We recently had a motherboard changed on a Latitude D630 and then discovered some funny things happening in spiceworks. The laptop was being reported as an OptiPlex workstation instead of a Latitude laptop and the warranty info was incorrect. After looking into the problem I discovered the Service tag in the BIOS did not match the service tag on the bottom of the laptop and that is why information was being reported incorrectly. After being on the phone with Dell (and trying to use the asset application to change the service tag) I was told that the motherboard had to be replaced and the tech would put on the correct service tag. This didn't seem right to me as the system was working perfectly otherwise, so I did some digging on the net. Here is my solution.
Update: this 'How to' is quite old now and seems not to work on newer models. Some people have had luck with finding newer Dell diagsnostic cd images or see this article:
http://www.anchor.com.au/blog/2013/06/how-hard-is-it-to-set-the-service-tag-on-a-dell-motherboard/
Finding Dell service tag or serial number On Windows. Open Command Prompt. Hit the ‘ Windows + R ’, type ‘ cmd ’, and press the enter key. Just type ‘ wmic bios get serial number ’, and hit the enter key. Now the service tag for your laptop will be in front of you. Serial Change Steps: Remove the R W screw from the motherboard; After it boots into developer mode, press CTR+ALT+F2 the key, this should open a terminal; In the terminal type 'chronos' Then 'sudo su' Then 'vpd -l' On the displayed list you are looking for 'serialnumber' To change the.
9 Steps total
Step 1: Download the Dell Latitude and Inspirion BIOS Upgrade and Diagnostics CD
I found it here:
http://rs331tl.rapidshare.com/files/145322470/4125801/Dell_Portable_Bios_and_Diags_Rev_A34.zip
THIS LINK IS DEAD....try this instead
http://pcemporium.webs.com/Dell%20Bios%20Reset.iso
it's not the same software but works....
Step 2: Unzip the file and burn the ISO to a cd
Unzip the file using winzip or 7-zip and you will end up with a file called Dell Portable Bios and Diags Rev A34.iso. Use Nero, Roxio, Image Burn (whatever program you might have) to burn the image to a cd.
Step 3: Boot from the cd
Stick the cd in the laptop and turn it on. Hit F12 at the DELL logo and you will get the Preparing one-time boot menu ..... choose CD/DVD/CD-RW Drive.
How To Change Bios Serial Number
Step 4: Choose a selection
The cd will boot up and give you 4 options to select from. Choose option 3. Run the Service Tag Utility
Step 5: Erase the current service tag
It will come up and warn you that choosing yes will erase the asset, owner and service tag. Luckily we don't use either of the first two fields so I just choose yes and hit enter. If you do use asset and owner info in the BIOS I suggest you write them down first.
Step 6: Enter in the correct Service Tag
It will then erase the incorrect service tag and ask you to enter a new one. Enter in the correct one and hit enter.
Step 7: Verify the Service Tag
It will ask you to verify the service tag. Enter in the correct service tag and hit enter again.
Step 8: Are you Sure?
It will ask you if you are sure you want to change the service tag. Choose yes
Step 9: Operation successful
It should tell you it was successful. Remove the cd and reboot. Your service tag is now changed. I tried rescanning the laptop in spiceworks but alot of the info was still messed up so I deleted and scanned the network... from there everything was fine.
I hope this comes in handy..
28 Comments
- CayenneAnthony384 Sep 2, 2010 at 09:18am
Usually the tech that does the replacement updates the bios and the service tag. Nice to have the utility just in case he forgets!
Thanks
- Poblanobradje Sep 5, 2010 at 03:41pm
Nice one mate. Very helpful.
JB - Thai PepperEmerson Leal Sep 6, 2010 at 05:32pm
Great research job! Thanks for share.
- JalapenoBHollinger Jan 24, 2011 at 09:34am
I used this and it made for an easy tag fix.
- TabascoKev840 Feb 10, 2011 at 01:53pm
You CAN use the asset utility to change the service tag. It is an undocumented switch. run asset /s SERVICETAG, where SERVICETAG = the service tag you want to enter. Works like a charm on Optiplex & Latitude.
- SerranoJohn8753 Feb 10, 2011 at 02:18pm
I basically wrote this how to because I could not get the /s to work. The Dell tech had me download a few different versions of asset from their website but that also failed using the /s. This was the only way I was able change the service tag.
- Pimientojohngr8 May 12, 2012 at 02:08am
Hi guys that link above does not work , i need to change the service tag in my laptop , really appreciated
Cheers
john - Pimientorendezo Oct 7, 2012 at 03:27pm
Hello,
Please share it again.
Thank You
- AnaheimJFMAN960 Dec 12, 2012 at 10:03pm
With all due respect to John's how-to, the link in that post does not work. I was able to find another link outside the community with an ISO that works for Latitude (I only tried it on D620, D830, and E6400). It does not appear to work for desktops - at least not the GX520 or GX745 models.
Here's the link: http://pcemporium.webs.com/Dell%20Bios%20Reset.iso
I found it under the blog: http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/19369-Dell-Bios-Editing-Removing-Bios-Lock-Changing-Service-Asset-Tag-Software-Here
I burned the ISO to CD, booted from same and it worked perfectly.
- SerranoJohn8753 Jan 25, 2013 at 08:32pm
Thanks JFMAN.... I'd been unable to find a new link but yours works fine :)
- Pimientodarrentownley2004 Nov 25, 2013 at 06:24pm
This does not work for Lattitude e6530. Does anyone know where I can get a newer version?
- Pimientogtoss Dec 28, 2013 at 12:05am
I can not get it to boot on my laptop
- Pimientowahiduzzamanwahid Feb 24, 2014 at 08:59am
Hello dear, It is not working for Dell Latitude E5420.
- Pimientojohnnywoodbury Jan 17, 2015 at 03:08am
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I had to replace my motherboard and when i did the service tag changed, so my windows was no longer genuine. i did the slmgr -rearm so many times until i couldnt do it anymore, then i thought well maybe i can change the service tag and then i stumbled upon this. I am so happy i had to create a profile to tell you thank you so much!! AWESOME! LIFE SAVER! I nearly paid to get a new product key! JUST AWESOME! saved me 110.00 bucks!
- Pimientoabdelhak2 Nov 18, 2015 at 09:43am
my problem is that i can't boot with cd/dvd , just internal HDD , anyone can help on this one ??
Dell Laptop Serial Number Lookup
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