# [SOLVED] Cant rollback BIOS



## BunnyGal (Jan 7, 2013)

I'm running Windows 7 64bit on a Dell 8500 XPS desktop.

I received a message from Dell alerting me that a critical update was needed for my system and that update was a BIOS update.
It went from A06 to A09.

I went ahead and installed it by using the supplied .exe file to flash the BIOS.

The new BIOS is causing all kinds of issues. Crashes, BSOD, hanging up during shutdown, driver crashes, etc. 

I want to go back to the prior BIOS version, but I'm not sure how.

I downloaded the "A06.exe" BIOS flasher (installer) from Dell, but when I try to run it, I get a message saying "The BIOS version is the same as or lower than current BIOS version". The option for "Update" is greyed out - non selectable and the bold QUIT button is the only option.

How do I get past this? I need the older version to undo the problems the newer version has caused. I contacted Dell and they told me that the only way to change the BIOS is by the .exe file and I cant go backwards in versions. Is that true?

Help?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Cant rollback BIOS*

I doubt you can go back with an OEM PC.
Are you certain the Bios update was completed successfully?
Was there any indication why the Bios update was needed?
Have you contacted Dell about the problem?


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## wkw427 (Nov 9, 2008)

*Re: Cant rollback BIOS*

If the computer is under warranty, call Dell.
Otherwise you might not be able to rollback and FUBAR'd your computer.

You should *NEVER* do a bios update unless the update adds a feature you know you need or fixes an issue you know you have.


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## BunnyGal (Jan 7, 2013)

*Re: Cant rollback BIOS*

Yes, i'm sure the update was successful. I did it a couple weeks back and ever since, I can see the new BIOS number when it boots and in the system information.

As far as being *sure* I needed it, well.... no. Dell sends me alerts for "critical updates" that affect my specific system and service tag and the new BIOS was on that critical list. Since I declined to be alerted for optional updates and asked for critical updates only - I trusted that it was a need and installed it. Learned my lesson on that one.

I haven't called Dell, but I did do an online Chat with their customer support team, which i've found just as good as talking to someone and it removes the issue of the language barrier since I rarely understand anyone in their call centers. The tech told me to simply run the .exe of the old BIOS and it will work regardless of where it is at now. I gave him the error message and he said he never heard of that and has elevated my case to a higher level support tech -I still haven't heard back.

I'm having a secondary issue which may or may not be related to the BIOS update - i'm not sure. My computer wont shut down anymore. It goes into the "shutting down" window and then hangs - it will hang for days if I dont power it down manually. There is no message about waiting for programs to close, it simply doesn't shut down. I always run the bare minimum in my startup profile and the minimum for services running. I've checked under "Control Panel>Performance information and tools>Advanced Tools>" and there was 1 issue under "performance issues" and the message told me a video driver was causing a delay in my system shutting down. I updated the driver, that didn't do it. I actually uninstalled all drivers and disabled the device, that didn't fix it. The error message about the driver causing a delay is gone, but the system still wont shut down.

I'm spent hours online researching it and have tried just about every option suggested and cant find the issue. I was hoping to use system restore to resolve it, however, I have zero system restore points to choose from. When I did the chat with technical support, the tech took remote control of my computer to check a few things and apparently cleared all my restore points. The *&[email protected]!!!....

Not fun..... Now what?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Cant rollback BIOS*

I completely understand the reasoning for you installing the update seeing that Dell informed you it was critical.
Your System Restore was reset when the Bios update was performed as it resets the Bios to Default settings.
Sorry for your issues with Dell "tech" support but that's one of the many hazards when dealing with OEM PC's.
At this point, we have to assume all problems are related to the Bios change be it because it didn't complete properly, wasn't a good download or just has a problem.
Unfortunately, changing the Bios back would seem to be your only shot and Dell would be the only place that can assist you.
This is no more than a shot in the dark.....Try unplugging the power cord to the PSU, remove the CMOS battery and let it sit for 5 minutes. Reinstall the CMOS battery and plug in the PSU and see how it goes.


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## wkw427 (Nov 9, 2008)

*Re: Cant rollback BIOS*

In my issues, I find that getting a concrete brick and rubbing it against my face fixes PCs more reliably than Dell teksouprtyy.

They didn't know what department handles repair for out of warranty laptops, for example, and I had to get on a conference call with a senior manager and even HE couldn't get it right :\


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## BunnyGal (Jan 7, 2013)

Thank you all for your help.

I was able to succefully roll back to the previous BIOS version by following the steps outlined in this article:
BIOS Downgrade on Dell Vostro 3550 | LaslowNET

I modified it a bit for a Dell computer vs. HP and I used a USB external hard drive vs. a memory stick, but everything went smoothly beyond that.

I formatted the portable hard drive to be bootable and put the BIOS .exe in the root and had the computer boot from it and all went fine.

As I expected, the problems I was having are now gone :thumb:

The lesson learned in all this is that when Dell alerts that there is a *critical* update that must be installed, it means it must be installed so it FUBARS your system and you have to pay their clueless technicians to make it worse!!!!

Thanks again.

Lisa L.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Glad it's resolved and thanks for posting back with the fix.


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