(A7) Me FW Downgrade - Request Me Spilock Failed

[booterror]

Hi,

I got a new HP envy desktop (2 days old) and it started up fine and I used the built in HP Support Assistant to update it, among the update were things like BIOS.

It all went fine until I left the desktop in hybernation mode when I was about to go to bed, when I woke up a black screen was on with a line of text on top left:
(A7) Me FW Downgrade - Request Me Spilock Failed

Nothing will help to get rid of this screen, not even CTRL + ALT + Delete.

The only way was to shut down the pc by pressing the power button for a few seconds.

Every time I turn the pc on this same black screen and error keeps appearing.

The only thing I found that works is if I press ESC many times while pc is booting it will give me a list of things to choose from, from there if I select to upgrade/downgrade BIOS and then select the only BIOS it has in the local drive it will look like it's updating, but in reality it's the exact same version as the bios on the pc... But after this process the computer will start into windows.

But as soon as I shut down the pc or restart the same black screen with the error appears.

I will need to upgrade the bios everytime I start the pc just to be able to access windows.

My computer is covered by the gurantee as it's 2 days old only, I'm just very frustrated that HP didn't test the pc before sending it to me.

I've been googling this error and I found very little information and no solution, they mentioned things like:
- bios version has to be downgraded because hp bios update is faulty.
- new intel CPU is needed
- something is wrong with the motherboard.

It's a brand new and very powerful hp envy 750-100 pc.

I also went ahead and did regular windows restore it didn't help, I then did the full pc reset and that didn't help either same error is still there.

Any help on solving this problem fast would be appreciated, thanks.

[Mather1313]

I am having the same problem on my Envy 750-114. I allowed the HP Assistant to complete several updates, including a BIOS update. After the PC rebooted, I am stuck at the HP screen with the (A7) Me FW Downgrade - Request MeSpilock Failed error.

I have tried to downgrade the BIOS, upgrade it, and followed the instructions on the HP support site, all with no success in getting Windows 10 to boot.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

[booterror]

I'm starting to think this is a major problem on many HP ENVY computers.  

Look at this french section of the forum 3 threads about this error:
http://h30478.www3.hp.com/t5/Ordinateurs-de-Bureau-Sprout-by-HP-Moniteurs-Syst%C3%A8me-d/bd-p/OSdesk...

You can use translate function of your browser to understand what they are saying. (no solution)

Did you shut down and start your pc several times before the bios update?

I don't think I ever tried shutting down and starting before the update, so I can't tell if it has to do with the update or if the computer had this error to begin with.

We might all be assuming it has to do with the update, when in reality the hp envy model had a problem to begin with.

I'll talk to hp support during the day (monday) you do the same, let us come back here and share what happened, maybe we can help eachother solve this problem.

Also I heard you can call HP support in any country you want, so if you can't find the answer try calling another country that speaks a language you understand.
UK, US, Australia etc would be english.

hp envy desktop - 750-115 is my exact mode so it seems it's affecting the same series.

France + Scandinavia... I'm guessing you are in Europe as well, might have to do with European models only.

[Mather1313]

Thanks for the link. I will take a look at it.

My computer had been running all day, but it was in sleep mode just prior to my running the update. I rebooted it to have the changes take affect, but it did not come out of the restart; it appeared to hang. I let it run for several minutes, assuming it was just finishing the updates. I did a hard restart on it, and it then gave me the error.

I am in the US, so it appears that it is not just EU systems.

I will give HP support a call tomorrow as well and see if they can assist.

[booterror]

The strange part is that I did a regular windows restore then a full pc reset that took many hours, still the new bios update and the error was there.

Let support know a restore and pc reset doesn't work, as we got the same model and same problem.

When restarting no problem, this error only appears when shutting down then turning the pc on again.

Since so many are having this issue I'm thinking either something like the CPU or motherboard is broken or this recent bios update ruined all computers.

The bios update seems most realistic, if it was everyone with an hp envy 750 series then we'd have many more complaining here.

Lets hope we can solve this over the phone, would take forever to send it to hp for repair do to the holidays, and besides we deserve better having just paid for a "working" computer and all.

Keep this thread updated 🙂

[booterror]

Hi,

So here's an update...

Today I chatted with online hp chat support in english and they told me since the computer is just a few days old I should have the right to get a replacement for it since I bought it from hp store online.

I called up my local HP tech support in Europe and gave them the case number from the chat and they told me I should get a new one as well since the pc is new and because I bought it from HP's online store.

I got the number to post sales which I called as well and told what happened and explained the bios issue and what the other supports told me about getting a replacement.

They offered me a replacement or my money back and I told them I did want a new one of the same model but that I was worried this same error would keep happening since many who have the hp envy 750 model have the same problem, I was told they hardly got any complaints at all about this issue, so it doesn't seem to be a common problem.

HP will now email me postage details which I will print out and tape on the box and return the computer to them, as soon as they got the box with the pc they will send out a new pc of the same model.

This sounds good and all, I'm just worried the same thing will happen with the new one after the bios update. However it was a really good deal i7 6,700 processor and gtx 970 graphics etc would cost more elsewhere the cheapest alternatives are at least 70% more.

I've never had problems with hp have several other hp's both desktop and notebook and never had a single issue with them for a very long time.

So will send this back, and will update the thread after I get the new one. Sure not doing the bios update seems wise, but I will still do it again, or else some other error might appear later on with another update.

Long story short I'm getting a replacement, how did it go for you?

[Mather1313]

Sadly, I am also getting a replacement. However, after completing my research and consulting a trusted local computer repair center, I am going with a different brand. I returned it to the store I purchased it from (thankfully, still under warranty there) and chose a slightly less robust, but more upgrade able system. 

Reports are that the 750-114 has issues with power, random reboots, and similar issues that we experirnced. They determined that the root issue was a bad board in the computer which meant a replacement whether I wanted one or not.

I was very happy with the Envy system and it performed extremely well right up until the end. Unfortunately, all indications were that it was a system with several issues that no one could predict if they would affect the particular box you had.

I like HP and the products they make. My last PC was an HP that lasted for almost a decade before needing to be replaced. I will revisit them again, but given that both HP and the big box store is getting rid of this particular model, I had to move on to what was available.

[booterror]

Sounds like you already got a replacement, I'll need to send my current one to HP and wait 1-3 weeks to get the replacement do to the holidays.

I really hope it works this time. I haven't heard anything about hp getting rid of this model, I could go with a pavillion model but it's not worth it to pay $200 less for an i5 processort and gtx 745. Value wise i7 6,700 is worth $500 more at least.

I also want this one to last, I won't even play games on it I got multiple skypes and some 50 browser tabs open at once  plus other software while working and my older hp's seem to be slowing down and freezing for very short periods at times, a strong computer should solve that.

My replacement is the same as the one I'm sending back:
http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-envy-750se-windows-7-desktop-p5q80av-aba-1

16gb ram, i7 6,700 processor, 1tb hd, gtx 970 graphics, windows 10.

Where I'm at you can't customize the computers as you can with hp's US store online, I can only pick from 3 envy models.

When the new computer arrives I'll shut it down and restart it multiple times to see if the error happens, then do the same after the bios update, that should tell is if it's really the bios or just the pc.

Will update this thread, might take a while.

[PDinDetroit]

Hello guys, I have the same issue except I have a new HP Pavilion 550-150 running Windows 10 (purchased in October 2015). It is not just limited to your models (I am in the US).

I used the HP Support Assistant to update the computer, one of the updates was to BIOS Revision A0.12.  After updating to this version, I could not get the computer to boot past the "(A7) Me FW Downgrade - Request Me Spilock Failed" error. I could not get the computer to boot with a USB Boot Drive Drive nor with a Windows 10 Install DVD. I get this error message even if the Hard Drive is disconnected, so this is NOT a Windows Error Message. All diagnostics come back as Successful with No Errors Noted (including Hard Drive).

What I found was that I could get the computer to boot from a Windows 10 Install DVD if I went into the BIOS and turned off Secure Boot, turned on Legacy Devices, and within the Boot Order area Disabled UEFI Devices and Enabled Legacy Devices. All efforts to reinstall or resolve errors on the Hard Drive fail as it is reported to be locked.

I had another Hard Drive, so I installed that in the computer and installed Windows 10 onto that drive (using MBR instead of GPT). The computer now works with this other drive, but I still get the "(A7) Me FW Downgrade - Request Me Spilock Failed" error during boot (but it goes past this error message and Windows 10 works just fine). I should not be getting this error message and should be able to run in Secure Boot/UEFI Mode, which is the default set-up (choosing BIOS Defaults confirms this).

I have been instructed by HP Support to purchase the Recovery Media as I am not able to access the Recovery Partition. I have done so and am just waiting for it to arrive. When it does, I will revert everything back to Defaults/Out Of The Box settings and try to use the Recovery Media to access the Hard Drive (likely to rebuild it).

[vivasor]

I have the same problem with a pavilion 550-175na which is just 2 weeks old.

I can only manage to boot by

(1) disabling UEFI and Fastboot, 

(2) inserting a Windows 10 install DVD in the DVD drive

(3) Switch on and press ESC  and choose the CD drive in the boot order 

(4) The windows install disk loads and then prompts if I want to complete what is currently installed or do a clean install.   So I choose the former and the system then boots to the Windows already installed.

This problem

(A7) Me FW Downgrade - Request MeSpiLock Failed

started immediately after I upgraded the BIOS to vA0.12.

I have tried to revert to the previous BIOS but failed.