How do I flash bios to an Alienware M16 R1 AMD edition?

[volinakis]

I made an SFX executable. It just created a new folder with the original .exe in it. When I unzip the .exe, I do not see a platform.ini file.

However, searching for "platform" in the hexdump shows like 50 instances. I found two flags by searching for "version check" and "platform" that I flipped from 1s/2s to 0s to not perform checks. I read in the hexdump it does a version check by BIOS version as well as by application.

This did not help though I still get the same error message when trying to flash the bios to a lower version. Could you give instructions that are a bit more specific? I don't dig into binary files regularly.

What do flag do I need to flip in the bios to disable the version check and proceed with the downgrade?

the "flag" is in .bin file (isflash.bin). Also you have to modify flag from project ID. Just modify flags and don't create SFX executable, launch "H2OFFT-Wx64.exe" from extracted update under cmd as Admin. Another idea came into my mind is to modify bios version to latest, instead 1.2.0 modify it to 1.13.1 I will attach also platform.ini file extracted from isflash.efi , read it and see what you have to modify. I added extention txt because can't upload ini files.

[Arc717]

volinakis I managed to get this far, did not try the flash yet though. This is for version 1.12.0 though the screenshot says it is 1.13.1. I changed the flags for the version check, but I also had to change the version number at $BVDT$ for it to work properly. Whatever the program does to check BIOS version, changing those two flags was not enough. I could not get past the warning and forced shutdown without also changing the version number in the .bin file for it to work. (The one in the first screenshot you sent near "$BVDT$")

I am fairly sure that the the "H2OFFT-Wx64.exe" file has its own version check and abort if version number is lower than what it should be. I looked but could not find anything in there, so I am assuming it grabs it from the isflash.bin file.

Also, how did you generate that platform.ini file? I have an isflash.bin, but not an isflash.efi file to work with when extracting the .exe from Dell using winrar.

I am gonna try to flash it now, going from 1.13.1 to 1.12.0.

Edit: 3 red 4 blue flashes, I think that bricked it...

[Arc717]

Ok so it did not brick it, but I had to "CRTL-ALT-DEL" to get it to boot windows again. It just restarts the laptop as soon as you tell it to flash the bios. So I can confirm that method does not work.

[volinakis]

Ok so it did not brick it, but I had to "CRTL-ALT-DEL" to get it to boot windows again. It just restarts the laptop as soon as you tell it to flash the bios. So I can confirm that method does not work.

I used Insyde_IFD_Extract.py from Bios Utilities to extract packages from update and got what you see in picture. I also extracted isflash.efi but it contains the same certificate.bin, platform.ini and BIOS-UEFI.bin as in extracted update. My test was on 1.2.0 not 1.12.0, I don't get it from where you understood that is 1.12.0. If you change flags you don't need to change bios version, I think you combined both ideas. Change flag from project ID from 3 to 0 and flag from Bios_Version_Check from 2 to 0 and launch "H2OFFT-Wx64.exe" under cmd as Admin. 2nd idea is to change Bios Version from 1.2.0 (or whatever version you want to flash) to latest and don't change flags. I am using this "method" when I don't have battery or is "dead" and is working all the time. I gave you platform.ini to read it with attention maybe there are other flags to change, I see that it also has settings (instructions) for H2OFFT. i also see a flag for [ForceFlash], set ALL=0 to ALL=1 (this gives me an idea how to get rid of password without desoldering bios chipset ) and all protected areas will be force flash. Also I see "ForceIHISIVersion", you can write there an older version, i.e 1.2.0
if you have a working bios backup no worries if you'll brick it, you can write back bios chipset.

[Arc717]

I highlighted the changes I made to the flags in the isflash.bin. Did I make the changes in the right place?

I'm not sure for "Bios_Version_Check" if the flag is where it says "Flag=" or below that at where it says "default". On the other one, Project ID, I could not find a "Flag=", only a "default". Unless I was supposed to change the "Flag=" immediately after "Platform_Check" to 0? I set that to zero too just in case.

Also, under "ForceIHISIVersion" I wrote version 1.12.0. I am trying to go back one version at a time. That's why I was saying 1.12.0 not 1.2.0. I'm on 1.13.1 currently.

I combined the ideas because they did not work separately. If you just modify those two flags like I did in the isflash.bin, then run H2OFFT, it fails to get past the first warning. If you change the version name also in the isflash.bin file, you make it past the first warning, but the laptop restarts immediately and does not flash bios. I tried it with just changing the version name only, and leaving the flags alone, and it also does not work, the laptop just goes directly into a restart.

I'm saying that the solution you gave me does not work, unless I implemented it wrong.

[volinakis]

I highlighted the changes I made to the flags in the isflash.bin. Did I make the changes in the right place?

I'm not sure for "Bios_Version_Check" if the flag is where it says "Flag=" or below that at where it says "default". On the other one, Project ID, I could not find a "Flag=", only a "default". Unless I was supposed to change the "Flag=" immediately after "Platform_Check" to 0? I set that to zero too just in case.

Also, under "ForceIHISIVersion" I wrote version 1.12.0. I am trying to go back one version at a time. That's why I was saying 1.12.0 not 1.2.0. I'm on 1.13.1 currently.

I combined the ideas because they did not work separately. If you just modify those two flags like I did in the isflash.bin, then run H2OFFT, it fails to get past the first warning. If you change the version name also in the isflash.bin file, you make it past the first warning, but the laptop restarts immediately and does not flash bios. I tried it with just changing the version name only, and leaving the flags alone, and it also does not work, the laptop just goes directly into a restart.

I'm saying that the solution you gave me does not work, unless I implemented it wrong.

run H2OFFT under COMMAND PROMPT! And in platform.ini is written very clear what to modify and where, you just have to search what is written in platform.ini into isflash.bin! Simple as that but you have a way to complicate things! I modified v 1.12.0, unzip and run H2OFFT under COMMAND PROMPT as ADMIN!

[Arc717]

run H2OFFT under COMMAND PROMPT! And in platform.ini is written very clear what to modify and where, you just have to search what is written in platform.ini into isflash.bin! Simple as that but you have a way to complicate things! I modified v 1.12.0, unzip and run H2OFFT under COMMAND PROMPT as ADMIN!

I unzipped the file you sent using winrar and opened command prompt as admin. Ran the H2OFFT file and it did not work. screenshot attached is what I got.

Believe me, this is already hard enough, I am by no means trying to overcomplicate anything. Would really love a simple solution.

I tried to run my own modified 1.12.0 where I changed the version number to 1.13.1 using cmd prompt in admin and it did not work, just auto restarted again.