dell Security Advisories DSA-2025-036, DSA-2025-044, DSA-2025-045, and DSA-2025-048. For more information, see Dell Security Advisories and Notices.
- Fixed the issue where the restart pending is displayed as true in the PowerShell. This issue occurs after you clear the TPM and then run the get-tpm command.

Important Information

- Once the BIOS is upgraded, you cannot downgrade BIOS EXE/Recovery (RCV) to versions earlier than 1.7.0, due to restrictions. BIOS downgrades are restricted when there are security updates and important fixes with earlier versions that impact the functionality of the system.
- BIOS updates take no more than 5 minutes to be installed on your system. You can install the updates in the background while using the system.

Installation instructions

Updating the BIOS from Windows

Note 1: Before updating the BIOS, ensure that you suspend BitLocker encryption on a BitLocker-enabled system. If BitLocker is not enabled on your system, you can ignore this step. For information about how to disable BitLocker, see How to Enable or Disable BitLocker with TPM in Windows at support.dell.com.
Note 2: Do not turn off the power or interrupt the BIOS update process during the update.
Note 3: Your system requires a restart after installing the BIOS. The restart can be deferred but must be completed to ensure that the update is installed.

Download and Installation
1. Click Download File.
2. Click Save to save the file to your hard drive.
3. Browse to the location where you downloaded the file.
4. Double-click the new file.
The system restarts automatically and updates the BIOS at the system startup screen. After the BIOS update is complete, system restarts again.

Updating the BIOS from BIOS Boot Menu (independent of operating system)

Note 1: Before updating the BIOS, ensure that you suspend BitLocker encryption on a BitLocker-enabled system. If BitLocker is not enabled on your system, you can ignore this step. For information about how to disable BitLocker, see How to Enable or Disable BitLocker with TPM in Windows at support.dell.com.
Note 2: Do not turn off the power or interrupt the BIOS update process during the update.
Note 3: Your system requires a restart after installing the BIOS. The restart can be deferred but must be completed to ensure that the update is installed.

Installation
1. Copy the downloaded file to a USB drive. You do not need a bootable USB drive.
2. Insert the USB drive into any USB port.
3. Power on the system.
4. At the DELL logo screen, press F12 to access the one-time boot menu.
5. Select BIOS Flash Update in the Other Options section.
6. Click the ... button to browse the USB drive to locate the downloaded file.
7. Select the file and click OK.
8. Verify the existing system BIOS information and the BIOS update information.
9. Click Begin Flash Update.
10. Review the Warning message and click Yes to proceed with the update.
The system restarts and displays a Flash Progress bar at the Dell logo screen. The system restarts again when the Flash update is complete.

Dell Inspiron 3521 System BIOS

Download Files

Fixes & Enhancements

Important Information

Compatible Systems

Supported Operating Systems

Installation instructions

Applies to