Dell bios update

[stevengarland]

Using Mint 20.1 exclusively. Dell XPS 9700

I am embarrassed to say that I updated the bios once already( It wasn't easy) and now, another bios is available and I can't seem to do it again. As I recall I used the DISK app but now am at a loss. I have the new bios on a usb drive, extracted, FAT 32.

I also added fwupd, but don't know how to use it. Dell bios does not come up with any "flash bios" option. However I know this can be done.

Thanks

[SMG]

I understood you to use the directions in this post. You indicate in the subsequent post you were able to update the BIOS.

Edited to fix typo.

[stevengarland]

I was, but it wasn't using the directions that you sent. The options were not available. It just sort of happened. I know it sounds silly.

IN the DEll bios there are no "other options". There is a place to add a file. I can browse to my thumb drive, then it wants a name and I don't have one. If I make one up it then comes up (later) as a boot option, didn't do that before; however I cant boot from it.

[Neil Edmond]

Unless there is a problem that the new BIOS will fix, I would just leave well enough alone. Sometimes, updating, just for the sake of doing so, is more trouble than it's worth.

[SMG]

Are you accessing the one-time boot menu or are you going into BIOS to add a boot option? You do not want to go into BIOS to add a boot option. You want to F12 into the one-time boot menu.

Dell XPS 17 9700 and Dell Precision 5750 System BIOS version 1.7.2 lists the steps (after suspending BitLocker if you have it):

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.

Maybe someone with a Dell will be able to help.

[Reddog1]

Concur with NEdmond. If things work, don't fix it......

[SMG]

Unless there is a problem that the new BIOS will fix, I would just leave well enough alone. Sometimes, updating, just for the sake of doing so, is more trouble than it's worth.

Concur with NEdmond. If things work, don't fix it......

The OP did not ask for opinions whether or not he should update the BIOS. He asked for help in doing it.

There are four fixes in the latest BIOS and two of them address issues with the BIOS.

@stevengarland - There is a Dell community forum. I've seen posts on it from Dell support people as well as fellow Dell users. That might be a better place to ask this type of question.

[stevengarland]

Thanks to all:

"Things" don't work. I have the XPS freeze issue that people have been posting since last summer. I also have a "no audio" issue which has been solved through a workaround involving kernel 5.6.

If there really was a step 5 after using F12 (which i do) this bios update problem would have been solved long ago. There is no flash bios selection. Maybe with Ubuntu, not with Mint??? The only bios option other than that normally expected is the option to enter something else. I explained that earlier. That takes me to a screen where I can browse to my usb stick that is loaded with the new bios, then it wants a name for the source. Today I am going to try some names such as USB Stick1.

Is there any chance that the USB should be formatted in EXT4 rather than FAT32? I don't think so as the DEll is not LInux.

What about how to use the fwupd that is intended to solve this sort of problem?

[stevengarland]

I sort of worked my way through fwupd and got this output

tevengarland@stevengarland-XPS-17-9700:~$ sudo fwupdmgr update
• Thunderbolt Controller has no available firmware updates
• Thunderbolt Controller has no available firmware updates
• PC611 NVMe SK hynix 1TB has no available firmware updates
• System Firmware has the latest available firmware version
• UEFI Device Firmware has no available firmware updates
• UEFI Device Firmware has no available firmware updates
• USB2.0 Hub has no available firmware updates
• USB3.1 Hub has no available firmware updates

In other words it didn't find the new bios that Dell has listed

[SMG]

If there really was a step 5 after using F12 (which i do) this bios update problem would have been solved long ago. There is no flash bios selection. Maybe with Ubuntu, not with Mint???

The BIOS is independent of the operating system, so that setting and its options do not relate to which operating system you have installed.

Is there any chance that the USB should be formatted in EXT4 rather than FAT32? I don't think so as the DEll is not LInux.

No, the usb should be formatted to FAT32 in order to do a UEFI update as per the Update the Dell BIOS in a Linux or Ubuntu environment.

Since this is really a Dell specific issue, the Dell forum is probably the best place to get help.

[Reddog1]

This is showing that this update is only available as a Windows (or DOS) executable. There are instructions to update from the bios boot menu if you don't have Windows, but you don't have that section (#5) available in your bios. It appears that you are stuck without it. If I really wanted that update, I'd pull the Linux HD, install another HD and install Windows on it (doesn't have to be a registered version). Then I'd copy the downloaded executable from the usb stick and run the update, then swap my Linux drive back in. I can't see another way around this.

Available formats
File Format:
CPG BIOS Executable for Windows/DOS

[Larry78723]

You could follow the instructions at viewtopic.php?t=265167. He did it on a Dell.

[stevengarland]

I did this once already to update to bios 1.6.3. The Dell directions don't call for anything bootable, the directions are simply get the bios from dell and put it on a usb, thats easy enough, the problem is then what? If it was as simple as direction to "update from usb" or some such there would not be a problem.

DEll does offer to let one choose another source (besides the normal boot options) one can do that and browse to the usb with the new bios, Dell then wants a name, thats ok too (xps_9700_ precision_5750_1,7.2). THe problem is Then What? No further options come up.