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Thread: Dell Laptops & SP2 KABOOM

  1. #1
    Master-Jedi-Pimps0r & Moderator thehorse13's Avatar
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    Dell Laptops & SP2 KABOOM

    From NTBUGTRAQ....


    be *sure you have Dell BIOS rev A12 or better or you may suffer the same pain we did today. I then discovered this little gem in my inbox...


    GRRRRRRRRRR


    From: Windows NTBugtraq Mailing List on behalf of Matt Tisdel
    Sent: Mon 8/23/2004 11:18 AM
    To: NTBUGTRAQ@LISTSERV.NTBUGTRAQ.COM
    Cc:
    Subject: Dell Laptops with SP2 Warning


    We installed SP2 on 4 different Dell D600 laptops. One of the laptops
    experienced a crash that may or may not be related to the service pack.
    Upon reloading the laptop with Windows XP, adding SP2 and all drivers;
    and adding all necessary applications, it blue screened. We called Dell
    and they said that if you don't have BIOS version A12 or later, then you
    can experience hard drive corruption.



    Dell documentation says to have the latest BIOS installed before
    installing any service packs. XP SP2 documentation says we should check
    with the manufacturer before installing the service pack to ensure that
    your BIOS level is compatible. So, I am guilty for not checking the BIOS
    compatibility first, but I thought that I would spread the warning and
    maybe save someone from going through the same pain.
    Our scars have the power to remind us that our past was real. -- Hannibal Lecter.
    Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. -- John Wooden

  2. #2
    Oh, crap!!

    I should have checked AO before I started the install. That and I should have read the release notes. Oh well. I wanted to reinstall WinBlows anyway.

  3. #3
    Thanks for the heads up TH13 - do you know if this only affects the D600 notebooks? That's in the Lattitude line of notebooks if I am remembering correctly, and my company has a few of those. I assume this to be with all Dell notebooks, or at least the Lattitude line.

    Again, thanks for the heads up..
    - Maverick

  4. #4
    Master-Jedi-Pimps0r & Moderator thehorse13's Avatar
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    I will know more for sure by the end of the day. For now, I am willing to bet that since it is tied to a BIOS rev, it would be any unit that runs this particular BIOS.

    Anothing thing to make my day interesting....
    Our scars have the power to remind us that our past was real. -- Hannibal Lecter.
    Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. -- John Wooden

  5. #5
    Senior Member OverdueSpy's Avatar
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    Well guys, I checked out the Dell website, and I could not find a reference to any known BIOS issues. There is a reference to an issue with Inpirion 9100 or XPS with ATI Mobility Radeon 9800 video card; using Dell Security Center by McAfee; using Symantec Norton Internet Security; and Internal Bluetooth cards, but no bios specific references.

    http://support.dell.com/support/topi...l=en&s=gen&cs=

    Let's hope this turns out to be a hoax.
    The mentally handicaped are persecuted in this great country, and I say rightfully so! These people are NUTS!!!!

  6. #6
    Master-Jedi-Pimps0r & Moderator thehorse13's Avatar
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    This isn't a hoax. I have a pile of dead Dell laptops sitting in my lab. Dell confirmed the issue. Call their support line and they will tell you the same thing.
    Our scars have the power to remind us that our past was real. -- Hannibal Lecter.
    Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. -- John Wooden

  7. #7
    Regal Making Handler
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    Inspiron 2650, Bios rev A7.

    No problems my end, so far?

    Service pack 2 installed over a week ago. Also rc2 installed over a month ago.

    Is it an issue with Dells oem crap? which would not suprise me.
    What happens if a big asteroid hits the Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad. - Dave Barry

  8. #8
    The Iceman Cometh
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    You know what it probably is? SP2 probably installs some new driver or something which causes the problem. I had a similar problem with a Latitude X200 not long after a client got it. She was having problems with the video card and thought new drivers would fix it. She didn't read the info for the new driver though (which said that she needed to update the BIOS before installing the new drivers) and crashed her whole system. Had to go and reformat the whole thing for her, making sure that I installed the BIOS immediately after installing Windows to insure that any drivers that were installed would not cause similiar problems again. I assume it's probably something along those lines.

    AJ

    PS: Hey, thehorse13... wanna hook me up with some of those downed systems? I'll pay for shipping. :-P

  9. #9
    Regal Making Handler
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    Something i have just remembered sp2, has fuxored dells solution centre. Have not had cause to use it for a very long time, so missed it during my first post.
    What happens if a big asteroid hits the Earth? Judging from realistic simulations involving a sledge hammer and a common laboratory frog, we can assume it will be pretty bad. - Dave Barry

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    Wink XP SP2 on a Dell

    Well my old Dell Inspiron 2600 Laptop not a problem....
    Used RC2 for a month till the final came out....
    RC1 was the SOB.... I uninstalled that.....
    Franklin Werren at www.bagpipes.net
    Yes I do play the Bagpipes!

    And learning to Play the Bugle

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