Fresh install on formatted drive via USB, now system wont boot

[SDH]

Below is a copy/paste from another post from a while ago.  This tells you how to get the .bin file that you put on a thumb drive and then insert that thumb drive before cold boot.  You'll want to do this first with the very early "step up" BIOS I'll get you a link to, and thereafter repeat the process to go from that newer BIOS to the newest BIOS:

"As many of us know there has been yet another Intel microcode weakness found that is addressed both by Microsoft software and HP BIOS updates.  HP had been doing a good job of sequentially updating THIS document from version 1-4, and now it sits dormant without the version 5 update that should be there instead.  For the ZX20 workstations and others their listing for the SoftPaq updater has been "Pending" for a long time.

Turns out HP has updated many of the BIOS packages for the "Pending" workstations without updating that document properly.  Solution is to do a google search, for example, for "Z620 drivers" and go to the top HP result and go from there into the HP BIOS section on that page.  The most recent BIOS release is there now and has been since 7/1/19.

The safest way to update BIOS is from within BIOS, rather than from within an OS (especially from within W10).  Read up on that process.  If you unpack the installer it creates a folder in your C drive called SWSetup, and in that folder you will find the alother folder with the same title as the SoftPaq you unpacked.  Go into that folder and find the DOS folder.  Go into that and copy out the .bin file from there onto the top level of a thumb drive which is relatively small, 8GB or so, and FAT32 formatted before use using the long option (don't use the quick option).   This process might generate an OS question whether the software installed correctly.... answer yes.

Insert that into a USB 2 port (not one of USB 3 ports) and cold boot.  Go in the first tab of BIOS down to the update system ROM option and select that..... let the installer do its thing and wait a while.... go get a cup of tea.  The update of BIOS may want to restart the workstation to complete its process, and even more than once.  In the ZX40 family of workstations the process may restart/cold boot the workstation multiple times so just leave it alone for a while."

Note that in the ZX40 instructions for what goes on the thumb drive in a series of cascading directories (folders) is correct.  Recent ZX20 BIOS upgrade instructions from HP are WRONG.  Some well meaning person at HP copy/pasted a portion of the instructions for the ZX40 family into the official instructions for the latest ZX20 BIOS upgrades.  I've posted about that here and at least the last time I checked they had not fixed this very important mistake.  My method, which has been used for years with the ZX20 family works correctly and you will be very unhappy if you follow those incorrect HP instructions.

Busy day today.... I'll be back to you shortly.

p.s.  Upgrading BIOS from within BIOS is so much safer because it is done using a primative OS, BIOS itself.  Think how complicated a W10 build is with antivirus, etc. instead.  There is a true higher risk of BIOS corruption if you do this process from within an OS rather than from within BIOS.    Doing it from within DOS is another option but that is more complicated than just doing it from BIOS.

[SDH]

Interesting..... Just a few days ago 11/22/19 HP released a new version of the BIOS for the Z420/Z620..... via SP100222.  This is not for the Z820.  It is for both v1 and v2 Z420/Z620 workstations.  From the HP ReadMe:

-Includes enhancements to mitigate security vulnerabilities CVE-2019-0124, CVE-2019-0151, and CVE-2019-0184.
-HP strongly recommends promptly transitioning to this updated BIOS version.
-Updates Intel TXT BIOS ACM to v2.4.
-Updates Intel TXT SINIT ACM to v2.5.

J61 PCR0 Values:
Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) Enabled:
TPM1.2 PCR0 = 087B92A9C9518CED5585678E1310DA0CE70463DA (SHA1)

Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) Disabled:
TPM1.2 PCR0 = 6E6780E87E9D05B7CA8EAD85F0A49F96C4183DF6 (SHA1)

This still has the wrong instructions from HP on how to install it, as shown below:

3. Select the Copy option from the GUI. Alternatively, the BIOS binary file is located in the following directory: C:\SWSETUP\SP100222\HPBIOSUPDREC    (SDH:  this directory does not exist in the unpacked SoftPaq)
4. Copy the binary to the following directory on the USB key:\Hewlett-Packard\BIOS\New (SDH: and you're supposed to put the .bin file in that "New" folder.  If you create this cascade of directories on your thumb drive the update from within BIOS will not work)

When I tried this approach previously on Z420/Z620 workstations it would not work, and still does not.  This method does work on Z440/Z640 workstations for their upgrades from within BIOS, however. 

You can unpack this SoftPaq on pretty much any MS computer...... does not need to be a HP.  When the installer gets to the ReadMe just quit/cancel out of that.  The file you want will be in C;/ SWSetup/ SP100222/ DOS Flash/ J61_0396.bin.  You just copy that .bin file to the FAT32 thumb drive (it is only about 16MB), insert the thumb drive into a USB2 port when the workstation is off, cold boot and get into BIOS, and go to the first tab of bios down to Update System ROM.

Remember to do the "step up" process first... coming.

[SDH]

Found my old notes and I'd bet that the issue of having a "way old" BIOS would be limited to only version 1 Z420/Z620 workstations:

If a Z420/Z620 has a way-old BIOS like yours does then it will need to be updated first to this less-old 1.23 BIOS before you can proceed and update to the most recent one.  This approach only needs to be used if the BIOS on the workstation is very old (older than 1.07 according to the HP advisory on this).  The BIOS version can be seen by going directly into BIOS and checking under the first tab there.  If the BIOS present is 1.07 or later the latest BIOS updater can be used directly, supposedly, without needing to first go through the 1.23 update. The latest updater contains all the earlier updater's necessary components.

The J61_0123.bin file discussed here, to step-up to version 1.23 initially, can be used to update BIOS from within BIOS, which is the safest way to go (using a thumb drive).  You don't need to update BIOS using each updater.... once you are high enough (1.07 or greater) you can go up in one big step.

The HP SP you need is SP64701.  I just checked and the links for the .exe and the HP ReadMe are still active from the HP advisory C03993436.  Don't get the Z820 stuff... that is different.  Here is what you need:

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp64501-65000/sp64701.exe      this will get you the SoftPaq (exe) download.

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp64501-65000/sp64701.html    this will get you the ReadMe.

Here is the HP advisory from a link that works today.....  https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03993436

Follow the directions I have provided carefully and all will be well.  When you're doing important installs it is best to run the exe as an administrator.

[imahappycamper]

You are a superstar, your time very much appreciated.

I will work thru this later this evening and let you know how I get on!

Edit: spoke with HP today and they can/are sending out a proper recovery disk (dont know yet is DVD or USB) but should make things more straightforward once BIOS sorted.

[SDH]

1.  BIOS is easy.

2.  The reinstall discs are a great value.... your box is already encoded to accept them and the will self-activate to W7 or W8 Pro 64.  The issue is that there is a lot of updating to do, and it now is kludgy.  HERE  is a post for you to review, my part at the end:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-PCs-Workstations-and-Point-of-Sale-Systems/Installing-Windows...

3.  However, before you do that and after you have updated your BIOS to the latest I'd do this:  PM me with your email address and I'll send you my BIOS settings for the Z420.  As HP moved from ZX00 to ZX20 to ZX40 things got more and very much more complicated.  By having the little replicated setup file on a thumb drive you can do like you did for BIOS update from within BIOS.... and load these settings as a clone.  Takes 5 seconds once you are in BIOS.

4.  I like to only use MBR format for these builds.... and I do that before the load of the OS.  You can do that in a non-HP box and don't choose to do a quick type format.   Your SSD needs to be a SATA type.

[imahappycamper]

Hello,

just a quick update. Life got in the way until this evening, managed to update the bios in 2 stages without issue, now on the latest (3.96 currently). (SDH, the key ingredient missing from my previous efforts was the bit about running the softpaq then just extractiung the .bin to the USB, also specifically using the USB2 port on 1st boot I think).

Once this was done, without even updating the config, I ran the machine, and it must have picked up on a recovery partition on the 2nd drive, as it ignored the HP supplied W7 disk in the DVD drive and reinstalled W10 with no prompting from me!

I still have to update this and get all the correct drivers installed  but ill try to get the BIOS settings sorted 1st,

SDH, I tried to use the 'replicated settings' function but it didnt like the file, I just dropped it on the USB as a .txt file. Same as with BIOS, into USB2 slot, and plugged in before booting?

Thanks for the assistance to date, both SDH and the other comments. All has helped to get me up and running again when I feared all was lost.

Happy Xmas all, have a good one wherever you are : )

[SDH]

John,

Here's a few tips.  I consider these to be applicable also to the same USB drive you might be using for updating BIOS from within BIOS.  Ideally you want a smaller USB drive.  Older BIOS is not used to seeing huge USB sticks.  So, I use anything from 2GB to 8GB for both replicated setup and flashing BIOS from within BIOS.  In fact, the same drive can be used.

I am a big believer from past experience that there are deeper levels of drives that exist and that may have bits on those deeper levels that would best be formatted out by a deep level format.  That is why I use DBAN for SSD and HDD, and Roadkill's DiskWipe 1.2 for USB sticks.  Here is the DiskWipe info:

Roadkil's Disk Wipe v1.2 (latest as of 11/19):

https://www.roadkil.net/program.php/P14/Disk%20Wipe

Securely erases the contents of a disk replacing it with random data
or leaving the drive completely blank. Numerous passes can be performed
to ensure data is totally unrecoverable. Program works on hard and
floppy disks aswell as USB/Flash drives.

Many USB drives come with some form of free program installed, and also
may have deep sector parts you want erased. A normal format does not
wipe some of these things. I have found the best way to go is to delete
any program you see first, then do a "long" (not "quick") type of Fat32
format, and then finally run the "Blank Disk" option on Roadkil's Disk
Wipe. You only need to run 1 (default) pass. It does take some time and
if the USB drive is large it takes quite a bit of time so a single pass
is likely best.

The USB2 drive I've used for attempted recovery of ZX20 BIOS is the Cruzer
Fit 8GB which is small, and has a drive activity tiny LED very easy to
see. This particular drive worked for a HP poster when no other did.

It is a bit fiddly, but clean your little old USB stick with this first.  Then do a FAT32 format.  Any format that can be done long should be. whether on a thumb drive, a HDD or a SSD.  There is a whole lot more going on behind the scenes if you do it the long way.

There are some strange things that can happen with transfer of a file via eMail.  That might explain your failure with my CPQSETUP.txt file of my Z420 v2 settings coming across the pond.  I'll send you a new one that will be zipped.  That info came from Cambridge, and it was right on for some things I needed.  Zipping protects the send.

Glad to hear you got BIOS done.  Replicated setup should be just as simple.  One thing many don't get is that regardless of whether you change a BIOS setting manually or by Replicated Setup you must save the changes on exit from BIOS.