Automatic BIOS Update with SCCM TS not working with HPFirmwareUPDRec64.exe

[Lager]

I've done some more testing.

First i added -h to command line, since log showed that the partition was needed.

HpFirmwareUpdRec64.exe -s -r -h -pBIOSPWD.bin

TS went through, but no update.

Then i realized that we have one more Format and Partition disk before there is a restart in TS 🙂

I added a new Restart in TS efter BIOS update.

But then when the TS reached the restart step it failed.

Checked the smsts.log and it said something like:

System partition not set.

Unable to find the partition that contains the OS boot loaders.

Failed to reboot the system.

So i was thinking that the BIOS makes something with the partitions that WinPE dont like.

When i exit the TS and reboot the BIOS will be applied.

Just to test, i removed the Restart from TS, and removed the -r to let the BIOS handle the restart.

This time the restart works, and BIOS applies, but the machine has exit the TS and HP shows "No operating system found..."

The last thing i tried, and that worked is that i put the BIOS update after the TS applies the Operation system and Driver Package. I use this command: HpFirmwareUpdRec64.exe -s -h -r -pBIOSPWD.bin with a "Restart Computer" step afterwards.

No need for dual Update BIOS steps in TS.

My summary:

G1-G4 with HPBIOSUPDREC64.exe in WinPE works, no need for several partitions in TS.

The update can handle this by it self.

G5 with HpFirmwareUpdRec64.exe after OS Image is applied.

Partitions get messed up in WinPE

Hope this helps for you.

If you find other solutions, please share.

HP: if you could fix this, so it's possible to apply BIOS in WinPE again it would be thankful!

Regards

Nicklas

[LorianNod]

There is definitely a bug in HPFirmwareUPDREC64.exe

IF you use the -s switch then then the -f switch does not take the path to the bin file OR the path to its parent directory.

The only way I can make it work automatically, from my SCCM TS booting in WINPE is:

hpFirmwareUpdrec64.exe -s -r -b -pNewpass.bin

The important bit being I've specified -s but not specified -f

The updated automatically finds the bin file in the same directory, and works.

.

[MSLEEE]

In my test with SCCM, it worked when I created the S:\EFI\HP folder. I created a package for the batch command to create foleders and added a comman line for this batch file. The S: drive is the EFI logical drive when creating parttions for Win10 using SCCM. This works before the OS installation.

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I work for HP. All opinions and comments are my own.

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[MMC666]

hi there,

we have exactly the same situation described in this thread, it was working with the old HPbiosUpdRec64.exe tool and the old 4 digit format in the bios update bin file.

Then when the new bios update bin file changed to 6 digits and we were forced to use the new tool hpfirmwareUpdRec64.exe we encountered the same issues as described here. In the beginning I had no way to make it work in winpe phase, so I took the advise from Lager and run it after installing the OS and driver packagee in the TS, and it worked with no problem.

but after a few more tries and logs checking I realized too that the parameters of this new firmware update tool work quite differenf from the old tool ones.

So, to be short, finally I could make it work in the winpe phase, same as any old bios file. using the following syntax:

HpFirmwareUpdRec64.exe -s -p"x:\bios\BiosPassword.bin" -r

X is the drive where the winpe environment boot to, and I copy to the x:\bios folder all the needed files (the update tool, the biosUpdate.bin the .inf and the BiosPassword.bin.

I put there also a batch file to create the HP_Tools partition (I used the Z to mount it and it seems to work the same.

things that I've found:

- if you use -f parameter you just need to enter the folder path, not the .bin file name, it will scan the folder path entered after -f. But no need to use it if you copy the .bin and .inf file to the same folder where the tool is running.

- If tested the -h parameter too to create the HP_Tools partition automatically, but it doesnt work in winpe phase, strange thing is that when running the update after OS and drivers install it updates the bios, even when the partitions doesn't exist, but it's needed if you run it in the winpe phase, hence my batch file with diskpart to create it (I scratch it later on before OS installation).

My only issue yet, and I would appreciate any help here: the update runs any time you rebuild a machine, it seems like the tool  doesn't perform the bios version comparison in a correct way (I'm not using -a parameter to force update all times, so it should not run it when the bios is already at the correct version).

by the way I have this same behavior in both cases: when running the bios update after OS install or when running it in the winpe phase, it doesn't matter, it always install the update again, even when the version was already the same one.

[dozi1]

Hey MMC666,

may you can provide your script to create the HP_TOOLS partition? Iam using the exact same syntax to start the update, just the order of the commands is different.

Iam using the modern driver management to get the latest bios for the machine. If theres no newer bios, its skips the step. Just have a look: http://www.scconfigmgr.com/modern-driver-management/

Regards,

D.Ziegler

[MMC666]

Hi Dozil,

thx for your reply, I'll check about the modern driver management to skip the update.

the script to create the partition is just a txt file: hp_tools.txt with the following content:

select disk 0
clean
convert gpt
create partition primary size=2000
format quick fs=fat32 label="HP_Tools"
assign letter="Z"

I create a 2 GB partition which is deleted later on, prior to Os installation.

In our TS the step to update the bios is a cmd line calling a file (upgradeBiosG5.cmd) and in this file we set some commands to write to TS log, then we added a line: diskpart /s hp_tools.txt (which calls the txt shown above to create the partition.

Then we just xcopy all needed files from the share to the x:\bios folder, change run directory to x:\bios and execute the tool with: HpFirmwareUpdRec64.exe -s -p"x:\bios\BiosPassword.bin" -r

we supress the restart, I forgot to mention it before, and let the TS to handle that depending on the outcome code of the operation (3010= successful bios update)

I hope it's clear, otherwise please don't hesitate to ask again.

[jdenzik]

I am having the same exact issue on a G4 with the newest BIOS tools. HP can you please let us know why the tool does work the way it did before inside of windows PE?

[MMC666]

Hi jdenzik, yes, we do have the same issue with some new G4 models that we just purchased together with the G5, in both cases they do have the bios .bin file with the 6 digit format and they must be used with the new tool.

But as you can see in my previous posts, you can make it work in Winpe phase too.

[jdenzik]

Yes you can make it work but with significate change which makes it harder to use. This is a bug HP's tools shouldnt go from working great in PE to having to do a lot more to get it work the way it did before HP needs to fix.

[Jeffsy017]

Can you confirm if the .inf file was in the location of the firmware files? I have managed to get the install working silently usingthe command - 

HpFirmwareUpdRec64.exe -s -ppw.bin -r

I have also created a 2GB Primary Partition as previosly stated in the thread (HP_TOOLS)

Seems as long as all the files are in the install location this option works ok.