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How to Recover the BIOS on a Dell Computer or Tablet

Summary: This article provides information about what is BIOS recovery and how to recover the BIOS on select Dell computers or tablets. The BIOS recovery feature helps recover the computer from a Power On Self-Test (POST) or a boot failure that is caused by a corrupt BIOS. ...

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

Table of Contents:

  1. What is a BIOS Recovery tool?
  2. How do I start BIOS recovery on a Dell computer?
  3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Learn how to access, navigate, and update the BIOS on a Dell computer.

What is a BIOS Recovery tool?

The BIOS Recovery tool is designed to recover a corrupted BIOS (this often displays as a POST or boot issue). They are based on Boot Block Technology. The BIOS Recovery 2 (BR2) software's main feature is to provide the flexibility to recover a corrupted BIOS using a BIOS recovery file from the computer's primary hard disk drive or an external USB drive. While the BIOS Recovery 3 (BR3) software adds a computer start-up check that can be enabled in the BIOS to add an autorecovery capability to the BIOS recovery process.

How to recover from booting issues using the BIOS Recovery Tool

Duration: 03:49
When available, closed caption (subtitles) language settings can be chosen using the Settings or CC icon on this video player.

A corrupt BIOS is one of the possible causes of a computer unable to complete POST or boot into the operating system. If the Dell computer or tablet supports BIOS recovery 2 or 3, you can recover the corrupt BIOS by using the recovery method that is detailed below for your Dell computer or tablet.

NOTE: BIOS recovery is not supported on all Dell computers. See the FAQ section for a detailed list of Dell computers and tablets that support the BIOS recovery.

While BIOS Recovery 2 (BR2) and BIOS Recovery 3 (BR3) is supported on Dell desktops, all-in-one computers, laptops, convertible and detachable computers such as Dell XPS 12 and Dell tablets. There are different methods to initiate a BIOS recovery on these devices. BIOS recovery can be started using:

  • Key sequence
  • Button sequence

BIOS Recovery 2

  • Supports recovery from your computers primary hard drive and from an external USB drive
  • Recovery from your computers primary hard drive is enabled by default within the BIOS Setup. (It can be disabled if you choose, but this is not recommended.)
  • Recovery from the external USB drive cannot be disabled in the BIOS Setup (Enabled by default).
  • The default search location for the BIOS recovery image is the external USB drive, if a USB drive is present. If an image is not found on the USB drive or the USB drive is absent, the BIOS then searches the primary hard drive for the recovery image. The search terminates if no recovery image is found, see the FAQ section.
  • The FAQ section answers questions regarding issues that you may encounter during an unsuccessful BIOS recovery.
NOTE:
  • BIOS recovery 2 can be initialized using the integrated keyboard on Dell laptops and does not support external keyboard for laptops.
  • BIOS recovery 2 can be initialized on Dell desktops using the standard USB keyboard. Bluetooth keyboards work if BIOS has POST support for system-specific Bluetooth keyboards. However, Bluetooth keyboards are not recommended for use when attempting BIOS recovery.
  • BIOS recovery can be initialized on Dell tablets using the physical buttons that are available on the tablet.
  • BIOS recovery can be initialized on Dell convertible or detachable computers using both external keyboard or physical buttons that are available on the computer.
  • BIOS recovery cannot be initialized using the touch screen of the device.

BIOS Recovery 3

  • BIOS recovery 3 is an improvement on BIOS recovery 2. It has all the same features, with an added feature that allows for autorecovery to start during boot if an integrity check that has to be enabled in the BIOS (Default is Disabled) fails and there is a recovery image on the hard drive. Autorecovery is not possible from other media.
BIOS Recovery using hard drive BIOS Auto-Recovery on Boot Result
Enabled Enabled BIOS Recovery 2 from hard drive or USB and BIOS Recovery 3 on Boot
Enabled Disabled BIOS Recovery 2 from hard drive or USB only
Disabled N/A BIOS Recovery 2 from USB only
Disabled N/A BIOS Recovery 2 from USB only

BIOS recovery feature is available on select Dell desktop, laptop, all-in-one, tablet, or convertible (detachable) computers. This feature can help recover a computer from a power-on self-test (POST) or boot issue that is caused by a corrupt BIOS.

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How do I start the BIOS recovery on a Dell computer?

NOTE: The BIOS recovery process does not depend on the operating system that is installed on the computer. BIOS recovery feature is available on select Dell desktops, all-in-ones, laptops, tablets, and convertibles. To learn more, see the table in the Frequently asked questions section.

How do I initiate BIOS Recovery on a Dell desktop or all-in-one computer?

  1. Restart the computer.
  2. Press and hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard until keyboard backlight lights up. (Release the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard when keyboard backlight lights up.)
    Note: Computers that do not have a backlit keyboard, observe the Caps lock key light instead.
  3. On the BIOS Recovery screen, select Reset NVRAM (if available) and press the Enter key. Select Disabled and press the Enter key to save the current BIOS settings.
    Note: If Reset NVRAM is not available, go to step 4.
  4. Select Recover BIOS and press the Enter key to start the recovery process.
NOTE:
  • Your Dell computer may restart a few times during the process of BIOS recovery.
  • Depending on unit BIOS, the choice of Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults changes.

The CTRL + ESC key combination can be used to trigger BIOS recovery on computers where an external keyboard is the primary input. This applies to Dell desktops, all-in-one computers, and laptops. The supported keyboard types on these devices are:

  • PS/2 keyboard
  • USB keyboard
  • Bluetooth keyboard - If BIOS has POST support for system-specific Bluetooth keyboard. Dell Technologies recommends using a USB keyboard for the BIOS recovery process.

How do I initiate BIOS Recovery on a Dell laptop?

Before you begin the BIOS Recovery, ensure that the battery of the Dell laptop is charged up to at least 10%.

  1. Verify that the laptop is turned off and disconnects the AC adapter.
  2. Press and hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard.
  3. Connect the AC adapter to the laptop.
  4. Hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard until keyboard backlight lights up (Release the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard when keyboard backlight lights up.)
    NOTE: Computers that do not have a backlit keyboard, observe the Caps lock key light instead.
  5. On the BIOS Recovery screen, select Reset NVRAM(if available) and press the Enter key. Select Disabled and press the Enter key to save the current BIOS settings.
    NOTE: If Reset NVRAM is not available, go to step 6.
  6. Select Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults and press the Enter key to start the recovery process.
NOTE:
  • Your Dell computer may restart a few times during the process of BIOS recovery.
  • Depending on your unit BIOS, the choice of Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults changes.
NOTE: This works slightly differently for Alienware laptops. Follow the steps below instead.
  1. Turn off the computer, and disconnect the AC adapter.
  2. Press and hold the CTRL and ESC keys together, and go to the next step.
  3. Connect the AC adapter cable, and press the power button on the laptop.
  4. Hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard until keyboard backlight lights up (Release the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard when keyboard backlight lights up.)
    NOTE: Computers that do not have a backlit keyboard, observe the Caps lock key light instead.
  5. Select Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults and press the Enter key to start the recovery process.
NOTE:
  • Your Dell computer may restart a few times during the process of BIOS recovery.
  • Depending on your unit BIOS, the choice of Recover BIOS ;or Load BIOS Defaults changes.

How do I initiate BIOS Recovery on a Dell tablet?

Before you begin the BIOS Recovery, ensure that the battery of the Dell tablet is charged up to at least 50%.

  1. Verify that the tablet is turned off and disconnects the AC adapter.
  2. Press and hold the Volume down button.
  3. Connect the AC adapter to the tablet.
  4. Hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard until keyboard backlight lights up (Release the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard when keyboard backlight lights up.)
    NOTE: Computers that do not have a backlit keyboard, observe the Caps lock key light instead.
  5. On the BIOS Recovery screen, select Reset NVRAM(if available) and press the Enter key. Select Disabled and press the Enter key to save the current BIOS settings.
    NOTE: If Reset NVRAM is not available, go to step 6.
  6. Select Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults and press the Enter key to start the recovery process.
NOTE:
  • Your Dell tablet may restart a few times during the process of BIOS recovery.
  • Depending on your unit BIOS, the choice of Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults changes.

How do I initiate BIOS Recovery on a convertible or detachable Dell computer?

Convertible and detachable Dell computers support both the following methods where touch is the primary input.

Method 1: Key sequence

  1. Verify that the device is turned off and disconnects the AC adapter.
  2. Press and hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard.
  3. Connect the AC adapter to the device.
  4. Hold the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard until keyboard backlight lights up (Release the CTRL + ESC key on the keyboard when keyboard backlight lights up.)
    NOTE: Computers that do not have a backlit keyboard, observe the Caps lock key light instead.
  5. On the BIOS Recovery screen, select Reset NVRAM(if available) and press the Enter key. Select Disabled and press the Enter key to save the current BIOS settings.
    NOTE: If Reset NVRAM is not available, go to step 6.
  6. Select Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults and press the Enter key to start the recovery process.
NOTE:
  • Your Dell computer may restart a few times during the process of BIOS recovery.
  • Depending on your unit BIOS, the choice of Recover BIOS or Load BIOS Defaults changes.

Method 2: Button sequence

  1. Verify that the tablet is turned off and disconnects the AC adapter.
  2. Press and hold the Volume down button.
  3. Connect the AC adapter to the tablet.
  4. Release the Volume down button.
  5. On the BIOS Recovery screen, select Reset NVRAM (if available) and press Enter. Select Disabled and press Enter to save the current BIOS settings.
  6. Select Recover BIOS and press Enter to start the recovery process.
    NOTE: Your Dell computer may restart a few times during the process of BIOS recovery.
NOTE: BIOS Recovery cannot be triggered using the touch screen of the convertible or detachable Dell computer.

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Additional Information

Frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about BIOS recovery.

NOTE: Click the title of the section that you want to open below, in order to see the contents.
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The following table takes you through how to identify the version of BIOS Recovery your Dell Tablet or computer that is shipped with:

BIOS Recovery 1
If your Dell computer shipped before December 2015 and is listed below, then it supports BIOS Recovery 1.
Alienware Inspiron Vostro Latitude OptiPlex Precision Tablet XPS
Alienware X51 R3 Inspiron 3059 All-in-one Vostro 3250 / 3650 / 3653 Latitude 3470 / 3570 OptiPlex 3040 Precision Mobile 3510 Venue 10 Pro 5056 XPS 12 9250
Alienware Echo 13 R2 Inspiron 3459 All-in-one Vostro 5450 All-in-one Latitude 3640 / 3560 OptiPlex 3240 Precision Mobile 5510 Venue 8 Pro 5855 XPS 13 9350
Alienware Echo 15 R2 Inspiron 5459 All-in-one Vostro 3459 / 3559 Latitude 5175 / 5179 OptiPlex 5040 Precision Mobile 7510 / 7710   XPS 15 9550
Alienware Echo 17 R3 Inspiron 7459 All-in-one Vostro 5459 Latitude 7370 OptiPlex 7040 Precision Workstation 3420   XPS 8900
  Inspiron 3158 / 3153   Latitude E5270 OptiPlex 7440 Precision Workstation 3620    
  Inspiron 3250 / 3153   Latitude E5470        
  Inspiron 3459 / 3559   Latitude E5570        
  Inspiron 5457 / 5557            
  Inspiron 5459 / 5559 / 5759            
  Inspiron 7359 / 7353            
  Inspiron 7559            
  Inspiron 7568            
BIOS Recovery 2
Any Dell computer that is shipped after December 2015 that has the Intel SkyLake chipset, supports BIOS Recovery 2.
BIOS Recovery 3
Any Dell computer that is shipped after August 2016 or with the Intel Kaby Lake chipset, supports BIOS Recovery 3.
 
NOTE: Further revisions containing more enhancements to these recovery options are expected to come as the technology improves.

If your computer is in a working condition, follow these steps to identify if your Dell computer supports BIOS recovery:

  1. Restart the computer.
  2. Press the F2 key on the keyboard several times until the computer enters the BIOS setup.
  3. If you find the option BIOS Recovery from Hard Drive in the BIOS setup, your Dell computer supports BIOS recovery 2.
  4. If BIOS Recovery from hard drive is enabled and there is a BIOS Auto-Recovery field settable in the BIOS setup, your Dell computer supports BIOS recovery 3.

If your computer is NOT in a working condition, check if it matches one of the computers in the table in the drawer above, or if it was manufactured after December 2015 and has the Intel Skylake chipset. If so, your computer should support the BIOS recovery 2 feature and BIOS recovery may be attempted.

If your computer is NOT in a working condition, check if it matches one of the computers in the table in the drawer above, or if it was manufactured after August 2016 or has the Intel Kaby Lake chipset. If so, your computer should support the BIOS recovery 3 feature and BIOS recovery may be attempted.

NOTE: There could be slight variation in description of the option between different types of BIOS that are implemented on Dell computers. The presence of BIOS Recovery from Hard Drive in the BIOS setup identifies that the Dell computer supports BIOS recovery.

Auto-Recovery is only possible in computers that support BIOS Recovery 3. Systems do not ship with Auto-Recovery enabled. Follow the instructions below if you want to enable this feature.

NOTE:
  • Auto-Recovery is only available on BIOS Recovery from hard drive.
    • Auto Recovery is not available on BIOS Recovery from USB Key.
      • Auto-Recovery does not search for a Recovery Image from the USB drive.
    • Auto-Recovery is disabled if BIOS Recovery from hard drive is disabled.
      • Auto-Recovery only searches for a Recovery Image from hard drive.
  1. Restart the computer.
  2. Press the F2 key on the keyboard several times until the computer enters the BIOS setup.
  3. Look for the group Maintenance and the page BIOS Recovery in the BIOS setup.
  4. Identify the BIOS Recovery from hard drive field which should be enabled. (If it is not enabled, set it to enabled.)
  5. Change the BIOS Auto-Recovery field from the default which is disabled to enabled.
  6. Identify the Always perform Integrity check field and change from the default which is disabled to enabled.

With this option configured, the BIOS recovery automatically recovers the BIOS without your intervention if something happens during the computer starting up.

  1. For those computers that support BIOS recovery, the BIOS Recovery file is already on the computers Hard Drive (hard drive) in the ESP/EFI Partition.
  2. If the BIOS Recovery file is NOT found on the hard drive, it could be that:
    1. Your hard drive has been replaced since it left the factory.
    2. You have changed your BIOS from UEFI to Legacy boot.
    3. You have reimaged your computer since receiving it from the factory.
    4. You have reinstalled the computer with a new operating system and formatted the hard drive.
  3. If your computer is in a working state, you can add the BIOS Recovery file back to the hard drive, by reflashing the BIOS. (Even if you are putting the same revision back on, that it is flashed to.) Remember that for this to work the BIOS has to be set to UEFI and the operating system must be at least Windows 7 64 bit or a more recent revision.
  4. If your computer is NOT in a working state, for example, a no Post or no Boot situation and the BIOS Recovery file is not on your hard drive - It is not possible to attempt to flash the BIOS to add the BIOS Recovery file to the hard drive. Fortunately, even in this condition, it is possible to use a recovery file on an external USB drive. If you have a Dell BIOS on your computer you can follow the instructions below, however, if your BIOS is supplied by another manufacturer then you must contact Dell Technical Support to get a copy of its recovery file. (You can identify a Dell BIOS as the touchpad or mouse pointer still works and the information is in a tree format on the left side of the screen. A BIOS supplied by another manufacturer tends to use a menu bar along the top of the screen that you navigate using the keyboard.)
    1. To get the Recovery file for a Dell BIOS, use the Service Tag of your Dell computer and download the BIOS.exe file from the Dell Drivers & Downloads website. You can use another computer to download this file, but ensure you use the service tag of the affected computer.
    2. Save the BIOS.exe file to your desktop.
    3. Rename the file to BIOS_IMG.rcv changing the filename and file extension.
      1. If you cannot see the file extension, then go to the Windows Start icon and type in Folder Options.
      2. Click View and clear the HIDE EXTENSIONS FOR KNOWN FILE TYPES and click OK.
      3. Right-click the file saved on the desktop, the extension for the file .exe can now be seen and changed.

To create an external USB drive to perform BIOS recovery, you need the following:

  • A working computer
  • An empty USB drive
  • Download the latest BIOS for your computer or tablet from the Dell Drivers & Downloads website.
WARNING: All data on the USB drive is erased. Ensure that you save the files and folders from the USB drive before proceeding to create a USB recovery key.

Creating the USB drive:

  1. Plug the USB drive into the computer.
  2. Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer (also known as Windows Explorer).
  3. Right-click the USB drive and click Format.
  4. Change the File computer to FAT32.
  5. Check the box next to Quick Format.
  6. Click Start to being formatting the USB drive.
  7. Copy the BIOS file to the USB drive. Open Command prompt in administrator mode.
    • In Windows 10, Windows 8.1 or Windows 8 - Press the Windows key + X on the keyboard to open a power user menu and select Command Prompt (Admin)
    • In Windows 7 or Windows Vista - Click the Start button and type command prompt in the search box. Right-click cmd in the search results and select Run as administrator.
  8. In the command prompt window, type cd x: and press the Enter key, where x is the drive letter of the USB drive. You can find the drive letter of the USB drive in File Explorer (also known as Windows Explorer).
  9. Type dir and press the Enter key on the keyboard. You should see the name of the downloaded BIOS file.
  10. Type ren xxxxx.exe BIOS_IMG.rcv and press the Enter key. Replace the xxxxx with the name of the downloaded BIOS file.
    NOTE: Include the space between xxxxx.exe and BIOS_IMG.rcv.
NOTE: The Recovery from a USB drive method is recommended as the best option for Alienware and XPS owners. Those who are experiencing a 3, 6 or 3, 7 turn on self-test failure LED blinking pattern during startup of Alienware R5, R6, R7, R8, or XPS 8910, 8920, 8930 computers can find step-by-step troubleshooting instructions in the Dell knowledge base article BIOS Recovery Steps for a No Post issue on OptiPlex, Alienware, XPS, Vostro and Inspiron Desktop PCs.

Some Dell computers and tablets have an option to keep the BIOS settings before starting the recovery process. If this option is seen after starting off the BIOS recovery 2 feature, and you want to keep the current BIOS settings - Select the option that disables the NVRAM reset.

Warning: The default setting for Reset NVRAM is set to Enabled. This clears all BIOS settings. Certain Dell computers or tablets may not have the feature to Reset NVRAM.

The default search location for the BIOS recovery image is on an external USB drive (if present). If a USB drive is not present, the recovery image on the primary hard disk drive is used.

NOTE: If the recovery image is not available on the primary hard disk drive, or the affected computer is experiencing a No POST or No Boot issue, then creating a USB recovery key is the only option.

Once a Hard Drive is replaced, to reinstate BIOS Recovery capability on computers that shipped with this capability, the following must occur.

  1. The BIOS must be set to UEFI, NOT Legacy Boot.
  2. The Operating System must be reinstalled and must be Windows 7 64 bit or a more recent revision of the Windows Operating System.

     

  3. The BIOS must be flashed again to the latest revision available, even if it already has the latest revision. (This creates the Recovery File within the EFI partition.)
NOTE: Some older Dell computers may not support BIOS recovery, even with the latest version of BIOS.

BIOS recovery 2 and 3 is not supported from an encrypted hard disk drive or if the hard disk drive is password that is enabled in the BIOS. BIOS recovery setup attempts to search for the recovery image on the hard disk drive but eventually fails.
If you can enter the BIOS setup, you can try to disable the hard disk drive password and try recovering the BIOS.

To reinstate BIOS Recovery capability on computers that shipped with this capability, carry out the following steps:

  1. The BIOS must be set to UEFI, NOT Legacy Boot.
  2. The Operating System must be reinstalled and must be Windows 7 64 bit or a more recent revision of the Windows Operating System.
  3. The BIOS must be flashed again to the latest revision available, even if it already has the latest revision. (This creates the Recovery File within the EFI partition.)
NOTE: Some older Dell computers may not support BIOS recovery, even with the latest version of BIOS installed on the computer.

BIOS recovery uses indications by beeps or LEDs if there are any errors during the recovery process. If you hear any beeps or see LEDs blinking in a pattern during the BIOS recovery process, try the following steps:

  1. Shut down the Dell computer or tablet
  2. Initiate the BIOS recovery process again.
  3. If you are still hearing the beeps or see the LEDs blinking in a pattern, try creating a USB recovery key instead.
  4. If you are still unable to complete the recovery process, contact Dell Technical Support.

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Affected Products

Alienware, Inspiron, OptiPlex, Vostro, XPS, G Series, G Series, Alienware, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS, Latitude Tablets, Venue, XPS Tablets, Fixed Workstations, Mobile Workstations
Article Properties
Article Number: 000132453
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 27 May 2024
Version:  18
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