I am running Ubuntu on my refurbished machine and it runs really great, but since it's linux, there is no official support and I want to see if a BIOS update will enable it to go beyond 2GB of RAM. Can anyone help?  Someone told me of this link, where you can download a .hdr file and there is a way to install a BIOS update through (Ubuntu). It is http://linux.dell.com/repo/firmware/bios-hdrs/, but there is no version 0.7 but is one for version a07, which I really doubt is the same thing.

from the source of information:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install smbios-utils

Then, get the System ID:

sudo getSystemId

You will get an output like this: (from my Dell Optiplex 760)

Libsmbios version: 2.2.28
Product Name: OptiPlex 760
Vendor: Dell Inc.
BIOS Version: A12
System ID: 0x027F
Service Tag: 860774J
Express Service Code: xxxxxxxxxxx
Asset Tag:
Property Ownership Tag:

You will only need the System ID,
go to http://linux.dell.com/repo/firmware/bios-hdrs/ and search for the System ID.
There will be multiple choices, get the one with the BIOS version you want.
Click on it and download the bios.hdr file.

To install the BIOS file, we have to activate the dell update service, (if there is no output, the service is activated)

sudo modprobe dell_rbu

Tell the update tool what to do:

sudo dellBiosUpdate -u -f /place/where/the/bios/is/bios.hdr

You are ready now and can restart the computer. The new BIOS will be installed at the first boot, this can take some time (it took me 5 minutes).

This way, you don’t have to struggle with a floppy disk or a Windows installation.

Done

Thanks.

My Dell Inspiron N5110 ,USB 3.0 port  is not detecting any USB device.When I insert USB in other port then it is detecting.I diagnosed the problem  software is working fine ,not a single software or hardware failure is showing there while diagnosing from My Dell Support.Please tell me the solution for this.

Since today, I've been getting a flash of a black screen whenever I plug in or unplug my charger. The screen goes black for about 2s, then returns to normal. I think the screen is somehow turning on and off again.

I have tried adjusting the screen settings/brighness, but had never had any issues before and this didn't help. Restarting also did not help. System scan on the Dell website found nothing wrong.

The issue arose after I plugged my laptop into a projector at work.

Any solutions?

My Dell Inspiron N5110,i5 processor,8GB Ram(4 gb extended) automatically shutdown after heating.Before it were working fine but now it is showing heating problem and automatically it shut down.Then I remove battery then place battery again then I start my laptop again then it starts and after heating then it automatically shutdown. Please help me to rectify my problem as I am fed up of removing the battery and and placing the battery again and restarting the laptop.
                                                         I keep my laptop in some angle so that it can be free from exhausted  heat.Thank you.

Hi ,

I upgraded my Inspiron 17r SE 7720 to Windows 8.1 from Windows 8 and the Mobility Center Button stopped working . 

Where can I find this driver? My system cannot install the driver for this and I installed all the drivers from Delll webpage. Should it come with Chipset? or where is the problem??

Sorry in advance for this lengthy post but I am trying to include as much information as possible so that it might help others.

Some background:

I purchased this Dell 7537 laptop recently with the intention of installing Ubuntu 13.10 64 bit in a dual boot mode with Windows 8. I know there's a few hoops to jump through in order to succeed, but I've used Ubuntu for several years now and know what to expect.

This is not what this post is about though. It's to compare notes with anyone who may have encountered a particular problem with this laptop in trying to do the same.

I've already taken steps to return my laptop as it's less than 2 weeks old but would happily change it to a replacement if it can be shown that it's only my laptop that has the problem/fault.

If nothing else, it may be useful to others that follow as I've been unable to find anything about this just by Googling.

The Problem:

I intended to just use the Ubuntu startup USB disk for a week or two to satisfy myself that it all worked as expected before committing to an install. It's when I shut the Ubuntu system down that the laptop would randomly restart again within 5 seconds.

This was not a rare occasion but at it's worst, it would do it every second shutdown. I've done a lot of testing to try to solve the problem and will outline that shortly, but I will add that random restarts also occurred with the installed Windows 8, albeit infrequently. I tried all the fixes I found for preventing Windows from doing that, like turning off WOL and restarts due to system problems at shutdown, but still it did it.

What I have done is a LOT of booting and shutdowns of Ubuntu trying to find the problem and have come to the conclusion that it is some kind of electrical interference, particularly on the USB ports at the left. I do have an electronics background so am fairly confident in saying this. It could be that my motherboard has missed out on some vital filtering components during assembly, or it could be a common problem and therefore a shortcoming in design. Either way, it may not be something that would be noticed under normal circumstances but I have no way to tell.

I will also add that this problem only occurs with the AC adapter plugged in and turned on (we use 240V in this country). It does not occur when on battery power alone, or with the adapter in but turned off.

These are the results I obtained:

The worst affected USB port is the one closest to the AC adapter input on the left hand side.

When booting from there with my power adapter on it would restart once every two shutdowns, on average. The port on the right hand side that I tried had zero restarts out of twenty shutdowns and didn't seem to be affected at all!

When I realised this I immediately suspected the power adapter as being “electrically noisy”, but this is only half the story.

I tried another Dell adapter which was exactly the same as mine but a year older. It still caused random restarts but less than half the number of mine.

I tried an even older HP adapter with similar “less than half” results .

So, while the substitute adapters seem electrically quieter than my adapter, I still got random restarts on the left hand side USB ports.

Incidentally, if anyone gets infrequent random restarts with Windows 8 after trying all the “usual” fixes, it could be a “noisy” adapter causing it. I suspect my Win8 wouldn't restart at all if I changed the adapter for a less noisy one. But that's not solving the whole issue for me.

I also tried using a different USB flash drive as a Ubuntu startup disk but got much the same results as before.

Conclusion:

If someone else is able to try this experiment of booting and shutting down a Ubuntu USB startup disk a number of times from the USB port closest to the power adapter, with it plugged in and turned on, it may help others in the future.

I know that I could boot or install Ubuntu from the non-noisy port on the right hand side, but that's not the issue. It's the long term reliability of using the left hand side ports for anything at all. Could data integrity be compromised on occasions, for example? You might not know till it's too late.

Hi

I purchased an XPS13 9333 with i7-4650U

tried several times and several ways

- upgrade from windows 7

- fresh install of windows 8 or 8.1

deactivate everything i can in the BIOS

install all the latest drivers

always I got stuck on Getting Devices Ready ...

any idea ?

Regards,

Chili

Hello, I have a Dell laptop almost an year old. Some time ago, when I turned on my laptop, it said that the hard drive could not be found so I went into the BIOS system and everything appeared as normal as I could see my hard drive identified and detected. Also, just in case I was going to restore/format my laptop but it couldn't identify the usb where I have my windows restore system. If anyone could tell me what I could do, I'd be thankful.

Hello, so basically what I want to do - as the title says - is restore my laptop to the state at which it was when I bought it. That means everything will be erased from the hard drive, except the stock applications and files that came with it. 

Laptop Information

Model: Dell Inspiron M5030

Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit

(If there is anything else I should include please notify me)

What I Have Tried

- Pressing Ctrl + F11 before the Windows boot logo pops up. 

- Pressing F8 before the Windows boot logo pops up, and going to "Repair Your Computer"

The Problem

- Pressing Ctrl + F11 no matter how many times I try it will EVER work on this laptop.

- Pressing F8 does bring up the "Advanced Boot Options, however; this is what shows up:

'Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:

1. Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."
3. Click "Repair your computer."

That's it. If any more information is required, just say so. If anyone has a solution or any information that may help, please let me know.

Thank you.

We used power button to shut down compter, now it will not start. When I try to power on, two green indicator lights above keyboard (one has number 9 and the other is a down arrow) flashes at the same time for 10-15 seconds and thens goes off. The Dell screen never comes up.

My Alienware M14x R2 was working fine, without an issue. However, about 30 minutes after it had been working fine, it couldn't read the sound card. It says that I have no Audio Output Device. I tried running a system restore, but to no avail. I actually have no proof that it is the video card, but the only program that can seem to tell that it should be working (Skype) says that it isn't there. I have no idea what could have happened. I have not installed any new programs recently, and It happened out of nowhere.

I have the Dell Inspiron 14r and I decided to install Ubuntu instead of windows 8. Once i did, my taskbar went missing and now i cannot do anything with it. I don't remember if it came with a reinstallation disk or not so I was wondering if i could buy one online. Please respond,

   -Elliott

Hi,

I purchased this XPS 14 Ultrabook in October 2012 and I just swapped the original HDD with a Samsung 840 EVO SSD but it is being detected as SATA II instead of SATA III.  Is the motherboard on this laptop really not SATA III compatible being that this laptop is a 2012 model?

I tried to look for the motherboard specs online but I could not find the info anywhere.  Does someone know the answer to this or how to fix it?

Thanks!

When I go to the Device Manager there's a question mark next to 02MicroSmartCardBus_Reader, PCI Modem, Network Controller, and Ethernet Controller. When I click on them, the first two say "driver(s) not installed" and the second two say "device not configured".

The second two are detected by the system every time I turn the PC on, and then fail to be installed because they say I'm missing the software to install them. What software do I need, for them, and what drivers do I need?

I'm not using this computer now, because it doesn't connect to the internet. I'm using a library computer.

If anyone from Dell is reading this, I need some information.

I have a Haswell generation XPS 12 (9Q33).  I began experiencing problems with the touchpad (it occasionally would not work) and the USB ports also failed occasionally.  Dell sent out a technician to replace the touchpad and motherboard. 

After the technician was finished, I immediately noticed that the touchpad was different. It had a different texture, almost sticky / matte finish and was difficult to use.  The previous touchpad was very smooth and your finger glided across it nicely, similar to a Macbook.  After booting up, I also noticed that none of the gestures such as scrolling, two finger tap etc etc worked at all.  

Prior to the replacement, I am 100% positive that I had a SYNAPTIC touchpad.  I know this because the software to configure the touchpad was made by SYNAPTIC.  When I updated the driver when winnows 8.1 came out, I downloaded and installed the SYNAPTIC driver, per your driver download page for this laptop.  When I download drivers from your website using my product tag, it is a SYNAPTIC driver that is listed, as it should be.

I got on tech support chat with dell yesterday because I was tired of troubleshooting this.  The tech determined that the touchpad is a CYPRESS touchpad and that's why the SYNAPTIC drivers were not working.  So, the tech found a CYPRESS diver through some internal channel he had.  It also did not work and the touchpad remained undetected and un-configurable. 

Here is my main complaint. Please listen and try to understand what I am saying.   I should have had the touchpad replaced with the exact same hardware.  The CYPRESS touchpads were used in the Ivy Bridge XPS 12 units and EVERYONE UNIVERSALLY HATED THEM.  They were horrible touchpads. Dell listened to the complaints and when the Haswell units shipped, they upgraded the manufacturing to the much better SYNAPTIC hardware.  

Now, Dell, you are telling me that the CYPRESS is and always has been the current manufacturer of the XPS 12 and that it is an error that the website lists the SYNAPTIC drivers for my service tag.  This is INCORRECT and a LIE.  I have proof from all over the internet, including your own employees on your own support forums verifying that the CYPRESS touchpad was replaced by the SYNAPTIC touchpad when Haswell shipped.  So, you are either misinformed or you are trying to screw me by downgrading me to older and probably refurbished hardware.  Now I am in a holding pattern where my tech is awaiting an "answer" from your "product team" as to how to get the correct driver for my CYPRESS touchpad and also why the website lists a SYNAPTIC driver.   The website lists a SYNAPTIC driver because my XPS 12 had a SYNAPTIC touchpad, NOT A CYPRESS. 

I realized I am coming off a bit over the top, but no matter how I explain this to the person I am dealing with, he does not understand and just continues to read pre-written prompts from his computer screen and won't listen to the problem and/or just disagrees with me.  Dell, please make this right.   I rely on this rather expensive laptop, and right now, I find it to be rather unusable and so far, NOTHING is being done about the real problem.  Put a SYNAPTIC touchpad back in my laptop.  

About the touchpad...

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19528570/20461378.aspx  

http://www.cnet.com/laptops/dell-xps-12-ultrabook/4505-3121_7-35822849-2.html

@argamando I have had the 3rd gen ivy bridge XPS 12, and I agree, the trackpad is TERRIBLE.  However, I currently am using the 4th gen haswell XPS 12 and the trackpad is one of the best I have used.  Dell switched the old cypress trackpad (ivy model) to a synaptics trackpad (haswell model) and now it works wonderfully.

http://slickdeals.net/f/6244820-dell-outlet-core-i7-xps-12-convertible-ultrabook-775-refurbished-after-coupon

This is a good deal for a maxed out xps12 but after trying 2 out, the trackpad is terrible. It uses cypress and on the refreshed haswell version, dell swapped to synaptics after all the complaints. Its a very powerful setup and the convertible function is cool for reading webpages/books/notes and watching videos. Overall pretty solid for the price if you can get over a muddy trackpad.

Got our new XPS-15, 9530 Base model last night, and the WFIF will not stay on.

over 2 hours on the phone with Tech Support, and they are sending out a Tech to replace the WIFI card. I'm not even sure it is the WIFI card as he gave up trouble shooting it when he couldn't stay on Remote Access.

the worst of it was the two hours on the phone, it was pure hell, and I told the Techs supervisor about it afterwards.

Anyone else havering WIFI issues with this new model?

I hope this isn't the future of this computer, as a new non functioning computer is not a good start.

This is really pushing me towards an Apple MacBook Pro.

I've bought my Dell Inspiron 15R SE 7520 several weeks ago and it's producing annoying noise all the time I am working on it. Noise starts at nearly 10% CPU, commonly while simple browsing.

My laptop was originally equipped with latest bios A10. Also I have run ePSA diagnostics which showed no issues.

What can I do with the problem? May be this is subject to visit local customer service?

Hi,

I got a brand new XPS 15 (L521X) with Windows 8 (I upgraded to 8.1), 32GB mSATA and 500 GB hard disk.

I want to replace the 32 GB mSATA drive with 128 GB mSATA and make it my boot drive by cloning the HDD

I followed the steps given in this link to replace the built-in mSATA drive to a 128 GB drive but was stuck at step 2 - "Change to AHCI in BIOS"

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/t/19476418.aspx

When I go to the SATA operation and change Intel smart Response Technology to AHCI, save and exit, the laptop does not boot and shows an unhappy face :(.

When I revert the SATA operation from AHCI to ISRT, it boots fine.

Am I missing something ? What other options do I have ?

Thanks,

Julius Peres