Updating your (UEFI) BIOS and Optimising (UEFI) BIOS Settings for Windows 10

Refer to my new guide: Unified Extensive Firmware Interface (UEFI)

Contents

  1. Determine your BIOS Revision using System Information
  2. Downloading the Latest BIOS Update
  3. Installing the Latest BIOS Update
  4. Determining if your system has a UEFI BIOS and SecureBoot and Notes Regarding the Windows 10 Upgrade
  5. Upgrading to a Solid State Drive and Altering the SATA Operation in the (UEFI) BIOS Setup

This guide has a complementary tutorial video.

1. Determine your BIOS Revision

Press [Windows] and [ r ] to bring up the run command:

msinfo

In the run box type in

msinfo32

Then press ok.

Take a note of the:

  • System Manufacturer
  • System Model
  • BIOS version and date

If its available (Windows 8 and later) also take a note of the:

  • OS Name
  • OS Version
  • BIOS Mode
  • SecureBoot State

Example 1

information ....

Take a note of the:

  • System Manufacturer – Dell Inc.
  • System Model – XPS 8300
  • BIOS version and date – A06

Also take a note of the:

  • OS Name Windows 10 Pro
  • OS Version 10240
  • BIOS Mode Legacy
  • SecureBoot State Unsupported

2. Downloading the BIOS update:

I do not recommend downloading the BIOS update from Dell Drivers and Downloads because sometimes BIOS updates require older BIOS as a prerequisite. e.g. the attempted update from A03 to A12 may state that A06 should be installed before A12. Dell Drivers and Downloads only lists the latest revision whereas the Dell FTP website lists all the revisions for the model.

If your system is not a Dell get the driver from your appropriate OEM for instance HP or Lenovo.

Example 1: XPS 8300

Press [Ctrl] and [ f ] on your browser this will open up the search on the page.

XPS8300

Type in the digits of your model number in the search box and press the right arrow until you find your model:

xps83002

Left click your model number:

xps83003

Scroll down to BIOS

bios12

You will see the latest revision at the top and all subsequent versions Dell released.

In the case of my XPS 8300 it already has version A06 and hence is up to date. So theres no need to attempt update.

Note the release date on this page may be slightly different to the  date of the BIOS revision on system information because it takes Dell some time to test the update before they make it public.

bios13

If you have a BIOS revision lower than the latest version. For example on an Optiplex 760 which had BIOS revision A03 significantly out of date compared to the latest A16 release.

Select the download button and then select Save. Do not select run as you shouldn't have background programs when running the BIOS update. In most cases it will not work anyway as the BIOS update needs elevated permissions. I advise moving the downloaded update from Downloads to the Desktop.

3. Installing the Latest BIOS Update

The BIOS update is a firmware update. This type of update updates the firmware for your system BIOS. You launch the BIOS update within Windows but the computer restarts and updates the BIOS within BIOS. Therefore once a BIOS update is applied it remains applied even if Windows is reinstalled.

As the BIOS update has the potential to change the functionality of your hardware, additional security measures are put into place to make sure that you actually want to run the BIOS update. Note An incorrect BIOS update has the potential to kill your computer entirely.

Before updating the BIOS its advisable to make sure all programs are closed.

Right click the BIOS update and select run as an administrator.

a06

The BIOS update will then launch and tell you what revision you have and what revision the BIOS flash is.

If you are up to date or equal to the BIOS revision or its unsupported as in the case of my XPS 8300 it will tell you and will not allow you to flash only giving you the option to quit:

xps8300a

If its supported it will allow you to select continue:

Updating the system BIOS 4

Click ok

Updating the system BIOS 5

The computer will then restart and restart the BIOS update.

DO NOT DISTURB THE COMPUTER DURING THIS TIME and certainly do not cut power. If you do then likely you will kill the computer entirely.

Once the computer loads into Windows some of the BIOS updates will re-launch automatically but then will tell youthat you have the latest version already so just click cancel. You may then delete the BIOS update from the Desktop.

Some BIOS updates may require perquisite BIOS updates as mentioned. Try to update the BIOS in the least number of steps.

4. Determining if your system has a UEFI BIOS and SecureBoot and Notes Regarding the Windows 10 Upgrade

For optimal performance Windows 10 TH2 should be clean installed using a UEFI BIOS with SecureBoot enabled if your computer has these technologies. The Bootable USB should be formatted as GPT partition scheme for the UEFI BIOS using Rufus.

So lets give a basic explanation of all these acronyms…

What is Basic Input Output System (BIOS)?

Basic Input Output System (BIOS) as the name suggests  is the very basic Operating System embedded into your systems i.e. firmware. The BIOS setup allows you to change some of your hardware settings and to boot from installation media with a proper Operating System e.g. Windows 10.

What is Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)?

Associated with BIOS is the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) which is essentially a modern more advanced version of BIOS that has increased functionality and additional security. Because of the strong connection and familiarity of end users to BIOS this is usually denoted UEFI BIOS and not just UEFI.

What is Master Boot Record (MBR)?

This is the legacy partition table associated with BIOS. It has the limitation of  a maximum of 4 partitions and also a maximum drive capacity of 2 TB. Moreover because there is a single Boot Record if this becomes corrupt the Windows OS will be corrupt and need to be repaired from installation media (possibily resulting in data loss).

What is GUID Partition Table (GUID)?

This is the revised partition table and requires a UEFI BIOS. It allows up to 128 partitions and supports drives larger than 2 TB. Because this partition table can create a large number of partitions it does not restrict users like MBR and allows the Windows 10 OS to make both a primary and secondary Boot Record. If the primary Boot Record becomes corrupt it can easily automatically be fixed using the secondary boot record making it more robust.

What is SecureBoot and why Should I use it?

This is a firmware security technology and requires a UEFI BIOS. The advantages of SecureBoot are covered in this schematic. Essentially its a firmware protection feature when SecureBoot only Microsoft verified code is allowed to boot which means Windows 10 loads alongside its inbuilt security processes before any nasties get a chance to load. Conversely when SecureBoot is disabled the nasties may load before Windows disabling any inbuilt Windows 10 Security features from loading leaving your computer computer vulnerable to attack.

SecureBoot

Note although this guide is focusing on Windows 10, Linux Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Linux Fedora instalaltion media have all been updated to pass SecureBoot. Likewise utilities such as Acronis.

If your Computer came with Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 Preinstalled

All Windows 8 and later computers have a UEFI BIOS and both UEFI and SecureBoot should be enabled from the factory. You can confirm this by looking at your system information if your BIOS Mode is UEFI and your SecureBoot State is On you likely have Windows 8 64 Bit or later preinstalled and hence already have the optimal settings for proceeding with a Clean Install of Windows 10 64 Bit TH2. For such configurations you do not need to check your UEFI BIOS setup.

If your Computer was Downgraded to Windows 7 or is a Late Windows 7 System

If you had Windows 7 preinstalled instead of Windows 8 or later or manually Downgraded to Windows 7 yourself SecureBoot will have been Disabled as Windows 7 installation media was never updated past 2011 and hence not verified by Microsoft to pass SecureBoot. Moreover Windows 7 may be installed using the MBR partition scheme with the legacy BIOS setting applied.

If you have UEFI and SecureBoot enable both and install Windows 10 using the GPT partitions scheme.

Note there are a handful of early UEFI systems that have a UEFI BIOS without SecureBoot.

If your Computer is an Early Windows 7 System

It should be noted that systems have came preinstalled with Windows 7 as early as 2009. As a rule of thumb systems with a BIOS revision <2011 won't have a UEFI BIOS and Windows 10 will have to be installed in MBR. There is a grey area for 2011 systems. If your system BIOS revision is >2011 and you don't have these settings enabled you should check the BIOS setup to see if they are supported. SecureBoot will be disabled in systems that have Windows 7 loaded for instance as Windows 7 doesn't support SecureBoot. I advise exiting the BIOS without saving changes so you can prepare a Windows 10 TH2 bootable USB with the appropriate settings on your current Windows installation. Once you have made the Windows installation media you can then adjust the BIOS settings to the optimal settings your hardware supports.

The (UEFI) BIOS Setup

To enter the BIOS setup Power Down your computer. Wait 10 seconds and power it up. Press F2 at the Dell BIOS Screen. Other OEMs may have a different key sequence.

1. Dell BIOS

Example 1 of an Inspiron 13 7347 BIOS. The Boot list mentions SecureBoot and UEFI. Both are enabled.

  • SecureBoot is Enabled (which means UEFI is enabled)
  • UEFI is Enabled
  • The Bootable USB should be formatted as GPT partition scheme for the UEFI BIOS. The system can take advantage of the GPT scheme and preboot security.

vlcsnap-2015-10-31-19h26m47s959

vlcsnap-2015-10-31-20h10m46s548

Example 2 of a Latitude E5510 BIOS. The Boot list mentions UEFI but not SecureBoot. UEFI is supported but secureboot isn't.

  • There is no option for SecureBoot.
  • UEFI is enabled.
  • The Bootable USB should be formatted as GPT partition scheme for the UEFI BIOS. The system can take advantage of the GPT scheme but not the additional preboot security.

vlcsnap-2015-10-31-19h30m12s686

uefi

Example 3 of a XPS 8300 BIOS. The Boot list does not mention UEFI or SecureBoot. Both these technologies are unsupported.

  • There is no option for SecureBoot.
  • There is no option for UEFI.
  • The Bootable USB should be formatted as MBR partition scheme for the Legacy BIOS. The system cannot take advantage of the GPT scheme or additional preboot security.

xps83002

information ....

5. Upgrading to a Solid State Drive and Altering the SATA Operation in the (UEFI) BIOS Setup

The cost of large enough capacity Solid State Drives to use as a Windows Boot Drive is now economic and so replacement of your old mechanical Boot drive with a Solid State Drive is now recommended for systems with only one Hard Drive bay. This will give your system a marked difference in system performance.

For maximum performance its advised to upgrade to a 250 GB or superior Solid State Drive and to use this SSD as a Boot Drive with no additional caching. To determine how feasible this upgrade is on your system you should refer to your Service Manual or Owner's Manual which instruct in the removal of the drive(s). This can again be found on Downloads.Dell.com I advise searching for en-us when on your models page. Most Dell systems are well designed so that accessing the HDD/SSDs is pretty straight forward.

enus

You can use the Crucial System Scanner to scan your system for compatible SSD upgrades. Some more details are available in Upgrading to a SSD Drive.

crucialsystemscanner

Once you have ordered your SSD ensure that you have Downloaded Windows 10 TH2 Installation Media and made the Bootable USB.

Once you have your SSD installed and your computer is back together you should check the SATA operation in your (UEFI) BIOS.

Power up your system and press [F2] at the Dell BIOS screen to enter the BIOS setup.

1

You will be taken to the main BIOS tab

vlcsnap-2015-10-31-19h24m43s840

Use the → arrow key to move to the advanced tab. Then press the ↓ key to take you down to the System Configuration and Press Enter.

vlcsnap-2015-10-31-19h24m51s011

On the advanced tab press the ↓ arrow key to move to SATA Mode. Press Enter to modify the category between AHCI and RAID or other options such as IRST. Use ↓ and ↑ to select your setting and once again press Enter.

Press [F10] to save changes and exit.

vlcsnap-2015-10-31-19h29m37s417

Select Yes when prompted to Save Configuration and Exit. If you are using a system with a single SSD Boot Drive you are now ready to install Windows 10 TH2 on your new SSD.

If you are using a system with multiple drives (SSD and HDD) before Windows installation boot from the Windows 10 TH2 installation media and Clean the HDD and the SSD to prevent an unwanted dualboot. See Cleaning up a Drive for more details. After doing this you should be ready to install Windows 10 TH2 on your new SSD. You may also want to Change the Location of Librariees (User Files) in Windows 10 TH2 after installation…

79 thoughts on “Updating your (UEFI) BIOS and Optimising (UEFI) BIOS Settings for Windows 10

    1. Dear Sir,

      This is Hardosh Kumar,

      I changed laptops Hard Disk, and When I am trying to Instal Windows 7 or 8, after completion of Installation, When windows goin to setup Desktop, It show error in blue screen and shows error that Update BIOS, but I already have updated BIOS Version A11. I tried to update BIOS with A11 message is appearing can not flash BIOS with same version. I need to install Windows 7.

      Kindly suggest me What should I have to do.

      Before changing of Hard disk, I was using Windows 7.

      Thanks Alot

    2. Sir i was upgrading bios in my PC DELL N5010A15 after upgrading os from windows 7 to 10 but PC switched off and now when i press power button it is not booting and screen is also blank, only a single beep sound is coming after every 3 minutes and it's also not getting after using various combination of keys.
      Plz help me sir
      Thanks.

      1. Unfortunately it sounds like the update went bad and the motherboard is now bricked.

  1. i've windows 64 bit installed in my dell 1310…the problem is when i run phoenix winphlash a15..it gives error code 1275 the driver blocked from loading..can u pls help
    regards…

      1. I'm having a similar problem installing a11 bios with an optiplex gx620. I've already installed windows 7 64 bit. I can't find in dep Winplash.exe to turn off, is there an alternative file for this machine?

      2. No you may need to perform the update in 32 Bit Windows. Maybe you will need to even go way back to Windows XP in order to run the BIOS update.

  2. Yep!!! I've already gone through that link…and did exactly what he said…and i m loggeinasadmin…and clicking the right file with right click….pls help me out..thnxxx

      1. ya dear it workwd with 32bit os…i need more help…i m having too much issues with my notebook…..
        1-mas storage controller missing…searched everywhere but failed to find….
        2-bluetooth neither detectable nor detecting any device…..driver installed from microsoft…made it visible…downloaded driver from dell support…but not installing….os system not supported error….
        3-when i start my notebook…a long beep sound blow….keep blowing untill i press f1…like cmos checksum error….changed cmos battery…flashed bios…from a10 to a15…but not helping
        pls takeme out of tese problems…thank u so much for ur help…..

      2. Now that the BIOS is updated you should be okay to install Windows 7 64 Bit. Dell don't list Windows 7 64 Bit drivers but I have made an unofficial driver set which should work with your system:
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/driver-sets/vostro-laptops/

        You should have a Dell Wireless 360 Bluetooth card but I'll need hardware IDs to identify the wireless card and graphics card:
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/downloading-drivers-checking-hardware-ids-and-downloading-and-installing-dell-system-drivers-in-the-correct-order/checking-hardware-ids-in-the-device-manager/

        This should resolve the software issues. As for the CMOS checksum error I would have advised updating the BIOS and changing the CMOS battery. I assume you put in a fresh CR2032 battery? Maybe try a second new one. A stupid question (but worth asking) is the battery in the right way? You may want to make a new thread on the Dell laptop general hardware forum for more advise on this issue:
        http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518

  3. thanxx for your assistance..yesterday i went through this "http://o2micro-integrated-ms-mspro-controller.drivers.informer.com/download/5100" link….so after istalling this driver mass media controller driver problem and long beep problem on booting has been solved…but bluetooth problem still persists…i've installed bluetooth driver from dell…but not helping……having one more problem…i gave my notebook to a local repair centre..he theft wlan card from it…i checked on installing cmos batt….here in india it's(model DW-1395) not available….i've samsung n150plus wlan+bluetooth card….whose socket is same as it….can i install that card in my dell….will it work….????

  4. ya i did it….i placed samsung n150+ wlan card(broadcom) and installed driver from samsug website….and it's working like a charm….

  5. A comment on updating the BIOS post-upgrade to Windows 7 x64… A friend asked me to look at the laptop (Vostro 2510 running Windows XP). It would not boot past the splash screen – although I was able to get to the diagnostics partition and run enough diags to determine hard disk was not failing. I installed Windows 7 x64, (as a clean install but leaving the old files in place) and it all went well… Using some tips from here and elsewhere got most of the drivers updated. Went through all the patches. Getting "battery needs replacing" message in the notification bar, and also noted that A04 and A06 BIOS updates had battery management enhancements. So rather than advise they go back and buy a new battery – only to have it fail again, I thought I'd upgrade the BIOS. This is where the fun starts…

    After several attempts to run (the download file will run, but extracts the actual flash program to c:\windows\temp\winphlash, and the winphlash.exe is a 32-bit only app), I found a place to download the 64 bit versions of the installers. No matter what version I tried, it failed for various reasons.

    After giving it some thought – I thought perhaps I should boot into a 32 bit operating system and run through this again. Having used bootable images in the past, I had some ideas as to where to look – but this is BIOS after all and I don't want to brick the system.

    Long story short, Microsoft has the Windows PE bootable environment for IT administrators in various versions of Windows. I first had to download the Windows AIK package for Win 7, then went through the steps on their walkthrough page to create a 32bit (x86) version of the bootable ISO image, burned it to a cd… booted to it… changed to c:\windows\temp\winphlash and ran winphlash.exe with absolutely no errors or problems.

    It's a long, cumbersome way to get there – but now I've got a bootable Windows 7 WinPE image, and it's all legit. No copyrights violated. The laptop is great – still could use a battery but that's okay… Running A06 (latest) bios and seems to be working well at this point.

  6. hello I am having a Dell Optiplex 755 Desktop model & facing problem while updating the BIOS version, currently I am on A12 version & want to update to A23 version, I tried each n every procedure to update it i.e. by directly as Admin & also by using bootable flash drive, but none of the procedure works at all, also had many wasteful conversion from Dell community forum. But none of the procedure works at all.. Here I tell u the Error

    BIOS update failed
    could not fknd the firmware image in memory.

    This was the error i am getting all the time. please help me out

    1. I am the same person who tried to help you on the Dell Community Forums. Dell Chris-M has replied to your post. He says that your CMOS chip is possibility damaged and that you may need to replace the motherboard.

      Better to leave it as is for now.

  7. I have a Dell E5530 with Windows 7 Ultimate. About once a year the screen goes blank, then the computer does an automatic BIOS update. I never get a chance to save my work. I called Dell, and they said this should never happen. The computer works OK after these automatic updates, but it works even better if I go back to the default BIOS. Can anybody tell me what is going on? Is there some way to stop these automatic BIOS updates? Where are they coming from? Thanks.

  8. I have a dell Insprion 14 3000 series, trying to drop a drive running vista from a older work laptop. I got a ACPI error. How do I fix that, and get it to boot from the old drive.

    1. You won't get it to boot as the systems will have a completely different storage controller. You could do a repair install using a Dell Windows Vista Reinstallation DVD however if the license is OEM even if you fix the install and get it to boot then you will run into Microsoft Product Activation Errors. Windows Vista is obsolete and the Inspiron 14 3000 series should run better with Windows 8.1 (it should have a Windows 8.1 OEM license).

      I assume the main reason you are inserting this hard drive is for data recovery and in that case I recommend you use a Linux Live distribution such as Fedora to perform data recovery with, see here:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/data-recovery-using-fedora/

  9. Hello, Inspiron N5010 after upgrading bios from A10 to A15 in the bios settings are locked, i can boot the system but nothing can be changed in bios,pop up show "setup is locked ! enter the admin password into security – unlock setup to enable changes." Running win xp (i have to run this os) i know is not recommended for this model. I try to downgrade bios version but dell don;t let me….What should i do…thak's

    1. That sounds like you have setup a BIOS password, you'll need to call Dell Technical Support to help you with that.

    2. get the battery out of the motherboard and start your pc up… you wil get a message that the battery isn't there and after conferming……. the system is blanc, and starts up without any bios password…

  10. before upgrading there was not set a password , this happened after updating bios

    1. A BIOS Update should not set a BIOS password. Regardless the point in a BIOS password is to prevent the system from being stolen…. I cannot help you change this; you need to contact Dell Technical Support, verify your identity and there may be a charge for them to give you a master password to unlock it.

  11. yes i tried not working, this is very wondrous, F12 working, everything ecept settings in bios
    i try also with logging passwords of users (i have 2 user + administrator user)

    1. Contact Dell if the system has warranty (after the warranty expires it may be costly to get support).

      You can also try dismantling the system and removing the CMOS battery to see if it resets the BIOS setup.

      Otherwise you may just want to leave it; theres usually very little need to change the settings in the BIOS setup.

  12. Thank you so much for all this information. I was about to toss my xps out the window haha ha. really Thank you i couldnt find info like this anywhere

  13. hi i have dell laptop 1525, i formatted it and installed a windows 7 installation for dell laptop 32 bit, everything wend fine i have A13 bios on it so i don't know if i need to update it or not?
    Intel core 2 due 2 GHz
    and 2 GB ram
    200 GB HDD
    now my question is, after windows come up i have all drivers updated wireless working sound camera touch pad and even modem got the driver but there are 3 unfamiliar hardwares on the computer manger that i don't know what are they, and Bluetooth is not working (no any driver installed on it during the windows 7 installation).
    what can i do?
    and if i need this pc only for some programming in c language and some hd movies to see (i have a hdmi output never tried it yet) is it enough? or should i buy more RAM? (i have another external HDD of 1TB so nvm the HDD).
    thanks,
    elad.

    1. You are best to create a new post on the Microsoft OS Forum as its hard to address questions on these comment pages:
      http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/Software-OS/default.aspx
      Provide the hardware IDs of your wireless card and unknown devices:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/downloading-drivers-checking-hardware-ids-and-downloading-and-installing-dell-system-drivers-in-the-correct-order/checking-hardware-ids-in-the-device-manager/
      One of your unknown drivers will likely be the card reader. See my unofficial driver set here, you should upgrade to BIOS A17 and install the rest of the drivers in order:
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/driver-sets/inspiron-laptops-windows-7/inspiron-1525-windows-7-32-bit/

      More RAM would help but the upgrade to a budget BX100 128-256 GB SSD (256 GB recommended but depends on your budget) would lead to better performance:
      http://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Dell/inspiron-1525
      Theres not too much point getting a MX200 for this model as it doesn't have the capabilities to take full advantage of the speed.

      1. thanks for fast replay,
        i saw that i have all drivers installed also the sd card reader and the wireless lan card and the 3g modem tochpad and camera only the bluetothe is missing but what are the other 2 devices?
        i dont know if i want to update the bios im afraid it will fuck the computer up
        thank you.

      2. Another question, now I have is windows 7 professional 32 bit should I upgraded bios on it and then upgrade to a 64 windows 7 Ultimae?
        Thanks in advance.

  14. i updated my bios to a11 from a07 but windows 10 set up still says that bios not supported… it said the same thing with a07… plz help.. thanks a ton in advance…

  15. Hi,

    Please help me.
    I have Dell Inspiron 14z 5423 with Windows 8.
    BIOS is A6, I downloaded BIOS A13. But when I run it by administrator user, my laptop is not run and I hold power button to shutdown my laptop.

    With A8, A10, A12 are the same.

    Thank you.

  16. I Want update the Bios of my dell inspiron 15 3000 series but my pc is not on the list of all the insipiron, the insipiron 15 is starting with 15 3520 going upwards

    1. What is your model? They are all marketed as Inspiron 3000 series but each model has a different 4 number code e.g. 3xyz?

  17. Its latest BIOS is A11. The Get Windows 10 gives a warning on this model but the warning is nonsense and can be ignored.

    Once you have BIOS A11 you can upgrade to Windows 10 TH1 directly using the Windows 10 TH1 Media Creation Tool:
    http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/upgrading-to-windows-10/
    Otherwise you can install Windows 10 TH2 beta or wait till Windows 10 TH2 is released on the main track (recommended):
    http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-10-technical-preview-iso/

  18. Inspiron 15R N5110 original bios version does not support windows 10
    company website says upgrading Ao9 to A15 may cause some devices to not work

  19. Dear sir
    I have dell inspiron n5110 and bios is a06 and whenever i tried to install window 8 it gives an error
    Suggest me can i install window 8 or window 10 on my laptop

  20. i have inspiron 14 3421. somehow i have the present win8.1 in legacy mode.
    so, i checked by going to bios set up – to see if my machine has uefi and secure boot.

    i found both options were available (uefi along with legacy; and secure boot enable/disble when i selected uefi)

    so, i am assuming, i will be able to select uefi, secure boot when i clean install win10 TH2. am i correct, philip?

    1. I have an Inpiron 14z 5423 that shipped with Windows 8 x64 installed on its 500GB HDD, using a 32GB mSATA SSD as a cache drive for Intel Smart Response and Intel Rapid Start Technology. I manually downgraded to a clean Windows 7 using an OEM Win7 x64 DVD and I left the caching setup the same. Disks are both GPT. In my current UEFI BIOS (latest, A13) settings I have the SATA setting set to Intel Smart Response, Intel Rapid Start Technology is set to enabled, and Secure Boot is disabled.

      I would like to do the following two things – replace the 32GB mSATA with a larger one and get a clean Win10 installation on the new SSD. I think I've read elsewhere the largest SSD this mSATA slot will recognize is 256GB, so I'd get a Samsung 850 EVO 250GB (I hope it's dimensions are compatible?). I'll leave the HDD for storage. With an SSD boot drive, caching will be unnecessary so I won't need Intel Smart Response Technology software and in BIOS I should change the SATA operation to AHCI. Also I should enable Secure Boot. I'm less certain about the setting for Intel Rapid Start. Should I leave that enabled? I thought Intel says that it is helpful even in non caching setups?

      Also, do I have a chance at doing the clean install without upgrading to Win10 first? I made a Win10 USB with the media creation tool directly (not saving .iso and using Rufus) – it should be bootable for a GPT install? Also, I wonder if my Win8 product key is still embedded in my BIOS?

      Thanks for any answers

      1. The Windows 10 installation media will automatically input your product key from the UEFI BIOS, providing that the Edition matches, see here for details:
        http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-10-oem-and-retail-iso/
        No need to upgrade with the TH2 media, old documentation stating a mandatory upgrade refers to TH1 media.

        It should be compatible for a GPT install when the Media Creation Tool is used direct. Check the file format of the USB, if it is FAT32 it should be fine.

        See here for replacing the mSATA SSD. Parts-people list a 512 GB mSATA as compatible so my guess would be 256 GB isn't the limit:
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSnEatuJ7QQ
        http://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=19393

        Enable SecureBoot and disable Legacy Roms. These settings will work best for Windows 10 TH2.

  21. i just tried updating my BIOS and it stopped on 21% (Verify), Stage – Programme EC. and it has been like that for over 2 hours now. please help me to do something about this. I just cant leave it like this for too long

    1. Did you manage to complete the update? Best to post on the Dell Community forums (Desktop/Laptop general hardware).

  22. Hello. I have an Inspiron 1720 in June 2008 with 2009 updated BIOS A9 not the version of 2011. Is possible to switch to UEFI BIOS with the 2011 A9 update or other version.

    My PC configuration is:
    T8100
    4 gb ram
    GPU 8600GT
    1440×900
    2 HD da 160gb a 7200.

    Many thanks.

    1. That's a Mid 2007 model. Theres absolutely no chance that systems Legacy BIOS Update has UEFI support.

      A9 is A9… released on the 14th of July 2008.

      The date updated is a date that Dell Drivers and Downloads got updated and theres no change to the Legacy BIOS Update. The A9 file itself is identical.

  23. hi there,
    I have a Studio 1555 laptop (2009 model
    core2duo 2.1Ghz
    4GB RAM
    ATI Radeon 512MB graphics
    I have upgraded to Win10 Pro 64 bit.
    Is it possible to upgrade the BIOS to UEFI ? If yes, how ?

    Please reply.
    Thanks.

  24. Reading the acronyms definitions at the beginning and coming to understand how the OS serial is phisically linked to the motherboard when using UEFI BIOS, how can I set up my computer to have a "Ultra Fast Boot "again if I had to change my motherboard through Dell due to hardware errors? I have a Inspiron 7520 SE running the latest BIOS version (A11 20/02/2014).

  25. My dell inspiring 15 3542 doesn't boot up. It gets stuck on dell logo after loading screen.
    I have Windows 10 home updated from Windows 8.1 . I passed out the dell hardware diagnostic.
    I didn't found any error in that test. My Laptop has UEFI system. What will be the problem ? Why it is not booting into my Windows ?

  26. My dell inspiron 15 3542 doesn't boot. I've done with the Dell Hardware diagnostic.I passed out in those with no errors. I am running on UEFI system. I have Windows10 Home updated from Windows 8.1. My laptop has 500GB of hard disk and 4GB of RAM.I also tried F8 but it doesn't work. Why I am not able to boot into Windows ? Please give a solution for these as soon as possible.

    1. If you haven't updated your UEFI BIOS to the latest revision before Upgrading to Windows 10… then you will need to Download a Windows 8.1 .iso. Clean Install Windows 8.1, Update your UEFI BIOS and then retry a Windows 10 TH2 Clean Installation. This needs to all be done before Friday.

  27. Hi,
    I have a latitude d630, it was pre-installed with windows 7, I upgraded it to 8.1, which was successful. After some weeks I installed windows 7 ultimate. I updated my BIOS to A19, and everything was working fine.

    now I am trying to reinstall windows 8.1 because I am having activation key issues, and it won't let me. The first error it gave me was, my processor does not support windows 8.1 due to nx processor (can't remember the exact line)
    I adjusted some settings in the BIOS setup, and I tried reinstalling.
    This time, the installation stopped at 93%.
    I stumbled on your site and I know you can be of help to me.

    cheers

    1. The system should have came with Windows Vista OEM and not Windows 7 OEM. However since you bought Windows 8.1 (assuming a retail license) you are best to use your Windows 8.1 product key to clean install Windows 10. I have tested Windows 10 on a Latitude D630 and it works fine.
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-windows-10-oem-and-retail-iso/

      In the BIOS setup CPU No-eXecute support must be Enabled. This is an old guide of mine (the free upgrade path has now expired) but I outline the Legacy BIOS setting in a Dell Latitude D820, the setup should look near identical in a Latitude D630.
      http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/windows-xpvista-to-windows-10-free-upgrade/#VistaOEM

  28. hello
    I have dell inspiiron n5010 and bios version is A15 but dose not support uefi
    my question dell n5010 is support or not??!!! and if supported what is the solution??

    1. That system is a Mid 2010 Model with a 1st generation Intel Processor.

      UEFI became standard in about 2012 on 3rd generation Intel Processors. Some 2011 Business models with 2nd generation Intel Processors were updated to have a UEFI Boot.

      That model therefore shouldn't have a UEFI Boot.

  29. Hi philipyip,
    I have a Inspiron N5050 laptop with A05 BIOS. Dell does not provide any higher version of BIOS than this. I had 32-bit win7 preinstalled which I had upgraded to 32-bit win10 a year back.
    Now, I wanted to do a clean install of win10 64 bit as I was facing some problems with the previous installation. I have created a bootable USB with rufus, but the USB is never detected during startup. A05 BIOS does not support UEFI, nor secure boot.

    Can you help me do a clean install of win10 64-bit?

  30. That is an older system, if you've made your Bootable USB with Rufus make sure you use the MBR Partition Scheme for (Legacy) BIOS as your system has a Legacy BIOS only and will not recognised a Bootable USB configured to use the GPT Partition scheme for UEFI.

    1. ya dear it workwd with 32bit os…i need more help…3-when i start my notebook…a long beep sound blow
      Dell Inspiron 15 3000 series 3542,

  31. Hi
    i have dell vostro 1450 ,i did not found UEFI option in bios seems dont support UEFI,bios version is showing alreadyA12, along with legacy option in msinfo32 .
    is this anyway possible to enable UEFI in my dell vostro 1450 laptop to boot faster as i just now upgraded to SSD fromm HDD but its still booting slow.

  32. I have laptop Inspiron N5010 .I updated the BIOS from the A5 version to A11 ,suddenly the power was disconnected after that i did restarted put did not work. The screen does not work and 1 beep every 1 second . Please solve .

    1. Your system is likely bricked. Cutting power midway between a BIOS Update means your system motherboard has no firmware and no means of loading firmware onto it. This is why the BIOS update says do not power down your system. Newer models have some autorecovery routines to revert to the older version should this happen but models of that age don't have these.

  33. Hi Philip,
    My desktop Studio XPS8100 came with Windows 7 and UEFI BIOS version A03 dated 12/09/2009.
    I have upgraded it to Windows 10. Now, I found out there is a new BIOS version A05 dated 18/11/2010.
    Does BIOS version A05 work with Windows 10?
    TIA,
    Victor

    1. That's a pretty old system now and has a 1st generation processor Intel i5 or i7 processor.
      It has a legacy only BIOS. While Microsoft advertised that any system capable of running Windows 7 should be able to run Windows 10 upon release, they elevated their recommended system requirements in Windows 10 version 1803 and later, recommending only systems with a 5th Generation Intel Processor and later:

      https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/windows-processor-requirements

      Moreover if this system has the original mechanical hard drive it will run a 100 % Disk usage constantly on Windows 10. You may be able to get borderline performance on Windows 10 if you have a Solid State Drive however it is likely to perform better on a Linux Distro such as Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

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