[gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
I'm amazed this is so difficult but I've just spent 3 hours trying to update the BIOS on my Dell XPS 13 and hit nothing but dead ends. The root of the problem seems to be that the 4MB BIOS update file is too large for the available 1.44MB DOS boot disks. Apparently FreeDOS had a LiveCD available at some point but it has reportedly been unavailable for quite some time. The following method looks promising but it also doesn't work. DOS can't seem to execute the .exe file which sits outside of the boot image: http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/FreeDOS_Flash_Drive Does anyone know how to do this? - Grant
Re: [gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
flashrom can write to a growing number of BIOSes, did you try it already? It's in portage so you can just emerge it. Look at the use flag list, since you might need to enable support for something in there so it can see your chip(s). The exe file might be usable directly with it, or you might have some luck trying to uncompress it with 7z or xz. -- Jesús Guerrero Botella
Re: [gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
Hi, did you try, if your DELL is supported by libsmbios? http://www.gentoo-wiki.info/Dell_BIOS_Upgrade Worked for me on 3 DELL-Computers (1 Desktop and 2 Laptops). Markus Grant schrieb: > I'm amazed this is so difficult but I've just spent 3 hours trying to > update the BIOS on my Dell XPS 13 and hit nothing but dead ends. The > root of the problem seems to be that the 4MB BIOS update file is too > large for the available 1.44MB DOS boot disks. Apparently FreeDOS had > a LiveCD available at some point but it has reportedly been > unavailable for quite some time. > > The following method looks promising but it also doesn't work. DOS > can't seem to execute the .exe file which sits outside of the boot > image: > > http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/FreeDOS_Flash_Drive > > Does anyone know how to do this? > > - Grant > signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature
Re: [gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
> flashrom can write to a growing number of BIOSes, did you try it > already? It's in portage so you can just emerge it. Look at the use > flag list, since you might need to enable support for something in > there so it can see your chip(s). > > The exe file might be usable directly with it, or you might have some > luck trying to uncompress it with 7z or xz. I read that flashrom can't use an executable directly and unzip didn't work so I didn't seriously consider it. I didn't try 7z or xz though. I did finally get it to work with unetbootin though. This would actually probably work too: http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/FreeDOS_Flash_Drive My problem was that I was trying to change to the C drive like this: cd c: instead of like this: c: :) - Grant
Re: [gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
> did you try, if your DELL is supported by libsmbios? > http://www.gentoo-wiki.info/Dell_BIOS_Upgrade > > Worked for me on 3 DELL-Computers (1 Desktop and 2 Laptops). > > Markus Sometimes it just doesn't pay to *not* come to the list *first*. I did get it working with unetbootin as mentioned in my other post. Thanks guys, Grant >> I'm amazed this is so difficult but I've just spent 3 hours trying to >> update the BIOS on my Dell XPS 13 and hit nothing but dead ends. The >> root of the problem seems to be that the 4MB BIOS update file is too >> large for the available 1.44MB DOS boot disks. Apparently FreeDOS had >> a LiveCD available at some point but it has reportedly been >> unavailable for quite some time. >> >> The following method looks promising but it also doesn't work. DOS >> can't seem to execute the .exe file which sits outside of the boot >> image: >> >> http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/FreeDOS_Flash_Drive >> >> Does anyone know how to do this? >> >> - Grant
Re: [gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
> Hi, > > did you try, if your DELL is supported by libsmbios? > http://www.gentoo-wiki.info/Dell_BIOS_Upgrade > > Worked for me on 3 DELL-Computers (1 Desktop and 2 Laptops). > > Markus Now that I look more closely at that page, I've got to cast a vote for going the unetbootin way. It's really easy and it doesn't require you to extract anything from the executable. Just remember to change to the C drive like "c:". - Grant > Grant schrieb: >> I'm amazed this is so difficult but I've just spent 3 hours trying to >> update the BIOS on my Dell XPS 13 and hit nothing but dead ends. The >> root of the problem seems to be that the 4MB BIOS update file is too >> large for the available 1.44MB DOS boot disks. Apparently FreeDOS had >> a LiveCD available at some point but it has reportedly been >> unavailable for quite some time. >> >> The following method looks promising but it also doesn't work. DOS >> can't seem to execute the .exe file which sits outside of the boot >> image: >> >> http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/FreeDOS_Flash_Drive >> >> Does anyone know how to do this? >> >> - Grant
Re: [gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
Am Montag, 16. April 2012, 03:14:15 schrieb Grant: > I'm amazed this is so difficult but I've just spent 3 hours trying to > update the BIOS on my Dell XPS 13 and hit nothing but dead ends. The > root of the problem seems to be that the 4MB BIOS update file is too > large for the available 1.44MB DOS boot disks. Apparently FreeDOS had > a LiveCD available at some point but it has reportedly been > unavailable for quite some time. > > The following method looks promising but it also doesn't work. DOS > can't seem to execute the .exe file which sits outside of the boot > image: > > http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/FreeDOS_Flash_Drive > > Does anyone know how to do this? > > - Grant download systemrescuecd install it on a usb stick systemrescuecd has freedos 'on board', boot into freedos, flash. -- #163933
Re: [gentoo-user] Update BIOS with 4MB .exe
On 16 April 2012 11:48, Markus Kaindl wrote: > Hi, > > did you try, if your DELL is supported by libsmbios? > http://www.gentoo-wiki.info/Dell_BIOS_Upgrade > > Worked for me on 3 DELL-Computers (1 Desktop and 2 Laptops). > > Markus > Please link people to the maintained version of the wiki, not the archive (that's .com, not .info) http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Dell_BIOS_Upgrade Most of that page describes multiple ways of getting a .hdr file to flash the bios from. Dell provides extracted .hdrs, so there's no need to extract from a .exe. I have used smbios a few times in the past, and haven't had any trouble with it.
