OS and Software > All Things Unix > Dell Bios update

Dell Bios update

There should be BIOS update bootable CD image available. Download it, burn it, boot from it, update.

reply to Rexter
I used a USB floppy drive and a bootable floppy disk with my Dell Linux server to update the BIOS.

reply to Brano
No there is not. It uses Winflash.

reply to rexbinary
No floppy, but do you think I could use something like freedos?

I extracted the files downloaded from Dell. I used a Windows 7 CD to boot into the command console. Next I ran the biosupdate.bat as instructed by the read-me file. The error I'm at is missing ACPI driver.

reply to Rexter
I do the BIOS flash with a bootable flash memory device, like usb key or SD card in a reader, etc.

www.bootdisk.com has a maze of files and info and I don't remember the steps I took but the tools are there.

There's also flashcd.iso

reply to Rexter
The Syslinux package includes a program called memdisk. You boot it like a Linux kernel with a bootable floppy image given as the initrd (not necessarily 1.44 MB large, though it should still be reasonably small small). This lets you have DOS or any floppy image as a GRUB bootable target and the image can be manipulated in Linux using any means you want.

Some updates and diagnostics tools from Dell fit this criteria. The web site is acting up on me right now and it's too late to fiddle with.
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That's odd...

reply to Rexter
DeHackEd already mentioned what I've been using for booting floppy images. I saved this link in my notes:

Boot PC from Floppy Image w/ GRUB2 and MEMDISK
»machine-cycle.blogspot.com/2009/···and.html

If the BIOS update helps, use the same technique to boot SpinRite from the grub menu, too!

reply to Rexter
You can always do it the hard way. Disconnect the HD and plug in a temporary. Install a version of Windows that the BIOS update will run from. Don't worry about activation or updates. Download and run the BIOS update. Shut down and remove the temporary HD.

Now, if you're a little mental, like me, the original HD with Windows on it would be tucked away in a desk drawer or fire safe. It would get pulled out for things like this, to avoid the hassle above, and tucked safely away when done.

(Yes, I have accumulated a lot of hard drives over the years.)

reply to Bill_MI
This all looks pretty cool, but I don't understand what part of my problem this would solve. I've been able to boot from a CD, but I need the ACPI driver, or some other way of running the bios update.
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I'm with the Central Government. I'm here to help you. Now bend over, really, I'm helping you, just, just stay still. You'll feel better in a moment.

reply to Rexter
I've been through this in the past. I don't have good notes on it, but seems like I found a DOS6.22 bootable image somewhere that contained support for SATA cdroms (which was tougher to do than finding something for IDE cdroms). I vaguelly recall using K3B or some other tool to somehow modify the iso image to include the firmware flashing files from Dell. Then I burned a bootable cdrom. Booted it, and then ran the flash program from the DOS after I got it booted.

Using a USB flash drive is probably better if you can accomplish it. Depends on what capabilities your hardware has. Seems like the mobo on what I was working on could not boot from usb, so CDROM was the media of choice.
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nohup rm -fr /&

reply to Rexter
Have you checked out these two sites?

»linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Re···firmware

»linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Repository