A14 BIOS for M1330

Fixes/Enhancements
------------------
1. Added enhancement for Wifi sniffer function.

Direct download link:
http://ftp.us.dell.com/bios/M1330A14.EXE

. The BIOS / WiFi switch section now contains settings for controlling Cell behavior as well.
. no 8GB Support! Use BIOS A13 for that.

There are reports that 8GB still works with A14:
http://pubforum.info/welcome/BLOG/tabid/78/EntryID/8/Default.aspx

 

So is the 8GB memory support included aswell?

 

Great, I'm using A13 now when at a time it was 'Recommended' on the dell website. But it still doesn't answer why A13 is suddenly now missing. From this I have the feeling that probably newer isn't always better. So should I upgrade to A14 or downgrade to A12? The description of the bios leaves a LOT to be desired.

 

Thanks for the info! I have just upgraded to A14, let's see how it goes.

 

unless otherwise stated, what's been included in past updates will exist in current ones.

 

But A13 which has 8GB support is officially pulled from their site!

Maybe someone can try it out and let us know if A14 supports 8GB.

 

Nope.. Doesn't Work.. THe computer refuses to boot with even a single 4 GB sticK(on A14).. I am back to A13 for the time being..

 

Precisely. IMO the bios description should describe more, eg. whether the problem with A13 (whatever it was that made it recalled) has been addressed or not. I'd like to know what exactly is the enhancement to wifi sniffer (wifi catcher?) is it? (Ok, 7oby mentioned cell behaviour - thanks). More importantly to most users I think is in what way was the enhancement to thermal control? To leave the end users guessing and have to resort to trial and error, messing with the bios esp. is not the way to go.

Oh yeah my m1330 came with Ubuntu so I had not the pleasure of using the Quickset app. I've enabled wifi cacher in the bios but what colour is the light when the wifi catcher discovers a good WLAN? blue, green, orange? Mine was blue then turns orange. What does it mean? The manual has no mention of it, see:
hxxp://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsM1330/en/om/html/wireless.htm#wp1138453
I can't post url yet

 

My M133O is running nicely on A13. I guess I'll stay with A13 for now, as I don't use Wi-Fi catcher anyways, and hopefully those 4 GB sticks will get cheap real soon.

 

Just to be perfectly clear (this is a question...), 32-bit Vista OS won't address 8GB of RAM?

 

You are correct. It can address a bit more than 3 gigabytes depending on your video card.

 

It's mentioned in the M1530 manual:
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsM1530/en/OM/HTML/about.htm#wp1217511

# Flashing blue: Searching for networks
# Solid orange: Weak network found
# Solid blue: Strong network found
# Off: No signal found

 

I was told by Dell Tech support that Vista SP1 give it the aility to recognize all 4 gb's in Vista 32 bit. Not the typical 3-3.5 gb that the past os's could manage.

 

So it's in the m1 530 manual then, duhh . Thanks 7oby.
Actually I didn't even notice the wifi catcher feature before lol. My system came with no fingerprint reader, no media remote, no bluetooth and whatever else is not there courtesy of my choosing Ubuntu. That's why it's cheaper . Still I hope they don't bungle on the QC side of things.

So what is wrong with A13 really? The guessing never ends then, just go A14 like Dell tells us to and hope for the best. This 8400M GS impending doom issue is really giving me a proper headache .

 

dell support can tell you it will recognize the 4 gb, but it cannot make use of it all. If you research it, you will find it can only address up to 3.2 or 3.5 gb.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/32-bit-Windows-Vista-vs-64-bit-Windows-Vista-64312.shtml

 

However, if you are running a virtual machine under Windows such as running Linux under VMware then I think it can use the additional memory.

 

NEver Ever.

 

I explained all of that to him when I was asking for a 64bit os disk. I purchased mine through the military PX and it was not an option. He insisted that the sp1 patch for Vista makes it able to use all 4gb. I understand what you are saying since it's a limitation of the 32bit OS, but the tech says it was fixed in the release of sp1. Not sure if thats possible.

 

Yeah, silly, ain't it? fyi only, it's also in the "Dell Certified Systems Expert Training manual" (which is now unfortunately locked up in their website:

Wireless Switch LED Settings

The LED on the wireless switch works even if the system is off. A user can activate the switch and have it scan for networks without going through a complete boot process. The switch can be set to detect only certain wireless signals, such as WLAN only, WWAN only, Bluetooth® only, or any combination of these. This setting is in the BIOS under the Wireless section.

The LED indicates the presence of a network as follows:

Flashing blue — The system is searching for a signal.
Blue — The system has detected a wireless signal and has good strength.
Yellow — The system has detected a wireless signal, but it is moderate to weak in strength.

In addition to the wireless functionality, you can use the wireless switch to determine a no-POST situation if there is a problem with the power button.

 

It's not possible. A 32-bit OS can only address a total of 4 GB, including video and other RAM. Therefore, 32-bit Vista, whether original or SP1, can only use 3.x, typically 3.5, GB of RAM.

SP1 does REPORT the amount of physical system RAM INSTALLED, which is 4 GB; but, as far as how much RAM it can actually utilize, it is still subject to its 32-bit limitation, as above.

A 64-bit OS, like Vista x64 can, of course, utilize the entire 4 or 8 GB or more, in addition to the video and other RAM.

 

Danke, traveller for the link

 

Has anyone noticed anything different about this bios? I am on A11 right now and didn't like A12 due to the fan constantly being on. Anything since A12 that has decent improvements?

 

Actually it is described also in XPS M1330 Owners Manual: h ttp://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xpsm1330/en/om/html/wireless.htm#wp1138453

 

Wrong. Its a limitation of the OS itself.

 

We were talking about the different colors of the WiFi Catcher, which I can't find in the M1330 manual - only in the M1530 manual.

 

Can someone verify whether A14 really does or does not have 8GB support for the 1330? According to this post, theyre saying its possible (bah.. cant post URLs with by sub-15 post count - stick an http in front of the following):

.

Also, somewhat related, can you 'downgrade' your BIOS? So in other words, if I load A14 and want to then downgrade to A13, will the BIOS 'upgrade' utility allow this?

Thanks!!

 

I think you should be able to downgrade the BIOS if you have an older one saved.

My son is complaining of poor framerates in WoW recently. I can't think what has changed. I took BIOS from A12 to A14, took a fingerprint reader driver update, and the machine was repaired for graphics failure. I am wondering which could be responsible.

 

Yes, you can flash the bios to update or backdate the bios version to your heart's content!

 

Dell is now offering an option of 6GB at 800mhz for the m1330 on their website. probably a new mobo but here's to hoping we can get in on that.

 

I've bios A12 now and don't have 8gb memory, should I update to A14?

 

Really wondering?? If there's really nothing else that has changed with the system, then I guess this should be it, may be you got a bad 8400GS (who hasn't? , but I mean, really really bad one )....

 

technically a 32-bit OS can address more than 4GB using PAE... but for Vista, 32-bit vista can only address 3.xx+GB depending on graphics card

 

upgrading from A12 to A14 caused an annoying buzzing sound to develop from the LED panel (really weird place for a sound to come from)

 

Does the sound cease if you use an older bios? A12, for example.. If no, then a power inverter problem is indicated.. It is pretty common..

 

Is anyone having any problems with A14?

I was just reading this and was wondering whether it was a Linux only issue?

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1010080

I'm still using A12 here and wondering whether to upgrade to A14

Any help appreciated

 

No-one has anything to say about A14?

 

I'm using A14. Temps similar to A13, and haven't perceived any changes in fan behaviour.