UEFI boot on a m17xR4 with Windows 8

Hey guys,

I gave the m17x forum a search but didn't find a solution to my situation. I'm having some trouble enabling the uefi boot over legacy. I have the A09 bios installed on a m17xR4.

When I get to the bios setup, under boot options, I select the UEFI boot method but can't choose windows 8 fast or secure boot whatsoever. I dunno if this happens because my 7970m enduro's is turned off but the fact is I see not significant improvement on booting time. I also have a SSD, which houses windows 8.

I'm kinda noob here, maybe I missed something quite obvious...

 

There is a bug that prevents the ability to disable legacy boot while Enduro is disabled. The effect is that, at the moment, if we want secure boot and fast boot we need to give up Enduro. It sucks. I know. I posted a new thread that gives visibility to the issue. There is another thread where someone mentioned an inability to disable the legacy boot option on a laptop configured with the 680m 3D.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...cant-disable-legacy-boot-when-enduro-off.html

 

Just curious: Is that issue fixed yet?

Btw: It was not a bug, but a restriction.

 

Not as of yet. At this point it is suspected a vBIOS update is required for the discrete cards. On discrete cards the UEFI firmware module is typically embedded. Another forum user mentioned in my thread that they are working fine and do not experience this issue but they also got their system recently so we are trying to get a vBIOS dump so we can determine what has changed (if anything). A10 came out and didn't change anything for some of us except add a couple of features.

 

Same problem here as well

 

There is already a fix for this, there is a a new vbios for the dell 7970m.

Only dell didnt upload it yet, it's on techinferno.
I already applied the new vbios and it's working great, can now use fast and secure boot .

 

Can you provide a link for it? I looked over at TechInferno and I couldn't find it.

 

View attachment Dell 7970m - 015.022.000.001.000000.C42904A1.119.zip


Dell 7970m Vbios for fast boot/secure



Copied from techinferno:

User with any of the M14x R2 / M17x R4 / M18x R2 notebooks with a current BIOS have reported issues when using the Secure Boot / Fast Boot options in combination with the dedicated Nvidia / AMD GPU.("Can't detect MXM card GOP driver" in case of the R4 / M18x R2)

The reason for this is simple - Dell never provided a vbios update which includes the necessary graphic drivers to make those feature work. The only UEFI compliant drivers in the system have been the ones of the Intel HD iGP.
A very big failure on Dell's side if you ask me, especially since this has been reported here and in other forums as well on the dell community site and it was said that people would look into this... absolutely nothing happened.Not that this really surprises me... looking at the latest BIOS releases and also at the behavior regarding release notes for such updates. Seems we need to look for the updates ourselves.

Anyway, Dell actually ships the very latest systems with updated vbios on the dedicated GPUs.
Attached to this post you can find a new vbios for the Nvidia GTX 680m, 660m as well as the AMD 7970m. Both include the required UEFI drivers, and should therefor fix this issue.
Thanks @Zyron for the 680m vbios.

I don't have a version for the 675m so far, so if anyone has an updated vbios for that card, please let me know or post it.

Flashing instructions for Nvidia: [GUIDE] NVIDIA VBIOS flashing
Flashing instructions for AMD: [GUIDE] AMD VBIOS flashing



As for the M14x R2, a new, yet unreleased BIOS (A10) has made it's way to the web. You can find it here: [M14x R2] A10 BIOS - Fixes UEFI issues with the Nvidia card
Check the third post. Also I took a quick look at it and wrote down the most important changes (post #4).


I have also some vbios for 660m en 680m...


EDIT: Flash at your own risk

EDIT: uploaded the right file!!

 

Dell has two versions for their 7970m, one is old, shipped with preinstalled win7 and there is a new with win8 support (i assume its with updated vbios). Old faulty part is still live, and they shipping it as replacements for m17xr4 bought with preinstalled win7. Whats more i didnt know that, already called dell and ordered card replacement but im pretty sure that they will give me the broken one. My question for dell engineers is: what are you doing guys right there? Newest drivers on dell site are from July 2012 ? LOL, no vbios update so far LOL, lots of problems with this card LOL. Im waiting till Monday for card replacement, after that installing win8 to check if card is not affected with this uefi issue, if yes, i wont wait for official dell vbios update (i could if they give me eta) and I don't want to install it from unknown source. Its dell responsibility to check everything until they will release product globally. I will just take some legal actions.

 

Thanks for that. I found the original post on TechInferno and I linked to it on my thread in the op post. Put a "Flash at your own risk" disclaimer due to the potential for a brick. Gave you credit for helping me find the thread.

 

@senshin: Why copy a whole post?? Just post a link...
Also you should use quotes if you just copy pasta a post of someone else.

[M14x R2] [M17x R4] [M18x R2] - UEFI fast boot / secure boot GPU issues *SOLVED*

 

Well... New users on that forum can't download attachments until they get to 5 posts or donate.

 

i just tried to be nice :/
the men asked and I helped him.
I didnt mean to be rude.

Sjoerd

 

link with vbios file posted here has only about 39kb and on techinferno its more than 100kb ;/

 

I see, don't know why.

but it's the right file.


EDIT: I was wrong, sorry, I uploaded the right file now! My apologies

Sjoerd

 

When i use atiflash , I have flash already programmed ...
But the problem is always here !
I have call dell and he was say -> Call AMD
Amd -> Call Dell ...