Dell Optiplex 3000 Micro - BIOS Update Issues / Win11

[Sky-Knight]

Informational Post: Dell Optiplex BIOS Behavior on Windows 10/11

This Dell Optiplex has been rock solid for years on Windows 10 and meets all requirements for Windows 11. The upgrade to Windows 11 went smoothly. No issues, no complaints.

However, BIOS updates consistently failed across all methods. Dell Update, manual EXE, even recovery-based flashing, none worked.

As a last resort, I did a full wipe and clean install of Windows 11 24H2. During setup, I noticed two things:

1. The installer (Win11 24H2) now requires an active Internet connection to proceed, even on Pro edition.
2. The system had accumulated fifteen recovery partitions.

Turns out, every failed BIOS update attempt had created a new recovery partition, but never used it properly. The update would fail to apply, reboot, and leave the partition behind.

After the clean install wiped everything, including those orphaned recovery partitions, the BIOS update succeeded immediately. No errors, no resistance.

Never seen this behavior before. Definitely worth noting if you're troubleshooting persistent BIOS update failures on similar hardware.

 

[Your PCMD]

The installer (Win11 24H2) now requires an active Internet connection to proceed, even on Pro edition.

No, you can bypass that. When you get to the point that it says you need a network connection, press Shift + F10

At the command prompt, type: start mx-cxh:localonly then Hit enter

This will open the local account creation dialog. Once you enter a username and password (if needed), press Enter, and it will bypass the issue, set up the account, and log you in.

 

[Larry Sabo]

No, you can bypass that. When you get to the point that it says you need a network connection, press Shift + F10

The problem is, with the latest OEM installers the shift+F10 doesn't open a command window, no matter where in the sequence you try, at least for me.

 

[britechguy]

The installer (Win11 24H2) now requires an active Internet connection to proceed, even on Pro edition.

I just posted a whole other topic where I mentioned this not being the case on a completely clean install I did last night, and I know that the ISO I used to burn the install media was created using the MCT on July 26, 2025.

Microsoft seems to keep changing this at random. I was as shocked as I can possibly be to see that the link to say, "I don't have an internet connection," was back and that, as a result of having activated it, I was prompted to create a local account straight out of the shoot.

 

[britechguy]

The problem is, with the latest OEM installers the shift+F10 doesn't open a command window, no matter where in the sequence you try, at least for me.

What do you mean by OEM installers? I just did a Shift + F10 escape to Command Prompt at the Windows 11 install screen where language is being requested just last night.

I used a Microsoft MCT created ISO burned to USB by Rufus and with the only modification being the automated answering of "No" to the privacy questions.

 

[Porthos]

What do you mean by OEM installers?

He is referring to new out-of-the-box preinstalled computers.

 

[britechguy]

He is referring to new out-of-the-box preinstalled computers.

Thanks. As I have not played with this situation in some months, I can't and won't comment on it.

 

[lan101]

The problem is, with the latest OEM installers the shift+F10 doesn't open a command window, no matter where in the sequence you try, at least for me.

Yep ran into that last week...it's really hit or miss...must just be how long they've been sitting in the factory lol.

Last week shift and f10 wouldn't work but this week it did on a different computer.

So yeah I'm assuming the lastest oem ones are somehow making that not work.

 

[Blues]

So far the most surefire way for local setup is go into BIOS to disable any Wireless NIC and unplug/don't plug in any wired NIC then run the setup.

 

[britechguy]

The more I read about this, here, the more convinced I've become that it's just "best practice" for my own sanity to do a completely clean (re)install using bootable media based on the Microsoft ISO (regardless of how generated) as the initial setup. Don't even let the OEM installer come up, just start hitting the keyboard key to get BIOS or the Boot Menu to come up on first power up.

Has the added advantage of de-crapifying at the same time.

 

[Sky-Knight]

I'm pretty sure the shift + F10 thing only works on the first OOBE. If you return an install to OOBE things are different, and the wizard that appears is based on the original invocation's configuration.

 

[Your PCMD]

The problem is, with the latest OEM installers the shift+F10 doesn't open a command window, no matter where in the sequence you try, at least for me.

That's weird, as I am right this minute setting up a new laptop out of the box for a client, and all I did when at the wifi screen was hit Shift+F10

Well, it's Lenovo, and I had to hit Shift + FN & F10, and the CMD opened immediately.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Well, it's Lenovo, and I had to hit Shift + FN & F10, and the CMD opened immediately.

It works on some laptops but not others, in my experience. Sometimes you have no option but to use an installer prepared with RUFUS to allow creation of a local account -- which is preferred anyway so the customer doesn't get all the OEM garbage addons.

 

[Sky-Knight]

If the OS is pro, you can simply click to the window that talks about a cloud account, smack the other signin options below it, choose Join Domain, and move on with your life.

That's still in there, just buried.