Dell Copyright (C) 2003, All Rights reserved. www.dell.com BIOS Release Notes Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A22 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 03/03/03 (Memory location FFFF:0005) ********************************************************************* ** IMPORTANT NOTES FOR THIS RELEASE ** 1. Windows 2000 users with systems equipped with ATI video controllers must also download and install the A10 video driver (R54215.EXE) when upgrading to this BIOS. Failure to do so may prevent the LCD panel from to turning on when opening the lid after suspending the system by closing the lid. 2. Windows ME users must also download and install the OS Update utility for Windows ME (OSUPA00.EXE) when upgrading to this BIOS version. Failure to do so may prevent the system or peripherals from functioning properly. ********************************************************************* The following updates were made to the A21 BIOS to create A22: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which modular bay and dock media bay drives may not be recognized correctly by SMBIOS under an ACPI operating systems. 2. Fixed poor modem and serial port connectivity under APM and ACPI operating systems. 3. Fixed issue in which System Setup displays the wrong capacity for hard disk drives larger than 65GB. 4. Fixed problem in which SMBIOS fails to notify Dell Open Manage Client Instrumentation of system fan failures. 5. Fixed issue in which ISA devices could not be manually reconfigured to use IRQ 10 in Device Manager. 6. Fixed problem under Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 where a Matrox Millennium G450 PCI card installed in a C/Dock or C/DockII PCI slot would be listed in Device Manager with an error. 7. Fixed issue in which some bootable CDs do not boot. 8. Improved accuracy of the battery discharge rate reported to ACPI for purposes of battery time remaining calculations. 9. Fixed audio and video stuttering observed when playing a DVD with 2 fully charged batteries installed. 10. Fixed issue in which the user may need to suspend touchpad and trackstick use for several seconds before either device will respond. 11. Fixed issue in which some external serial port devices attached to the system may detect a break or framing error when the OS loads. 12. Fixed problem in which an external CRT attached to the dock may not be active after hot-docking. 13. Fixed issue in which certain CD-ROM, DVD and CD-RW drives installed in the system modular bay may increase the amount of time required to wake from Standby under Windows 2000 and Windows XP. 14. Fixed issue where a Secondary display may not display after a resume from disk under APM operating systems. 15. Fixed issue in which certain USB CF and SmartMedia card readers are not detected after a cold reboot. 16. Fixed issue in which the system stops responding after the user places the system in Standby, closes the lid then warm docks to a docking station with a CRT attached. 17. Fixed problem in which the system will not resume to both LCD and external CRT when resuming by opening the lid if an external CRT is attached. 18. Fixed issue where system would not automatically reboot after a remote or floppyless BIOS upgrade. Enhancements: 1. Enhanced BIOS support to ensure Computrace Security Software operates consistently when new BIOS versions are released. 2. Replaced with as the hotkey used to exit the One Time Boot Menu screen. 3. Reduced the number of System Management Interrupts that occur when USB Legacy is enabled. 4. Added support for additional LCD panels. 5. Updated the ATI video BIOS to version 4.096. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 3. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A21 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 07/02/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) ********************************************************************* ** IMPORTANT NOTES FOR THIS RELEASE ** 1. Windows 2000 users with systems equipped with ATI video controllers must also download and install the A09 video driver (M3W2KA9.EXE) when upgrading to this BIOS. Failure to do so may prevent the LCD panel from to turning on when opening the lid after suspending the system by closing the lid. 2. Windows ME users must also download and install the OS Update utility for Windows ME (OSUPA00.EXE) when upgrading to this BIOS version. Failure to do so may prevent the system or peripherals from functioning properly. ********************************************************************* The following updates were made to the A20 BIOS to create A21: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue seen under APM operating systems in which the system may hang after resuming from a resuspend due to entering an incorrect BIOS or hard disk drive password. 2. Fixed issue seen under WinNT 4.0 in which the LCD display may fail to turn on after a warm undock with a BIOS password enabled. 3. Fixed issue seen under APM operating systems in which a change to the Pointing Device field in System Setup may disable the Touchpad-Trackstick and an external PS/2 mouse. 4. Fixed issue in which the displays flicker several times when using to toggle between an external CRT and the LCD. 5. Fixed issue in which USB devices may be disabled if multiple devices are reset at the same time. 6. Fixed issue in which a USB Intellimouse may fail to respond when attached to the same USB hub as a USB keyboard. 7. Fixed issue in which some systems may fail to display the Dell Logo screen during POST. 8. Improve CardBus NIC performance under ACPI by preventing the operating system from assigning CardBus devices to IRQ 9. Enhancements: 1. Updated the ATI video BIOS to version 4.100. 2. Added support for additional LCD panels. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A20 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 05/02/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A19 BIOS to create A20: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which systems may fail to complete POST with 256MB RAM installed. 2. Fixed issue in which Remote BIOS Update may fail to update the BIOS. 3. Fixed issue in which the fans may remain on high speed constantly. 4. Fixed issue in which a suspend initiated by closing the lid may cause the LCD display to resume in compressed font mode. 5. Fixed issue seen when using Safeguard Easy security software in which a "No bootable devices" error is seen after entering the correct password. 6. Fixed issue in which WinDVD will pause after a Standby is initiated from the Start Menu with USB speakers attached. 7. Fixed issue in which the user is not able to enter System Setup after booting to a CD-ROM drive. 8. Fixed issue where "Time-of-Day" intermittently shows up as all zeros. 9. Fixed issue seen when resuming from hibernate on battery power only in which the OS may report unsafe removal of a USB device. 10. Fixed issue where system does not correctly detect the battery when inserted and removed several times. 11. Fixed issue in which the system fails to obtain an IP address from a DHCP server when booting from a PXE-compliant CardBus NIC. 12. Fixed issue seen Windows 2000 and Windows XP in which a USB device may be re-enumerated after warm undock. 13. Fixed issue in which the OS does not always detect a battery change. 14. Fix CMOS error seen on some systems at POST (invalid CMOS configuration) after over 3 hours of continuous reboots. 15. Fixed issue in which the OS may report that a battery is charging even if the charger is disabled. 16. Fixed lock-ups seen when the BIOS password screen is repeatedly aborted (i.e. wrong password entered) and the system re-suspends. 17. Fixed issue in which the system loops on suspend when a critically low battery is installed. 18. Fix problem that leads to intermittent hangs when playing DVDs under Windows XP and Windows 2000. 19. Fixed issue in which the serial port is not initialized properly preventing some serial comms applications from working. 20. Fixed issue in which ACPI may report that both batteries are charging even though only one can charge at a time. Enhancements: 1. Configure PS/2 devices earlier in POST, allowing earlier detection of "F2" and "F12" keys. 2. Increased the amount of time before the system shuts down when swapping batteries without AC power attached when in suspend mode. 3. Added support for faster resume from hibernate. 4. Allow changes to Touchpad/Mouse settings in System Setup to take effect immediately instead of requiring a reboot. 5. Updated the ATI Video BIOS to version 4.095. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A19 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 02/06/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A18 BIOS to create A19: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which some batteries may permanently stop charging. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A18 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 01/11/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A17 BIOS to create A18: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue seen under ACPI Operating Systems in which the volume hotkeys do not update the mixer unless the mixer is open or audio is playing. 2. Fixed issue seen under WinXP in which ATAPI drives (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, ZIP) are not recognized when hot-plugged if one of these drives was previously removed while in Suspend or Hibernate. 3. Fixed issue in which the system may fail to boot to a CardBus NIC. 4. Fixed issue in which booting to a ZIP250 drive may fail on some systems. 5. Fixed issue in which System Setup never reports batteries as Idle. 6. Fixed issue in which a system attached to a docking station will boot with the lid closed even though no external CRT is attached to the docked. Enhancements: 1. Removed Numlock settings for docked & undocked profiles in System Setup and added a new field called "Enable Keypad". This allow users to more accurately control the behavior of the internal keypad. 2. Optimized thermal control procedures to improve performance. 3. Optimized the battery charging algorithm. 4. Updated the ATI VBIOS to version 4.093. This includes support for faster resuming under WinXP. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A17 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 09/20/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A13 & A16 BIOS to create A17: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the system may intermittently display a "no boot device available" message when attempting to boot to any device other than the floppy disk drive. 2. Fixed issue seen under WinME in which the system may not resume from suspend to the correct display(s) when an external CRT is attached. 3. Fixed audio stuttering heard when the fans turn on or off while playing music or videos. 4. Fixed "Unsafe Device Removal" warning message seen under Win2K after removing an IDE device or swapping from an IDE device to a battery. 5. Fixed issue seen under Win2K in which the LCD may fail to turn off when the lid is closed. Enhancements: 1. Added additional optimizations to the battery charging algorithm. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A16 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/30/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A12 BIOS to create A16: Enhancements: 1. Optimized the battery charging algorithm. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A15 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/28/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The A15 BIOS was not released. =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A14 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/23/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The A14 BIOS was not released. =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A13 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 07/13/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A12 BIOS to create the A13 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which video jitter is observed on external CRTs when in certain video modes. 2. Fixed issue in which the system will hang under Windows 2000 when attempting to suspend with a TV set as the primary display while a CRT is connected. 3. Fixed issue in which the Fortezza encryption card is not recognized when a 3COM Mini-PCI NIC is installed and enabled in System Setup. 4. Fixed issue seen with dual-speed processors when the 'CPU Battery Setup' field is set to 'Maximum Performance' in System Setup: The processor will transition to the low speed after 2 suspend/resume cycles when no AC power is attached to the system. Enhancements: 1. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded to version 4.089. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A12 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 07/05/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A11 BIOS to create the A12 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the system would fail to resume after a warm dock or undock event when using the Windows Millennium OS. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A11 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 06/21/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made to the A10 BIOS to create the A11 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which extra key presses during POST would lead to excessive beeps if choice.com is run from autoexec.bat. 2. Fixed issue in which systems automatically power on in response to the Auto-On alarm even when AC power is not present. 3. Fixed issue in which Windows 2000 display settings are lost when moving between docked and undocked hardware profiles. 4. Fixed issue in which systems fail to Wake On LAN from the Off State using the onboard dock NIC after shutting down from Windows 2000. 5. Fixed issue in which some newer Pentium processors are not identified correctly. 6. Fixed failure to boot from a CardBus NIC equipped with a bootable option ROM. 7. Fixed issue in which System Setup does not show the correct CPU speed when AC power is removed or added while in suspend and 'CPU Battery Setup' is set to 'Battery Optimized'. Enhancements: 1. Added support for extended serial port initialization - Int 14h, function 04h. 2. Added new boot device list on page 2 of System Setup. 3. Added a One-Time Boot Menu which allows users to change the boot device order for one boot only, by pressing during POST. 4. Added System Setup exit screen to ask user if they wish to save their changes. Changes to date/time and password settings cannot be undone. 5. Changed the Help Text in System Setup for 'CPU Battery Setup' field to explain that the CPU performance will not change upon insertion/removal of AC power until the system is turned off and turned back on. 6. The BIOS flash program has been modified to allow it to execute with much less available DOS memory under 640K. 7. New Help Text in System Setup explaining that the Slow IR setting may be overridden by some operating systems. 8. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded to version 4.084. 9. The nVidia video BIOS has been upgraded to version 3.11.01.13.12. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A10 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 05/02/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) ********************************************************************* CAUTION: One of two error conditions may be encountered when attempting to upgrade the Dell Latitude C800 BIOS without using the Dell BIOS Upgrade Disk image. 1. "Program too big to fit in memory" This occurs when using the c800_[version].exe flash program in conjunction with DOS versions newer than 6.22. 2. "Error! Make sure the file c800_[version].exe is in the current device A:" This error occurs when using the upgrade.exe program to launch the BIOS flash program in conjunction with DOS versions newer than 6.22. Both error messages occur because not enough free RAM exists in DOS versions newer than 6.22 for the programs to successfully execute. To avoid these error messages use the Dell BIOS Upgrade Disk to flash the system. ********************************************************************* The following updates were made to the A09 BIOS to create the A10 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which some batteries may charge slowly. Enhancements: 1. Added support for new revisions of Pentium processors. 2. In dual battery configurations, added an enhancement to charge the Primary battery first. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A09 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 04/05/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A08 BIOS to create the A09 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which high-capacity batteries may charge slowly. Enhancements: 1. Added fast memory test to reduce POST time. 2. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded from version 4.070 to version 4.071. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A08 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 03/21/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A07 BIOS to create the A08 BIOS: Enhancements: 1. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded from version 4.066 to version 4.070. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A07 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 03/18/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The A07 BIOS was not released. The following updates were made the A06 BIOS to create the A07 BIOS: Enhancements: 1. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded from version 4.065 to version 4.066. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A06 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 03/07/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A05 BIOS to create the A06 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue seen under Win2K in which the system may hang after hot-docking with an ActionTec Mini-PCI Combo card installed. 2. Fixed intermittent Win2K blue screen error seen during boot when a NIC is installed and "Boot POST" is set to "Minimal" in System Setup. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A05 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 02/27/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A04 BIOS to create the A05 BIOS: 1. Fixed issue seen under Win2K in which HP USB CD-RW fails to install. 2. Fixed issue in which Num Lock would stay enabled after a warm reboot. 3. Fixed issue in which System Setup reports 'Battery Optimized' when the 'CPU Battery Setup:' option is set to 'Maximum Performance' and the system is booted without AC power attached. 4. Fixed issue in which Legacy USB support was creating an un-handled interrupt. This was causing failures with DOS NIC test utilities. Enhancements: 1. Added new Mini-PCI field to show the type of card installed: 1. Modem = "Modem" 2. NIC/Modem Combo = "Combo" 3. Wireless NIC = "Wireless" 4. All others = "Unknown" 2. Added new CMOS options to enable or disable NumLock depending the on hardware profile in which the system is booted. CMOS SETTING HW PROFILE NUMLOCK Disable N/A Off Enable N/A On Undocked Undocked On Undocked Docked Off Docked Undocked Off Docked Docked On 3. Added SMBIOS entry to describe the Mini-PCI slot. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A04 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 02/07/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A03 BIOS to create the A04 BIOS: Enhancements: 1. Added support for Windows NT 4.0 SP5. 2. Added support for newer Pentium III processor revisions. 3. The video BIOS has been upgraded from version 4.061 to ver 4.065. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP5 =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A03 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 02/07/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A02 BIOS to create the A03 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the touchpad and trackstick may stop working during heavy internal keyboard activity. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A02 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 12/05/00 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A01 BIOS to create the A02 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which an external 5-button mouse may stop responding if the touchpad is used. 2. Fixed issue seen under Windows 2000 in which an "Unsafe Device Removal" warning was displayed after warm undocking from a dock with a printer attached. 3. Fixed issue in which System Setup identified all systems as "Latitude C800 ???ST", regardless of the LCD panel attached. The last 1 or 2 letters of the system name correspond to the type of LCD panel attached, according to the following table: ST ==> 12.1" SVGA GT ==> 14.1" XGA X ==> 14.1" SXGA+ LT ==> 15.0" XGA VT ==> 15.0" SXGA+ U ==> 15.0" UXGA YT ==> 15.4" SXGA Enhancements: 1. Implemented changes to reduce fan activity. 2. Added support for ST-Micro and SST firmware hubs. 3. Added support for ATA-100 hard disk drives. This enhancement will have no affect unless the operating system also supports ATA-100. 4. Added support for the ActionTech J-Class Mini-PCI card. 5. Added support for UXGA LCD panels. 6. The video BIOS has been upgraded from version 4.059 to 4.061 The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A01 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 11/17/00 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following updates were made the A00 BIOS to create the A01 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed problem seen when charging some batteries. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C800 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A00 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 09/28/00 (Memory location FFFF:0005) Initial release of the BIOS Video BIOS is ATI 4.059 The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI