BIOS Manufacturing mode?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I found this String in a Dell BIOS:

**** MANUFACTURING MODE: LEVEL [ ] ****
Press Fn-X to return the system to normal running mode.

Anyone knows how to enter to this "Manufacturing Mode"??

 

[Fixer]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

You cant, its a factory setting thats set when the systemboard is returned
to the factory as being faulty, they make the repair and send out the board
again the engineer then installs it and Fn x's it to return it to operating
mode
<hddsite@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1120974815.826138.17220@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I found this String in a Dell BIOS:
>
> **** MANUFACTURING MODE: LEVEL [ ] ****
> Press Fn-X to return the system to normal running mode.
>
> Anyone knows how to enter to this "Manufacturing Mode"??
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Do u know what can be done in this mode?

 

[Dan]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 09:15:52 +0100, "Fixer" <steve.h1@ntlworld.com>
wrote:

>You cant, its a factory setting thats set when the systemboard is returned
>to the factory as being faulty, they make the repair and send out the board
>again the engineer then installs it and Fn x's it to return it to operating
>mode

Although some engineeres forget this step and a very loud ticking
sound eminates every time a key on the keyboard is pressed.

Some Dell CSR's send us out with a motherboard for these calls....very
nice calls, since they only take 5 minutes to fix, no parts used

Dell probably has very expensive diagnostic equipment that allows them
to examine the various motherboard components in manufacturing mode.

Dan

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Any ex-Dell CSR there that can tell us what they can do in this mode?
;-)...
Honestly I was thinking that maybe the bios send debug info through the
serial port or smth like that .. I really dont think they need any
sofisticated equipment...

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

<hddsite@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1121034821.307773.250970@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Any ex-Dell CSR there that can tell us what they can do in this mode?
> ;-)...
> Honestly I was thinking that maybe the bios send debug info through the
> serial port or smth like that .. I really dont think they need any
> sofisticated equipment...
>

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?c=us&DN=1023538&l=en&opt=true&s=gen&~mode=popup

On the older systems (on the user end), it was for clearing the NVRAM (BIOS
hardware configuration). It could be accessed by moving a mb jumper.

Judging from a Latitude mb I had replaced onsite recently, it would appear
that MM might allow a baseline HW configuration to be set in NVRAM before
the onsite tech uses the included MB CD to set the system service tag or
asset tag - but that's purely speculation on my part.


Stew

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

"Dan" <jasdfosd@asjedfoi.com> wrote in message
news:rhr2d1p5atblst710n8fs34tqa7q2aei0q@4ax.com...

> Dell probably has very expensive diagnostic equipment that allows them
> to examine the various motherboard components in manufacturing mode.
>
> Dan
>

The motherboard on my Dimension 4100 failed a couple of years ago and,
making conversation, I asked the technician who was replacing the board how
Dell could set about finding out what was wrong with it, given that it was
completely dead.

He mentioned something about switching the BIOS to manufacturing mode and
hooking the board up to some diagnostic equipment to identify the failure.

 

[sparkyuiop]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

I found this String in a Dell BIOS:

**** MANUFACTURING MODE: LEVEL [ ] ****
Press Fn-X to return the system to normal running mode.

Anyone knows how to enter to this "Manufacturing Mode"??

You will be in this mode if you remove the BIOS chip and flash it in a chip reader / writer with a new BIOS update.
I recently did this on a Dell Studio XPS which the owner had lost the BIOS password for.
When you update a BIOS in the normal way by running the exe file within windows you are only updating the BIOS so it retains certain information including, with Dell's, the service tag.
When you flash a new BIOS file directly via a chip reader / writer you overwrite everything and the new BIOS obviously comes with no service tag so it goes into manufacturing mode level 01 on first boot for you to enter this information.
Other than that I found no extra options in manufacturing mode level 01 that were not the same as in user mode.
Hope that helps answer your question. I know it was posted some time ago but the question and answer is still relevant on Dell machines in 2015.

 

[marshalleq]

I have this message stuck on on my Dell Venue Pro. It says CTRL F will disable it, but it doesn't. Not sure what that means as to it's running capability, but from reading this thread it sounds like maybe some BIOS features could be 'customised'. Oddly enough, it did take a new BIOS via standard flash tool, but the message remains. Seems like something else is going on...