d620 vista question

g'day,
received my D620 the other day - though im not allowed to have it til christmas i ran the vista upgrade advisor. it tells me to run vista i need to update the bios. is this safe to do? i know you just have to click on the bios update thing then the comp restarts and thats it, but is there a possibility it will stuff up?

cheers.

 

Dell has made it idiot proof (not that you're an idiot!). Download from their website, run the executable and then reboot. That's it!

 

cheers thanks

 

hmm well that sucks. it wont let me update the bios cuz my battery is stuffed that means when i get my new hdd i have to install windows xp, then a week or two later have to install vista

 

What does that mean?

 

Did you plug in the computer using the AC adapter?

 

my battery is dead. flat. incomplete. will not charge. depleted.

yeah, it tells me i need to charge my batter to 10% before continuing.

 

Ah, that makes sense.. Never heard the term "stuffed" used that way!

If you can get it on a bootable CD or USB, you should be able to run the bios file with the "/forceit" parameter, and it should skip the battery check.

 

Although be aware that the reason for the battery check is that if you lose power during the BIOS update, you're screwed. I mean, your computer will turn into a brick if that happens.

So... if you have a UPS or something, use it.

 

Yeah, absolutely.. You're taking a risk there. Now the chances of your power going out at the exact moment of your bios update is pretty astronomical, but as swarmer said, you could brick the notebook if it does. As he suggested, best to use a UPS is one is available.

 

nah, i dont:|
i think i'll wait til i order my new battery to arrive. or just stick with xp.

yeah, i think im better off waiting for new battery, or just sticking with xp til sp's of 7 comes out.

 

I would argue against doing any BIOS flash unless the update features fixes or improvements that apply to your experiences with the machine. Read the release notes to see the changes made for each version.

 

i know for a fact that without a bios update, it cannot/will not run windows vista OR 7, even though my 6 year old p.o.s desktop can run both of them

 

the battery actually lasts for a long time, like about 50minutes, even though it says 3% :S

 

Can you provide a link to that info, or at least explain how a BIOS update will allow you to install Vista/W7?

 

Did you try to let it run out, then plug it in, and let it charge.

 

I would assume the updated bios has the SLIC table to allow for offline OEM activation for Vista/7. Other than that, I agree, I'm not sure why Vista/7 would require a bios update.

 

it said that the setup could not continue because the bios could not run windows vista. it was actually in the vista installation when it checks the system. i do not know ANY other information other then that.

 

You don't have the exact message of the error? Could you maybe recall the exact wording, so I can try fishing for it with Google? Your problem is intriguing in that there is no reason for such an error.

 

yeah, i will document the error code down later on.

 

"Windows cannot be installed on this computer with the current system BIOS version. Contact your computer manufacturer for a BIOS update, install the update, and then start Windows installation again.
OEM Name: Dell Inc.; OEM Model: Latitude D620; BIOS Version: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A02; BIOS Date: 20060411000000.000000+000"


Thats what I get when I try to install Vista

 

OK, it looks like this problem has been experienced by other Dell users across different models: http://msmvps.com/blogs/donna/archi...S-update_3F00_-No-rush-but_2E002E002E00_.aspx

It looks like Dell has fixed this, so here is the link to the latest BIOS (A10) which I highly recommend you flash to since there have been numerous improvements added, such as Vista support and a critical update since A08:

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=255482

You are way behind as Vista support was added to A05. See the release notes here: http://support.dell.com/support/dow...typeid=-1&dateid=-1&formatid=-1&fileid=183176

For a listing of all other D620 BIOS versions as well as the improvements made to each version: http://support.dell.com/support/dow...&catid=&libid=1&impid=&osl=en&vercnt=9&os=WW1

 

Have you read the whole post? As, I know I have to flash the BIOS, but I can't because my battery needs to be charged to 10% and that battery is knackered and wont go past 5%. I feel unsafe doing it the other way. - just my luck something will go wrong.

 

Have you considered maybe, I don't know, getting a new battery?

 

pretty sure i've already said that somewhere here in this thread. yes of course i have, next pay battery time.... which isnt til next week.