Dell Inspiron 15 3520 and Vostro 3420/3520 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.

Driver Id : 2F0TK

Importance : Critical

Version : 1.18.0, 1.18.0 Latest version Recommended version Latest and Recommended version

Release Date : 07 Sep 2023

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_Vostro_3420_3520_1.18.0.exe

File size: 124.91 MB

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

MD5: 52fa6530fb69aa3bbc2a6e900df879d5

SHA1: 66a9ccd25642df50027a5da463ac60f34fbcc2ad

SHA-256: e4f9a6e4073fffe4dac7e01d7312e973549b5fd24e1b8cda51b8c5cc5e6e1f81

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: 124.9 MB

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

MD5: 9bf02d8a93e643b3c28b089117f99d87

SHA1: f1506f55256030606ca51375ff974b9929a1e992

SHA-256: 2bad7aeee272337d7aed43636f89a79189428089e0062654540baebf3d87df44

Download .RCV

Fixes & Enhancements

- This release contains security updates as disclosed in the Dell Security Advisories DSA-2023-113, DSA-2023-152, DSA-2023-180, and DSA-2023-190. For more information, see Dell Security Advisories and Notices.
- Fixed the issue where the BIOS admin password cannot be set if Dell Encryption PBA is active.
- Fixed the issue where the system can boot on the bootable key when the BIOS admin password is set.
- Fixed the issue where the battery status shows charging when you unplug the Type-C dock from the system. This issue occurs with Windows 11 version 21H2.
- Fixed the issue where a small logo screen is displayed first and later switches to the full screen logo. This issue occurs when the Full Screen Logo option is enabled and you boot the system.
- Fixed the issue where the system boots automatically when connected to a Dell Power Button Sync (DPBS) monitor. This issue occurs when the system enters Sleep mode.
- Fixed the issue where the system cannot display to an external monitor. This issue occurs when you try to turn on the system through the monitor power button on a Dell Power Button Sync (DPBS) monitor.

Important Information

- Once the BIOS is upgraded, you cannot downgrade the BIOS to versions earlier than 1.15.0. 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.

Compatible Systems

Inspiron 15 3520

Vostro 3420

Vostro 3520

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. The USB drive does not need to be bootable device.
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 progress bar at the Dell logo screen. The system restarts again when the update is complete.