Bios update installer not working

[Murph007]

Hi,

My harddrive crashed. So I bought a new one and windows 10. Upon trying to install Windows 10 I found out my bios had to be updated in order to install Windows 10. So I found an old laptop and tried to create a bios flash USB. When I downloaded and tried to go step by step in the installer and it closes. A black window pops up for not even a second that reads "The parameter is incorrect. The system cannot find the path specified. The system cannot find the drive specified. The system cannot find file specified. AMI firmware update utility. V 2.38_hp_v04_b04" then it disappears and I'm left with nothing.. what do I need to do to make this installer work??

[mdklassen]

> Product: Pavilion HPE 

Exactly what is the model-number?

On the http://support.hp.com web-site, the download for any newer BIOS usually includes "installation instructions" that must be followed.

[Murph007]

It's a h8-1213c. At this point that doesn't matter because I can't get the installer to work on my other computer. The instructions are very straight forward, but still no luck.

[mdklassen]

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@Murph007 wrote:

It's a h8-1213c. At this point that doesn't matter because I can't get the installer to work on my other computer. The instructions are very straight forward, but still no luck.

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I presume that you want the BIOS update: HP Consumer Desktop PC BIOS Update (ROM Family SSID 2AD5)

Type: BIOS
Version: 8.21 Rev.A
Operating Systems:
* Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)
* Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)
Release date: Jan 5, 2015
File name: sp70266.exe (3.5 MB)

Details of this BIOS update 

HARDWARE PRODUCT MODELS:
* HP ENVY 700-0xx PC
* HP ENVY h8-XXXX Desktop
* HP Pavilion HPE h8-1xxx PC
* HP ENVY Phoenix h9-XXXX
* HP Pavilion HPE h9-1xxx Phoenix PC
* HP Elite 7500 Series MT

Downloading and running the '.exe' file on another computer creates a folder: C:\swsetup\[sp70266]

with the contents:

05/01/2015  04:00 AM               170 Flash.bat
20/10/2014  02:27 AM         8,388,608 FOR_821.ROM
26/06/2012  03:49 AM           302,352 Safuwin.exe

Yes, the folder-name contains '[' and ']' characters.

The contents of that '.bat' file are:

@Echo OFF

@ Clear the screen
CLS

@ Mount the "hidden" HP partition as 'Z:'
mountvol z: /s

@ Delete all previously-backed-up BIOS files
del z:\efi\hp\bios\current\*.bin

@ Copy one file from the current folder to the target folder
copy  .\FOR_821.ROM  z:\efi\hp\bios\current

@ Dismount the 'Z:'
mountvol z: /d

@ Run the BIOS update program
safuwin FOR_821.ROM /p /b /n /r /k
@Echo ON

So, copy two files:

* FOR_821.ROM

* Safuwin.exe

from your "other" computer into a folder on a USB memory-stick.

Move the memory-stick to your HP computer.

Open a "run-as-administrator" command-line, and open the folder containing these two files.

Then, enter:   safuwin FOR_821.ROM /p /b /n /r /k

to update the BIOS on your HP computer, i.e., bypassing the accesses to 'Z:' and bypassing the other commands that are present in that '.bat' file.

Tell us how it goes!

[Murph007]

Thank you so much for your time and patience. Just one question about your instructions.

"Open a "run-as-administrator" command-line" Is this something I can do without Windows installed? Because I thought it was a windows program. Right now I have a new harddrive in the computer without an OS on it.

If so I will give it a try.

Thanks again!

[mdklassen]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 wrote:

Open a "run-as-administrator" command-line

Is this something I can do without Windows installed?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No.  To run that '.exe' file, you need an underlying operating system.

Are you sure that the BIOS update is "required" to install Windows, or is it needed to run Windows? 

From the document that I cited:

ENHANCEMENTS:
Improved security of UEFI code and variables.

HP strongly recommends promptly transitioning to this updated BIOS version which supersedes all previous
releases.

This BIOS update dates from January 2015 -- just months before Windows 10 was released.

Even "reading between the lines", there is nothing that suggests that this BIOS update is "required" by Windows 10.

The update is quite old -- are you sure that your motherboard is not already using that version of the BIOS?

Do you have more than one of these computers?

If so, remove the disk-drive from that computer, connect it to your motherboard, disconnect from the Internet, and boot from the disk-drive. Do the BIOS update. Shutdown. Return the disk-drive to its "home" computer.

[Murph007]

My computer has bios v 7.14

When I tried to install Windows 10 it wouldn't work. So I called Microsoft and they tried a few things, then they discovered my bios was "expired" That lead me to the HP website for the bios update, and then on to here.

[mdklassen]

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@Murph007 wrote:

My computer has bios v 7.14

When I tried to install Windows 10 it wouldn't work. So I called Microsoft and they tried a few things, then they discovered my bios was "expired" That lead me to the HP website for the bios update, and then on to here.

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> IT WOULDN'T WORK.

Can you be any more specific?

If my automobile did not work, I would have to check many things:

* key in the ignition

* foot on the brake

* transmission in "park"

* gas in the tank

* dead battery

* that I was sitting in the correct vehicle

* vehicle sitting up on blocks, because some thief removed the wheels & tires

* car was submerged by flood-waters from the recent eastern-USA hurricane

and so on.

To try to give assistance when you say "did not work" is really frustrating.

From:  Software and driver results for: HP Pavilion HPE h8-1213c Desktop PC

your "V7.14" BIOS has been superceded by "V7.15", and by the update, from January 2015 that I previously cited.

_____________________

Type: BIOS
Version: 7.15 Rev. A
Operating systems: Windows 7 (64-bit)
Release date: Nov 12, 2012
File name:  sp58825.exe (3.7 MB)

Description:

This package provides an update to the HP ENVY and HP Pavilion HPE h8 series PC BIOS for the supported desktop models and supported operating systems.

Fix and enhancements:

- Resolves issue with unexpected screen displayed on logo when pressing hot key multiple times in RAID mode.
- Resolves intermittent wakeup issue when sending magic packet to system while in sleep mode.

_____________________

Can you install Windows 7 (or Vista or XP) onto your disk-drive & your motherboard?

You don't need an Internet connection while installing Windows 7,

and you don't want to run Windows Update.

It just has to "run" -- it does not need to "call home" to "activate".

Then, as I described, run that program to update the BIOS on the motherboard.

You could "burn" those two essential files onto a CD-R, on a working computer,

and transfer the CD-R to a folder on your computer.

Then, run the update, without having any device-drivers for USB devices on the motherboard.

Then, shutdown, and install Windows 10.

The point is that the BIOS update is just a BIOS update -- it is *NOT* part of the installed Operating System.

Once you update the BIOS, it stays updated. Period.

[Murph007]

Hi.

So sorry for the late reply.

When I say installing windows 10 didnt work what i mean is when I changed the boot order to USB drive first and then boot the computer I just get a completly black screen. Nothing happens after that.

How would I go about installing windows 7? It was preloaded on the computer when i bought it. Honestly if i could have just bought and installed windows 7 i would have. I'm not a huge fan of windows 10. In any case, is it impossible to install the updated bios on my computer without an os installed?

Thanks.

[mdklassen]

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@Murph007 wrote:

How would I go about installing windows 7? It was preloaded on the computer when i bought it.

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See: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7

Use the 25-character product-key on the decal stuck to your originally-Windows-7 computer.