Solved!
Go to SolutionXPS 8900, has BIOS version 2.2.1 been updated?
When XPS BIOS version 2.2.1 was released in December, it caused problems for some people (rendered this computer unusable). Maybe this only affects one computer in thousands, but I don't want to take a chance that something like that will happen to me, so I've been waiting to update the BIOS on my 8900. Now when I check my drivers & downloads page here at Dell, it shows the release date of BIOS 2.2.1 (Dec. 22, 2017) and shows that it was updated Jan. 11, 2018. Has Dell updated the BIOS so that now it'll (hopefully) prevent the problems people had with the original version? I'm wondering whether the BIOS has been updated because the version hasn't changed, it's still version 2.2.1.
5980
0
Posted January 17th, 2018 13:00
I didn't copy the fixes info from December.
If it was just that one isolated case, I'd think the guy just had bad luck, but there've been more. There's also this message here on Dell (in which you replied to the poster), and there's also this message on Reddit (which had a reply from someone who'd also had problems). If many people are having problems with this update, why does Dell still have it available?
I may still take a chance and install it, but I'm not sure if having an updated BIOS is worth the risk of having it kill my computer.
5972
0
Posted January 17th, 2018 15:00
All I know is that Dell captured some XPS 8900 systems that had problems after updating to BIOS 2.2.1. I don't know what they found, or if they've fixed whatever the problem was by releasing the updated version of 2.2.1, or how they helped users whose systems were affected.
We also don't know what percentage of XPS 8900 systems that were updated to BIOS 2.2.1 had problems. Typically, we only hear about it when somebody has a problem with something, but we don't hear from those who didn't have a problem. So there's really no way to know if this is a 1% problem rate or a 50% rate. I haven't seen more than maybe ~10 reports of a problem with 2.2.1 on Dell's forums so I'd suspect the % is low.
Only you can decide what to do after balancing the risks vs the need to get firmware updates to fix the ME, Meltdown, and Spectre issues.
If you decide to update, post back and tell us the results, which -hopefully- are good, or not...
5967
0
Posted January 17th, 2018 16:00
Thanks for the information. I think that I will try updating the BIOS. Maybe tomorrow when I have more time. If I do I'll post a message here with the (hopefully positive) results. I've always kept all of my computers updated with the newest BIOS version available, and it bugs me that this one isn't updated.
5965
1
Posted January 17th, 2018 16:00
Back up your files on external media first!
Read/follow the flash instructions carefully, and disconnect all peripherals, except mouse, monitor and keyboard, before you start the update.
Good luck, hope it works...
5939
0
Posted January 18th, 2018 07:00
I updated the BIOS. It went smoothly. I've restarted the computer a couple times just to check, and everything's working normally.
5893
0
Posted January 19th, 2018 18:00
Don't know what happened, but this thread disappeared for a few days...
Glad the BIOS update worked for you. :Yes: :Yes:
5884
0
Posted January 19th, 2018 18:00
Yesterday afternoon I came here, signed in, and got this:
You are not allowed to access this site.
We're sorry, but you have been banned from this site.
Every message I'd ever written here had been removed... Apparently it was some kind of glitch with the new forums. It got fixed today.
5739
0
Posted January 19th, 2018 20:00
Do not upgrade. I upgraded mine this morning and it now will not boot into Windows 7 past the Windows logo. I've spent the better part of the day trying to figure out how to downgrade my BIOS.
Supposedly there is a BIOS recovery capability but the Control-Escape key sequence upon boot doesn't seem to work.
Any ideas on how to downgrade my BIOS?
3500
0
Posted January 20th, 2018 06:00
Not sure how much I'll be able to help. Have you read the messages here? Maybe trying to do some of the suggestions by RoHe will fix the problem.
Maybe you should start a new discussion and ask for help, you might have better luck getting replies that way.
RoHe
12 Elder
•
45230 Posts
•
172625 Points
5991
1
Posted January 17th, 2018 11:00
2.2.1 is the last one listed.
Did you happen to copy the Fixes info from back in Dec? The page currently lists a fix for CVE-2017-5715 (Spectre) so that might have been added between the Dec release and the Jan update, though I'd be surprised if that was the case since Dell didn't change the version number.
Don't know if they ever isolated the cause for problems with the Dec release of 2.2.1 so you'll only know if it works for you, if you try it. Back up your personal files on external media first, to be safe, if you decide to run the update. :Wink: