How to update your BIOS Dell with Linux Mint [part -1]

[captcharis]

Hello guys !

I felt the need for this post due to lack of /or incomplete information in web.
It will be two parts due to attachments limitation.

I would like to tell you how I updated my BIOS within Linux Mint environment.
Of course I did that with the help of some "Guru" of this forum. Thank you guys!!!

First of all you have to download your BIOS updates.
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/ ... 23/drivers

Next very important step, create a bootable DOS USB drive for updating motherboard BIOS.
You can install gparted using apt-get install gparted but Linux MInt shipped with Disk manager which can do same things!!
So use Use gparted and /or Disk manager to create a FAT32 formatted partition on the USB flash drive. (FAT 32 for maximum compatibility )

Next step you have to use unetbootin to install a bootable FreeDOS in to the flash drive.
Install unetbootin using apt-get install unetbootin
Run unetbootin and select the distribution FreeDOS.

Screenshot at 2018-03-06 08-38-14.jpg

Select your USB flash drive & click OK. ( We are using only Distribution part of unebooting for now)

Here is the tricky part of all procedure ( or at least in my situation)
Once FreeDOS will be downloaded in to the flash drive, your flash drive will look something like this

Screenshot at 2018-03-06 08-31-255.jpg

So as can you see no any .ISO file is being downloaded as almost all tutorials and utube videos in web said. (at least with FreeDOS)

Now is time to copy your BIOS update file, that you download earlier, into your USB drive. (regardless what they said in various tutorials)

Screenshot at 2018-03-06 08-31-21.jpg

to be continue...

[captcharis]

Hello again guys, we are here to continue with this How to guide

So once you copy your BIOS file in to your USB drive you have to run again unebootin
(we are going to use the Diskimage part of unebooting now)
and due to lack of .ISO file we will use syslinux.cfg file

Screenshot at 2018-03-06 08-46-49.png

Screenshot at 2018-03-06 08-46-59.jpg

When unebootin will be completed, your BIOS update file inside your USB drive should has a small padlock on it's upper right corner

Now you are ready to reboot your machine.
Do it and press F12 to enter into booting menu
In BIOS menu press enter
VERY IMPORTANT
Use safe mode, do NOT use the default option may be hurt your HDD
press again enter and A\> prompted will appear
Change to C: (maybe located in to B: but mine it was located in C:)
Write the name of BIOS update file press enter and let it do it's job!!
Once it will finished your machine should reboot automatically.

After all that your USB drive should look something like this

Screenshot at 2018-03-06 08-31-21.png

That's all folks !!! thank you for your time and I'm waiting for your comments

[Joe2Shoe]

In 35 years, I have only had ONE computer crash during a BIOS update. It was a Dell. $25.00 for a used mobo and it's good to go, again.
Nice BIOS update guide.

[Resistor]

Would it not work to simply copy the BIOS update .exe file to a usb stick, then re-boot to that stick and hit F12 when you see the Dell logo.

It will take you to the boot option screen.

On the bottom you should see the Update file from USB option.
Let the computer work for you.

I do not recall who provided this solution and have not tried it, but seems easy enough.

[Fromax]

Would it not work to simply copy the BIOS update .exe file to a usb stick, then re-boot to that stick and hit F12 when you see the Dell logo...

Very unlikely! The .exe file needs a Microsoft compatible OS to run. Hence the use of freeDOS in the tutorial.

[Joe2Shoe]

Just had to update the BIOS on a Dell laptop with LM Cinnamon 18.3 64-bit, which previously had Win10 Pro 64-bit (used Win10 DVD as a flying saucer).
Strange, Hiren's Boot CD with Mini WinXP didn't work, so I had to boot a Win7 HP 64-bit DVD to get the BIOS .exe update to install.
Love FreeDOS.

[mint_-_user]

Very good tutorial! But in my case, things doesn't want to cooperate (the BIOS executable will not run under freeDOS). So... I followed this steps (with Hiren's BootCD) to finish the job!

https://www.dell.com/community/Inspiron ... -p/7443707
(the solution is provided under the topic)

Just to resume the history about what I did:
- burned a DVD with Hiren's ISO (there is an option for USB Bootable also)
- loaded a normal Fat32 pendrive with BIOS executable file.
- initiated the computer booting the Hiren's DVD (may take a time to load)
- after load the system, open the Bios exe file from pendrive and follow the update steps.
- reboot to finish the bios update. that's all!

I think it could work with any computer or any Linux flavor.

[stevengarland]

result of trying to get unetbootin Mint 20.1. Must have to do something else first

stevengarland@stevengarland-XPS-17-9700:~$ sudo apt-get install unetbootin
[sudo] password for stevengarland:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package unetbootin
stevengarland@stevengarland-XPS-17-9700:~$

[stevengarland]

never mind I found it with Google. Installs on usb to use as needed.

[baldcypress]

I have got a Dell PRECISION 7920 TOWER running Linux Mint. Updating the BIOS was really simple and straightforward when following the instructions provided by the Dell website:

Bios link:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us ... orkstation

USB Instructions:
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-u ... nvironment