HP Pavilion All-in-One - 23-p114 BIOS Upgrade

[DroxlandNC]

I have been having difficulties updating Windows 10. I have created a USB setup drive to completely re-install Win 10. Microsoft suggest making sure the BIOS is up to date. When I check, it says it's from 2014, v80.00 -- I thought HP automatically updated the motherboard routinely through updates; is this not the case, and do I need to flash my BIOS manually before re-installing Windows 10?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

All of the BIOS updates for your PC were written to be installed on W8.1, so I don't know if it is safe to update the BIOS when running W10.

It may work fine, and it may turn your AIO PC into an expensive paperweight.

You also have to check which BIOS family your PC has because when I look at the support page the BIOS updates are for 3 different BIOS families...ROM Family 2B0D/2B21, ROM Family SSID 2B26 and ROM Family SSID 2B2E.

So, if you want to take the risk of updating the BIOS make sure you select the right one,

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/HP-Pavilion-23-All-in-One-Desktop-PC-series/7161729...

[DroxlandNC]

Hi. I have been running Windows 10 for a number of years now on the machine; in checking support I've seen other pertinent pieces of info under "notices and bulletins", like this one..is this not an BIOS update in this file? I wanted to start over and wipe clean as it is bloated, has some issues, and I see other "attacks and corruptions" and the mitigating steps involved. So if I move forward with a clean install, would I have to go to the motherboard manufacturer that is listed for a current BIOS? Here is the page where I found BIOS upgrade info: https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-pavilion-23-p100-all-in-one-desktop-pc-series/7161729/model/...

And should the BIOS update be performed prior to a clean install, or after? Making a UEFI diagnostic flash drive would need to be performed where as well?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

That is not a BIOS update.  It is an update to the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics software.

You should be able to see what BIOS version and family your PC has in the system information section in the BIOS's system information screen.

You can access that by restarting the PC, tap/Press the ESC key immediately after the PC restarts, select the F10 setup option.

Since you want to clean install W10, here is what I recommend.

Take a short detour, and clean install W8.1.  Then update the BIOS within the supported OS.

Then go ahead and reinstall W10.

You can download the plain W8.1 64 bit ISO file from the link below.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows8ISO

Use the Microsoft tool that I zipped up and attached below that you will need to transfer the ISO file to a DVD or USB flash drive so that it is bootable, or you can use a different free utility such as Rufus.

[DroxlandNC]

I appreciate all of your help. I understand your recommendation. Where I'm lost is if I go through the rollback to 81, where would I get the update from, HP? I've looked up the info about the motherboard, have the part # and yet finding a file to flash seems elusive; was there ever one published/available from HP prior to the "free upgrade" to Win 10? I remember buying this and the selling point of it being Win 10 ready, which the way I'm viewing it, was all BS from HP? I'm venting here, but looking up info on the site for the 23-p114 AIO, I find the manual for it calling in the Pro-One 400 G1 AIO. Looking under notices, bulletins etc. on the support page and reading the cold boot attack and stuff, I don't remember EVER getting heads up from HP of any issues, or that they call their devices different names. And never 1 minute of support from HP directly....

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

I gave you the link to the driver page for your PC, and that has the BIOS updates under the W8.1 driver section.

As I explained the other day, there are 3 different BIOS families that HP used in that model series for some reason or another, and you need to install the BIOS update for the applicable BIOS your PC has--ROM Family 2B0D/2B21, ROM Family SSID 2B26 and ROM Family SSID 2B2E.

It is too late to roll back to W8.1, so you will have to clean install it by making the installation media using the procedure I gave you the other day.

Regarding the manual...the two models probably share the same manual as far as how to take it apart.

Yours is most likely the consumer class version of the HP ProOne 400 G1 All-in-One.

[DroxlandNC]

Well, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. Made the USB stick, had product key in hand and nope, it wouldn't accept the product key. SO, I did choose single language for the ISO instead of the generic one, is that why I can't proceed? Should I edit the ei.cfg file to move it along? Thanks in advance.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Are you still on W10?

If so, run the free utility that I zipped up and attached below and it will show you the OEM product key in the BIOS and the version of Windows the key is good for.

Then post the report of the version of Windows.  Do not post the key. 

This is the report from my PC.  This is what I want to see...

 OEM Edition: Win 8.1 RTM Professional OEM:DM

Once I have that info, I should be able to figure out what the issue is.

[DroxlandNC]

Ok- It says "Win 8.1 RTM Core OEEM:DM". I see 3 keys; the "installed" key, which is different from my "original" and "OEM" key which are the same, and what I have on file that I tried to use. So does that mean I need to use the "installed key"? Thanks much.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

OK, so if you use the plain W8.1 ISO 64 bit file from the Microsoft link I posted earlier in this discussion, it should not even ask for a product key,

Win 8.1 RTM Core OEM:DM

That is the plain W8.1 version and when you go to clean install W8.1, it should see that key.

If it asks for a key use the one associated with that description, not the installed key.