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Botched bios installation :(


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Hello everyone, I recently purchased a used m14x R2, that had a password protected bios. After an unsuccessful attempt at clearing the bios setting by removing the CMOS battery, I resolved to flash a different bios. After setting up my USB drive with the properlyrics named bios file, I booted the laptop by holding EMD, and it began flashing. A few seconds in however I lost power, and now I can't seem to get the USB drive to be read anymore while in the recovery (holding END). Is there anything I can really do at this point, or am I left with an effective paperweight? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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That is why you should always do a bios flash with a charged battery and plugged into the charger. Now that you have screwed your bios pray you didn't fry the EC as well. Since you are not the first person with this issue follow this link. Hope it helps. Not sure if alienware has that ability to do a jumper for Bios Recovery Mode if this doesn't work. If not you have a paperweight. Best of luck

 

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Thanks for your help, that was actually the guide I washould following earlier. Unfortunately the laptop in questione didn't end up coming with a battery, so this was my only option.

 

Anyway, I is there any way to confirm that the ec is indeed corrupted? As of this moment the laptop will turn on while using the end key boot method, but for some reason the USB drive isn't showing any activity. Would a diffevent usb drive help in this case, or is it safe to assume it's toast?

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I would try a fat32 usb drive first and foremost. If a new drive formatted in fat32 doesnt work the port is shot. Also goes without saying try a port on the other side of the laptop. If end key is working odds are that the EC is still intact. Best of luck

 

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The USB ports all seem to give power. I verified this by plugging in an external hard drive, which proceeded to spin up, but didn't still showed zero activity. 

I've read around on the forums that removing the cpu/ram/coin cell battery helped some people in this situation, would that be worth a try as well?

Edited by Dragon0010
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Unless that's a way to go into a bios recover mode, no. The reason why your usb's don't work is because the bios never gets to look for them. Imagine being dropped into a country with no maps or road signs. Pretty difficult to find a hospital or consulate that way, So without a functioning bios you have no map to the usb. You're best luck is to get into a bios recovery mode, that method may be the way to get there for your mobo. Wish I knew more on that model, but keep googling and at worst bite the bullet and call and pay for dell support. Wish I could help more. Best of luck. 

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The laptop doesnt seem to have an issue booting into recovery mode. I can hold END while connecting power, and all the fans will come on along with the on light fluctuating in color. While in recovery however it doesnt seem to read any USB devices regardless of their formatting. So far I've tried a usb 3.0 flash drive (the one thathat originally worked), a usb 2.0 and one external hard drive (which does spin up, but doesn't show any other activity)

 

if it is indeed dead, I was going to try my hand at reprogramming the bios/ec chips themselves by desoldering them as one of the other users here has done.

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