This will work in Windows environment, but I ain't so sure it will work within DOS. Which brings up another important point. Since your BIOS is dead to start with, namely you see no DELL logo, is it possible to flash the EEPROM? I would think not but you can still give it a try. Maybe the following might help. Hot flashing your dead BIOS chip with another MOBO: http://www.techarp.com/showarticle....ch&siteurl=www.wimsbios.com/forum/#1192pgno=5
Dell laptops have the best sound speakers. But serious BIOS frying problems. I once turned a $1K Dell laptop into a worthless paperweight after a failed BIOS update. Acer laptops are great but have seriously crap speakers. Anyways, how are the speakers on Toshibas or Gateways?
Check the CMOS battery on the motherboard. It's usually accessible under the ram sticks or by removing the keyboard (for my dell laptop). It's just a little watch battery, but if it's dead, it can cause problems beyond just the usual drifting cmos clock settings, such as keeping the system from even getting to the POST boot screen. I saved a laptop this year by swapping in a new CMOS battery, it was doing the same thing as you described. It could not get to the POST screen, and the new CMOS battery fixed it completely. It was the simplest fix to the most hopeless computer problem I've ever dealt with.
if speaker is you your thing find a model with thumb wheel vol control, its louder than just keyboard control.