SUCCESS! So i created a FreeDOS usb via Rufus and copied O9020A25.exe to it. I booted into the USB and exec the upgrade file and it restarted but again - blank screen. It still requires the memory to be different to trigger the alert message and get it to boot. However the next time I tried it I pushed another stick of RAM into the machine and that triggered the update! I know, I know - you should NEVER do that, but it was that, or junk the machine so as a last resort it was worth the try.
I have a 9020 SFF on BIOS A5 that has an issue where it will NOT boot unless I change the memory configuration to trigger the "Alert! The amount of system memory has changed." message - at which point i hit F1 and I am good. If I warm restart no problem but if I shut down and restart all I get is a blank screen and a blinking HDD light. Now another user on this forum did describe a similar issue that he fixed via a BIOS update and here lies my problem... Dell provides the BIOS Update File (O9020A25.exe) as an executable that runs under Windows and restarts the PC automatically. However the restart ALWAYS fails no matter what I try. I think my only solution is to somehow boot from a USB and try to update the BIOS that way. Does anyone have any suggestions because at this point the PC could have to be junked!
How do I update BIOS on 9020 SFF via bootable USB drive (not Windows)?