650 G1: Silent BIOS Update With No Automatic Reboot?

[dv3-user]

We need to update the BIOS during our automated Windows 7 OS deployment.

It is required that the BIOS install runs with no interaction and that it doesn't reboot automatically so that our deployment process can control all reboots.  

I know the BIOS upgrade requires a reboot, but we will add the reboot as a task in our deployment scripts so we can control it.  Unexpected reboots will cause the deployment to fail.

Here is a link to the update installation files:

http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/psi/swdDetails/?sp4ts.oid=5405401&sp...

Our older laptops used hpqflash -s -a, but it appears it has changed.

What is the command line syntax to run this BIOS update unattended with no reboot?

[richard429]

Begining sometime in mid-2013, notebook platforms began using a new flash utility --  HPBIOSUPDREC.exe.

I would have to do some investigating as to how the SilentInstall uses the "hpqrun.exe" command in the cva file , but the map.ini file included with SP65838  provides the following:

       1993=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL77_0104.bin
       1994=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL77_0104.bin
       2101=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL78_0104.bin
       2102=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL78_0104.bin

where the 4 digit number on the left refers to the system ID number.

Run HPBIOSUPDREC.exe /?    from a command line window to see all the command line flags.

thanks,

Richard

I work for HP but am not a company spokesperson. Participation in the community forums is voluntary.

[Kenny_Duehit]

I run a MDT Deployment Server as well and having a -norestart switch would be very useful. Current switches are -s -p -f -a -h. None of them will postpone the restart. I don't want it to update the BIOS without needed to restart, just to not force the machine to restart yet, and to exit with a valid exit code. The deployment process is expecting HPBIOSUPDREC.exe -s to return an exit code, but it never does that before it reboots. This causes the deployment process to return after the reboot in an error state as it has no idea why the system rebooted. A -norestart switch would be amazing.

[Duby]

I found the secret ! I was curious about the string that Richard 429 posted:

       1993=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL77_0104.bin
       1994=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL77_0104.bin
       2101=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL78_0104.bin
       2102=hpbiosupdrec -s -r -fL78_0104.bin

So to my silent install (-s), I added the switch  " -r "  and the BIOS was updated with no reboot.

[richard429]

I will add a posting with command line syntax for both BIOS flash utilities used in commercial products.

look for subject line:   BIOS flash utlities - command line syntax

thanks,

Richard

I work for HP but am not a company spokesperson. Participation in the community forums is voluntary.

[regexaurus]

I hope this necropost isn't bad form and hope this may yet be helpful to the OP as well as anyone that finds this thread via search engine.

To update HP systems BIOS during deployment, you could instead call HP Software System Manager from a task sequence. You can use HP SoftPaq Download Manager to download SSM-compatible BIOS updates. See HP Client Management Solutions for download links.

The BIOS update step for my HP task sequences looks like this:

[ArnoBosch]

Hello Richard429,

when I search for your subject line I get hundreds of results but not your article.

Does it still exist?

[chriz78]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but does anyone know if there is a hpqRun.exe that works in WinPE 64?  I did some testing and the hpqRun.exe is what reads the map.ini which in turn launches either HPBIOSUPDREC64.exe or HpqFlash64.exe depending on if it's an older or newer system.   I like to do all the BIOS updates in WinPE before installing the full OS.

[ayu_shr]