I have a Dell Vostro 1000 laptop that will no longer power on after a BIOS update. The BIOS flash process seemed to go just fine, but after shutting down I'm not able to turn it on anymore, at all--no illuminated LEDs (not even momentarily), no spinning fans, no sounds, apparently nothing at all. The latest official BIOS is here: downloads.dell.com/bios/WinVost263.EXE I believe it's a regular Phoenix BIOS since it comes with WinPhlash. I've tried as many of the Phoenix and Dell recovery methods that I've seen posted around here as I could find--removing the battery and power cord, and then holding various key combinations while plugging the power cord back in (Win+B, Fn+B, End, Ctrl+F, Ctrl+W, Ctrl+End, Ctrl+Home are the ones I tried, and then tried holding the power button along with each, and then tried not holding power but pressing it after plugging in the cord while still holding the other keys). No sign of anything happening ever with any of those attempts, not even a red battery LED or anything. Anyone know if I could be missing something here? Maybe a different key combination? Or if there's something else I can try other than buying a new motherboard or desoldering the BIOS chip to flash it externally (I'm a bit terrible at soldering anything other than through-hole stuff)? Is it possible to do a JTAG flash on this model (I would consider trying that if all else fails)? Thanks for any help. I've been looking around quite a bit for a solution on my own the last few days but I'm still stuck.
if its winphlash it might need phoenix recovery method with crisdisk and bios.wph however no powerup .. USB SPI programmer needed. i use EN25T80 from ebay u might be able to use a SO8 test clip so no need to unsolder (pomona or 3M are best) plug in power to laptop but no power up while doing so8 clip to provide 3.3 volt to bios circuit. make backup.bin first.
Thank you very much for the suggestions! Flashing via test clip sounds like a good idea. I've seen SO8 test clips before, but I think this laptop uses a 40-pin TSOP instead (based on what I could find by looking around online; I have yet to disassemble the laptop and look myself). Do you know of or have any recommendations for a TSOP40 clip? I have a programmer already but I can buy a different one (such as the EN25T80 you recommended) if that would be necessary for any reason. I appreciate your help so far.
Hi perhaps it 's the same methode to recover vostro 1320 Run the Executable bios file on any computer (( DO NOT INSTALL )) and go to C:WINDOWS\TEMP\WINPHLASH look for BIOS.ROM and rename the file to BIOS.WPH Use Crisdisk format a USB flash and add BIOS.WPH to the USB flash Remove the Laptop battery unplug the AC power, then hold down the power button for 10 seconds (leave the laptop power unplugged during this time). Hold down the SHIFT key and plug the power cable. The power led will flash orange Press the power button keep holding the SHIFT key for 10 seconds then release it. The fan will start spinning loud Wait fews minutes for the BIOS to complete the processes
Thank you hbissou. I just tried that and there still doesn't seem to be any sign of anything happening, not even the orange power LED. I've read something about the keyboard controller ROM being included with the main BIOS image in some BIOS updates. Do you guys think it could be possible that my keyboard also isn't working because of that, and therefore my keypresses (shift, end, Win+B, Fn+B, etc.) aren't even being recognized by the recovery system in the first place? Is there anything that can be done to check for that or repair it if it is part of the problem? Just out of curiosity, I did also try taking out the internal keyboard and connecting a spare one I had, but that didn't help so I switched it back. I didn't really expect there to be anything wrong with the actual keyboard itself though. When the BIOS flash finished, the computer didn't automatically shut down (like I'm used to), and the keyboard wasn't working at that point either (but it did work before the flash). I know that's sometimes normal behavior, but maybe it's a problem here?
i just flashed E6430 and it took like 3 minutes.. the EC was flashed and Intel M.E. so likely if it did not finish EC then keyboard might not work. i think bios bootblock is corrupt.. no power. check memory stcks.. try 1 at a time