XPS 8930, AMI BIOS guard feature disabled

Question

I own a DELL XPS 8930 and I've been trying to update my BIOS from 1.2.24 to the current version. I understand that I need to update to the next versions before going to the latest one, but the problem is when I try to update using the F12 key and selecting Update BIOS from the menu, I get an error. After I select Update BIOS, I tab through to select the proper update file from my USB disk. When I tab to and execute "Flash Update" I get a window with an error that says "AMI BIOS guard feature disabled"
I have looked thoroughly through the items in the BIOS settings menus for any reference to the AMI BIOS guard feature, but I have not seen anything about it. I have also looked on the web for that phrase but whenever I do, all I get in my search results are articles about UEFI and how I can unlock hidden features using Alt-F1, Ctrl-F1, or Shift-F1 (and none of those key combinations do anything at all on my computer).

Crzy Potato · Answer

I am having this issue as well and could not find anything either. Been having I/O cable failure and been trying to update bios in an attempt to fix it.

vmsman · Answer

I am having this same issue.

newaccount519665 · Answer

I had this problem, and I was able to solve it by changing "Legacy Option ROMs" to "Disabled" in the BIOS section called "Boot".

Another issue is that I wasn't able to change my "Legacy Option ROMs" option when my "Boot List Option" was "Legacy". I had to change my "Boot List Option" to "UEFI" to be able to change the "Legacy Option ROMs" option (and then I could change it back to Legacy when I was done updating BIOS).

RoHe · Answer

@newaccount519665  - Do you have any real reason to keep using Legacy instead of UEFI?

JairDadald · Answer

@newaccount519665​   Thank you, your tip worked for updating the BIOS. But, on the Dell XPS8930, with Win10 and BIOS 1.1.31 (the latest), I can only boot with the 'Boot List Option' marked as LEGACY in the setup. But, in this case, I can't set the 'UEFI' option, which is a requirement for migrating to Win11. If I leave the 'List Option' with the 'UEFI' option, the PC won't BOOT, because the HD for the Operating System doesn't appear. Does anyone have a solution for this?

newaccount519665 · Answer

@JairDadald​ Change it back to Legacy after updating BIOS.

RoHe · Answer

@JairDadald​ - You probably need to disable Legacy ROM options and enable Secure Boot and then enable TPM, in that order, in BIOS setup. As long as Legacy is enabled, you can't enable Secure Boot and TPM, and without them enabled, Win 11 won't install.

JairDadald · Answer

RoHe, thanks for the reply.I can disable Legacy ROM and enable Secure Boot and then enable TPM.But by doing this I have to keep the Boot List Option on LEGACY, otherwise I can't boot the PC. If I leave the Boot List Option on UEFI, the only boot options that appear are 'Onboard NIC IPV4' and 'Onboard NIC IPv6' and the PC won't boot.I'm in dead lock!

RoHe · Answer

What's the boot drive in this PC, HDD or SSD? Is any other internal drive also installed?

Something is wrong here. Windows Boot Manager should be an option on Boot Option Priorities list. And Windows Boot Manager should always be first choice on the list.

I doubt you're booting from a drive with the OS on a network, so you can disable both IPV4 andIPV6 on that list.

When was last time you cleared BIOS and replaced the motherboard battery? I'd do that before going any further...

Power off, unplug power cord from rear of PC
Press/hold power button for ~15 sec
Open case and remove motherboard battery (check Service Manual for details)
Press/hold power button for ~30 sec
Install fresh CR2032 3-volt coin cell battery
Close up and connect mouse, monitor and keyboard
Reboot and open BIOS setup. The default setting should be Legacy disabled and Secure Boot enabled
Look for Windows Boot Manager on that Boot Option Priorities list and make sure it's first

JairDadald · Answer

In fact, when I reinstalled the new disk and the new Windows, I let the system format the SSD on its own. It turns out that it created it in MBR mode, which is not supported by UEFI, instead of formatting it in GPT mode.

Now I used the MBR2GPT program, which changes the formatting type automatically and without losing data or having to reinstall Windows, and it transformed the SSD into GPT mode. After that, I changed the BIOS to UEFI, enabled secure boot, and the option to boot from HD (or Windows) appeared. This way, I can make a secure connection, use the TPM, and be ready to migrate to Win11.

Thanks for your help.

XPS Desktops

XPS 8930, AMI BIOS guard feature disabled

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