Can't install bios on a HP Pro 3400 MT

[kocothehooman]

So I have a HP Pro 3400 MT with an older bios (7.14) and I am currently considering buying a second hand Radeon HD 7950 and a Xeon E3 1220. Before buying the parts, I'm making sure everything will work together and after minimal digging I found the mobo doesn't work well(or even at all) with modern video cards without a bios update(I have also tested with a gtx 645 and it indeed doesn't boot up). 

Well, after a bit more digging I found the update driver for the bios and tried it with windows 8.1 to no avail (it failed to flash the rom which later made me realize that safuwin doesn't open in windows 8.1 by default). Ok no problem, I installed windows 7 on it and got the driver again. This time I didn't get an error with flashing but upon the first try it gave out no error, but the bar app didn't close and nothing happened(no restart, no new window. no nothing). After a few more attempts it started giving out and error "Command lines were not parsed correctly. No action taken". The bar thingy didn't close after it finished and nothing happens.

I can't find any help online because either the bios update app itself is VASTLY different, or they boot into a more modern bios, which gives them more options.

What am I doing wrong? Am I not supposed to launch it inside of windows 7 itself, or have I messed up somewhere in the 3 times I installed 7 in the hopes that I did something wrong during installation or something went wrong?

[itsmyname]

@kocothehooman -- I installed windows 7 on it and got the driver again. This time I didn't get an error with flashing but upon the first try it gave out no error,

If you enter BIOS SETUP, does it show the "7.14" BIOS, or a newer version?

[kocothehooman]

When booting up the HP boot screen says 7.14, after which the simpler Boot Screen still says 7.14. The "Computer Setup" screen (which is how the bios is referred to by the boot screen) doesn't even refer to the version like that. It instead says 2.10 (and after checking the system info it is still on 7.14) from 2011 and since 7.16 is from 2013, I doubt it's been updated

[itsmyname]

@kocothehooman -- can you use your smart-phone to take pictures of what you are seeing, and post those images here, so that we can see what you are trying to describe?

[kocothehooman]

I'm gonna send a link to them from Google photos cuz they're over the upload limit

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UXUsw5ALsDFwxAt3A

I can upload them somewhere else if you don't trust the link

[itsmyname]

@kocothehooman -- thanks for those photos. I see:

So, the BIOS software package that makes the GUI (Graphic User Interface) work ("click here", "down-arrow to here", "TAB key to here") was written in 2011. But, the "System BIOS"  is the "7.14" version.

Compare to purchasing a used automobile -- the VIN (Vehicle ID Number) might indicate that the automobile was first assembled in 2011, but the seller might tell you that the tires were replaced in 2018, and the muffler was replaced in 2019. The seller probably will not say that the contents of the gasoline tank date from 2011 -- that gasoline was used, many years ago, and the tank was refilled, many times. The tires are the "7.14" component, mounted on the "2011" metal wheels.  Changing the tires did not change the entire vehicle into a "2021" vehicle.

>  since 7.16 is from 2013, I doubt it's been updated.

This depends on which "it" you are referencing. The "GUI" has not been updated since 2011, but "System BIOS" currently is the "7.14" version.  If HP has received any trouble-reports for the 2011 motherboard, then the "7.16" update would have been created, posted to HP's web-site, and made available for download.  However, I am guessing that after 3 years (2011 to 2013), HP would "close the book" on this "legacy" System BIOS, and would choose to not devote any resources into creating a "7.17" version.  Instead, their resources would target their computers assembled in 2012, and later.

[kocothehooman]

Yea ik that - I'm trying to update from 7.14 to 7.16 (7.14 was made in 2011 so it does make sense for the gui to be made in 2011 in my eyes). So what can i do to update 7.16 - what have I done wrong during installation?

[itsmyname]

@kocothehooman --  made me realize that SAFUWIN doesn't open in windows 8.1 by default)

Often, when HP assembles a "BIOS Update" package, the package includes both the ".bin" file (to replace the current System BIOS) and software to take a few additional steps.

If you take the original HP media, and reinstall Windows  Seven onto an "empty" disk-drive, the Installer divides the disk-drive into several partitions. One partition contains the "HP Hardware Diagnostic". One partition contains the "Operating System Recovery" partition. One partition is the "boot" partition (such as to allow for a user to create "multi-boot" environment), and the final partition becomes the "C:" drive-letter. 

The "BIOS Update" package takes the ".bin" file, and copies it into that "OS Recovery partition". This assumes that the layout of all the partitions has not changed since the Installer created those partitions. If one has modified or deleted that "OS Recovery Partition", then the package cannot successfully do that "copy", and so it "fails".

Briefly, the package runs correctly only on a "virgin" partition-layout. 

If you try to run the package under a different Operating System, such as Windows Eight, the partition-layout could be different, which will cause a failure.

So, what can you do?  Some of the packages allow you to create a "bootable USB memory-stick".

The software on this memory-stick probably lacks many of the "features" that the "full" package includes.

Booting from the memory-stick will use that ".bin" file to replace the "System BIOS", but that's all it does.

The advantage of the "full" package is that the ".bin" file is stored inside that "System Recovery" partition.

Thus, in a situation where an "Emergency BIOS reload" is necessary, it might be possible to find and use that copy, to reload the System BIOS.

[kocothehooman]

That makes sense, but what can I do if I don't have the original HP boot media and the specific bios update doesn't allow for it to be made onto a bootable USB memory stick?

[itsmyname]

@kocothehooman  --  the specific BIOS update doesn't allow for it to be made onto a bootable USB memory stick?

What is the URL to download that "7.16" BIOS update package?

Knowing that, I could download the update, unpack it, and see what files/folders are in the package, and then make a suggestion as to how to apply the update.

When you enter BIOS SETUP, is there an option to "directly" update the System BIOS, by reading the replacement ".bin" file from a USB memory-stick, or CD-recordable  media?  Can you post a picture of your BIOS SETUP screens?