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Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
@Slowpoke47, I’ve just spent the last half-hour looking this up on the Web. (I’ve wondered about this question myself, since I have a Linux machine too.)
The sense I get from my reading is that using WINE will not work, since it doesn’t have direct, low-level access to the hardware.
Great care must be taken when researching this, as many of the answers are more than a decade old and are no longer relevant.
The most promising-looking discussion that I saw of how to flash the BIOS for a Linux machine, is this one. I suggest reading the whole (short) thing. Check to see if your computer’s BIOS boot menu offer an option to flash the BIOS; this would be the easiest and safest method.
Hope this helps!
No need for an OS, just copy the .exe file to a USB thumb drive and follow the instructions below (from the Dell website, bottom of the page, expand Installation Instructions). I’ve updated the BIOS this way on two Inspiron 3670’s without issue.
Updating the BIOS from BIOS Boot Menu (independent of operating system)
Note 1: Before updating the BIOS, ensure that you suspend BitLocker encryption on a BitLocker-enabled system. If BitLocker is not enabled on your system, you can ignore this step. For information about how to disable BitLocker, see How to Enable or Disable BitLocker with TPM in Windows at support.dell.com.
Note 2: Do not turn off power or interrupt the BIOS update process during the update.
Note 3: Your system requires a restart after installing the BIOS. The restart can be deferred but must be completed to ensure that the update is installed.Installation
1. Copy the downloaded file to a USB drive. You do not need a bootable USB drive.
2. Insert the USB drive into any USB port.
3. Power on the system.
4. At the DELL logo screen, press F12 to access the one-time boot menu.
5. Select BIOS Flash Update in the Other Options section.
6. Click the … button to browse the USB drive to locate the downloaded file.
7. Select the file and click OK.
8. Verify the existing system BIOS information and the BIOS update information.
9. Click Begin Flash Update.
10. Review the Warning message and click Yes to proceed with the update.
The system restarts and displays a Flash Progress bar at the Dell logo screen. The system restarts again when the Flash update is complete
Different people have different opinions about whether or not to update the BIOS, ranging from if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, to install every BIOS update that comes down the pike. Before I update a BIOS I ask myself if my system is buggy in any way. I also want to know exactly what the BIOS update is supposed to do: what vulnerabilities and/or bugs is it supposed to fix? Then I decide if I really need the update. Sometimes I decide I need it and sometimes I decide I don’t. I’ve never had a computer head south by not installing a BIOS update. I’ve had one computer completely bricked by installing a BIOS update; never could get it fixed and not because of lack of trying or seeking competent help.
On my homebuilt Linux Mint Desktop PC using the ASUS PRIME Z390-A motherboard, the ASUS support website shows two updates after the UEFI/BIOS version I have on the system, if you tell it the OS is Windows. If you select “Other” it shows no updates. Research indicated that at least one of the updates was for Windows 11 compatibility or requirements. Querying ASUS using the motherboards built-in BIOS updater, said no updates are available for the system.
I usually take the position as DrBonzo and unless it is affecting my uses or is a security remediation, I will let it go.
Optiplex 5060 BIOS update info from the Dell website.
– This release contains security updates as disclosed in the Dell Security Advisory DSA-2024-243
DSA-2024-243 summary below from the Dell website with many CVE numbers listed.
Summary: Dell Client Platform BIOS remediation is available for multiple vulnerabilities addressed in Intel® Platform Update 2024.3 Advisories that could be exploited by malicious users to compromise the affected system.
In general they are more difficult to reverse/uninstall than other updates, and they have greater potential to screw up a computer, sometimes beyond the point of repair. Perhaps an IT pro would have a different point of view with their more advanced knowledge. But for my skill set I treat BIOS updates with a much larger mix of caution and fear than I do with other updates (even larger than with MS updates!)
Alternative viewpoints welcome.
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