I got a DELL Alienware 17 R3 notebook for repair. It was already to some other repairman and he messed up with every SPI chip on board. When I read contents in main BIOS I saw data mismatch, neither the serial number nor the notebook model were right ones… The notebook wouldn’t start at all. As always, I download latest BIOS from DELL website and make my own BIOS from contents in the exe and also I always clean ME Region using your guides.
The problem is that on the notebook, Intel Boot Guard is enabled and I get 7 beep with no image on screen. I read on couple of other forums that users have had the same problem, when changing main BIOS, only the original contents from SPI chip will work and boot laptop.
Now, I don’t have access to original dumps. I am wondering if it is possible to make new clean BIOS work and boot notebook? They only didn’t touch EC bios. What do I need to do if possible?
Have You an SPI Programmer ?
What do You think to solve this issue without a CH341A …
There are some possibilities to rebuild a Firmware, starting from different Dump, but it needs time and tests …
This user made something :
Dell Alienware 17 R3 Bios Dump
So found out it wouldn’t boot internal drive but a usb cdrom with Super Grub Disk would let me still load an os.
Downgrading bios to 1.2.8 and loaded each update to 1.6.1 seams to have cleared that problem.
Bios would take forever to load / get to boot, disabling tpm fixed this.
System would also not shut-down would just go black screen and stay on forever.
System would beep 2 short beeps randomly on reset / power on, would boot normal after bitching about ram changing.
Re-dumped bios and ran me_cleaner, System boots faster, shut-downs properly and no more beeping.
I tryed updating the me but meinfo wouldn’t work and the drivers didnt recognise.
I now have a reason to hate intel a little more.
Regards