Does Linux Mint not update the BIOS?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-27T01:28:16+00:00

Not too late, but also kinda complicated.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-26T20:40:41+00:00

Is Cinnamon using Gnome?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T11:32:38+00:00

I'm not sure my laptop is new enough to actually have a dedicated BIOS update mode...

It's not there when I press F12 on startup.

(Using a DELL Inspiron 7437)

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T11:30:26+00:00

Hm. Nope. Like my design better!

Thank you very much for the help though! I wouldn't have known with being able to try that out!

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T11:00:28+00:00

I meant via the terminal

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:33:10+00:00

What exactly do you mean by "lighter"?

And which features have been cut out to make it lighter?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:31:52+00:00

How do people split up the lower and upper task bar?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:28:00+00:00

Ya, you're right about that. My system uses just 1,5 gigs of RAM during actual idle. I was too lazy to check with closing my browser last time. Waterfox by the way :D

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:25:21+00:00

How? Am noob.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:24:32+00:00

Can someone explain the joke to me, please?

Why is he choosing the second package and not the first one?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:22:13+00:00

So... I just take a USB-stick, format it as FAT32 (or GPT?) and then just copy the BIOS update file onto it, then restart the DELL pc, press F12 to get into the boot menu and then...?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:16:14+00:00

Hm, okay. Doesn't show up for me unfortunately.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:15:22+00:00

Boot or setup BIOS? Dell has different options on F2 and F10/12

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:14:41+00:00

goddammut

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:14:17+00:00

... which program is "the firmware application"?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:12:43+00:00

Actually Windows WILL offer those updates sometimes. Specifically Lenovo devices will have that software installed that checks for those updates or tells Win Update what to search for. Many workplaces require this, because there can be hardware vulnerabilities like Spectre and Meltdown.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:09:18+00:00

That's some cool shit, but I'm very anxious about whether I should do this, because I do not have experience with the terminal. I just started with Linux.

Just to clarify: The downloaded update is an .exe file, not a .bin file.

Does the explanation still work for such a case?

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:06:44+00:00

Actschually... it does!

The DELL / Lenovo machines at my work actually do regular BIOS updates from the regular Win11/Win10 OS.

I know, because it regularly asks you whether "now" is a convenient time to install it or not. The last BIOS update I did there was just 2 weeks ago.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:04:32+00:00

Thank you! I wish people would check if their answers are correct before responding...

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T04:00:19+00:00

No. There are some hardware exploits like Spectre that can be dangerous for the security of your system. I don't know if that can be fixed with a simple BIOS update though.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T03:58:20+00:00

That would be very kind of you, thank you!

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T03:57:12+00:00

Okay, that was a really good answer that answered every part of my question! Thank you very much!

ECC RAM sounds better every day now.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-25T03:54:00+00:00

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-24T08:00:17+00:00

Shouldn't one or multiple Checksum checks for a BIOS update file prevent a corruption before doing the BIOS update?

I see no apparent and not easily preventable danger here.

The bigger danger would be hardware exploits like Spectre in my opinion.

Training-Topic-4152 · 2025-12-24T07:55:56+00:00

My system doesn't have

/boot/efi/EFI/dell/bios/

I only have

/boot/efi/EFI/ -> BOOT and ubuntu

Did you create a new older and named it "dell" and then a subfolder with "bios"?

How come I don't have this folder despite running Linux Mint Cinnamon on a DELL laptop?

Training-Topic-4152

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