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I have an Alienware m17 with a dead battery. I've been using it on adapter power since then. I recently had to remove windows 10 and get a clean install but now on a recent Windows Update, it says that I cannot update firmware without a battery, or with a battery less than 10 percent. I am not in the US and my warranty expired last year. Its also impossible for me to source a battery like this, and I need the update done because the laptop just isn't the same without it. Is it possible to force it?

thatGuy
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  • Have you tried running with the /forceit option from an (administrative) command prompt? https://superuser.com/questions/879545/how-can-i-update-a-bios-without-battery – David Jones Jul 05 '21 at 23:32
  • I tried that but I couldn't find a .exe file. actually I couldnt find any exe files because it was downloaded by Windows Update. i found a path to %windir%\SoftwareDistribution but i was lost from there! – thatGuy Jul 05 '21 at 23:50
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    You could download the relevent BIOS update from the dell website and try to force install. – David Jones Jul 05 '21 at 23:54
  • ohhh ok ill try this.. thanks! – thatGuy Jul 05 '21 at 23:55
  • @djones IT WORKS!! – thatGuy Jul 06 '21 at 00:37
  • Thanks for the update. I will delete my answer as it doe not apply. – John Jul 06 '21 at 00:39
  • No problem. @John Your answer is also the truth. I was praying that my power would not disconnect while flashing because if my laptop gets bricked it will NEVER be fixed again. – thatGuy Jul 06 '21 at 00:50
  • If I undelete my answer would you vote it up for that reason? – John Jul 06 '21 at 00:59
  • sure but my votes don't matter because I don't have enough reputation – thatGuy Jul 06 '21 at 01:02

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Manufacturers require a battery (normally charged to about 1/3) prior to doing a BIOS and other firmware (e.g. IME) update.

Instructions for Desktop BIOS and firmware updates often include having the machine on a UPS before updating BIOS. I do this.

In both cases above (Laptop and Desktop), the requirements prevent damage to the machine if power is lost.

So with the above comments, you normally cannot force a laptop to do a BIOS and firmware update without a battery. I suggest that this is excellent practice.

Followup: The OP was able to force the firmware update without a battery, but did agree my answer here was appropriate.

John
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  • Ok. thank you. It was worth a try. I'll contact dell and see what happens – thatGuy Jul 05 '21 at 23:10
  • You need to do that as you need a battery to update the BIOS (and any firmware used by the laptop) – John Jul 05 '21 at 23:23
  • I was just told by a dell representative that dell doesn't sell the batteries, and the batteries have to be replaced by tech support, which isn't available in my country.. :') – thatGuy Jul 05 '21 at 23:29