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Dell Latitude E5440: stuck to PXE boot, can't access BIOS
Hello,
So, I've just received my Dell Latitude E5440 this morning... it was preinstalled with Ubuntu, but I wasn't satisfied with the way the disk was partitionned, and I wanted to install an other distribution anyway.
So, I've used Gparted and I created my partitions the way I wanted them, preserving the existing Dell partitions. I remember making my Linux partition bootable, too.
Since then, the machine can't boot anything: neither from the hard drive, nor from an alternate media. When I turn on my machine, it just immediately goes to this screen:
Initializing Intel(R) Boot Agent GE v1.5.38.01
PXE 2.1 Build 092 (WfM 2.0)
and nothing happens.
What's even more problematic is that I can't go to the BIOS or boot to another device! If I press F2, I have the "Preparing to enter Setup..." message, but it goes to PXE. If I press F12, "Boot options" appears in the right-hand corner, but it goes to PXE.
I'm stuck with PXE, and it doesn't even work: if I setup a DHCP/TFTP server, nothing is ever sent to the DHCP server.
Any idea?
Thank you.
kbatty
3 Posts
0
May 13th, 2014 09:00
i had same problem. did you ever figure it out?
Tsomi
4 Posts
0
May 13th, 2014 10:00
I think you should try this:
and see it you can access the BIOS by spamming your keyboard with F2's at startup.
If you still don't have anything, your problem looks different from mine and I think you should call Dell...
Tsomi
4 Posts
0
May 13th, 2014 10:00
Hi,
Yes. I removed the hard-drive from the laptop and put it in another non-Dell computer. There, I managed to reformat the hard-drive with Gparted.
The error was that I had removed the bootable flag from the Dell "OS" partition: I put it back and recreated my Linux partitions, and since then everything works.
In any case, this is a bug in Dell BIOS/UEFI... I can understand why it doesn't like having its bootable flag removed, but there's no reason why this should prevent the machine from booting at all. This was reported to Dell.
kbatty
3 Posts
0
May 13th, 2014 10:00
kbatty
3 Posts
0
May 13th, 2014 10:00
russelms
1 Message
0
September 10th, 2014 12:00
My system is a Dell precision M6800 running bios A07 (with the known PXE flaw) and I cannot get into the bios to update to A08 which is supposed to fix this flaw.
How did dell help resolve this? I am stuck in exactly the same state. I had installed centOs on a 2nd SSD and set the bios boot mode to UEFI for grub2 and then I made a mistake editing the grub menu and I got booted into the PXE lockout.
I've tried just the win7 HDD which was installed in legacy boot mode, this doesn't work.
I tried installing centOs on an identical SSD using the same laptop without the PXE lockout and putting this drive into the locked out laptop, this doesn't work
I tried creating uefi bootable USB and DVD's for Ubuntu, CentOs, and DOS to try and get ahead of the PXE in the boot order, this doesn't work
I am at a loss for what to try next. Is there a way to reset the BIOS? I tried disconnecting the batter on the motherboard but this didn't change the boot behavior just introduced a few seconds of black screen before the dell logo.
Maybe a way to emulate the network PXE is looking for and disable it?
Thanks!
Tsomi
4 Posts
0
September 12th, 2014 02:00
Personally, all I did what to remove the hard-drive from my Dell Laptop, put it into another computer which doesn't have this bug, and use Gparted to restore the boot flag on the Dell partition.
I don't use Secure Boot/UEFI because I don't trust it.
As for emulating a PXE boot, I don't think it would work. When I was having this problem, a tcpdump(8) showed me that nothing was happening on the network card. It was stuck on a PXE boot which wouldn't even work.
What happens when you boot your laptop without any hard-drive? If you're still locked with PXE bug, it looks like you'll need to call Dell...
lolix2
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91 Posts
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October 6th, 2014 05:00
Same problem on Latitude E7240 - BIOS A10
I "played" with Acronis True Image Rescue USB stick boot (which is listed as UEFI) backuping disks restoring.
At some point I got stuck with the "PXE boot" which is a dead end.
I removed the disk and then I've been able to enter into the BIOS
Admiral Smith
59 Posts
0
October 6th, 2014 06:00
Dell may not be able to help you buddy. It looks like your laptop was remotely administered. I believe that USB boot is disabled but main BIOS functions like booting form the DVDROM is functional. I could be wrong. Is there vpro tech on that model? I remember CompuTrace but that is not it. Ah maybe it was the Dell Open Manage tool that someone else used.
lolix2
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1 Rookie
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91 Posts
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October 6th, 2014 08:00
Huuuu ?
I am the manager of that beast (and many other)
This is definitively and true a bug and bad support of the UEFI by Dell. Nothing more, nothing less.
SwissRRO
1 Message
2
June 2nd, 2017 04:00
Hello,
Sory for my English.
I got the problem today june 2017. Updating the Bios using a USB key was the solution (A08 to A18 for me).
If the harddisk is into the laptop the Bios will not be accessible.
If your settings are to not boot on the USB before the HDD, you need to leave temporarely the HDD to access the Bios and change the setting.
So I have open the laptop, retired the HDD, boot on the Bios, change the setting for the boot order, updated by USB key the Bios(with the same file .exe as Windows), (flash the Biosand restart) and after only restarted with the HDD connected.
Everiting works now.
Have a nice day.
PS : Change the HDD to a SSD is a good way too.
edgead
1 Message
0
September 1st, 2017 08:00
Power down. Disconnect HD cable. Power up. F2. Change LAN option to no PXE. Power down. Reconnect HD. Done.
ee05
7 Posts
0
December 21st, 2017 05:00
I'm having the same problem on a Dell T20. Now have no Sata disks, no USB disks, no network, press F2 it always jumps to the Intel Boot Agent screen and hangs.
Any suggestions.
Thanks J