Dell Copyright (C) 2002, All Rights reserved. www.dell.com BIOS Release Notes Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A23 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 11/07/02 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A22 BIOS to create A23: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which ISA devices could not be manually reconfigured to use IRQ 10 in Device Manager. 2. Fixed issue in which some bootable CDs do not boot. 3. Fixed issue in which the system may hang or unexpectedly reboot with Boot Speed set to Compatible and USB Legacy enabled. 4. Improved accuracy of the battery discharge rate reported to ACPI for purposes of calculating battery time remaining. 5. Fixed issue in which the user may need to suspend touchpad and trackstick use for several seconds before either device will respond. 6. Fixed issue in which some external serial port devices attached to the system may detect a break or framing error when the operating system loads. 7. 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. 8. Fixed issue in which the system may reboot when certain DVD drives are inserted into the system modular bay after resuming from Standby. 9. Fixed issue in which USB devices may be disabled if multiple devices on the same bus are reset at the same time. 10. Fixed issue where a Secondary display may not display after a resume from disk under APM operating systems. 11. Fixed issue seen under APM operating systems in which the system may hang after resuming from a re-suspend due to entering an incorrect BIOS or hard disk drive password. 12. Fixed system hang seen when the user suspends the system using the Sleep Button () then closes the lid and resumes after warm docking to a docking station with a CRT attached. 13. Fixed problem where PXE booting may not connect to a RIS server. 14. Fixed intermittent issue in which the system may fail to complete POST with AC power attached and a fully discharged battery installed. 15. Fixed issue seen under Windows NT 4.0 in which a BIOS or hard disk drive password screen would not be visible during resume from suspend. 16. Fixed issue in which certain USB CF and SmartMedia card readers are not detected after a cold reboot. Enhancements: 1. Replaced with as the hotkey used to exit the One Time Boot Menu screen. 2. The ATI M3 video BIOS has been upgraded to version 4.100. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A22 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 04/11/02 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A21 BIOS to create A22: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in Windows 2000 where mild video corruption is seen when using Fn+F7 with a full-screen DOS box open. 2. Fixed issue on Windows 98SE in which the OS may appear to hang when the battery reaches 100% charge. 3. Fixed issue seen when using Safeguard Easy security software in which a "No bootable devices" error is seen after entering the correct password. 4. Fixed issue where user is not able to enter System Setup after booting to a CD-ROM drive. 5. Fixed issue where "Time-of-Day" intermittently shows up as all zeros. 6. Fixed issue in which Remote BIOS Update may fail to update the BIOS. 7. Fixed issue in which ACPI OSes show one battery as fully drained when two batteries are installed. 8. Fixed issue where batteries may stop charging if system isn't rebooted after several days. 9. Fixed issue where System Setup takes 7 seconds to recognize a new battery. 10. Fixed issue under XP where system resumes to CRT only when docked and suspend in simul-mode. 11. Fixed issue where on battery resumes from hibernate the system will message an error about an unsafe removal of the USB. 12. Fixed issue where system does not correctly detect the battery when inserted and removed several times. 13. Fixed issue in which a system with a bootable CardBus NIC will not perform a network boot while docked. 14. Fix problem that leads to intermittent hangs when playing DVDs under Windows XP and Windows 2000. 15. Fixed issue on ACPI OSes do not always detect battery change. 16. Fixed issue seen on ACPI OSes in which the system loops on suspend when a critically low battery is installed. 17. Fixed issue under ACPI OSes in which the battery is reported as charging even if the charger is disabled. 18. Fixed lock-ups seen when the BIOS password screen is repeatedly aborted (ie wrong password entered) and the system re-suspends. 19. Fixed issue seen on ACPI OSes in which the system loops on suspend when a critically low battery is installed. 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. Added support for newer LCD panels. 6. Updated ATI VBIOS to rev 4.096. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A21 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 01/28/02 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A20 BIOS to create A21: 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 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A20 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 01/07/02 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A19 BIOS to create A20: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which systems with more than 256MB of RAM and a POST bitmap splash screen installed fail to complete POST when upgrading to the A19 BIOS. 2. Fixed issue in which the Dell Portables POST Bitmap Update Program reports that the system is not supported. 3. Fixed issue in which the system may stop responding when installing the ESS audio driver under Windows 2000. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A19 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 12/11/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A18 BIOS to create A19: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which a change to the Pointing Device field in System Setup doesn't take effect on a warm reboot. 2. Fixed audio stuttering heard when the fans turn on or off while playing music or videos. 3. Fixed issue seen on systems with more than 256MB RAM and a USB mouse attached in which Win2K won't boot. 4. Fixed issue seen under Win2K in which some DOS applications detect EGA instead of VGA video. 5. Fixed issue in which the system may intermittently fail to detect that a battery is installed. 6. Fixed issue in which some systems may fail to finish booting to WinME, Win2K and WinXP if the system modular bay is empty or contains a 2nd battery. 7. Fixed video corruption seen when entering System Setup with more than 256MB RAM installed. 8. Fixed issue seen under WinME, Win2K and WinXP in which the volume hotkeys do not update the mixer unless the mixer is open or audio is playing. 9. 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 Standby or Hibernate. 10. Fixed issue in which the system may fail to boot to a CardBus NIC. 11. Fixed issue in which booting to a ZIP250 drive may fail on some systems. 12. Fixed issue seen under Win2K in which the system may fail to resume from Standby if a password is installed in System Setup and the suspend was initiated with a lid-close. 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. Updated the ATI VBIOS to version 4.092. 3. Reduced the amount of time the system takes to resume from Standby under WinXP. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A18 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 09/13/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A15 & A16 BIOSs to create the A18 BIOS: 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 "Unsafe Device Removal" warning message seen under Win2K after removing an IDE device or swapping from an IDE device to a battery. 4. Fixed issue seen under Win2K in which the LCD may fail to turn off when the lid is closed. 5. Fixed intermittent issue in which the LCD backlight fails to turn on during a cold boot. 6. Fixed issue in which some systems may automatically turn on when AC power is inserted if "Wake On LAN" is enabled in System Setup. Enhancements: 1. Added additional optimizations to the battery charging algorithm. 2. Added support for Windows XP. 3. Added support for new versions of Intel Celeron processors. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP =================================================================== =================================================================== The A17 BIOS was not released. =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A16 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/28/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) ******************************************************************* PLEASE NOTE The A16 BIOS does not include changes added in the A15 BIOS. ******************************************************************* The following updates were made to the A14 BIOS to create A16: Enhancements: 1. Optimized the battery charging algorithm. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A15 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 07/13/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A14 BIOS to create the A15 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. Enhancements: 1. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded to version 4.089. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A14 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 07/05/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A13 BIOS to create the A14 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. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A13 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 06/28/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A12 BIOS to create the A13 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which some SXGA+ LCD panels would display a split screen when booted to the Operating System. Enhancements: 1. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded from version 4.084 to version 4.084a. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A12 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 06/15/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A11 BIOS to create the A12 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. New Help Text in System Setup explaining that the Slow IR setting may be overridden by some operating systems. 3. Fixed issue in which USB devices may be sluggish under Windows 98SE. 4. Fixed issue in which systems automatically power on in response to the Auto-On alarm even when AC power is not present. 5. Fixed issue in which Windows 2000 display settings are lost when moving between docked and undocked hardware profiles. 6. 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. 7. Fixed issue in which Windows 2000 may stop responding on some newer systems when an IDE device, such as a CD-ROM or 2nd Hard Drive, is ejected from the System Modular bay. Enhancements: 1. Added System Setup options to enable or disable the NumLock setting depending the on hardware profile in which the system is booted. This only applies to operating systems running in APM mode, such as Windows 98SE and Windows NT 4.0. SETUP SETTING HW PROFILE NUMLOCK Disable N/A Off Enable N/A On Undocked Undocked On Undocked Docked Off Docked Undocked Off Docked Docked On 2. Added support for extended serial port initialization - Int 14h, function 04h. 3. Added new boot device list on page 2 of System Setup. 4. Added a One-Time Boot Menu which allows users to change the boot device order for one boot only, by pressing during POST. 5. 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. 6. Optimized thermal procedures to support new revisions of Pentium processors. 7. The ATI video BIOS has been upgraded from version 4.067 to version 4.084. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A11 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 06/14/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A10 BIOS to create the A11 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which some newer Pentium processors are not identified correctly. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A10 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 05/16/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) 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. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A09 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 04/09/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A08 BIOS to create the A09 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the system may stop responding when the user exits System Setup after adding, removing, or modifying a password. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A08 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 03/28/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made to the A06 & A07 BIOSs to create the A08 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which a Lucent wireless Mini-PCI card may stop functioning after resume from disk under Win NT4. 2. Fixed issue in which the may system lock-up after changing resolutions with password-protected hard drive in system modular bay under Win2K. 3. Fixed issue in which the system may shut down when booting to WinME if the system was rebooted from a DOS prompt with a 3COM combo Mini-PCI card installed. Enhancements: 1. The ATI video BIOS has been updated from version 4.066 to version 4.067. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A07 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 03/25/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made the A05 BIOS to create the A07 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which some newer batteries may stop charging when they are inserted into a system with another battery present while an AC adapter is attached. 2. Fixed issue in which some newer batteries may stop charging when an AC adapter is attached while 2 batteries are in the system. 3. Fixed issue in which some newer batteries may stop charging in a system with 2 batteries when the system switches from charging one battery to the other. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A06 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 02/08/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made the A05 BIOS to create the A06 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue seen in Win98SE in which the LCD panel may display a "bloom" after removing an external CRT while in save-to-disk. 2. Fixed issue in which a Mini-PCI NIC may be non-functional after warm reboot under DOS. 3. Fixed issue in which system may fail to automatically power-on with Auto-On enabled in System Setup. Enhancements: 1. Added support for newer Pentium III processor revisions. 2. Added new thermal solution for faster processors. 3. Improved ability to detect external CRTs. 4. Added new System Setup field to display Mini-PCI card Type. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A05 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 01/02/01 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made the A04 BIOS to create the A05 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fix problem in which the system may fail on some 3D graphics Applications. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A04 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 12/04/00 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made the A03 BIOS to create the A04 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fix problem in which the system may fail to boot from a floppy disk drive attached to the parallel port. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A03 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 10/25/00 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made the A02 BIOS to create the A03 BIOS: Issues Fixed: 1. Fix problem in which 5-button wheel mice would stop functioning when the touchpad was used. Enhancements: 1. Implemented changes to reduce system fan activity. 2. Added support for the ActionTech J-Class Mini-PCI card. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A02 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/28/00 (Memory location F000:FFF5) ******************************************************************* NOTE: YOU MUST INSTALL THE UPDATED VIDEO DRIVER BEFORE UPGRADING YOUR BIOS. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY PREVENT YOUR S-VIDEO PORT FROM WORKING PROPERLY. You may have recieved the updated driver on a CD-ROM called "Drivers and Utilities for Re-installing Dell Inspiron 4000 System Software" in the box in which your system was shipped. If you do not have this CD-ROM, the updated video driver can be downloaded from WWW.DELL.COM. ******************************************************************* The following updates were made the A01 BIOS to create the A02 BIOS: 1. Fixed support for the S-Video (TV-out) port. This requires updating the video driver. Please refer to the note above. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A01 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/22/00 (Memory location F000:FFF5) The following updates were made the A00 BIOS to create the A01 BIOS: 1. Disabled support for the S-Video (TV-out) port. This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Inspiron 4000 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A00 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/18/00 (Memory location F000:FFF5) Initial release of the BIOS Video BIOS is ATI v4.053 This BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 3. Microsoft Windows Millennium ACPI