Dell BIOS issues

[ruu]

Long story short:

1) XP MCE reinstall on Dell XPS 700 won't work because HDD cannot be detected (0x0000007B error). All sources indicate that official Dell BIOS update with "improved HDD detection" will fix problem.

2) No OS currently, so Windows-based BIOS .exe file won't run.

3) I have tried every variation on extracting switches that I know---admittedly few---and stupid Dell Flash Utility or whatever-the-hell this POS is keeps extracting itself, then telling me "Invalid Command Line." Gah. Cannot get to .ROM files. Don't even know if the files are .ROM files.

4) Adding insult to injury: mobo has no floppy header, and I have no USB floppy drive. Will have to do this the tedious way via CD, which, fine, whatever, I just want to get at the files, and it is not happening.

Questions:

a) How do I extract Dell's .exe and get at the files inside?

b) Does anybody have any experience with the nForce4 chipset having HDD detect problems? There's probably a SATA driver that I should be looking for before going straight for the BIOS update solution, but (brief) Googling turns up not much. I would set the drive to IDE, but the Dell BIOS of course gives no option.

This is the BIOS update in question.

Thanks all in advance; I hope the solution is obvious, and it's just me being retarded. Cough.

 

[bruceb]

Run the BIOS update utility from Windows environment


1. Double click the Icon on your desktop labeled DXG061-010401A.EXE.
The Dell BIOS Flash window appears


2. Click the Continue button.
The message Pressing OK will close all applications, shut down Windows, Flash the BIOS, then reboot. appears.


3. Click the OK button.
The system will restart and the BIOS Flash will be completed.



Run the BIOS update utility from DOS environment (Non-Windows users)


NOTE: You will need to provide a bootable DOS diskette. This executable file does not create the DOS system files.


1. Copy the file DXG061-010401A.EXE to a bootable floppy.


2. Boot from the floppy to the DOS prompt.


3. Run the file by typing Y:\DXG061-010401A.EXE (where y is the drive letter where the executable is located).

Since you do not have a floppy, see this link to make a USB Stick bootable and put the BIOS on there

http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm

 

[ruu]

...so you're saying that I need to hook up a floppy for the sole purpose of extracting the boot sector, so that I can copy the boot sector over to a USB, so I can boot off the USB and run the stupid Dell BIOS script?

...seriously? There is no other way?

Edit: Also, thank you for directly copy-pasting the instructions from Dell's website. Silly me, I forgot how to read temporarily. :roll:

 

[ch33zw1z]

What you need to do is create a bootable floppy, and then copy what you need per the instructions onto the same floppy, or a different floppy. If the PC doesn't have a floppy, then use a USB floppy to boot up. Check the boot order to make sure it's trying the floppy during boot. You could do it all with cd if you want, it doesn't matter...bottom line, boot to a DOS environment and run the BIOS update.

 

[Athena]

Does the BIOS on the machine support booting from a USB drive?

If so, have you considered using the instructions to create a bootable USB stick on another machine then using that on the failing machine?

 

[ruu]

Well, I am retarded: there was a floppy drive, it was just hiding. I blame lack of sleep and bad enclosure design, lol. Plus sticky floppy doors that don't open when pulled on.

BIOS is updated; HDD is still undetected. GAH.

BSOD is very replicable, however, so it's obviously something wrong with the SATA/storage controller drivers. Maybe I slipstreamed them incorrectly?

Should probably start a new topic, as the BIOS issue is fixed now, but the original issue is still there.

Specifically, I'm getting 0x0000007B 0xF78A2524. Every single time. It seems like the drivers are installing, and then the Windows load screen will come up for a bit, freeze, then go right to the BSOD.

Thoughts?

 

[bruceb]

Go into the BIOS and set the Hard Drive to IDE Emulation mode. Then try and install the operating system and after that the motherboard drivers and SATA drivers. After everything is installed you can reset the bios to SATA for the hard drive.

 

[ruu]

Re the above: I tried setting it to IDE mode first thing; Dell's BIOS, as expected, didn't offer the option.

Also, the system is no longer in my hands, so /shrug. Unsolved mystery of wrong drivers will remain unsolved, I guess. >.<

Last note: When I was dealing with this on my own system, running XP SP3, the BIOS totally did NOT allow me to reset the drive settings to SATA/AHCI after installing in IDE mode. It kept reverting them back; I had to do a reg hack in Windows and then ghetto install the SATA drivers. Maybe it's just XP, but after-the-fact switching doesn't work.