(UEFI) Dell XPS 15z L511z modded BIOS - and HOWTO

[Brabbelbla]

Running the same OS, strange. You may be able to sort things out in the thread of the tool.

[kasar]

so it worked for you?


thats weird , maybe I have some framework or stuff interfering with the app, well, anyway, after download your attachment, I doesnt need the app anymore, thank you a lot

I will start modding the bios right now ^^

[kasar]

I am doing nice progress with the new unlocking

here you can see some images on my main L502X modded bios topic

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps...ost9581714

[kasar]

mmm, maybe someone is interested on this.

after set computrace setting to any option, it will stay greyed out and unselectable forever.

making imposible to change it more than the initial time.

however.

I found the way to make the computrace option changeable again, and permanent.

just replace

40 84 D8 70 45 0A 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 (2F) 02

to

40 84 D8 70 45 0A 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 (30) 02

those changes are made in the menu security module, not in the advanced settings menu

[Brabbelbla]

Hmm, after looking into it a bit further, I don't think this is al there has to be done in order to enable RAID, if it is possible at all. It seems that with our BIOS, they moved the SATA operation setting from HDD configuration to the not-so-advanced advanced page (the one that doesn't need to be unlocked). I took a look at the Inspiron 7720 BIOS (SCT as well), some Insyde thing and found this manual which all list the same options with almost the same terminology, and found the SATA operation setting as Interface Combination in the 7720 BIOS, hidden under HDD configuration. With a third option, one we don't have, RAID.

The IFR snippet from the Inspiron, comes from between the settings 'SATA Device' and 'RAID Alternate Device ID':

0x3D7A8 Setting: Interface Combination, Variable: 0x12 {05 A6 A0 01 A1 01 70 00 01 00 12 00 00 10 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3D7CE Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3D7DB Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3D7E8 Option: IDE, Value: 0x0 {09 0E A2 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3D7F6 Option: AHCI, Value: 0x1 {09 0E A3 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3D804 Option: RAID, Value: 0x2 {09 0E A4 01 00 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3D812 End of Options {29 02}

And mine:

0x30703 Setting: SATA Operation, Variable: 0x64 {05 A6 0E 00 0F 00 25 27 01 00 64 00 04 10 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30729 Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30736 Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30743 Option: ATA, Value: 0x0 {09 0E 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30751 Option: AHCI, Value: 0x1 {09 0E 11 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3075F End of Options {29 02}

This is why I was wondering whether the unlocked RAID entries actually do something, as looking at this I don't think they will. Maybe sacrificing our ATA mode setting by changing its value to 0x2 which corresponds to RAID in the other BIOSes will allow us to use RAID. Otherwise I think we will come back at UEFI string insertion which jkbuha mentioned some time ago, but I am pretty clueless on that subject. This all has to be tested, I think I will in some time, but before I do, I seriously need to look into a working recovery disk and backup the data from my harddisks. So no time soon.

TimeWalker once pointed to a russion thread about unlocking the 7720 BIOS, with an image showing the RAID setting:

[TimeWalker]

God find people.. Thing is, highly doubt these settings will have any effect, much like the majority of other unlocked settings don't do anything...
P.S. RPB is Remote Power Boot
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[Brabbelbla]

I am curious about something. To make the RAID entries visible, I changed

0x35188 Suppress If: {0A 82}
0x3518A Question Ref: 0x0 {40 84 25 27}
0x3518E 64 Bit Unsigned Int: 0x2 {45 0A 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x35198 Not Equal {30 02}
0x3519A End {29 02}

to

0x35188 Suppress If: {0A 82}
0x3518A Question Ref: 0x0 {40 84 25 27}
0x3518E 64 Bit Unsigned Int: 0x2 {45 0A 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x35198 Equal {2F 02}
0x3519A End {29 02}

I now think this is not right. I came to think the Question Ref points to some variable or setting, though I don't know how. For instance, under boot configuration, "Boot in Legacy Video Mode" is hidden if legacy boot is disabled, and its suppress condition is represented as:

0x315AC Suppress If: {0A 82}
0x315AE Question Ref: 0x0 {40 84 32 00}
0x315B2 64 Bit Unsigned Int: 0x0 {45 0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x315BC Equal {2F 02}
0x315BE End {29 02}

Of course it seems logical that this question ref should point to the legacy boot setting, then if that value is 0x0 (disabled), the option is not displayed.

Then I guess it works the same way with the RAID entries. If some setting has the value 0x2, the entries will be displayed. If I was right in my previous post, the SATA Operation setting should have value 0x2 for RAID, if it is possible at all. So my conclusion is that probably the RAID entries will show up if SATA Operation is set to 0x2. So I guess THAT is the key to RAID. And I have just thought of a way to test without flashing.

EDIT: Indeed 40 is the OpCode to push a question's value. Then, if I correctly interpret the Phoenix wiki, the remainder of the statement is the question ID, but I can't see a way for it to link it to the setting concerned.

EDIT2: Sacrificing IDE/ATA mode by setting its value to 0x2 and then selecting that option indeed reveals RAID options with the original Not Equal statement. So that is a way to have them displayed. Now it remains to be determined which setting if any will actually trigger the RAID OROM, or the UEFI SATA driver with some RAID functionality.

[Brabbelbla]

So, this question ref consists of:
- 1st byte: opcode (40)
- 2nd byte: size? scope? (04) or (84)
- 3rd, 4th byte: question ID (xx xx)

Where the question ID can be found in the 7th and 8th byte belonging to the setting in the IFR thingy. For instance, the suppress statement for Legacy Video Mode:

0x315AC Suppress If: {0A 82}
0x315AE Question Ref: 0x0 {40 84 32 00}
0x315B2 64 Bit Unsigned Int: 0x0 {45 0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x315BC Equal {2F 02}
0x315BE End {29 02}

belongs to:

0x3154A Setting: Legacy Boot, Variable: 0x2 {05 A6 8B 00 8C 00 32 00 02 00 02 00 00 10 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}

And the RAID options suppress statement:

0x35188 Suppress If: {0A 82}
0x3518A Question Ref: 0x0 {40 84 25 27}
0x3518E 64 Bit Unsigned Int: 0x2 {45 0A 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x35198 Equal {2F 02}
0x3519A End {29 02}

to

0x30703 Setting: SATA Operation, Variable: 0x64 {05 A6 0E 00 0F 00 25 27 01 00 64 00 04 10 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}

Only now as I see this, I can see it is confirmed by the Phoenix wiki. Yay. The SATA Operation one-of setting (0x05) statement consists of:
- 1st byte: opcode (05)
- 2nd byte: size (A6)
- 3rd, 4th byte: prompt string ID (0E 00)
- 5th, 6th byte: help string ID (0F 00)
- 7th, 8th byte: question ID (25 27)
...

There may be many people out there who knew this already, well, I didn't.

[Brabbelbla]

Alright, @Timewalker wasn't right in assuming the RAID settings would do nothing. They do. Just not exactly the right thing. How could I even have hoped for that with this crappy Ship...

I changed:

0x30703 Setting: SATA Operation, Variable: 0x64 {05 A6 0E 00 0F 00 25 27 01 00 64 00 04 10 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30729 Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30736 Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30743 Option: ATA, Value: 0x0 {09 0E 10 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30751 Option: AHCI, Value: 0x1 {09 0E 11 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3075F End of Options {29 02}

to

0x30703 Setting: SATA Operation, Variable: 0x64 {05 A6 0E 00 0F 00 25 27 01 00 64 00 04 10 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30729 Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30736 Default: 8 Bit, Value: 0x1 {5B 0D 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30743 Option: RAI, Value: 0x2 {09 0E 10 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x30751 Option: AHCI, Value: 0x1 {09 0E 11 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00}
0x3075F End of Options {29 02}

   

Which resulted in:
   
   

Of course the fun always runs out, the remainder of the firmware seems to have its own thoughts on these changes. Setting SATA operation to 'RAID' makes all SATA devices disappear to the setup utility, boot manager etc. However, if I let "RAID Alternative Device ID" be false, the UEFI Clover boot entry would start Clover, but I couldn't start OS X as the root device couln't be found. Not sure what would happen when I actually create an RAID array, but I hate moving 600 GB of data and all configuration stuff for a probable disappointment. Weird things happening in our Most Secure Core...

[TimeWalker]

Ha, so you got it into thinking ATA really is raid, so it invokes the proper settings when selected. The disks would vanish until you created an actual raid array, at least this is how I remember Windows setup acted when I did mirrored raid array on H77 chipset couple of month back..

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