[phantomlord2oo]

Download the following 2 files:

"I1010_A04 BIOS Recovery.zip" from the attachment in the 4th post by somms
http://www.mydellmini.com/forum/dell...-recovery.html

"10v-BIOS-A05.zip" from the attachment in the 1st post by adster
Downgrade your Mini 10v to BIOS A05 without a USB Drive (Using Windows)

Now that you have those downloading, here's what you do from a PC with a floppy drive.:

1. Run the program from I1010_A04 BIOS Recovery all the way through. Press Enter when it says to remove the floppy disc (don't actually remove it).
2. Open up your floppy via My Computer. You should see 3 files (minidos.sys, phlash16.exe and bios.wph).
3. Delete bios.wph (since it's for the inspiron1010 and not the 1011)
4. Extract "bios.rom" from the 10v-BIOS-A05.zip and put it on the floppy.
5. Rename "bios.rom" ti bios.wph.
6. You can now eject the floppy from your PC and place it in your external floppy drive.
7. Remove the battery from the 10v and make sure that the power cable is NOT connected.
8. Connect the floppy drive in the top left USB port (beneath the power supply cable).
9. Hold down the "End" and "Fn" buttons and connect the power cable.
10. Press the power button while still holding the above buttons down.

Now, if all goes well your external floppy reader should be lighting up and making noise and then your 10v PC Speaker should start beeping and booping. This is good. Do like The Beatles and LET IT BE! The 10v will reboot by itself when it's done.

Hope this helped you guys. I found this by combining some techniques found on these forums (since no one I could see brought back a 10v from the dead before) and hoping the renaming the BIOS file actually worked.

+Mike+

[marsist]

Dude you are my hero, I followed this precisely and brought my 10v brick back from the dead. The only difference is it didn't actually reboot when all the beeping was done, it just went dead, I waited like 5 minutes to make sure, then just pushed the power button and viola! NO MORE BRICK!!!!

Thank you so much for putting this in an easy to follow way!!

[kekosino]

Wow!

I think this post deserves a sticky! I'm not planning on upgrading, but nonetheless this gives some peace of mind when playing with the BIOS.

I wonder if there's a way to do this from a USB drive other than a floppy. Floppies are hard to come by nowadays...

[holmes4]

I have seen a USB stick that, with a switch, makes itself look like a floppy, but it costs as much as a USB floppy drive. It appears that the BIOS specifically wants a floppy drive.

[Vlad The Impaler]

I fixed mine. First I used the "Drdflash" to format the floppy disk then I used "I1010_A04 BIOS Recovery" to burn it. After I was done creating the floppy I connected the USB Floppy drive to the left USB port of the DELL mini 1010. Pressing the CTRL+END I plug the computer power cord and turned ON (you don't have to keep pressing the CTRL+END after its ON). The computer started to do some bimps for some minutes then it reboot and my computer resurrected (Now I am going to call it Zombie Dell Mini 1010).

Before trying this I took my Laptop to a "Professional" which one month later told me that he was unable to fix it and charged me 25 dollars for trying (the most stupid **** ever). I had to pay so I could get the my DEll mini 10 back. Now that I fixed it I am going to his shop and I will tell him he sucks while laughing at his face (I hope there is a lot of people inside his shop) I might get my money back if I am lucky.

I am so happy since this was the best thing that happened today for me.

[rrfranczak3]

Originally Posted by Vlad The Impaler

Now that I fixed it I am going to his shop and I will tell him he sucks while laughing at his face (I hope there is a lot of people inside his shop) I might get my money back if I am lucky.

Or you might get arrested...I believe its called harassement or defimation of character or something legal like that..

PS. We will start a collection for your bail....(lol).

[tchariya]

Originally Posted by Vlad The Impaler

I fixed mine. First I used the "Drdflash" to format the floppy disk then I used "I1010_A04 BIOS Recovery" to burn it. After I was done creating the floppy I connected the USB Floppy drive to the left USB port of the DELL mini 1010. Pressing the CTRL+END I plug the computer power cord and turned ON (you don't have to keep pressing the CTRL+END after its ON). The computer started to do some bimps for some minutes then it reboot and my computer resurrected (Now I am going to call it Zombie Dell Mini 1010).

Before trying this I took my Laptop to a "Professional" which one month later told me that he was unable to fix it and charged me 25 dollars for trying (the most stupid **** ever). I had to pay so I could get the my DEll mini 10 back. Now that I fixed it I am going to his shop and I will tell him he sucks while laughing at his face (I hope there is a lot of people inside his shop) I might get my money back if I am lucky.

I am so happy since this was the best thing that happened today for me.

Tell him for $50 bucks you will give him the instructions to unbrick a 10v.

[Thumper 00]

I am getting ready to downgrade my 10v BIOS from A06 to A05...have read several posts citing fear of bricking their mini/have bricked their mini doing this. This gives me peace of mind-safety net-as I downgrade. Thank you for the info.

[canada eh]

Originally Posted by Thumper 00

I am getting ready to downgrade my 10v BIOS from A06 to A05...have read several posts citing fear of bricking their mini/have bricked their mini doing this. This gives me peace of mind-safety net-as I downgrade. Thank you for the info.

if you are downgrading for OS X, you don't have to with the latest NBI A06 will work.

but yes, this does give me peace of mind when playing with bios settings and what not.

[Thumper 00]

Originally Posted by canada eh

if you are downgrading for OS X, you don't have to with the latest NBI A06 will work.

but yes, this does give me peace of mind when playing with bios settings and what not.

Yes it's true that NBI 0.8.4 will allow osx install without downgrading BIOS from A06 to A04, but only if installing Snow Leopard (10.6 OSX). I had purchased Leopard a year ago so I was relegated to downgrading and using older install guides.

But as of tonight I had successful triple boot install of OSX 10.5.6, Windows 7 Ultimate and a Ubuntu 9.1. Hell ya!!!!! Thanks to everyone for all your posts, guides and other assistance.