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Last BIOS update for the I8600...A12? - Page 2

post #21 of 33
1/24/05 at 1:26pm
hand up. hehe. but no problems so far in my system nonetheless. Win xp sp2 8600c A12.
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post #22 of 33
1/24/05 at 1:28pm
hands up. hehe. but no problems so far in my system nonetheless. Win xp sp2 8600c A12.
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post #23 of 33
2/4/05 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
PHP Code:
Dell Inc. Copyright (C) 2004, All Rights reserved. www.dell.com BIOS Release Notes =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A13 Build Date: 01/31/05 The following updates were made to the A12 BIOS to create the A13 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed an intermittent situation where the system may not resume from suspend. 2. Fixed an intermittent situation where the system would not see the docking station after hot docking if BIOS is set to "Warm Dock". 3. Fixed an intermittent situation where a system with two batteries could hibernate when the primary battery is critically low, even if the second battery is fully charged. 4. Fixed intermittent problems with some PS/2 devices attached to the port replicator when using hot undocking. Enhancements: ============ 1. Added support for new processors. 2. Addes support for new wireless cards. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A12 Build Date: 12/07/04 The following updates were made to the A11 BIOS to create the A12 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed an issue that been seen on some systems where the system shutdown in stand by when plug in and out AC adaptor. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A11 Build Date: 10/25/04 The following updates were made to the A10 BIOS to create the A11 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed an issue where the system was unable to resume from stand by if a Celeron M processor was installed. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A10 Build Date: 08/30/04 The following updates were made to the A09 BIOS to create the A10 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed Quickset messages when docked without AC. Enhancements: 1. Added support new Intel processors and new wireless cards. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A09 Build Date: 07/08/04 The following updates were made to the A08 BIOS to create the A09 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the system may unexpectedly shutdown or lockup when booting with certain PCMCIA cards inserted. Enhancements: 1. Added support for informed hot-undocking. The undock method can be configured as either "Hot Undock" or "Warm Undock" using the new "Undocking Method" field on page 5 of System Setup. The system must be rebooted after changing this field. Previously, the system would only allow warm-undocking. When warm-undocking, the system enters Standby mode if the dock eject button is pressed or the user commands the Operating System to undock the computer from the Start Menu. The new default behavior is Hot Undock. This allows the system to stay powered on when undocking. PLEASE NOTE: Regardless of how "Undocking Method" is configured, the user must notify the system before undocking by either pressing the dock eject button or commanding the OS to undock the computer from the Start Menu. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A08 Build Date: 04/26/04 The following updates were made to the A07 BIOS to create the A08 BIOS: Enhancements: =============== 1. Added support for newer versions of the Intel Pentium M processor. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A07 Build Date: 04/14/04 **** PLEASE NOTE **** After upgrading to this BIOS the operating system may redetect some devices and you may be prompted to restart the computer to complete installation. This is expected behavior on certain systems. All of the devices will function properly after the redetection. **** PLEASE NOTE **** The following updates were made to the A06 BIOS to create the A07 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed issues where the system fails to boot to certain USB storage devices or any USB storage when several such devices are attached to the system. 2. Fixed issue seen after several Standby/Resume cycles in which an external USB keyboard can no longer be used to enter a BIOS or hard-disk drive password. 3. Fixed problem where a reboot is required for a System Setup boot order change to take effect. Now, if <F2> is pressed during POST to enter System Setup, and a boot order change is made, the new boot order will take effect upon exiting System Setup. 4. Fixed issue in which no audio is received from the analog audio channel of a DVD-RW drive in the media bay. 5. Fixed issue in which media bay devices may be reported incorrectly in SMBIOS if the device is swapped while in Standby. 6. Fixed possible system hang during POST when the Parallel Mode in System Setup is configured to DISABLE. 7. Fixed issue in which QuickSet may intermittently fail to detect a hotkey press, such as the <Fn + F10> CD Eject hotkey. 8. Update to Pre-boot System Assessment to build 3012. This version addresses problems when executing the hard-disk drive tests without AC power attached. Enhancements: =============== 1. Added support for DVD+/-RW drives to be displayed in System Setup and SMBIOS correctly. 2. Added feature to allow the BIOS Admin password to unlock the primary hard-disk drive password. For this feature to work, the BIOS Admin password must be installed at the time the drive password is created. Also, the BIOS Admin password will only unlock the password for a drive that is installed in the specific system on which the drive password is originally created. 3. Added support for newer versions of the Intel Pentium M processor. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A06 Build Date: 03/31/04 **** PLEASE NOTE **** After upgrading to this BIOS the operating system may redetect some devices and you may be prompted to restart the computer to complete installation. This is expected behavior on certain systems. All of the devices will function properly after the redetection. **** PLEASE NOTE **** The following updates were made to the A05 BIOS to create the A06 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed issue in which the serial port, parallel port and infrared port would not be seen by the operating system on some systems. Also fixes issue where, after upgrading to A05 BIOS, some systems may require an audio driver update. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A05 Build Date: 02/11/04 The following updates were made to the A04 BIOS to create the A05 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed system hang seen when resuming from Standby after inserting an optical drive into the media bay while in Standby. 2. Fixed system hang seen when resuming from Standby if the user notifies the operating system to eject an optical drive before entering Standby, but the drive is never removed. Enhancements: =============== 1. Added support for identifying new DVD+/-RW drives in System Setup and in SMBIOS. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A04 Build Date: 01/12/04 The following updates were made to the A03 BIOS to create the A04 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Improved the battery charging algorithm for fully discharged batteries. 2. Fixed problem where a system running on batteries may resume immediately after entering a suspend state when the system is low on battery life. 3. Fixed issue in DOS where if a USB key is the boot device the System will hang for a few minutes before displaying an error message if the USB key is removed. 4. Improved dual-battery discharge algorithm. Discharge secondary battery first to 3%, then attempt to discharge primary battery to 3%, then secondary to 0% followed by primary to 0%. 5. Fixed an issue where the system may hang at the end of POST if a HUB with a USB device is connected. Enhancements: =============== 1. Added support for newer Intel MiniPCI wireless card. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A03 Build Date: 11/18/03 The following updates were made to the A02 BIOS to create the A03 BIOS: Enhancements: =============== 1. Added support for newer video controllers. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A02 Build Date: 09/30/03 The following updates were made to the A01 BIOS to create the A02 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed hang seen when exiting Dell Diagnostics with a USB keyboard connected. 2. Fixed problem where System Setup may report the wrong CPU speed. 3. Fixed intermittent "unexpected error" seen when running the System BIOS flash update program in Windows. 4. Fixed intermittent abnormal NumLock LED behavior seen during POST. Enhancements: =============== 1. Reduced the minimum remaining battery capacity required to run the System BIOS flash update program in Windows. The flash update program requires that an AC adapter be attached and the battery be charged to at least 11%. 2. Added support for newer battery packs. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A01 Build Date: 08/27/03 Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed hang seen during boot with the HP PSC2200 all-in-one USB printer attached. 2. Improved the dual-battery discharging algorithm. 3. Fixed problem where the system would shutdown if the battery drained to a critically low battery state while the system was in Standby. 4. Fixed problem where the battery LED will flash amber when the battery is swapped while in Standby. 5. Fixed problem where pressing <ALT-P> while in BIOS Setup will not function if the "Enable Keypad" option is set to "by NumLock". 6. Fixed problem where SMBIOS would not report an accurate battery capacity for a fully charged Dell supported battery. 7. Decreased the time required for the system to enter Standby after closing the lid. 8. Fixed a problem where a USB floppy attached to the system would be lost during the OS CD installation. Enhancements: =============== 1. Added support for new video controllers. 2. Optimized the thermal control algorithm. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8600 Version: A00 Build Date: 07/01/03 Initial release of the BIOS The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 1
http://support.dell.com/support/down...leaseid=R92950

Guess I spoke too soon...A13 has been uploaded to Dell's ftp server this morning.

BTW: Looks like the M60/D800 Bios'es have been updated as well.
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post #24 of 33
2/4/05 at 2:18pm
Just flashed to the A13, no issues at all, everything went smoothly and system is running flawlessly.......

Specs 8600 1.7
128Nvidia 5650 FxGo
768Mb 333DDR
15.4 WSXGA+
1300 Wireless
4x DVDR+RW
60 Gig Hd
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post #25 of 33
2/4/05 at 4:07pm
well, hmm..is it me, or are there more problems "fixed with A13 from A12 than what A12 was supposed to fix?

Ah well, at least they're trying to stay on top of it....
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post #26 of 33
2/4/05 at 11:27pm
LOL . . . Another one? Time to visit Dell Support. Thanks for the heads up.
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post #27 of 33
2/5/05 at 1:39am
just flashed my 8600 today. ill be observing my system but no problems so far nonetheless.
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post #28 of 33
2/5/05 at 12:38pm
I flashed without a problem. The odd thing is that I cannot delete the flash utilty - I8600A13.exe. It seems Windows has some sort of enqueue/lock/handle on it that survives a reboot.
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post #29 of 33
2/5/05 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by anettis
I flashed without a problem. The odd thing is that I cannot delete the flash utilty - I8600A13.exe. It seems Windows has some sort of enqueue/lock/handle on it that survives a reboot.
Yet another reason to not take the easy road and flash from within Windows. I have a hard time understanding why people can't take less than 3min to create a bootable CD in order to flash the BIOS properly outside of Windows in DOS. Especially since I have a pre-made .iso for A13 linked right from my sig below! Guess the new generation of notebook users just doesn’t have the patience or time to do things the hard way anymore. Desktop/Notebook BIOSes weren't meant to be flashed from within Windows. Am I sounding like a broken record yet!?
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post #30 of 33
2/5/05 at 1:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by somms
Yet another reason to not take the easy road and flash from within Windows. I have a hard time understanding why people can't take less than 3min to create a bootable CD in order to flash the BIOS properly outside of Windows in DOS.
Somms – both methods are officially offered by DELL and “should” work just fine. Thus most people opt for the easier route and it works just fine the vast majority of the time. Granted on this particular occasion I ran into a very trivial issue - but I quickly solved it and learned something in the process.

*********************************

If any of you run into the same problem here is one easy way to address it:

1) Launch a Windows command prompt (command.com) window.
2) Launch Task Manager and end the explorer.com process.
3) Switch over to the command prompt and delete the flash utility: DEL I8600A13.exe
4) Switch over to Task Manager and start a new explorer.com task – File, New Task, EXPLORER.EXE

Good as new!

Tony
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post #31 of 33
2/5/05 at 1:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by anettis
Somms – both methods are officially offered by DELL and “should” work just fine. Thus most people opt for the easier route and it works just fine the vast majority of the time. Granted on this particular occasion I ran into a very trivial issue - but I quickly solved it and learned something in the process.

*********************************

If any of you run into the same problem here is one easy way to address it:

1) Launch a Windows command prompt (command.com) window.
2) Launch Task Manager and end the explorer.com process.
3) Switch over to the command prompt and delete the flash utility: DEL I8600A13.exe
4) Switch over to Task Manager and start a new explorer.com task – File, New Task, EXPLORER.EXE

Good as new!

Tony
Glad you were able to delete the psuedo-Windows based BIOS flash. Maybe A13 is just evil.
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post #32 of 33
2/5/05 at 1:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anettis
I flashed without a problem. The odd thing is that I cannot delete the flash utilty - I8600A13.exe. It seems Windows has some sort of enqueue/lock/handle on it that survives a reboot.
huh? wutcha talkin about? i am able to delete mine. just rename the exe file then delete it.
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post #33 of 33
2/5/05 at 11:22pm
Just flashed A13, yesterday. No problems noticed. Everything running as before.
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