How to create bootable CD for HD642JJ firmware upgrade (Studio XPS 435 MT)

The current BIOS update is THIS <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell> and it can be run from Windows, you don't need to do it with a bootable CD.

According to the update it only adds support for additional CPU's and if you aren't going to upgrade the CPU it's not worth doing.  BIOS updates are in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" category.  A failed BIOS update and corrupted BIOS and the only option is to replace the motherboard.

Hi,

Its not about Bios update but the Samsung Hard disks firmware upgrade

For this a bootable CD is required as can be seen from the instruction copied from the driver side. But it does not tell how the bootable CD itselfe is created.

For Bootable CD option

1. Perform a full backup of your data.
2. Click on the (R220045.EXE) file and select "RUN" then "RUN" again.
3. Press "Continue" then "OK" to extract the files to the provided location.
4. Refer to your CD burning application instructions to create a bootable CD using the provided file "C:\DELL\Drivers\R220045\CD Image\Samsung Utility.ISO".
5. Restart your system.
6. Press F12 and insert the CD containing the firmware update.
7. Select boot from CD/DVD.
8. The Samsung Firmware Update will start automatically.
9. The utility will autoscan and update the appropriate Samsung HD642JJ Drive.
10. Once completed, a message indicating process completion will appear.
11. Remove the CD and power off your PC.
12. Power on your PC to continue normal operation.

Hi,

its not about a Bios update. Its about Firmare for the Samsung Hard disks.  See instruction below.   All is there execept how a bottable CD is created.

For Bootable CD option

1. Perform a full backup of your data.
2. Click on the (R220045.EXE) file and select "RUN" then "RUN" again.
3. Press "Continue" then "OK" to extract the files to the provided location.
4. Refer to your CD burning application instructions to create a bootable CD using the provided file "C:\DELL\Drivers\R220045\CD Image\Samsung Utility.ISO".
5. Restart your system.
6. Press F12 and insert the CD containing the firmware update.
7. Select boot from CD/DVD.
8. The Samsung Firmware Update will start automatically.
9. The utility will autoscan and update the appropriate Samsung HD642JJ Drive.
10. Once completed, a message indicating process completion will appear.
11. Remove the CD and power off your PC.
12. Power on your PC to continue normal operation.

Hi, do know how to make a bootable USB stick.

For The Samsung Hard discs (which I have two of in my Studio XPS MT 435)  it is written a bootable CD/DVD (or bootable USB key) has to be created.

I can burn the ISO disc image to the CD/DVD with Roxio.   The only thing visable on the CD/DVD is a text file afterwards. When restarting the PC it recognizes the DVD and states "boot ready" but after a while Windows Vista starts as normal.  This must mean important boot information is missing.  I expect this is why the other folder is needed too  (the 4 files I mentioned above).   But I can not include the 4 files on the disc image with Roxio. If I try to include the 4 files, than Roxio states that the CD/DVD has to be reased first.   Normally when burning a data CD/DVD ist possible to add files, but with an disk image it seams not to be possible.  At least I do not know how to do it.

I E-mail exchanged a number of times with Dell support and got excelent help. The additional 4 files are not needed to burn the image they told me. Its just to burn an image with the ISO file. That is what I have tried many times but the CD did not boot from the burned image CD.  It just stated boot ready on the screen, waited a few seconds and thereafter Windows Vista started as normal.  Dell support asked which HD version I had of the HD642JJ.  This can be seen when booting the PC and pressing the Pause button during boot phase. I had a F1 xxxxx  version (2 of them since it is a RAID system).  The heading of the firmware upgrade on the Dell download page is HD642JJ 640 S2 HDD.  So the quesion was if the firmware only is for S2 but not for S1.  Dell made a test and told me no its also applicable for S1. 

Dell was so kind and burned an image and posted it to me since my images did not work.  The Dell image looked like mine (only a text file can be seen on it, nothing more).  So I booted the PC with the image CD in the DVD drive.  It started as it did alwaysdid for me: boot ready but this time it also booted from the CD and emmidiatly the firmware was updated. Thereafter the instruction was to reboot. (power down)

The PC started to reboot but stopped in the middle of the BIOS phase. It stopped at the pahse where one can enter F2 or F12 (F2 for enter BIOS, F12 for selecting boot device).  I could enter F2 and F12 but nothing happened. So I rebooted and exactly the same thing happend again. I rebooted many times thereafter with exactly the same result. Then I placed the Windows Vista CD into the CD drive and booted again. This time i got one step further. F12 and came to the page where I could select boot device. I selected RAID system. But here it stoped again. Rebooted without Windows CD and came again to the F2/F12 page. I tried several times more with exactly the same result.

As a last try I switched off the PC and even switched off the power to 100%.  Then I rebooted and to my surprise Windows started normally!!

So it seams that after the Firrmware upgrade it is necessary to make the PC 100% powerless and thereafter power on as normal. 

Well the instruction says:. Remove the CD and power off your PC. Power on on your PC to continue normal operation.   

For me it was not clear that this is not the same as restarting the PC.   When the Dell PC is turned off it it not powerless. It still has power on the motherboard. So one has to pull out the power cable to make the firmware upgrade a success.