Dell InsydeH20 BIOS freezes when I try to Save changes and Exit

[flexmcmurphy]

Hello,

I have a Dell Inspiron 7520 (i7 processor) laptop. I recently updated the BIOS to A14 and replaced the DVD drive with a caddy for a second hard drive.

I cloned Win 10 on my main SSD to the second HDD and I can boot into the OS on this second drive by tapping F12 on boot up and changing the boot order to the DVD drive.

However I cannot make that permanent.

There is a BIOS menu where I can change the boot order and then Save and Exit so it will always boot from the DVD drive SATA connector. However when I try to do that the BIOS screen freezes and I have to force a reboot by powering off and on again. When it comes back it boots as usual into the SSD.

1. The "HardDrive" is an SSD and the "DVD drive" is a HDD.
2. I tried resetting the BIOS settings to defaults and when I did that the only boot options were Harddrive, Network and Network so I did not try to save that change.
3. Both SSD and HDD have Win 10 installed with Legacy BIOS/MBR and not GPT/EFI.
4. When I look in the BIOS it says the CMOS battery is working normally.
5. Although I also replaced the CMOS battery with a brand new battery but the issue is still there.
6. I tried downgrading to Dell A13 BIOS but the issue is still there.
7. I can boot from the drive in the DVD drive bay but cannot make it default to that drive at every boot.

Any ideas?

Cheers,

 

[Grizzly]

I have tried that too and failed. I believe it is due to the fact that the DVD-port is a slower port than the HDD port (at least that is the case on my laptops) . It may also be that HDD's have a different device-ID and the BIOS cannot work with that (in this case I am guessing but it sounded logical) ...
A real solution I have never found to this issue...

 

[flexmcmurphy]

It may also be that HDD's have a different device-ID and the BIOS cannot work with that (in this case I am guessing but it sounded logical) ...

Can you explain that a bit more? The BIOS not recognizing HDDs with different device IDs?

I tested some more and my BIOS does NOT freeze if I chose the option to boot from network and then select SAVE and EXIT. So it seems that the problem only happens when the boot order is changed to the DVD SATA port. As you also noticed.

In my case I have the exact same OS on both HDD and SSD. I just cloned Win 10 from one to the other. Maybe this is a reason for the problem? Maybe if I had a different OS on the HDD attached to the DVD SATA port then maybe then I COULD save and exit.

Maybe Win 10 (and also the BIOS) is not seeing the OS on the drive attached to the DVD SATA port? When I boot up I don't get a menu allowing me to choose either OS (on the SSD or the HDD) and also when I go in to Windows Advanced System Settings > Advanced > Settings > There is only one OS listed in the "Default Operating Systems" drop down. Shouldn't there be two? One on the SSD and the other on the HDD in the DVD bay? Maybe I don't because in my case I just cloned the OS from one drive to the other, they are not really two different OS? But would that also explain why I cannot save and exit the change to boot order from the DVD SATA Port? I doubt it?

Any other input much appreciated.

Cheers,

 

[Wolfie]

Can you explain that a bit more? The BIOS not recognizing HDDs with different device IDs?

I think what @Grizzly means is that BIOS still see's the 2nd SSD as a DVD drive and not an SSD as the caddy is sending BIOS a signal that it is a DVD player?.

That is an assumption on my part that sounds about right but I have never done it myself!.

 

[bassfisher6522]

My questions: 1. What type of drive was the 1st or primary drive? 2. What type of drive (hard drive) is the 2nd drive? My big question; why would you add a 2nd drive and move your OS to it....cloned or not? Usually the 2nd drive is for storage only.

In my case I have the exact same OS on both HDD and SSD. I just cloned Win 10 from one to the other. Maybe this is a reason for the problem? Maybe if I had a different OS on the HDD attached to the DVD SATA port then maybe then I COULD save and exit.

Yes....I concur.

Personally, I would just format the 2nd drive and remove it. Put the CD/DVD drive back in. Then I would get me a docking station (I have this one - Wavlink Red) and just use that to stick a drive in when you want to backup or save/move data.

 

[flexmcmurphy]

I think what @Grizzly means is that BIOS still see's the 2nd SSD as a DVD drive and not an SSD as the caddy is sending BIOS a signal that it is a DVD player?.

OK, but I'm wondering why the BIOS does boot the OS in that HDD in the DVD caddy when I just select it from the one-time boot menu but the BIOS freezes when I go further into the BIOS settings and try to make that boot order permanent.

 

[flexmcmurphy]

My questions: 1. What type of drive was the 1st or primary drive? 2. What type of drive (hard drive) is the 2nd drive? My big question; why would you add a 2nd drive and move your OS to it....cloned or not?

Primary drive is an SSD the other in the DVD caddy is a HDD. I have both because I cloned the HDD to the SSD. Now I want the option of dual booting Win 10 and Linux where each OS is on its own disk and I have the option to permanently set the boot order for either. I have plenty of external storage already.

Cheers.

 

[Wolfie]

If you are installing Linux, you must install the Linux bootloader (GRUB) on the first drive which in your case is the SSD.