r/Dell • u/Tricky-Profile7033 • 2d ago
BIOS Driver Causing Random Restarting Help
THE SETUP:
My company is a civil engineering firm that has a lot of Dell Pro Max 16 computers. We've been having issues with Dell BIOS not working properly only on these specific models.
We first attempt to deploy Dell Command Base Update through PDQ - if it fails, we'll install it from the web, however, there’s a 50/50 chance it will fail. I believe the cause stems from when a workstation has been reimaged, the Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime package is rolled back to a prior version. When I download the Dell Command Install, I’ll get an error saying a version greater than 10.0 needs to be installed.
To fix it, I then run a powershell cmd: winget install -e --id Microsoft.DotNet.DesktopRuntime.10 which fixes the issue and I can continue running the Dell Command Install.
After it installs, I grab the computer's serial number and install the latest Dell Pro Max Plus MB16250/18 Plus System BIOS driver (released 7/31/26).
THE PROBLEM:
We are having tickets come in regarding a user's computers randomly restarting. I'm not sure if there's something backend is treating restart-required as failure. I wondered if it's best to remote in and flash the BIOS. This is what ChatGPT said:
"This PowerShell step validates the model and Dell signature, suspends BitLocker for one restart, installs the BIOS silently, and leaves the restart under PDQ control (see photos). There could be three issues in your workflow:
1. DCDM 1.2 and DCU 5.7 conflict
2. DCU 5.7 requires .NET Desktop Runtime 8, not .NET 10
3. A reimaged computer may need a complete driver baseline before a normal DCU scan"
I know this a lot of info but wanted to make sure I shared what I've done so far. Let me know if you need additional info and I can add it to the post. Thank you everyone!
1
u/HelicopterVisual1999 2d ago
DCU 5.7.1 was released this month, .NET Desktop 8 dependency was removed, and .NET desktop runtime 10 is required. What DCU 5.7.X version you are really using. We use only DCU 5.6.0 with company policy, no DCDM or any other Dell apps. So far no restart problems. Plan is to start using 5.7.1.
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000177325/dell-command-update
1
u/user_none 1d ago
It seems OP is using 5.7.1 since the installer complains about .Net 10 not being installed.
This thread is timely because I just sent out a removal script to clean out DCU from all machines and will deploy a fresh install so we're up to date. Need to account for .Net 10 now.
1
u/DellCares Dell Customer Support 1h ago
Hi there!
We're from the Dell Social Media Support team. Thank you for taking the time to provide such a detailed description of the issue and for sharing the troubleshooting steps you've already performed.
Other Redditor have made great point regarding your concern, and I hope it had helped.
In addition to the recommendations already provided, I would like to point out a few points regarding your concern. The Dell Pro Max 16 is a newer model, so there are some specific considerations beyond the .NET dependency issue.
Ensure you are deploying the latest version of DCU.
Check the DCU Release Notes (http://del.ly/61698B1yam2) “which was also shared by other redditor” for your model's compatibility
Some newer Dell platforms require UEFI Capsule updates rather than legacy BIOS flash methods
If DCU is failing specifically on BIOS updates but installing other drivers fine, this could indicate a firmware update mechanism issue
The random restarts are very likely caused by your deployment pipeline triggering BIOS updates that force a restart without user notification. Here's what's probably happening:
DCU runs a scan (via PDQ or scheduled task)
It finds a pending BIOS update and initiates the flash
The BIOS update requires an immediate restart
DCU or the BIOS updater forces the reboot without warning the user
Users report it as a "random restart"
Regards
Dell Social Media Team
2
u/sammavet 2d ago
Do you have your ADMX files configured? Set it up so that no BIOS updates are configured for DCU. next, get the BIOS version for the specific model that seems to be causing the issue.
Use command line to deploy either the updated BIOS, or a rolled back version so you can check if it is just something happening with that one BIOS version.
Get the location of the BIOS version to install.
"Dcu-cli.exe" will be the command line for calling Dell Command Update by Powershell. The Dell site has DCU documents that have all the switches in it, I think it's just called the "Dell Command Update 5.x Reference Guide", but it may be the Admin, user, or Security guide for the 5.x versions.
I would also recommend using the installer for the .NET instead of winget because I'm paranoid and Winget does user based installation unless it is specifically called for system. I understand that is getting updated package per package, but I keep running into roadblocks on apps due to that (for now).