Dell latitude bios refuses to update

Gabe3

2[H]4U
Joined
May 23, 2006
Messages
3,843
I got a dell latitude 7370 off ebay and the bios refuses to update. theres no errors. I tried updating from within windows and using the F12 boot menu option. The reason I wanted to update the bios is cause the touchpad and button weren't working well. somehow they are working better now. I figure if I have to replace it I can but idk if I want to keep it now. I find it strange it wont update the bios.
 
can you get into the bios? if so, look under the security section to see if its locked. if it is, youll have to call dell.
 
can you get into the bios? if so, look under the security section to see if its locked. if it is, youll have to call dell.
I dont see anything there. under general system info it says signed firmware update is enabled.
 
hmm. there are instruction on the bios page for doing it from dos...
 
hmm. there are instruction on the bios page for doing it from dos...
I was looking at that but the instructions say to use the exe file and it requires a bootable usb drive. I was trying to make one with rufus but no go. the other bios download ".rcv" isn't detected by rufus as a image either.
 
set rufus up like this

1654739087260.png
 
The Dell I repaired/refurb'ed recently had a bios lockout that prevented bios updates if the battery was under a certain percentage. I think it was 20%. No battery, or battery under 20% prevented bios updates. It did not matter if it was powered through the adapter and A/C, it still wanted battery over xx % charge.
It will tell you why it aborted if it was that though.
 
those files go onto the drive after you make it a dos boot drive. you dont use them to make the usb, they arent an image.
ok, thanks. I'm going to stop before I break this thing. If the bios update goes bad I can't return it.
 
If the currently installed bios is really old-----sometimes you can't jump straight to the latest one.
You should look at the list of all bios updates for that computer, and pick one which is about halfway between the current bios and the latest one----and update to that.
then try updating to the latest bios.

It has 26 bios updates, since 2016.

Also, I recommend Dell Command Update. It makes it really easy to get the latest drivers, bios, and firmwares for Dell products.
 
Last edited:
If the currently installed bios is really old-----sometimes you can't jump straight to the latest one.
You should look at the list of all bios updates for that computer, and pick one which is about halfway between the current bios and the latest one----and update to that.
then try updating to the latest bios.

It has 26 bios updates, since 2016.

Also, I recommend Dell Command Update. It makes it really easy to get the latest drivers, bios, and firmwares for Dell products.
I did try the second most recent bios, but thats a good idea. Is command update better than "SupportAssist"? which is what I tried first.
 
Last edited:
I did try the second most recent bios, but thats a good idea. Is command update better than "SupportAssist"? which is what I tried first.
dont use the dell crap just do it manual. he does have a good point though, ive run into dells that needed certain updates before going to the most recent. it will be tagged/flagged/marked as such on the page but grab one half way and see how it goes.
 
I did try the second most recent bios, but thats a good idea. Is command update better than "SupportAssist"? which is what I tried first.
Support Assist has other features besides drivers and firmware updates. I suppose one might consider it more bloated, if you don't necessarily need/utilize those other features.

Command update is basically only for driver and firmware updates. I'm sure it calls home about some meta data. I'm personally not worried about it. If I need several drivers, its a real time saver compared to manually downloading them one at a time and then installing them one at a time. Alllllso, Command update often serves you drivers and firmwares which are newer than what's posted on the manual download page for your computer model. They do not update those pages nearly as often.
It also detects your Dell docking station and updates the firmware for that. Otherwise, you would have to manually search for the driver page for that, as well. Again, its a time saver.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gabe3
like this
all the drivers on windows update will be newer than dells downloads and it will update the bios on a lot of new dells too. they get listed under the optional updates. the dock firmware is one advantage of it though...
 
so I tried updating one bios version up and it still won't. I tried from the desktop and from the bios updater in the boot menu. I think I'm done, I'm a bit scared to try the 3rd method. already put in a return request.
 
I dunno how far it goes back but----newish dells have a thing where you disconnect the battery from the motherboard and the. Hold the power button for 15 seconds to drain the residual power.

Then (with battery still disconnected) get the wall charger ready and then press and hold the power button and keep holding it as you plug in the wall charger.
Keep holding the power button until it has powered on, cut out the screen once or twice, and then shows a page which says you need to reset the system clock.

Then, turn it off. Disconnect wall power. Reconnect battery to the mobo. Start the computer up and see what happens.

I've seen it called a "self heal" or "hard reset".

I'm not sure if it's just basically a CMOS reset or something more. But sometimes it Indeed helps with weird stuff.

Also, load bios defaults, if you havent.

**if the computer has a visible CMOS battery plug, disconnect it, as well. Very new Dells do not have one.
 
Last edited:
It also might be worth trying a BIOS recovery using this method, if you have not done so yet:
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/...recover-the-bios-on-a-dell-computer-or-tablet

How do I initiate BIOS Recovery on a Dell laptop?​

Before you begin the BIOS Recovery, ensure that the battery of the Dell laptop is charged up to at least 10%.

  1. Verify that the laptop is turned off and disconnect the AC adapter.
  2. Press and hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard.
  3. Connect the AC adapter to the laptop.
  4. Release the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard after you see the BIOS recovery screen.
  5. On the BIOS Recovery screen, select Reset NVRAM(if available) and press the Enter key. Select Disabled and press the Enter key to save the current BIOS settings.
  6. Select Recover BIOS and press the Enter key to start the recovery process.
 
Back
Top