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HP Recommended
HP Compaq Elite 8300 CMT
Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)

I received my HP support email critical driver alert stating a critical driver (SP85516.exe) was available for the BIOS. I downloaded the file and remembered when I was updating my bios a year ago over the HP website going back a long ways through its revision history, installing in a consecutive order of its bios version files, that perhaps I should ask if there is any special way to install this critical driver?  There was with the bios flashing, but is there with this, or can I just open it or do I run as admin or is there a readme that says do it such and such?  The file is version 00.03.06 Rev.A  and so is my present bios version, they match. So can I just double click this critical file open and let it do its thing or what?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

Yes, I agree, and it would take more stress out of things if I could condense my previous posts, so I would like to add that after reading all the appropriate documentation, and still being confounded due to a lack of some information....a post asking for additional help would preferably go something like this in the future:

 

Q: Does anyone know the next step after Windows rejects the bios driver install?

 

A: You can use a flash utility, which is found in the extracted driver file folder residing on the computer, which also contains How To and Readme txt files.

 

Q: Where on the computer?

 

A: Try doing a search on your local computer for the driver file SP885516, which should result in revealing the full directory path to the folder of extracted files containing the flash utility on the Computers hard drive. Run the flash utility right from inside the bios driver extracted file folder. This works when Windows will not install correctly at first.

 

.....a shortcut, summarized for people who hope to benefit from someone elses experience....

(hopefully we could close this now?) Thanks for all your time and attention!

View solution in original post

9 REPLIES 9
HP Recommended

perhaps READING the documentation link which is right next to the spxxxx download link will answer these questions for you

 

they also include documentation in the SPxxxx file itself which when dbl clicked extracts the contents onto a folder named spxxxx

 

 

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-compaq-elite-8300-all-in-one-desktop-p...

HP Recommended

ah yes, lots of reading, I remember this, but there didnt seem to be a file beside the download link?

 

Here is the link to that HP webpage:

 

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-compaq-elite-8300-all-in-one-desktop-p...

 

I checked my HP PC Software & Driver downloads webpage under the tab BIOS and clicked on my revision history and confirmed I was able to double click and install the SP85516 critical update, but I was in error to say it was the same version in my previous post, sorry about that. 

 

I restarted my PC and read I was still the same previous version even after doubleclicking the update and following on screen steps.  

 

I looked around my PC after installing and following the on screen instruction, like next, continue, etc. for the folder SWSETUP in my C drive, and the driver file SP85516 had unpacked with all the available text files among the executable BIOS files.  I think this is where I need to do a next step with a utility??

 

I cant remember from over a year ago what I had to do, perhaps using HPQFLASH, or SoftPAQ when Windows says it doesnt install correctly (NOW THIS IS MY PROBLEM) as HP immediately goes to a BIOS FLASH HOW TO PAGE on C:/Drive:

 

file:///C:/swsetup/sp85516/Bios%20Flash.htm#DESCRIP

 

HPQFlash.exe - A utility to locally update or restore the system BIOS on 
               individual PCs using the Microsoft Windows operating system.
               See HPQFlash.txt

This all has me going in circles.... anyone familiar with this next step?

HP Recommended

go to the hp site

 

go to the hp driver page for your model

 

go to the firmware section, click on the firmware tab to expand 

 

click on more details

 

READ said details, there is a section on how to flash

 

note the sp number you listed applies to quite a few sub models which all appear to use the same motherboard

 

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-compaq-elite-8300-all-in-one-desktop-p...

HP Recommended

yes, did that, had those tabs open already on that webpage, with details already expanded, and the more details you suggest to read is called full details, a link going to a page of other links and is just more of the same simplified instructions:

 

1. Download the file by clicking the Download or Obtain Software button and saving the file to a folder on your hard drive (make a note of the folder where the downloaded file is saved).

2. Double-click the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions (Windows Only).

 

Should be easy right?

 

My problem is when Windows rejects it and takes me to a page that requires deeper knowledge on how to use the FLASH utitilities, as I was shown when under warranty by HP once, maybe I have the email, will have to check, but it required me doing WAY MORE than just these above instructions, I thought I had made that part clear?

 

Well, thankyou for the quick replies, and I will have to get back to this tomorrow.

 

 

HP Recommended

Hello again,

 

I found the email instructions regarding my HP phone-in tech help. These were details not included in any of the .txt files in the SP.... folder in C:/ drive, called SWSETUP in Windows, and this title and where to find that folder are both not revealed in the .txt files.  How a person will know this is beyond me, but thankfully I had notes written down.

 

And, as for reading the FLASH instructions for Windows, no remedy or workaround is provided anywhere about how Windows users need to right-click over both the SP....file and the HPQ utility file (instead of double click) to RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR.  As Windows often rejects installing with a simple double click.  HP had given me this solution as a troubleshooting aid, and is not anywhere else to be read.  If you find it on any of the pages you sent me to READ, then pls point it out.

 

The Utility is packed with every file for this purpose, and righ-clicked on for each and every file that is being installed, like in my case over a year ago, updating each revision history file in the main drivers list, in the BIOS tab, but the files listed in that main list also each have a set of other bios revisions needing to be installed from the oldest to the newest, and then back to the main list to work your way through it starting all over again, as was my case in going from V.02 to 3.04.  I was preoccupied for almost the day downloading up to 25 files, possibly more, as the main list of 6 had another 4 each in revision history.   So, I ended up forgetting all this from a year or more ago.
 
A restart after flashing is initiated by the Utility called HPQ, which is usually the first executable file (HPQ) in each SP file folder.   Then, I just went to 'system information' on windows desktop using the start menu search pane, to review the bios version update, and each time it was a success.
 
I dont flash the bios everyday, so I hope this helps other Windows users, too.  We can read all the txt files out there and not get this kind of information.
HP Recommended

the file does run and self extract when double clicked.

why it does not on your system is a issue you will have to sort out

 

i ran the sp file i linked to and as expected it opens a html page through the browser when double clicked, and said page describes the methods to update (DOS/windows/ or remote flash)

 

reading your model's user manual i also found the directions on how to update the firmware through the Bios page of your system 

 

i then checked the extracted files from the SP85516 and found the same directions in text form  it's called "HOW TO USE".txt file

 

 

From the How To Use:

 

HOW TO USE:

This SoftPaq contains utilities that can be used to restore or update the
System BIOS on HP business desktop models.

Several methods for changing the BIOS version on your computer may be chosen.
Included are the various ways to perform the update. Each folder provided has
self-contained files to perform the BIOS update and any unwanted folders may
be deleted.

Utilities and appropriate BIOS images are contained in each of the directories as
follows:

DOS Flash - A DOS utility that can be used locally or with a Preboot eXecution
Environment (PXE) management application to update or restore the System BIOS.

HPQFlash - A utility to locally update or restore the System BIOS on individual PCs
in the Microsoft Windows operating system.


NOTE: The Business Desktops BIOS Utilities SoftPaq is also available on the web.
It contains additional utilities to support Hewlett-Packard Company products. The
BIOS Utilities SoftPaq will be shown when searching for software support of products
in the category BIOS and Firmware.

Copyright (c) 2016 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks
of their respective companies.

 

the DOSFlash and HPQFlash folders each have a text file  (named the same)

From DOSFlash.txt

 

=========================================================

DOSFLASH.EXE version 1.15.01

=========================================================

The DOS Flash utility is designed to update the computer system firmware
(BIOS) from a DOS, FreeDOS, or similar environment. Windows command line
is not supported.

The DOS Flash utility consists of the executable file (DOSFlash.exe) and a
driver file (FlshUefi.cpu) specific to updating the system BIOS. They must be
present in the same directory. DOS Flash also supports updating the initial
graphics display logo to a custom image.

 

BIOS VERSION UPDATE:
____________________

DOS Flash requires a BIOS binary image file included in a BIOS SoftPaq
release in order to update the System BIOS. See the DOS Flash folder for the
correct files. Not all HP Desktop systems are compatible with this version of
the DOS Flash utility. If the utility is run on a system that does not
support it, an error message will say so. The BIOS SoftPaq release package
for that system will include the correct DOS Flash tool (typically,
Flashbin.exe and flsh.cpu).

DOS Flash can update a system BIOS without requiring the administrator to
enter a Setup password if the unit has not already been assigned a Setup
password. However if a Setup password is set on the target PC, then DOS Flash
will require password verification before allowing a BIOS update, or the
process will report an error. The Setup password must be provided in the
command line when the DOS Flash utility is executed, using the /p option.
See below for syntax description.

 

CUSTOM LOGO IMAGE UPDATE:
_________________________

DOS Flash allows replacing the standard HP logo image with a custom image
provided by the user. Valid image files are JPEG or uncompressed BMP (bitmap)
images up to 1024 x 768 resolution. Also, the maximum file size differs from
system to system, but will be between 22KB and 32KB. The command line switch
"/I " followed by the image filename will write the custom logo to the BIOS.
When using DOS Flash to change the logo, the System BIOS is not updated at the
same time. The custom image can be deleted (restoring the standard HP logo)
with the "/I delete" option.

 

COMMAND LINE SYNTAX:
____________________


UPDATE SYSTEM BIOS:


dosflash [/p <password>] [/f flshuefi.cpu <BIOS family>]


DOS Flash will search the current directory for the System BIOS binary. If
more than one are present, the latest BIOS image file (highest version number)
compatible with the target PC will be used.

The /f option is used when needing to suppress any user prompts, for instance
when automating a mass deployment using Altiris. BIOS family is listed in BIOS
Setup / System Information / System BIOS before the version number (e.g. K01),
and is also the first part of the binary filename.


UPDATE STARTUP IMAGE:


dosflash /I {<imagefile> | delete}


If the imagefile file size exceeds the maximum for the target PC, a File Too
Large error is reported, along with the maximum file size supported for the
system.

 

USE CASES:
__________


dosflash
This will attempt to update the System BIOS. Assumes no BIOS Setup password
is set.


dosflash /p Admin123
This will attempt to update the System BIOS using “Admin123” as the BIOS
Setup password for authentication.


dosflash /p Admin123 /I hplogo.jpg
This will update the system startup logo using “hplogo.jpg” as the image,
and uses “Admin123” to authenticate the BIOS Setup password.


dosflash /Image custom.jpg
This will update the system startup logo using “custom.jpg” as the image.
This syntax implies that there is no BIOS Setup password set.


dosflash /I delete
This will delete a custom startup logo from the system. The default HP logo
will be used after reboot. This syntax implies that there is no BIOS
Setup password set.


dosflash /I DELETE /P Admin123
This will delete a custom startup logo from the system. The default HP logo
will be used after reboot. Uses “Admin123” as the BIOS Setup password
for authentication.


dosflash /f flshuefi.cpu K01
This will update the System BIOS with the binary in the current directory
without pausing for user input.


dosflash /I custom.jpg /p Admin123 /f flshuefi.cpu K01
This will update the system startup logo using "custom.jpg" as the image,
authenticating with a BIOS Setup password of "Admin123" and suppressing
prompts.

 

ERROR LEVELS:
_____________

0 - No errors

4 - Could not open input file

16 - Unsupported system type

44 - Could not open flshuefi.cpu

45 - All other errors: wrong password, file size too big, image dimensions
too large


CHANGE HISTORY:
_______________

Version 1.15.01
- Fixed slow DOSFLASH response with certain USB Drives

Version 1.15.00
- Added Support for new ROM Families (i.e. K01)

Version 1.14.00
- Initial version


_____________________________________________________________________________

Copyright (c) 2011-2016 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks
of their respective companies.

 

and from HPQFlash.txt

 

HPQFlash.TXT

HPQFlash.exe is a utility which is designed to update the system BIOS through
a Windows environment.

NOTES:
1. [Path]\HPQFlash -? will display the available options for this utility.

2. If the system has a F10-Setup password enabled, then HPQFlash will prompt
for the password to be entered before completing the flash process.

USAGE:

1. Close all other applications before launching HPQFlash.

2. On the Windows Task Bar select Start, then Run, and enter
the following on the command line:
[Path]\HPQFlash

3. HPQFlash will inform the user that a BIOS flash is about to occur.

4. The version of the BIOS image in the ROM.CAB file and the version of the
current system BIOS are displayed. Once OK is selected the flash
process begins.

5. Upon completion, the user is notified that the BIOS Flash was
successful. Select Shutdown.

6. Turn the unit back on using the power button.

7. The system BIOS update is complete.

ADVANCED USAGE:

1. Close all other applications before launching HPQFlash.

2. On the Windows Task Bar select Start, then Run, and enter
the following on the command line:
[Path]\HPQFlash -f[Name].CAB

3. HPQFlash will inform the user that a BIOS Flash is about to occur.

4. The version of the BIOSimage in the [Name].cab file and the version of the
current system BIOS are displayed. Once OK is selected the flash
process begins.

5. Upon completion, the user is notified that the BIOS Flash was
successful. Select Shutdown.

6. Turn the unit back on using the power button.

7. The system BIOS update is complete.

HPQFlash.exe version 4.40 Rev. A Pass 1

Copyright (c) 2010-2016 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

 

again, the above doc files are rather complete in my opinion, so i'm not sure why you failed to either locate or understand the above files

 

 

 

HP Recommended

Thanks very much.

 

I wanted to copy and paste these exact txt files before but thought it might be too long, so I am glad you did. Thanks for putting this to the test! You are savvy, but others like me may not be, so our posts should be very helpful in the future, as I know for one that I will need to refer back to this next year.

 

The only reason people even need to read these txt files is because they are having difficulty in the Windows environment in the first place, or it would usually just be a simple double-click that runs the bios driver file and to then restart PC and should be good to go....?

 

And, with these txt files being so thorough and offering quite a few choices, a number of ways to go about it, I just wanted to cut it down to layman's terms, basically narrow this process down a bit.

 

After failing to properly install the driver file using the easy method, I didn't find where it says anything in these txt files about searching for another folder called SWSETUP, and where to even find this extracted folder over a computer? Yet, that is the next step to be confronted with after Windows rejects the simplified double-click steps and following onscreen instructions, only to discover the update did not occur after a restart. One would think the txt file should say where the flash utility could be found, if this is the next obvious step, even having to go deeper and actually read these txt files in the first place?

 

And, then there is the choice of selecting one of the flash utility types, where I was not in remembrance as to what I did last time, whether I had used the HPQ or a SoftPAQ.

 

It would be helpful if the txt file information would provide the name of the folder (SWSETUP) to search for, and perhaps even the directory over various operating systems? Or how do people know they can take the next step retrieving the driver file within and its contents inside, in order to access the flash utility?

 

The txt files are so detailed it is way over the average persons head, and truthfully, I found that I never even took any of the steps described in these txt files.

 

Reading txt files just left me with questions, because it didn't fill in the blanks on the above mentioned points.

 

I appreciated the support in staying the course though this with me, as it motivated me to finish getting updated. But, it was way easier than those txt files state.

 

If one knows the name of the extracted driver folder and where on the computer to locate it, and to right-click over the chosen flash utility file within said folder to run as administrator, this being done specifically to solicit Windows cooperation, then all is easy. Now if the txt files could just add that....?

HP Recommended

I have over 15 years in "IT" support and the FIRST THING  a tech does is read the manual/documentation

 

in the long run reading first will useally result in a quicker less stressful completion of whatever needs to be done

HP Recommended

Yes, I agree, and it would take more stress out of things if I could condense my previous posts, so I would like to add that after reading all the appropriate documentation, and still being confounded due to a lack of some information....a post asking for additional help would preferably go something like this in the future:

 

Q: Does anyone know the next step after Windows rejects the bios driver install?

 

A: You can use a flash utility, which is found in the extracted driver file folder residing on the computer, which also contains How To and Readme txt files.

 

Q: Where on the computer?

 

A: Try doing a search on your local computer for the driver file SP885516, which should result in revealing the full directory path to the folder of extracted files containing the flash utility on the Computers hard drive. Run the flash utility right from inside the bios driver extracted file folder. This works when Windows will not install correctly at first.

 

.....a shortcut, summarized for people who hope to benefit from someone elses experience....

(hopefully we could close this now?) Thanks for all your time and attention!

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.