Dell Copyright (C) 2004, All Rights reserved. www.dell.com BIOS Release Notes =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A08 Build Date: 07/14/2004 The following updates were made to the A07 BIOS to create the A08 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issues where the system fails to boot to certain USB storage devices or any USB storage when several such devices are attached to the system. 2. Fixed issue seen after several Standby/Resume cycles in which an external USB keyboard can no longer be used to enter a BIOS or hard-disk drive password. 3. Fixed system hang seen when resuming from Standby if the user notifies the operating system to eject an optical drive before entering Standby, but the drive is never removed. 4. Fixed issue in which media bay devices may be reported incorrectly in SMBIOS if the device is swapped while in Standby. 5. Fixed issue in which no audio is received from the analog audio channel of a DVD-RW drive in the media bay. 6. Fixed possible system hang during POST when the Parallel Mode in System Setup is configured to DISABLE. 7. Fixed problem where a reboot is required for a System Setup boot order change to take effect. Now, if is pressed during POST to enter System Setup, and a boot order change is made, the new boot order will take effect upon exiting System Setup. 8. Fixed issue in which QuickSet may intermittently fail to detect a hotkey press, such as the CD Eject hotkey. 9. Update to Pre-boot System Assessment to build 3012. This version addresses problems when executing the hard-disk drive tests without AC power attached. Enhancements: 1. Added support for informed hot-undocking. The undock method can be configured as either "Hot Undock" or "Warm Undock" using the new "Undocking Method" field on page 5 of System Setup. The system must be rebooted after changing this field. Previously, the system would only allow warm-undocking. When warm-undocking, the system enters Standby mode if the dock eject button is pressed or the user commands the Operating System to undock the computer from the Start Menu. The new default behavior is Hot Undock. This allows the system to stay powered on when undocking. PLEASE NOTE: Regardless of how "Undocking Method" is configured, the user must notify the system before undocking by either pressing the dock eject button or commanding the OS to undock the computer from the Start Menu. 2. Added support for DVD+/-RW drives to be displayed in System Setup and SMBIOS correctly. 3. Added support for newer versions of the Intel Pentium M processor. 4. Added feature to allow the BIOS Admin password to unlock the primary hard-disk drive password. For this feature to work, the BIOS Admin password must be installed at the time the drive password is created. Also, the BIOS Admin password will only unlock the password for a drive that is installed in the specific system on which the drive password is originally created. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A08 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A07 Build Date: 12/15/2003 The following updates were made to the A06 BIOS to create the A07 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Improved the battery charging algorithm for fully discharged batteries. 2. Fixed problem where a system running on batteries may resume immediately after entering a suspend state when the system is low on battery life. 3. Fixed issue in DOS where if a USB key is the boot device the System will hang for a few minutes before displaying an error message if the USB key is removed. 4. Improved the dual-battery discharge algorithm. 5. Fixed an issue where the Belkin Cardbus-1394 adapter may fail to install properly. 6. Fixed an issue where the system may hang at the end of POST if a HUB with a USB device is connected. attached. Enhancements: 1. Added support for newer Intel MiniPCI wireless card. 2. Added support for WXGA TV. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A07 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A06 Build Date: 10/15/2003 The following updates were made to the A05 BIOS to create the A06 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue where exiting Dell Diags with a USB keyboard connected may cause a system hang. 2. Fixed issue where some fully discharged batteries may not recharge. 3. Fixed issue where BIOS Setup may report the wrong CPU speed. 4. Fixed issue seen under Windows XP Service Pack 1 where the CPU speed may be incorrect when resuming from hibernate if the AC adapter type was changed while in hibernate. 5. Fixed intermittent "unexpected error" seen when running the System BIOS flash update program in Windows. 6. Fixed hang seen during boot with the HP PSC2200 all-in-one USB printer attached. 7. Fixed issue where the system would shutdown if the battery drained to a critically low level while the system was in Standby. 8. Fixed issue where pressing while in BIOS Setup may not function if the "Enable Keypad" option is set to "By NumLock". 9. Decreased the amount of time required for the system to enter Standby after closing the lid. 10. Fixed issue where a USB floppy attached to the system may be lost during an OS CD installation. 11. Fixed issue in which the Dell Diags fan test may report a fan failure, even though the fan is working correctly. 12. Fixed issue where SMBIOS may not report an accurate battery capacity for a fully-charged, Dell-supported battery. 13. Fixed intermittent abnormal NumLock LED behavior at POST. 14. Added workaround for some USB keys that resulted in the system hanging if multiple USB devices were present. 15. Fixed issue where the Scroll Lock key on an external keyboard cannot be used during a Dell Diags keyboard test when "External Hot Key" is set to "Scroll Lock" in BIOS Setup. 16. Fixed issue where a USB floppy drive may fail to initialize. 17. Fixed issue where the Bluetooth LED may not turn off when performing a warm undock. 18. Fixed issue where the battery LED may flash amber when the battery is swapped while in Standby. Enhancements: 1. Reduced the minimum remaining battery capacity required to run the System BIOS flash update program in Windows. The flash update program requires that an AC adapter be attached and the battery be charged to atleast 11%. 2. Added support for newer batteries. 3. Added a SmartCard Function field on page 4 of BIOS Setup to allow the system administrator to enable or disable the SmartCard feature. 4. Added support for newer Intel Pentium M processors. 5. Added new flash code for combined Windows and DOS BIOS flash utility. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A06 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A05 Build Date: 06/02/2003 The following updates were made to the A04 BIOS to create the A05 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed an issue where the CMOS Setup field for SpeedStep(tm) would not disable SpeedStep(tm) transitions under WinXP when this field was set to DISABLED. 2. Prevent system from spending an excessive amount of time in POST if a non-compliant USB storage device is attached. 3. Fixed system hang seen when the modem detects an incoming call while the system is entering standby. 4. Fixed issue in which the operating system may report erroneous battery information after the battery is swapped while in standby. 5. Fixed a problem disabling Intel Speedstep(tm) in Windows 2000. Setting the SpeedStep CMOS field to DISABLED would cause the Intel Speedstep Applet to unload itself. The applet would then have to be re-installed in order for SpeedStep functionality to be restored. 6. Fixed issue in which the and keys may have no effect during POST when using a USB keyboard. Enhancements: ============= 1. Launch the built-in Pre-boot System Assessment (PSA) if the Fn key is held down while the power button is pressed. 2. Added 'Configure Passwords' field to the System Security page in CMOS Setup. This feature allows the system administrator password to be used to prevent users from installing system or hard disk drive passwords. 3. Reduced amount of time spent waiting for USB floppy disk drives to spin up during POST. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A05 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A04 Build Date: 04/25/2003 The following updates were made to the A03 BIOS to create the A04 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue involving IBM/Hitachi Cascade hard drives not being detected during POST. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A04 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A03 Build Date: 04/18/2003 The following updates were made to the A02 BIOS to create the A03 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Updated the VBIOS to support the Chrontel 7009B part. This resolves issues with waviness on certain DVI displays, and no display on some Viewsonic 15" DVI displays. 2. Changed USB settings to meet USB 2.0 certification requirements. 3. Fixed an issue involving Dell Diagnostics and system batteries supplied by Panasonic. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A03 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A02 Build Date: 03/31/2003 The following updates were made to the A01 BIOS to create the A02 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed an issue involving no display when undocking with the lid closed and "lid close" set to "none" in the operating system. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A02 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A01 Build Date: 03/24/2003 The following updates were made to the A00 BIOS to create the A01 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed an issue involving subsystem and subsystem vendor IDs and the Win2k HCTs. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================== End of A01 Release Notes ===================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 500m Series Version: A00 Build Date: 03/13/2003 Initial release of the BIOS The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI