Startup failure. flash BIOS using HW programmer on DELL Precision Tower 3620

  1. I from DELL site download lastest BIOS .exe files and update to 2.12.0.
    2. use HW programmer(gzu onepro) read and dump to a.bin file on main board BIOS.
    3. use UEFITOOL open a.bin files. extract BMP format images to a.bmp.
    4. use photoshop modify a.bmp files and save as b.bmp.
    5. use UEFITOOL replace body b.bmp to step 3 GUID.
    6. use UEFITOOL save as b.bin

    I need help!
    using HW programmer flash b.bin files to BIOS write success, verify success.
    BUTTTTTTTTTTT!
    DELL Precision Tower 3620 startup failure.After the power light is on for about two seconds, the power is turned off.
    If flash original BIOS dump file a.bin, everything works fine.


    @Lost_N_BIOS please help me, THX!

@xjhdtv - Please upload original dump, and then your modified dump, also include original BMP and edited BMP so I can compare what you did there easily at first glance without having to extract the images to look
Does this system have two BIOS chips? If yes, dump both with the stock working contents and send to me, your mod may be OK and may simply need rebuilt as a single BIOS then re-split to go back onto both chips.
If only single BIOS chip, then we know the failure is due to the mod rebuild itself, or the image replacements. What UEFITool version did you use for the rebuild?
When you upload all this, please put into a single archive with max compression, 7zip preferred

Also, you said step #5, replace body. Did you extract body to edit first in step #3? If you extracted “as-is” and then replaced that file as body that will fail.

@Lost_N_BIOS first First of all, thank you for your help. There are four files in the archive.

Original dump a.bin file and my modified dump b.bin file. Original BMP 1.bmp file and edited BMP 1.m.png(1.m.bmp) file.

This system have single BIOS chips. I use UEFITool 0.26.0

PS:Forgot to post two pictures when posting.
PIC.0
PIC.1


7zip:http://pili-vod.xjkiz.com/xjhdtv/3620.7z


Step #3 extract body. Step #5 replace body.

@xjhdtv - You’re welcome!! What does this mean >> 1.m.png(1.m.bmp) << You can’t replace BMP with PNG, well sometimes you might be able to do that in some BIOS, but I certainly wouldn’t here until you’ve successfully replaced BMP with BMP, maybe then you could test other formats/sizes etc

Thanks for clarifying on extract body, replace body, good process!

Since you are showing bootguard, lets check to see if it’s even setup properly to be possibly enabled.

Check BIOS main page and see if ME FW version is shown, if not then download HWINFO64 and on the large window on left side, expand motherboard and find ME area, inside that get the ME Firmware version.
Once you have that, go to this thread and in the section “C” download the matching ME System Tools Package (ie if ME FW version = 10.x get V10 package, if 9.0-9.1 get V9.1 package, if 9.5 or above get V9.5 package etc)
Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools

Once downloaded, inside you will find MEInfo folder, and inside that a Windows or Win/Win32 folder. Select that Win folder, hold shift and press right click, choose open command window here (Not power shell).
At the command prompt type the following command >> MEInfoWin.exe -verbose

Check the end of this report, we’re looking at Measured & Verified Boot, on the left/FPF side. If both are disabled then Bootguard cannot be active currently, if both are enabled and the rest of the BIOS/ME FW are setup properly then bootguard is enabled and you can’t edit BIOS

If you are stuck on Win10 and cannot easily get command prompt, and method I mentioned above does not work for you, here is some links that should help
Or, copy all contents from the Flash Programming Tool \ DOS folder to the root of a USB Bootable disk and do the dump from DOS (FPT.exe -bios -d biosreg.bin)
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-add-c…creators-update
https://www.windowscentral.com/add-open-…menu-windows-10
https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/open-…ator-privileges


I’ll check all this out and get back to you soon! Do you happen to have a 80h PCI debug card? If yes, what debug error does it stall on, or show last before rebooting?

*** Ohh! I see the issue possibly right away, without looking at any of your files. Notice in the image 0 you linked, see bottom of UEFITool where is says padding will be destroyed after modifications, when you see this you want it to remain. This displays as Non-UEFI Data found in Pad file message in UEFITool NE
So, try the edit again, but use UEFITool ver 25, and see if that padding remains. If it does, then test the BIOS, it may be fine! If not, and padding message is still there after edit, then maybe other issues we’ll have to figure out.

Issue! Checking the images 1.bmp vs mod.bmp, my first comment above is as suspected. This file can’t be opened or parsed in photoshop because of the file contents and file format do not match.
So you renamed a PNG to BMP, or what? That’s going to fail no matter what - Ohh, I see, I renamed it to BMP and it opens properly, and I checked it in hex and it’s actual BMP and looks OK in GIMP too.
What’s going on there, why did you send it to me named PNG?

***** Edit 99 @xjhdtv - This padding file issue is probably the main problem, I see this brick BIOS often for users when they update microcodes. If you can’t get it to remain let me know, I will rebuild BIOS for you (I redid already in UEFITool V25, it’s OK)
Might as well pass it over Nothing done here except replace body with your mod image using UEFITool V25 instead of V26, should be OK now unless Bootguard is causing the problems
http://www.filedropper.com/m_1

Thank you very very very much!

1.m.png is BMP format image, I test rename to PNG.

I have not 80H PCI debug card.

I have a friend, I gave him the a.bin file, and he refactored >>> BIN<<< file a different place. His BIN file can boot the machine. Ask him to tell me the method, he only mentioned needs to DELL the service code?

Thanks for clarifying about the image. Try my file above, I probably did a bunch of edits while you were already here reading/replying.

Needs to Dell the service code? Is that translation issues, or what Doesn’t make sense to me. I will look at his edit, but if you want to know what he meant by that you’ll have to ask him for more specific detail as it’s written I don’t understand what he meant there

* Edit @xjhdtv - I checked his file, looks similar to my edit, padding file remains so should be bootable as I expect mine is above too, but he’s changed some NRAM (So probably used some of stock BIOS instead of your dump, or reset some of the NVRAM for some reason?)
He put image in same exact location, so not sure what he meant by moving things, or whatever that Dell comment meant? Unsure, he’d have to give you specifics.

I can only tell you try my file above, it should be working too. And then you can do same as I did yourself, using your original method, but use UEFITool version 2 instead and you’ll get same exact file I made

Once again, Thank you very very very much!

I download your M.bin file and flash it, Successful flash!

Only use UEFITool V25? It’s amazing!

I try to change the BMP and use UEFITool V25 save as c.bin

THX!

*** Edit 1 : @Lost_N_BIOS UEFITool V0.25.0 fail.

*** Edit 2 : @Lost_N_BIOS UEFITool V0.25.0 and V0.25.1 success. BMP format image must be consistent with the source。

Thank you very very very much!


>>> PIC <<<

*** Edit 3 : @Lost_N_BIOS First edit fail because BMP file format Incorrect. >>> here first BMP <<<

@xjhdtv - you’re welcome! Yes, I only replaced body of that GUID with image you sent, using V25 instead of V26 (Get in habit of using 25.0 not 25.1, sometimes it can loose the padding files too)
Not sure why you had that fail for your first edit?