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#1 | Alienware M15 R3 Bios Recovery datum

Sun Apr 25, 2021 12:42 am (Last edited: Sun Apr 25, 2021 12:45 am)

NOTE this is not a 15 R3 but rather an m15 R3.

Tried every way I've found to get the machine to read BIOS_RCV.img from a flash drive to no avail.

A dump from an TL866II Plus (genuine from xgecu.com) of the W25Q128FV is here:
1drv.ms/u/s!AsPpem11FhiAgfU-A6TvsYX-ZL92NA?e=hDY6YD (1.bin)

and here's a link to the latest bios on dell's site: dl.dell.com/FOLDER07029465M/1/Alienware_m15_R3_m17_R3_1.8.0.EXE

I used amiucp to get a 15mb file but i don't know how to merge into the suspected corrupt image i've dumped. Do i do a extract body on individual suspect modules?

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#2 | RE: Alienware M15 R3 Bios Recovery datum

Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:19 am

The approximately 15MB (0xF30000) image contained in the AMIUCP executable is actually an AMI PFAT image which can be extracted into its SPI/BIOS components via AMI BIOS Guard Extractor.

Upon extraction, the combined PFAT components image (AMI_PFAT_1_DATA_ALL.bin) includes the BIOS firmware (in the correct order hopefully, that is not a given with PFAT, as explained at the README of the utility). If we remove the PFAT end data (AMI_PFAT_1_DATA_END.bin) from AMI_PFAT_1_DATA_ALL.bin we get an image which is 0xF2A21F - 0x32A21F = 0xC00000 (12MB), which is the size of the BIOS region within the SPI chip.

So, provided that the combined PFAT components (w/o the end data) are in the correct order, the resulting 12MB image is the on that you need to replace at the BIOS region of the dumped SPI image. UEFITool does not seem to really complain about the resulting 12MB image, so I think it's in order and can be replaced as is. Either way, you have a programmer at hand. Thus, I have attached the actual 12MB BIOS region from Dell's AMIUCP executable > AMIPFAT image.

plutomaniac has attached files to this post

BIOS_R00.bin -- 1_00 -- AMI_PFAT_1_DATA_RAW.rar

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#3 | RE: Alienware M15 R3 Bios Recovery datum

Mon Apr 26, 2021 5:30 am

I am bookmarking and backing up this post. I have had so many failed bios updates coming through the shop since Win 10 started installing them in it's update routines.

HP seems to have the bios recovery procedure nailed, dell is lagging recently though and I've had to resort to finding dumps on the internet which is sketch. Thank you plutomaniac I will try replacing the region you attached just to see if it works, and then I'll try it my own! I actually kinda love finding out about firmware, it's horribly important after all.

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[Request] Dell Vostro 260 - Add Ivy Bridge support � � Lenovo ideapad 330S-15ARR Corrupt BIOS

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