newtekie1
Semi-Retired Folder
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2005
- Messages
- 28,472 (4.24/day)
- Location
- Indiana, USA
Processor | Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz |
---|---|
Motherboard | AsRock Z470 Taichi |
Cooling | Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans |
Memory | 32GB DDR4-3600 |
Video Card(s) | RTX 2070 Super |
Storage | 500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache |
Display(s) | Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28" |
Case | Fractal Design Define S |
Audio Device(s) | Onboard is good enough for me |
Power Supply | eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3 |
Software | Windows 10 Pro x64 |
Knowing, and having experienced all the things that can go wrong with a BIOS update, it is scary that Microsoft is pushing BIOS updated through Windows Update.
I'm setting up a new Dell laptop and after getting booted into the desktop for the first time I connect to the internet and start installing Windows updates.
When they are done, I reboot to finish the updated and am greeted with an automated BIOS update screen!
When it finishes the BIOS update. The computer reboots, then just hangs at a blank black screen with the fan at 100% for about 3 minutes. Which is an eternity for someone who has seen a BIOS update go bad in the past. I knew to just leave it, but I wonder how many people would be impatient and hold the power button to kill the power. It finally POSTs to the Dell logo and boots normally.
At first I thought it might be the Dell assistant thing that did it, but looking at the Windows Update history it was clearly pushed out through Windows Update.
This, IMO, is a pretty dangerous path. It is scary to force a BIOS flash on the user with no way to opt out. What if the laptop was running on battery and I decided to restart, not knowing a BIOS updated had been downloaded in the background? Then the next thing I know the computer is doing a BIOS flash running on battery, which is definitely not advised! Maybe there is a system to detect the computer is on battery and cancel the flash? But somehow I doubt it.
I get it, security is important and all that, but damn this is just scary to me.
Sorry for the rant.
I'm setting up a new Dell laptop and after getting booted into the desktop for the first time I connect to the internet and start installing Windows updates.
When they are done, I reboot to finish the updated and am greeted with an automated BIOS update screen!
When it finishes the BIOS update. The computer reboots, then just hangs at a blank black screen with the fan at 100% for about 3 minutes. Which is an eternity for someone who has seen a BIOS update go bad in the past. I knew to just leave it, but I wonder how many people would be impatient and hold the power button to kill the power. It finally POSTs to the Dell logo and boots normally.
At first I thought it might be the Dell assistant thing that did it, but looking at the Windows Update history it was clearly pushed out through Windows Update.
This, IMO, is a pretty dangerous path. It is scary to force a BIOS flash on the user with no way to opt out. What if the laptop was running on battery and I decided to restart, not knowing a BIOS updated had been downloaded in the background? Then the next thing I know the computer is doing a BIOS flash running on battery, which is definitely not advised! Maybe there is a system to detect the computer is on battery and cancel the flash? But somehow I doubt it.
I get it, security is important and all that, but damn this is just scary to me.
Sorry for the rant.
Last edited: