Dell Inc Copyright (C) 2003, All Rights reserved. www.dell.com BIOS Release Notes =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8500 Version: A06 Build Date: 07/12/04 The following updates were made to the A05 BIOS to create the A06 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the system may unexpectedly shutdown or lockup when booting with certain PCMCIA cards inserted. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. Fixed issue in which no audio is received from the analog audio channel of a DVD-RW drive in the media bay. 5. Fixed issue in which media bay devices may be reported incorrectly in SMBIOS if the device is swapped while in Standby. 6. Fixed possible system hang during POST when the Parallel Mode in System Setup is configured to DISABLE. 7. Fixed issue in which QuickSet may intermittently fail to detect a hotkey press, such as the CD Eject hotkey. 8. Update to Pre-boot System Assessment to build 3012. This version addresses problems when executing the hard-disk drive tests without AC power attached. 9. Improved the battery charging algorithm for fully discharged batteries. 10. Fixed problem where a system running on batteries may resume immediately after entering a suspend state when the system is low on battery life. 11. 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. 12. Fixed an issue where the system may hang at the end of POST if a HUB with a USB device is connected. 13. Fixed problem where exiting DellDiags with a USB keyboard connected would cause a system hang. 14. Fixed problem where System Setup may report the wrong CPU speed. 15. Fixed intermittent "unexpected error" seen when running the System BIOS flash update program in Windows. 16. Fixed intermittent abnormal NumLock LED behavior seen during POST. 17. Fixed system hang seen when resuming from Standby after inserting an optical drive into the media bay while in Standby. 18. 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. 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 newer Intel MiniPCI wireless card. 3. Added support for DVD+/-RW drives to be displayed in System Setup and SMBIOS correctly. 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. 5. 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 at least 11%. 6. Added support for newer battery packs. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1) =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8500 Version: A05 Build Date: 09/30/03 The following updates were made to the A04 BIOS to create the A05 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed hang seen when exiting Dell Diagnostics with a USB keyboard connected. 2. Fixed problem where System Setup may report the wrong CPU speed. 3. Fixed intermittent "unexpected error" seen when running the System BIOS flash update program in Windows. 4. Fixed intermittent abnormal NumLock LED behavior seen during POST. 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 at least 11%. 2. Added support for newer battery packs. 3. Updated to the latest Mobile Intel Pentium 4-M microcode. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1) =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8500 Version: A04 Build Date: 08/28/03 The following updates were made to the A03 BIOS to create the A04 BIOS: Issues Fixed: ============= 1. Fixed hang seen during boot with the HP PSC2200 all-in-one USB printer attached. 2. Improved the dual-battery discharging algorithm. 3. Fixed problem where the system would shutdown if the battery drained to a critically low battery state while the system was in Standby. 4. Fixed problem where the battery LED will flash amber when the battery is swapped while in Standby. 5. Fixed problem where pressing while in BIOS Setup will not function if the "Enable Keypad" option is set to "by NumLock". 6. Fixed problem where SMBIOS would not report an accurate battery capacity for a fully charged Dell supported battery. 7. Decreased the time required for the system to enter Standby after closing the lid. 8. Fixed a problem where a USB floppy attached to the system would be lost during the OS CD installation. 9. Fixed issue in which the and keys may have no effect during POST when using a USB keyboard. 10. Prevent system from spending an excessive amount of time in POST if a non-compliant USB storage device is attached. 11. Fixed issue in which the USB floppy disk drive may fail to initialize. 12. Fixed issue seen on systems equipped with a Bluetooth module in which the blue activity LED would fail to turn off when performing a warm undock from a Port Replicator. Enhancements: =============== 1. Show the memory speed in System Setup next to the memory capacity on Page 1. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1) =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8500 Version: A03 Build Date: 05/23/03 The following updates were made to the A02 BIOS to create the A03 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the system can't boot from a USB hard disk drive (HDD) if an internal HDD and modular bay HDD are also present. 2. Prevent system from spending an excessive amount of time in POST if a non-compliant USB storage device is attached. 3. Fixed issue in which the USB floppy disk drive may fail to initialize. 4. Fixed system hang seen when the modem detects an incoming call while the system is entering standby. 5. Fixed no display issue seen when the lid is closed while docked, the system is ejected from the dock and then resumed by opening the lid. 6. Fixed issue in which the operating system may report erroneous battery information after the battery is swapped while in standby. 7. Fixed issue in which the and keys may have no effect during POST when using a USB keyboard. Enhancements: 1. Changed the default settings for the "Wireless" and "Wireless Control" fields in System Setup to Wireless = Enabled and Wireless Control = /Application. 2. Reduced amount of time spent waiting for USB floppy disk drives to spin up during POST. 3. Added 'Configure Passwords' field to the System Security page in System Setup. This feature allows the system administrator password to be used to prevent users from installing system or hard disk drive passwords. 4. Enhanced battery charging algorithm. 5. Enable cache earlier in the BIOS 6. Launch the built-in Pre-boot System Assessment (PSA) if the key is held down while the power button is pressed. 7. Updated PSA diagnostics to version 3011, which supports enhanced LCD diagnostics. 8. Added new flash code for combined Windows and DOS BIOS flash program. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1) =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8500 Version: A02 Build Date: 04/29/03 The following updates were made to the A01 BIOS to create the A02 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed intermittent hard drive recognition issue during Power On Self Test (POST). 2. Addressed various audio anomalies formerly corrected by muting CD Audio in Volume Properties. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1) =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8500 Version: A01 Build Date: 03/14/03 The following updates were made to the A00 BIOS to create the A01 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed Universal Serial Bus (USB) legacy keyboard support upon resume from suspend to correct a hard drive password limitation. Enhancements: 1. Includes updated microcode support for the Pentium 4M processor. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1) =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Inspiron 8500 Version: A00 Build Date: 02/14/03 Initial release of the BIOS The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows XP Pro & Home (SP1)