Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

[CapThatBrass]

Hi,

I've recently bricked a laptop, a Dell Vostro 5841 (faulty BIOS update).

After searching around, I found someone who'd kindly uploaded a set of BIOS .bin dump of the correct BIOS image for this laptop model.

However, there are three files included, as named below:

- MX25L1005.BIN (128KB)
- MX25L12805D.BIN (16,384KB)
- PM25LQ020.BIN (256KB)

The chip on my motherboard is a MX25B12872F which doesn't seem to exist anywhere in reference (even on the Macronix Website).

My question is are there three potential chips that need to be flashed within laptop (via CH413A for example) in order to get it back working again? And also, would I need to modify anything with these .BIN files which are made for other chip versions, before flashing them to my chip?

Cheers

[SMDFlea]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Check the part number under a magnifier are you sure it isn`t MX25L12872F or 25B128CSIG. Don`t flash anything yet,wait for some guidance. Are you planning on desoldering or using a clip .

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[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks for the reply SMDFlea.

Your right - I've checked the chip number and its a MX25L12872F.

I work with alot of laptops, hence noting the correct one down, although I have come across one of these models using the MX25B12872F model instead.

I've not re-flashed anything yet, I'm planning on using a clip.

Thanks

[SMDFlea]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks for the reply SMDFlea.

Your right - I've checked the chip number and its a MX25L12872F.

I work with alot of laptops, hence noting the correct one down, although I have come across one of these models using the MX25B12872F model instead.

I've not re-flashed anything yet, I'm planning on using a clip.

Thanks

Try some alternative ch341a software. There`s NeoProgrammer,ASProgrammer,Colibri ad flashrom . https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...50&postcount=5

Just backup the 16MB chip,don`tknow what the others are,maybe usb/thunderbolt firmware, the 128KB one might be external IO flash.
Make 2 or 3 backups,open them up with a hex editor and use the file-compare option to make sure theyre all the same,scroll down to check there`s some code there, not all FF`s. HxD hex editor: https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/ . You can use windiff as well or other file compare tools.
Post the backup here in a zip or rar

[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks for the suggestions SMDFlea.

I've tried ASProgrammer and Colibri so far.

Using both these apps I've made dump files of the BIOS image currently installed.

Note - one of the files refers to '73F' rather than '72F', this is because Colibri doesn't list the 72F version of the chip, but I've seen on the internet that both chip version are near the same to each other.

Both BIOS dumps when compared are identical, with no difference in code.

Any help would be great.

Thanks

[SMDFlea]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks for the suggestions SMDFlea.

I've tried ASProgrammer and Colibri so far.
Using both these apps I've made dump files of the BIOS image currently installed.
Note - one of the files refers to '73F' rather than '72F', this is because Colibri doesn't list the 72F version of the chip, but I've seen on the internet that both chip version are near the same to each other.
Both BIOS dumps when compared are identical, with no difference in code.

Any help would be great.

Thanks

Try this one. Ver 2.10.0 + EC v1.0.9 .Give it a few minutes to boot up.

Version 2.10.0 is one version behind the latest https://dl.dell.com/FOLDER07640937M/...581_2.11.0.exe

[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks SMDFlea, that worked a charm!

I erased my BIOS chip and wrote the .bin file using ASProgrammer.
After flashing I booted the laptop up, left it around 2 minutes and it started working once again.

Do you know the difference between my original .bin file and the one you've supplied? I'm just curious as to the underlying fault?

I've been researching BIOS flashing/building images and it comes across as a dark art, with not many guides on the surface as to how it works. I've worked in IT for many years but understanding BIOS/UEFI seems to be an area unexplored (for myself), something I'd like to master for future BIOS/UEFI related jobs.

Are the any 'courses' or guides as to understanding how everything fits together? Possibly how you managed to extract the 'vanilla' .bin file for this laptop? I've tried many guides to try and extract an image from the Dell .exe file for BIOS updating but have had no success. Any clarification or help on this would be great.

Thanks once again!

[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

SMDFlea, would this issue be related to the ME region of the original BIOS image being incorrect?

I've just read through the sticky article that you've created, with a brief layout of how to go about cleaning the ME region of the ROM.

Or did you managed to extract the BIN image from a Dell Original BIOS update package (.exe file) for this particular model of laptop?

Thanks!

[SMDFlea]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

I extracted the bios update, made a copy of your backup,copied the bios update over,copied (part of) the EC update (from the extracted dell update folder) over the old one,copied a dell file over,then cleaned the ME firmware

[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks for the explanation.

Is its possible to get guides (or links) to how to perform these stages?

Cheers

[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Only reason I ask is that I have two more laptops that have also become bricked, exact same model but no longer are under warranty - Dell charger a fortune to repair the laptop (and most likely will simply swap the motherboard out).

I've tried flashing the .BIN file you've provided to the other two 5841 laptops, but it hasn't made a difference unfortunately.

Would a 'working' .BIN file be specific to that particular machine?

Thanks

[SMDFlea]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Only reason I ask is that I have two more laptops that have also become bricked, exact same model but no longer are under warranty - Dell charger a fortune to repair the laptop (and most likely will simply swap the motherboard out).

I've tried flashing the .BIN file you've provided to the other two 5841 laptops, but it hasn't made a difference unfortunately.

Would a 'working' .BIN file be specific to that particular machine?

Thanks

The posted bios should have worked but both machines might have a different configuration ,i don`t know,it might not be a bios issue on them. Post one of the bricked 5481 backups for now,and the service tag.

[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks SMDFlea, here's both the bricked BIOS images extracted via CH341A programmer (using ASProgrammer).

The S/N for the laptop is at the end of the name of the .BIN respectively.

Thanks

[SMDFlea]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks SMDFlea, here's both the bricked BIOS images extracted via CH341A programmer (using ASProgrammer).

The S/N for the laptop is at the end of the name of the .BIN respectively.

Thanks

Both bios have configured ME firmware,which means its already been cleaned. There`s a difference in the B bios EC firmware,the C is the same as the bios i posted.Obviously the service tags are different but that will not cause both not to boot.Both bios seem ok to me.As both bios have configured firmware it suggests to me that both aren`t even reaching POST, look for the problem somewhere else.Remove both CMOS batteries (and main battery) before soldering both chips back.

EDIT: Try flashing both the - MX25L1005.BIN (128KB) and PM25LQ020.BIN (256KB) that you got from the other source, and post those dumps here too.Make backups first though

.

[CapThatBrass]

Re: Dell Vostro 5481 BIOS Chip - Are Three Three to Flash?

Thanks SMDFlea.

The MX25L1005.BIN and PM25LQ020.BIN images don't have corresponding chips upon the laptops motherboard - I've check all over but the only two other chips seem to be some form of USB or HDMI controllers (both don't respond to my BIOS programmer in, even with the 1.8V adaptor attached.

Strange thing is that both laptops are behaving in exactly the same manor, as did the first laptop (which is now working) before I flashed it with the .BIN you provided - the laptops have a high pitched but very quiet tone emitting from the CPU area of the board when the battery is connected, only when the power button is pressed - this immediately stops when the power button is no longer pressed. A constantly quiet high pitched sound is emitted when the power cable is plugged in, this is the case is just the power cable is plugged in as well as when the power cable and battery are connected simulatenously.