Help recover Dell 7548

Discussion in 'BIOS Mods' started by Mydellcrashed, Dec 6, 2019.

  1. Mydellcrashed

    Mydellcrashed MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2019
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    Hi all,

    I need some assistance recovering my Inspiron 7548 from a failed bios update. Currently, the system only has a blank screen and power led and battery light.

    I've been reading for the past few days on recovering through HDR file and END key method , but I haven't been successful in extracting the HDR file from the BIOS EXE. - writehdrfile doesn't work and /writehdrfile doesn't provide the right file from what I've read.


    Here are the BIOS exe's provided by Dell :

    A08: can't post link due to being a new member.
    A05:
    System: Dell Inspiron 7548

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
     
  2. Serg008

    Serg008 MDL BIOS/EFI Guru

    Feb 23, 2010
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    AMIUCP can extract the bios files from this *.exe from dell
     
  3. Mydellcrashed

    Mydellcrashed MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2019
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    Thanks for the response!

    I tried AMIUCP already but couldn't find a way to extract any files. If possible, can you please provide steps?
     
  4. Serg008

    Serg008 MDL BIOS/EFI Guru

    Feb 23, 2010
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    upload_2019-12-6_10-21-56.png
     
  5. Mydellcrashed

    Mydellcrashed MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2019
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    I did exactly that, renamed file to 7548.HDR and tried the END key method. Still a no go. Can the .ROM file simply be renamed to .HDR or is there a different process?
     
  6. Serg008

    Serg008 MDL BIOS/EFI Guru

    Feb 23, 2010
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    try rename it as BIOS.hdr
     
  7. Mydellcrashed

    Mydellcrashed MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2019
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    Just tried it, still a no go. I have the following files on a 1GB Fat32 flash drive, all of them being a rename of the R00 file extracted:
    7548.HDR
    7548.ROM
    BIOS.HDR
    BIOS.ROM

    I've also tried FAT format. Any other thoughts?
     
  8. Serg008

    Serg008 MDL BIOS/EFI Guru

    Feb 23, 2010
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    recovery procedure for Dell
    - Shutdown the notebook
    - Remove all peripheral devices
    - Remove battery, Remove AC power cord
    - Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds (battery and AC power still out), then release
    - Put the USB Memory Stick with the BIOS.hdr file in the USB port
    - Hold "End" button and plug the AC power cord in
    Wait until the fan will run, then release "End" key
    - The fan will run for about 2-10 minutes and the USB drive activity LED will blink

    I think that notebook rebooted automatically. (If it doesn't, unplug the AC power cord once the fan has turned off )

    add. As I remember USB 2.0 port must be used
     
  9. Mydellcrashed

    Mydellcrashed MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2019
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    Alright, thank you. Following your instructions to the specifics now. Will update.
     
  10. Mydellcrashed

    Mydellcrashed MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2019
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    Just tried it, didn't work. Tried both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. Any other suggestions?
     
  11. Mydellcrashed

    Mydellcrashed MDL Novice

    Dec 3, 2019
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    IT WORKED! The Dell logo appeared and the bios flashed! I OWE you and other members on this site who posted instruction for recover. Truly, thank you!
     
  12. tqhoang

    tqhoang MDL BIOS Modder

    Apr 29, 2008
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    Good news!
    Please document what you changed or did to make it work, so others can be helped.
     
  13. Slick74

    Slick74 MDL Novice

    Apr 14, 2020
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    I just had the same issue. I was updating from A00 to A08 using the Windows 10 installer. It erased the BIOS, copied 2 blocks, and that was it. I eventually had to force shut down and the machine was bricked. The power button would light up, but when pushed it would just run the fan with a black screen.

    Here's what I did - a version of the above:

    1) Downloaded the 7548A08.exe file from Dell
    2) Ran 7548A08.exe /writehrdfile
    3) Ran 7548A08.exe /writeromfile
    4) Renamed 7548a08.hdr to 7548.hdr, and copied it to BIOS.hrd
    5) Renamed 7548a08.rom to 7548.rom, and copied it to BIOS.rom
    6) Copied the 4 files (7548.* and BIOS.*) to a small USB drive (64 MB) with FAT format
    7) With laptop off and unplugged (nothing done to battery), inserted the USB drive into a port on the right side
    8) Holding End, I plugged in the power cable
    9) Nothing happened after a few seconds, so I let go of End
    10) Screen came on, BIOS flash ran for 30 seconds or so, and then it rebooted and started Windows 10
    11) Once in Windows, used System Information to confirm I have A08

    I hope these steps might work for someone else. This machine is essential for our home schooling efforts, so I am ecstatic to have not destroyed it.

    Thanks!
     
  14. ABLM24

    ABLM24 MDL Novice

    Jul 14, 2020
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    Hi. i have the same error. Can you help me with that ?? i dont understand step 4 and 5
     
  15. tqhoang

    tqhoang MDL BIOS Modder

    Apr 29, 2008
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    #15 tqhoang, Jul 15, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2022
    In Steps 4 & 5, he's essentially making two copies of each extracted HDR and ROM file. He's not sure which one worked, so he put all four files onto the USB stick.
    Step 4.
    copy "7548a08.hdr" "7548.hdr"
    copy "7548a08.hdr" "bios.hdr"


    Step 5.
    copy "7548a08.rom" "7548.rom"
    copy "7548a08.rom" "bios.rom"
     
  16. kaljukass

    kaljukass MDL Guru

    Nov 26, 2012
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    #16 kaljukass, Jul 15, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2021
    Maybe I remember incorrectly, but I have read the DELL BIOS update methods for quite some time, and precisely because there have been a lot of times lately that it says "crashed" and ended up with a "black screen", etc., so that it is probably BIOS corrupted.
    And what I found was that someone said that you shouldn't upgrade from A00 to A08, for example, if there are intermediate versions, such as A05 (urgent) and A07 (Recommended).
    Namely, it was stated that it is necessary to update in the order, ie can be omitted only that marked "Recommended", all others must be done in order.
    Perhaps within that is a good idea, I don't know, I haven't had that situation.
    Question: What do older professionals think about this?
     
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  17. Moogway

    Moogway MDL Novice

    Jan 28, 2024
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    Just commenting to say that this worked on my Dell Inspiron 7548 too!
    Same story... was updating to BIOS A08 when my screen froze, and I ended up shutting down forcefully. Next thing I knew, my laptop wouldn't start up (black screen with white power indicator).

    I do want to note that using the FAT format on a USB 2.0 device was key for me. I tried exFAT and FAT32 on a USB 3.0 device and had no luck.
    In my case, I had to let go of the END key a second after plugging in the power cable, otherwise if I held it too long, the BIOS flash process wouldn't start.

    Regards to which port was used, I used the USB port on the right corner.