m1330 bios is shot

my xps m1330 recently had a problem with bios. Basically, it doesn't work anymore. I tried using ubuntu live cd and it didn't work either. It's unresponsive to any function keys after powering up. I tried flashing the bios using a bootable usb flash drive with a procedure I found online but no luck. Leaving unplugged the cmos battery for several hours and then powering it up didn't do the trick either.

All I see is the cold black screen of death staring at me.

Can someone help? How do I revive the bios when it's corrupt? Anyone else have success with bringing m1330 back from the dead?

 

Uhh, did you try displaying externally? That is classic Nvidia symptom, does your M1330 have an Nvidia chip?

 

I don't think it's the nvidia problem. I don't even see the fan working at all. (I've done the copper mod on the unit anyway.)

 

Did you actually try to flash the BIOS and watch it fail? If you didn't, it's very unlikely that the BIOS corrupted itself, and you are probably experiencing the Nvidia or some other mainboard issue.

 

Copper mod won't help a knowingly defective chip, which all Nvidia from 2006-2007 are. Again to mirror what Commander Wolf said, that is classic Nvidia failure, black screen of death.

 

So what I should try is hook this up to external monitor and see what happens? When I've had video failure before, I recognized it because I would get a white screen with a wide vertical band of smeared color. Reheating and copper mod solved that so I'm guessing it's not the video but who knows.

 

I followed a procedure found online for creating a bootable usb flashdrive bios. What I did was simply take a flashdrive format it to boot and load the latest bios from dell website along with some file ending with "gz" I think and plugged it in, powered up the m1330 with nothing else attached except the ubuntu live cd that's in the optical slot drive which is not responding to eject button.

the screen was pitch black and nothing happened.

 

It sounds like it most definitely is. The blank screen is due to the fact that the Nvidia chip has failed. This is a common problem not only on Dells but HP dv series as well. You'll have to get a reflow, Either get a local shop to do it the correct way, or be cheap like me and do a DIY reflow.

HP Pavilion DV6000 Blank screen fix BGA rework video problem - YouTube

*NOTE* Use a heat gun, not that lighting looking flame saber!! Also, wait 15 minutes MINIMUM before touching the board again. You might end up moving some solder joints and messing up the chip altogether

Following that tutorial ( I'd reccomend adding a small cut of solder on top of hte chip, so that you know when the correct amount of heat to melt all the solder points around the chip is right).

Very much agreed!

I had no idea these were soo common with the Nvidia 8600m GS's on our XPS m1330s

It is, dont doubt it, it's very common on laptops, what you experienced is the chip STARTING to fail, what you're witnessing now is full failure of the video chip.

Don't know why you think this is a bios problem, only time you REALLY get a bios problem is when you loaded the bios wrong.

 

Don't know why you think this is a bios problem, only time you REALLY get a bios problem is when you loaded the bios wrong.[/QUOTE]



because it only goes to POST and doesn't load OS.


I don't even hear the fan working after it's been on for a while.

 

i tried reflowing the nvidia but no dice.

i got a very expensive brick on my hands. :-(

if the gpu is truly dead, i'm debating whether to get a mobo either x3100 or gamble on another nvidia.

does anyone know why there are 3 or 4 different designations for 8400m gpu mobo? do the different designations for nvidia mobo indicate different dual core chip set or different nvidia 8400m chip? I know that there are 2 different 8400m chips out there. Is there any real performance difference between the older and newer 8400m gs chip?

i'm leaning towards the x3100 since it's more stable than 8400m but i also want the higher video capacity to play some games.

after this, i'm never getting a dell again. i guess dell is not all that interested in repeat business. fool me once....

for next time, are there ANY laptops that don't have gpu overheating problems?

 

does anyone know how to manually eject a disc from slot optical drive? eject button lights up blue but nothing happens.

Do I have to take apart the optical drive?

 

Honestly, all the latest laptops that have been produced haven't really had much of an overheating issue. With the exception of few, I haven't been getting any overheating issues. My laptop doesn't reach past 75C on a full load. On a hot day it'd reach 80C MAX. (this is the GPU)

If you're looking for a laptop that's really built for gaming and has phenomenal performance with little to no issues, just bite the bullet and get an alienware laptop. They have a few right now with 799 deals and 899 deals. Much less than what I spent on my XPS m1330 ($2600 Retail w/ all options for $1700).

I'd say your only option is to manually take the drive apart and take the disk out. What a PITA right? It's why dell doesn't do that anymore on their XPS 15 and 17