How to Update the BIOS on a Dell Laptop Without a Charged Battery

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Get BIOS without the battery.

So you've been trying to charge your Dell laptop battery with your laptop charger, but suddenly your battery is no longer charging. Since it seems that your your charger isn't faulty, you've tried to upgrade your BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) on your computer so that your computer might recognize your charger again. However, if your battery has gotten below 10 percent, you're probably getting an error message saying that even though you can download the BIOS upgrades, you need at least a 10-percent charged battery in order to get BIOS to flash (necessary for a proper upgrade). Fortunately, there's a solution that will allow your computer to recognize your charger again, and save you from having to buy a new battery.

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Step 1

Download the BIOS upgrade and save it to your desktop—C:\Users"UserName"\Desktop—so that you'll easily see it on your computer desktop.

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Step 2

Go to the "Start" menu on the Windows desktop and select "All Programs." From there go to "Accessories" and find "Command Prompt." Right-click on "Command Prompt" and select "Run as Administrator."

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Step 3

Type in "cd desktop" after "C:\Users"UserName"> when you are in Command Prompt. It will look like this: "C:\Users"UserName">cd desktop. The space between "cd desktop" is important. Press "Enter." This will take you to C:\Users"UserName"\desktop>.

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Step 4

Type in the last part of the BIOS upgrade file name after "C\Users"UserNames"\desktop> (the last part of the file name being something like "D620_A10.EXE" when the full location of the file is "C:\Users"UserNames"\Desktop\D620_A10.EXE). In command prompt, your command will look like this:

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"C:\Users"UserName"\desktop>D620_A10.EXE

Do not press "Enter" yet.

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Step 5

Type in /forceit at the very end of the command prompt you've been entering, which will look like this:

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C:\Users"UserName"\desktop>D620_A10.EXE /forceit

A space is required between .EXE and /forceit.

Step 6

Press the "Enter" key. Your BIOS upgrade should now be complete, and you should be able to charge your battery on your Dell laptop.

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