Current BIOS images not available via firmwaretool

[David Ayers]

Binary package hint: firmware-addon-dell

I'm attempting to upgrade my BIOS on my Inspiron 1525 after having a boot issue yet firmwaretool --update claims there are no updates available where as I can download a newer image for Window via the web interface.

Downloaded file: 1525_A17.EXE
Output of firmwaretool --update:
Running system inventory...

Searching storage directory for available BIOS updates...
Checking System BIOS for Inspiron 1525 - a16
 Did not find a newer package to install that meets all installation checks.

This system does not appear to have any updates available.
No action necessary.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: firmware-addon-dell 2.1.0-0ubuntu2.10.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-25.44-generic 2.6.32.21+drm33.7
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-25-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Mon Oct 11 10:41:46 2010
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=de_AT.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firmware-addon-dell

[David Ayers (ayers)]

I have same issue with an Inspiron 530
Downloaded file: 530_1018.EXE
Output of firmwaretool --update
Running system inventory...

Searching storage directory for available BIOS updates...
Checking System BIOS for Inspiron 530 - 1.0.10
 Did not find a newer package to install that meets all installation checks.

This system does not appear to have any updates available.
No action necessary.

[David Ayers (ayers)]

Actually I found a link that mentioned that my Inspiron 530 may not be supported by firmware-tools:

http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Oss/Firmware_Tools/Systems_Missing_RBU
(but my Inspiron 1525 isn't listed).

The http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Tech/libsmbios_dellBiosUpdate also seems to rely on RBU and a corresponding image from http://linux.dell.com/repo/firmware/bios-hdrs/ is not available for my system ID: 0x020D [530]
(ID: 0x022F [1525] is available for the current BIOS Version of a17 - I was able to manually upgrade the BIOS on the 1525 via the dellBiosUpdate instructions.)

Please advise on the recommended BIOS upgrade procedure for the Inspiron 530. There seem to be instructions on how to install via fedora:
http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Tech/libsmbios_livecd, but I'd need to install fedora first... that seems kind of overkill, but if that's the recommended path, then I'd try to install fedora on a USB-Stick to then create the live CD. But the fact that those instructions cite installing Fedora 7 (the current version seems to be 13) makes me wonder if that is still the preferred procedure.

[Cefn (6-launchpad-net-cefn-com)]

I found the steps described at http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Tech/libsmbios_dellBiosUpdate indeed worked - downloading the correct bios.hdr file manually and installing it using...

I found that the step...
aptitude install $(bootstrap_firmware -a)
...described at...
http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/Repository/firmware
...seemed to generate no valid package identifiers for the repository it was querying, hence there was no version 17 of the firmware placed in the local directory where the update_firmware program can find it.

I guess dell isn't keeping their repo up to date with .deb packages for their bioses.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Rocko (rockorequin)]

There are no headers for the Dell XPS 15 L502X either (system ID 0x50E).

I tried using wine to extract the WPH file from the exe file that I downloaded from Dell, but dellBiosUpdate reports that this file is not a valid RBU HDR file. Sigh.

[Mathias Tetzel (zool-bib)]

Same problem here, on an Inspiron M301Z. I want to flash the BIOS to A5 but update_firmware doesn't find the proper image.

I guess a possible course of action would be the one described at the bottom of this page: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DellBIOS

i.e. "Obtaining and using an image from the WinPhlash utility"

Still have to give a try to this one, though.