Dell Copyright (C) 2002, All Rights reserved. www.dell.com BIOS Release Notes Systems: Dell Latitude C400 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A06 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 08/02/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following modifications were made to the A05 BIOS to create A06: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed problem in which the SMBIOS table structure was corrupt. 2. Decreased the amount of time required to wake from Standby under Windows XP. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 2. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM Only 3. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C400 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A05 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 07/19/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following modifications were made to the A04 BIOS to create A05: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which the AC adapter may turn off while charging the battery. 2. Fixed issue seen under APM operating systems in which the system may hang after resuming from a re-suspend due to entering an incorrect BIOS or hard disk drive password. 3. Fixed issue seen under APM operating systems in which a change to the Pointing Device field in System Setup may disable the TouchPad-Trackstick and an external PS/2 mouse. 4. Fixed problem under ACPI operating systems where horizontal lines flashed on the CRT and LCD when using the hot-key display switch keys. 5. Fixed problem where connecting two devices causes a USB bus failure. 6. Fixed problem where a USB Intellimouse would not be detected when it is plugged into a higher port on the same USB HUB as a USB keyboard. 7. Fixed problem where serial port may not initialize properly preventing some serial communications applications from working. 8. Fixed problem where DVD playback would intermittenly pause. 9. Modified System Setup help text for Enable Keypad to emphasize that the embedded keypad is active only if NumLock is on AND no external keyboard is attached. 10. Ensure media bay power is turned off if no device is installed during resume. Enhancements: 1. Added support for newer versions fo the Pentium III processor. 2. Added support for POST Memory Manager (PMM). Errata: 1. In Windows 98SE after returning back to the operating system from the BIOS System Setup menu, the display intermittenly display a pink or blue bar of corruption. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 2. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM Only 3. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C400 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A04 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 05/29/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following modifications were made to the A03 BIOS to create A04: Issue fixed: 1. Fixed problem where PXE booting would not connect to a RIS server. 2. Fixed problem where some batteries would not charge after being discharged to 0%. 3. Fixed problem where 50W adapter was not correctly recognized by they system. 4. Fixed issue where connecting two devices to a USB HUB during boot would prevent the HUB from initializing. Note: Some USB mice may not function if connected to a HUB that also has a USB keyboard attached. 5. Fixed issue where the system may halt with a blue screen after changing the password and accessing the drive. 6. Fixed potential issue where a flash failure may corrupt the ROM. 7. Fixed issue where Serial port is not initialized properly preventing some serial comms applications from working. 8. Fixed issue where WinDVD will pause after a suspend-to-RAM initiated from the start menu with USB Speakers attached. 9. Fixed issue where user is not able to enter System Setup after booting to a CD-ROM drive. 10. Fixed issue where "Time-of-Day" intermittently shows up as all zeros. 11. Fixed issue where system will lock while undocking after hot docking with Windows 2000 and the PC-Tel modem installed. 12. Fixed issue where on battery resumes from hibernate the system will message an error about an unsafe removal of the USB. 13. Fixed issue seen when using Safeguard Easy security software in which a "No bootable devices" error is seen after entering the correct password. 14. Fixed issue where system does not correctly detect the battery when inserted and removed several times. 15. Fixed issue seen Windows 2000 and Windows XP where the USB may re-enumerate after warm undock. 16. Fixed lock-ups seen when the BIOS password screen is repeatedly aborted (ie wrong password entered) and the system re-suspends. 17. Fixed issue in which ACPI OSes do not always detect battery change. 18. Fix CMOS error seen on some Dell Systems at POST (invalid CMOS configuration) after 3+ hours of reboots. 19. Fixed issue under ACPI OSes in which the battery may be reported as charging even if the charger is disabled. 20. Fix problem that leads to intermittent hangs when playing DVDs under Windows XP and Windows 2000. Enhancements: 1. Added support for Windows NT 4.0 2. Prevent systems with 1Gb of RAM from doing suspend-to-disk. 3. Configure PS/2 devices earlier in POST, allowing earlier detection of "F2" and "F12" keys. 4. Increased the amount of time before the system shuts down when swapping batteries without AC power attached when in suspend mode. 5. Fixed potential Panasonic battery failures. 6. Added comments to power management help file to accurately reflect support supplied for APM operating systems with and without the Intel Speedstep applet loaded. 7. Allow changes to Touchpad/mouse settings in System Setup to take effect immediately instead of requiring a reboot. 8. Added support for newer LCD panels. Affected components: Brightness settings. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 2. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM Only 3. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 4. Microsoft Windows XP ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C400 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A03 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 02/13/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following modifications were made to the A02 BIOS to create A03: Issue fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which systems may fail to complete POST with 256MB RAM installed. 2. Fixed issue in which Remote BIOS Update may fail to update the BIOS. 3. Fixed issue in which the fans may remain on high speed constantly. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM Only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C400 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A02 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 02/01/02 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following modifications were made to the A01 BIOS to create A02: Issues Fixed: 1. Fixed issue in which WinXP and Win2000 installation fails using Microsoft Remote Installation Service after booting from the onboard NIC. 2. Fixed flashes seen on the LCD display when the OS shuts down. 3. Fixed issue in which System Setup never reports batteries as Idle. 4. Fixed issue in which the Num Lock field in System Setup does not control the Num Lock on a USB keyboard. 5. Fixed issue in which the Win98 restore CD cannot install due to lack of free upper memory. Enhancements: 1. Added support for new revisions of the Intel chipset. 2. Optimized the battery charging algorithm. 3. Optimized the thermal control procedures. 4. Changed the video expansion default from 'Off' to 'On'. 5. Updated the Intel video BIOS to build 2546. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM Only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C400 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A01 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 11/11/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) The following modifications were made to the A00 BIOS to create A01: Enhancements: 1. Improved reliability of the reporting of hardware failures. The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM Only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP ACPI =================================================================== =================================================================== Systems: Dell Latitude C400 (Memory location F000:E845) Version: A00 (Memory location F000:E842) Build Date: 11/07/01 (Memory location FFFF:0005) Initial release of the BIOS Video BIOS is Intel 2484 The BIOS release has been validated on the following operating systems: 1. Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition APM Only 2. Microsoft Windows 2000 ACPI 2. Microsoft Windows XP ACPI