Good morning
Who will help unpack the BIOS?
https://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER0527024…_7x90_1.7.1.exe
thanks
Looking for guidance if possible. I have extracted the contents of the corrupt bios using a ch341a programmer (http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil…871315081898061). It shares similarities with the bin file previously provided to me by @lost_N_BIOS so I am wondering if anyone could suggest where I could go through there? The other dell bios files from version 1.0.3 to 1.5.0 all are 17 megabyte which I assume is too big to flash on the 16 megabyte. Should I trust a seller on ebay who claims to have the flashable bios file?
@manic - check post #50 - plutomaniac attached 16MB bin file for you to use with programmer, you will have to correct your Asset tag and LAN MAC ID before or after you reprogram, can be done in hex before or with dell tools after.
I did not see this was directed at me. Thanks a lot. Will try it out once I get back home. The SPI chip is in fact 16MB.
@Lost_N_BIOS Thanks for pointing this out and the mac address and asset tag information. I had not seen the alert.
You’re welcome @manic - here I posted Dell DST tools package for someone else recently
8470p 8570p bios moding tools
Are you able to extract the BIOS from the package listed at https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/…alienware-17-r2
Went from A06 to A10 and it froze. I let it sit overnight and still no change. Had to unplug both DC & battery to get it to shut down. I got a ch341a programmer and can flash the chip, but cannot extract the file from the downloaded link.
Thanks in advance!
First, get a verified and valid (Open in hex, make sure not all FF or 00) backup with your programmer, then we can go from there.
You linked neither A06 or A10, please link A10 since that is the BIOS you flashed. I assume this is the one, but wait for you to verify - https://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER04805903M/1/AW15A10.EXE
This exe only contains BIOS region (and maybe not complete region either), so you need to get a dump first so we can pull your serial/asset tag and LAN MAC ID too.
Then I will compare with some other random dump to see if the exe gives full BIOS region or not, then we can fix a BIOS for you to reprogram.
Thank you very much. The following link is the BIOS I pulled from the chip before I did anything else. I went from A06 to A10 and that’s when it bricked. I was able to locate the Asset Tag within and confirmed it is the same as the device. And yes, the link you provided is the one I was trying to flash to.
Again, many thanks.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AktPtbyFr_MjjW3tok86xopLo4B9
Thanks, I will get into this tonight. Can you post, or PM me the LAN MAC ID from that system too, if you can’t find on sticker on the board or LAN port don’t worry maybe I can find in BIOS dump above.
I pulled the board and no LAN MAC ID is listed anywhere. It was never hardwired into my network, so I can’t look it up that way either. I do have the MAC ID for the wireless adapter, but that won’t be written in the BIOS, would it? If it will help in the process of elimination, I can PM that to you.
No, LAN Mac ID is for the onboard Ethernet LAN only. Did you check stickers front and back of board, and inside of casing, bottom stickers etc? Look on sides of 24 pin, top/bottom sides of PCIE/PCI slots, on the sides/top of the LAN ports, on bottom side of the audio stack ports?
I may find it in the BIOS, I found 2CLVK32 (Asset/service tag I assume) and CN03X64H12963521004EX04 (unsure). I also found a Win Key too, starting with YN and ending in P4, but don’t think I see MAC ID in either of those padding files
I scoured the case, panels, ports, and slots for any and all stickers and could not find any indication of the LAN MAC ID. I’ve also checked the original documentation that came with the computer and nothing there either.
The Service Tag you listed is indeed that of the device.
@mhcallies1 - Maybe lets check this way, connect the LAN and boot the system and let it run for a bit, then check router for attached devices, maybe it will show up as connected?
If not, I’ll keep looking in BIOS before we do anything, if not we may need to move forward and get it running, then see current invalid LAN and hope it’s not all zeroes or FF’s, then we could dump BIOS again and find via the new incorrect LAN ID
Seems this may be which chips are which
W25Q64F: Main Bios
W25Q80: EC
W25X20: VBios
Per this post
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/…5#post-10617841
Going to see if I can find LAN MAC ID in his dumps, if not we may need to do as I mentioned above, try to fix after back up and running
I get nothing when pressing the power button. I do, however, get fans and USB activity (if a USB stick with indicator light is in the USB slot) if I press the END key when attached to a power source. But the power button won’t do anything. I will try to hardwire the computer to the network and see if it shows up in the DHCP client table and isolate the LAN MAC address that way (by pressing the END key).
I’m also going to troubleshoot the power button with part swaps as I have 2 models of these machines for each of my kids.
I figured the BIOS was the issue as that was the last thing that was done before it wouldn’t power on.
I assume it’s BIOS, we’ll get it figured out. I will make you a BIOS tonight and then if you haven’t found MAC yet we can fix later if needed (it may not be needed)
* Edit - here @mhcallies1 - I built you new BIOS from the A10 stock, now has settings transferred cleaned updated ME too. This has the Win Key, Asset Tag, and that other ID in there too, rest is from stock A10.
If LAN MAC ID is lost, we’ll figure it out, give me the current invalid LAN MAC ID from command prompt >> IPConfig /all
Put this on with programmer, I also unlocked FD for easier flashing things via FPT later if needed.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil…938582113615737
Below is the working BIOS from the other AW 17 R2. I’ll PM you the MAC LAN address for that computer as well as the asset ID to see if you can compare if that helps identify where the LAN MAC address is stored.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AktPtbyFr_MjjW57hTu5wXT3bHBc
I appreciate your help in this. I’ll download and flash your BIOS to a chip and get it re-soldered to the motherboard and be sure to let you know how it goes.
Thanks.
Flashed and verified the chip contents against the buffer. Re-soldered it to the board and assembled. Still no go on the power button. I can still activate the fans and USB reading by pressing the END key.
I tried the Esc & Ctrl & power button combo as outlined in https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/…-tablet?lang=en
I also checked the power button circuit board with the working computer and that works. I’m at a loss on what to try next besides trying to find the discontinued motherboard.
The BIOS I created should be working, it’s nearly 99.9% stock BIOS so can’t be corrupted or anything like that. Dump the EC chip and upload it’s contents, chip ID is given on previous page, lets make sure that still contains valid data. Also dump the EC on the working board too so I can compare.
Thanks for the other working BIOS, surely this will help me locate the LAN ID since you have it’s ID. For now, as a hardware/EC test, you can program that BIOS (below) to the messed up board, if it still fails to start there has to be some hardware issue or possibly that EC got blanked during the BIOS mishap.
Sorry, you don’t have a SOIC8 test clip cable do you? If not, sorry for asking for these other dumps, I know that’s more soldering hassles, but I think it will help.
I checked your old BIOS backup, and it does not contain the 3-4 NVRAM entries that the LAN MAC ID is contained within. This means during the BIOS mess up session, NVRAM was wiped out for the updated, but never got repopulated with data, so aside from bare defaults it’s blank now.
Usually a large majority of this is repopulated on next reboot, many stores in their rebuilt and filled, this never occurred so it’s missing many entries and an entire separate secondary NVRAM volume too.
This should not cause boot failure, I’ve wiped these purposefully before for people during certain test, but I suppose that may not apply to every instance or every board/BIOS type.
This can also be tested if possible source of issue by programming in your working BIOS (FD edited below) into the non-working machine, if it boots then we know the NVRAM needs further population at least or the second NVRAM volume must be present.
No matter what, the working BIOS should work fine on the non-working board right now, but that will carry over board ID’s (asset tag, lan id, win key etc), but we can fix that later.
If this does not start the board, then EC issue possibly, or some hardware failed right when the BIOS messed up, which really could be the entire issue itself and the BIOS never really was messed up.
You can quickly rule out memory failure by swapping memory into the working machine. What CPU does this system have? If it’s a CPU with integrated graphics, you can maybe test if the dedicated video card died by connecting an external monitor if there is connection
for that in the side/rear, this is often connected to CPU’s GPU if there is one.
Here is “Working BIOS” with unlocked the FD to make it easier on us to correct everything later on with software flash tools so you wont have to desolder again, use this instead of the one you sent me
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil…622678205071292
"I can still activate the fans and USB reading by pressing the END key" << What happens when you do this on the working system, does an LCD test screen come up, or what if anything?
I do have the test clip and have been pulling the dumps that way. I’ll check the EC chip after I disassemble it again.
I did remove the M.2 drive and the SSD from the main board also - to no effect.
The processor is Intel(R) Core™ i7-4710HQ CPU @ 2.50GHz with an integrated nVidia 980M GTX. I will attempt an external monitor.
Pressing the END key on the working computer when powered down does nothing either.
Give me a bit to disassemble and dump from the other chip.