Dell :: Studio 1555 A09 Bios (May Brick Your Laptop)
Jan 18, 2010
I just updated my laptop to bios A09 and it froze part the way through the update, needless to say the worst happened and the laptop no longer powers up ,
after some googling i have found others who have had this problem and have also bricked there laptops.
Please beware when or if you use this update as it could happen to you.
The good news is Dell are picking it up tomorrow and are replacing the motherboard under warranty
can someone with the Intel 4500MHD graphics test this?
Reason why I need a quick reply by 3pm PST tomorrow is that after that time I'm going to send my Laptop to Dell for them to investigate the fan issue.
THE PROBLEM: fan turns on too often. tried undervolting, using arctic silver 5, switched from t9550 to p8400 already
THE FAVOR: if any of you 1555 owners can boot into the BIOS and stay in there for 5 minutes, can you just observe if teh fan goes off or not? Mine does, even after a cold boot (when i haven't used the laptop within the last hour).
Studio 1555 dead after trying to update bios from A8 to A9
So today I found that Dell had an update for the current A8 BIOS on the Studio 1555 that I bought in May of 2009. Just a quick comment, I have had nothing but problems with this laptop. I got it with VISTA 64bit, which you all know sucks balls!!!! So once Win7 came out I bought a 500gb HD and Win7 Ult. 64bit, but as I said, it doesn't seem to be just one thing, its the blue tooth, or the network card, or explorer keeps crashing and restarting by itself constantly, especially yesterday. Plus I've been trying to use this laptop as a dual boot with Ubuntu and Win 7.
So I found the BIOS update today, DL it and closed everything and then started the update. Says its going trough sectors and there are 39 of them, when it got to #20 the thing just stops, everything then freezes after trying to open a new window, ctrl-alt-delete doesn't work, nothing works. So I take the battery out and then of course I go to turn it back on and its dead or bricked or what ever you want to call a $1300 piece of on my coffee table.
So after that I found that a few other people have had the same problem and some people haven't, but I have yet to find someone who has fixed it. So I brought up the ol' Dell Chat support and of course they tell me"oh my supervisor says that your hard drive and mother board are dead now".....!!!!!! I asked how that can be with something they post and let the end user install, now my computers dead, I'm supposed to wait a few days for a tech to call me a schedule an appt. to come to my home and replace the "motherboard and hard drive" according to the chat support.
First of all I am about to smash this thing with a freaking hammer, I have been with PCs forever and when I was looking to buy a laptop, my wife said, don't buy another PC, all you do is spend days and days at your desktop when something goes wrong with windows, she of course is a MAC person and has always used them, but I said "oh no hun, this new Win7 is going to be great and Dell have great laptops" Holy on a shingle I was totally wrong and I will never buy another PC, it will be Macs from now on once I get a chance to buy a new laptop or desktop. But anyway, since Dell has about the test customer service I have ever experienced, I decided to post my conversation with the person from dell....enjoy, and by the way..... DO NOT INSTALL DELL STUDIO BIOS UPDATE A8 TO A9, YOUR COMPUTER WILL DIE.....I'm only kind of lucky since the computer is less than a year old and I have 2 years of onsite service if I need it. So anyway, here is my conversatation, take it as you will, but I would be very wary with this whole thing and Dell laptops in general, Dell, your company used to be all over the news and mags. because you were made by a smart guy who liked computers and wanted to give people what they really wanted when they needed to buy a new computer. Well I can tell you that ever since Dell came about as a company, all of that flash and glitter about their company, computers and people has faded so badly, these things might as well be sold in a vending machine, you think that when you spend $1300 you will get something really good. What a crock of crap...forget you dell, this thing is being sold ASAP after it is fixed......oh yeah heres my conversation for all you other dell studio 1555 people who need help or ammo in case their crappy customer service doesn't help you.
please for the sake of all of us, if you can and are willing, please read the doc I attached to this post which is the chat log between me and the Dell support person....we are all going to need help with this at some point if a simple BIOS update that is made to run in windows kills are computers!
the multimedia key in F array can be changed the priority in Bios. In default bios, the multimedia key is the main key,
while F arrray like f1, f2.... have to be pressed simultaneously with Function key. And I changed the default bios because I use F arrray usually.
But everytime I change laptop power from battery to adapter or adapter to battery and restart the laptop, the Bios is reset to the default. Iupdated the lastest bios A08 and driver of the devices.
I have dell studio 1555 laptop with processor Intel core 2 duo t6600 and ram 3 gb with video memory ati radeon 4570(512 mb) running windows 8.1 x64.I uses my laptop to download movies so it runs almost 24 hrs a day recently when i got back from my work laptop was turned off (no power outage was occurred at that time) when i tried to turn on the laptop it starts to produce continuous beep sounds(and no display) after some trial and error i found out that charging adapter was the culprit if it is connected laptop won't turn on and continuous beeps sounds occurs , but if you start the laptop without the adapter and then connect the adapter back on then no problem.
And the event viewer has under the critical error section an error named Kernel power(event id 41)(The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.)
And I will list some of the errors in the event viewer here kernel event tracing(Session "" failed to start with the following error: 0xC0000011),ACPI(: The embedded controller (EC) did not respond within the specified timeout period. This may indicate that there is an error in the EC hardware or firmware or that the BIOS is accessing the EC incorrectly. You should check with your computer manufacturer for an upgraded BIOS. In some situations, this error may cause the computer to function incorrectly.) ,Ntfs(The default transaction resource manager on volume E: encountered a non-retryable error and could not start. The data contains the error code.)
i have a brand new 2 months old studio 1555. but the problem is that when ever i connect a charger the screen brightness automatically levels up and when ever i restart there after the bios settings revert back to multimedia keys first. having a bois A07.
I own a Dell studio 1555. When I first encountered the auto shut down problem, I ran the diagnostics and found my HDD is crashed. So I replaced with a new 1TB WD. My RAM is of 3GB. After couple of days, this problem started again. Â Majorly, I see this problem when I am trying to use internet in some browser.
One of the service center person told that it could be a CPU fan problem. He replaced it, but still the problem persists. Warranty period is expired for my laptop.
If your battery is mostly drained and you plug the thing in, within minutes the brick gets so hot that I'm afraid to let it sit on any surface, much less touch it.
I thought it might just be a defective piece so I got a replacement power adapter and it gets just as hot as the other one. Has anyone else noticed this?
I have a Dell Studio 1558 and I have some concern about my power brick. The brick itself makes a light sizzling, buzzing or light crunchy noise which isn't continuous, but is causing me concern. The computer itself, also makes a similar noise when doing stuff like scrolling down a page in an internet browser. Every time I press the down arrow and it loads new images, it makes a brief sizzling noise.
When my computer was brand new I brought this up with tech-support and they gave me a new power brick but the noise never went away. I took a day off work to stay at home and waited for a tech to come to my house so I haven't complained about it since then. It seems to be an intermittent issue, some days its worse than others, and I've had this computer for about 2-3 years now.
Have there been any recalls on the power supplies for my computer? Aside from making a noise, I haven't noticed any decline in my computers performance, I'm just worried about it shocking me or frying some of the components inside the computer!
I have a Studio 1558 laptop, about 3 years old and a couple of weeks ago it stopped working.
When I press the power button (both on battery and on mains supply) the power button lights up white and stays white and my backlit keyboard lights up. I can hear the fan whirring but thats all that happens. It will stay like this for ever until I press the power button and it then shuts down instantly. There is no BIOS screen and I get no POST beeps.
I've tried plugging it into my TV as an alternative monitor but there's still nothing. I've checked the hard drive and swapped it for a new one but it still makes no difference. I've checked the memory and that's fine. If i try to boot up with the memory removed I do get two beeps.
I returned from windows 8 to windows 7 64 on my Dell Studio 1749 because i had a Hibernation problem.Â
Now the problem is not solved, i've the same in my windows 7 64 (when the laptop hibernate, it freeze). I think it  is a bios error, and i want Reset it, but, if i try to  reinstall the last bios, installation program does not work and report: "the last bios is already installed).
I should have left it alone but I've never had a bios go corrupt during update. Had A03 BIOS and attempted to update to A09.
Laptop locked up during the flash and now it doesn't even show the bios start up! I removed the BIOS battery and LT battery. Maybe I need to wait longer then 5 mins for the entire system to discharge and then try power up again. So far just a black screen!Â
I just got one problem fixed with loading a new hard drive now this.
I've been reading the threads for a while and wanted to get some more opinions on the 1555 vs SSE. I know the SSE is basically the 1537 with the edge to edge monitor.
I placed my order for the SSE last week with an estimated delivery date of 6/15 I could cancel my order and go with the 1555 with an estimated ship date of 6/01. what do you think. I have ~$1000 to play with ......
I just chatted with tech support regarding a flicker issue with my dell 1555. He said that he will replace the laptop, though i was asking for an LCD replacement.
Anyways to make it short, the biggest problem is that i am relocating and moving to another city in USA next saturday morning. So i was asking if it can be done later, for which he said dont worry it takes 3-5 days for the replacement to arrive so you are safe.
I am just wondering, how does replacement of system work ? 1. Do they send a box will all the software too again !!! I mean vista disk etc ? or do they just send the system. 2. How will they have by custom configuration at hand ? wouldnt it have to go to china again and yes that will make it further delayed ..
I am about to order a Dell Studio 1555 tomorrow. It is a graduation present and I plan to be using it (hopefully) for all of college..........................
I got it in November, sometimes when i go to ANY of my browsers to view pages with flash. The whole browser freezes and crashes, so i start it up again and go to the page, and crash again.. so i try to use another browser (i literally have chrome, Firefox, safari and IE) all of them do the same exact thing.. and once it crashes there's no way to get it back up unless you restart. It gets very annoying having to restart my laptop about 5 times a day. I've done everything, uninstalling flash player, reinstalling it, reinstalling browsers.. I've even reinstalled my OS because nothing else would work. I don't understand why this laptop has so many issues. Randomly freezes, crashes etc. Its basically brand new and i shouldn't have these issues. My old Compaq presario cq60-215dx NEVER ever did any of these thing this Studio laptop does. This laptop is about 400 dollars more than my Compaq.. Also, i dual booted Vista and Windows 7 and Vista is a hell of a lot faster, it boots up faster and never crashes.. It just seems as if Dell did something to this OS to make it a piece.. help?
I just received my new Studio 1555 with Core2 P8600, 4GB RAM, Windows7 64Bit.
It freezes up on me at lease twice daily. I can't spot the problem, it has froze once when using excel, many times watching youtube videos and once using a tax software.
Everything just hangs and freezes. Can't do anything, have to hold the power button down. A few times when youtube froze, the sound stayed but in a frozen state.
What can it be?
Dell sent me some additional ram to upgrade to 8GB but that hasn't helped.
I have updated all drivers.
Please help. I'm tired of waiting on the phone and going through with Dell for hours and hours.
On first look i found that the build quality was better than expected, I had read a fiew reviews by owners that thebase was flimsy and so was the keyboard. I have found this to be quite solid and i can see no flex at all. The keyboard is very responsive and a pleasure to use, although i find that some of the keys give a slight squeeking noise when pressed. I intend to get a backlit keyboard sometime soon so that should fix the squeeking problem. I bought this from the outlet as refurbished but it looks brand new and i saved nearly £300 this way instead of self configuring the system. What's in the Box: Dell Windows Vista Home Premium 64 Bit installation dvd, Works 9, Driver and Resource Disk, 90w Power Supply Design Nice design and a sturdy construction, has a kind of wedge shape. Screen: This WLED 720p screen is far brighter than anything else i have ever seen, the picture is nice and crisp and colours are very vibrant. There is no ghosting at all and HD movies are a pleasure to watch on this, its a 15.6" 16:9. There is an option for a 1080p screen but i did not have that option getting this from the Outlet. Under sunny conditions the screen is quite reflective but i plan to use it indoors 95% of the time so it will not be an issue. Keyboard The keyboard is a pleasure to use, I did not get a backlit version but i intend to as soon as I can get dell on the phone, I find the keys very responsive and well laid out. The multimedia keys are on the top of the keyboard along with the F Keys, to use the F1 Keys ect you have to press the Fn key. Touchpad At first i did not like the touch pad as it has a textured feeling and not a smooth finish like im used to , after a while i have got used to it and its not as bad as i first thought, there is a scroll pad on the side although the touch pad has no indication of this, when playing games this area gets quite hot. Features: Multimedia Keys The keys are on the main keyboard and shared with the "F" Keys. LEDS One of my main complaints abot this machine is there are no LEDS for hard drive activity or wireless ect. The only light is on the power button on the side of the screen hinge. Wifi – My system has the Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN card and the signals are strong and i have not suffered any drop outs or interference. Just a pity this laptop has no Wireless LED. Speakers The speakers are of a decent quality, i had read about the previous Studio 15 which had poor sound quality but this is more than acceptable and a subwoofer is included. Input and Output Ports Front There are no ports on the front of the machine Webcam Pictures The screen has a 2.0mp camera in and the quality is very good, the best i have seen in a laptop. Pictures are good with no noise or distortion. Right Side: 1 x USB 2.0, Slot loading DVD-RW Drive 8 in 1 media card reader, ExpressCard 34 and Power Adaptor Left Side: VGA, HDMI 2x USB 2.0 (1x USB/E-SATA combo, 2x standard) IEEE 1394a/Gigabit NIC (no RJ11 – via dongle for USB External Modem) 1x Stereo in, 2x headphone speaker out. Rear: There are no ports on the back. Bottom: There are 3 ventilation grills and the usual opening for the memory and Hard drive access. Benchmarks I have had time to do 2 benchmarks, 3dmark06 and Super PI 3dmark Vantage would not run with the resolution on this laptop. 3DMark06 Scored 4193
and Super PI took 48 seconds to do 2 million count. Size and Weight The laptop is light about 2.61 kg and is easily carried around so its very portable. Heat and Noise Under general use the laptop does get warm but nothing to worry about, when gaming it gets quite hot so it will be uncomfortable on your lap if you game alot. The fans are quite quiet i have found and do not cause any disturbance when on. Battery Life Under general use with a 6 cell battery i get around 3 hours 30 mins, I do not feel that a 9 cell would of been benefical to me. Software The software that came pre-installed was Roxio CD Creator and Windows Live. Accessories All that came was the power supply (it has a nice blue led on the power jack) Pros: Great Screen Fast Processor Light and Portable Long Battery Life Cons: No Activity LEDS Gets quite hot under Gaming Backlit keyboard not standard. Conclusion: A great all rounder laptop that should full-fill the needs of most, Not to over priced and has some good choices when configuring to buy.
