HP Elitedesk 800 G1 Tower - latest BIOS - might it help? what might it fix? can't get an answer.

[NellieFox]

I am so exasperated after waiting 90 minutes to chat with HP support, although I was ostensibly 8th in line, and then getting no help whatsoever.  I apologize for posting my whole chat transcript, and for being so...frustrated and not being able to conceal that.  But after 90 minutes of waiting to chat with someone "shortly", with no idea of how long it might take, and no offer of a callback or a promise to ping me when ready, and then finding that the HP clock is off by 12 hours from Eastern Standard Time...I just couldn't contain myself. 

Anyway, can anyone just tell me what the newest bios (skip to the bottom here) is supposed to fix?  I don't want to brick my machine, which is still somewhat functional. 

--------------------------

7:34 PM  Connecting...
7:34 PM  Connected. A support representative will be with you shortly.
{7 people are ahead of you}

8:55 AM  Support session established with HP Support.
8:55 AM  Nellie Fox: hi HP Support.
8:55 AM  Nellie Fox: are you the ONE person doing this for HP at the moment?
8:55 AM  Nellie Fox: because I have been waiting an hour and a half.
8:55 AM  Nellie Fox: I have been "next" for about 40 minutes.
8:56 AM  Nellie Fox: are you the only support person in the world working for HP at the moment?
8:56 AM  HP Support: Thank you for contacting HP Chat Support. My name is HP Support. How are you doing today?
8:56 AM  Nellie Fox: are you actually here?
8:56 AM  Nellie Fox: and why does the time say it's 8:56 a.m.?
8:56 AM  HP Support: I appologise for the inconvinience caused.
8:57 AM  Nellie Fox: I am sick of support people apologizing.
8:57 AM  Nellie Fox: what a waste of your and my time.
8:57 AM  Nellie Fox: so how does it work? Besides horribly?
8:57 AM  Nellie Fox: are you the only person doing this job?
8:57 AM  Nellie Fox: this is the third time I am asking.
8:57 AM  Nellie Fox: are you an actual person?
8:58 AM  HP Support: No, unfotunately due to the heavy chat flow there was delay in responding to your chat.
8:58 AM  Nellie Fox: heavy chat flow? what does that mean? I wasn't really the 7th person in line?
8:59 AM  Nellie Fox: I was more like the seven-thousandth?
9:00 AM  Nellie Fox: By "no" did you mean no, you are actually a bot?
9:00 AM  Nellie Fox: are you a bot?
9:00 AM  HP Support: No Nellie, This is not a bot.
9:01 AM  HP Support: I appologise for the inconvience caused and we shall quickly fix the issue.
9:01 AM  HP Support: I understand from issue description that you are reporting an issue with audio, is that correct?
9:01 AM  Nellie Fox: it's "inconvenience."
9:01 AM  Nellie Fox: in-con-ven-ience
9:02 AM  Nellie Fox: I am not even going to ask you about that.
9:02 AM  Nellie Fox: I am just going to ask you why the support assistant says there are no updates...
9:02 AM  Nellie Fox: but the website says there is a new bios...
9:02 AM  Nellie Fox: but there are no instructions on the downloads page about installing it...
9:02 AM  Nellie Fox: or what it changes/fixes...
9:02 AM  HP Support: I shall check on that.
9:03 AM  Nellie Fox: so the support assistant won't install it because it thinks it doesn't exist.
9:03 AM  Connecting...
9:03 AM  Connected. A support representative will be with you shortly.
9:03 AM  Support session established with HP Support.
9:03 AM  HP Support: May I know which OS are you using ?
9:03 AM  Nellie Fox: the instructions I found on HP.com in the hour and a half that I was waiting to chat "soon" are insanely complex.
9:04 AM  Nellie Fox: windows 10 pro
9:04 AM  Connecting...
9:04 AM  Connected. A support representative will be with you shortly.
9:04 AM  Nellie Fox: The reason I am asking is because the Microsoft Level 3 person who has been trying to fix my audio issue, caused, of course, by a Windows update, says I need to flash the BIOS.
9:05 AM  Support session established with HP Support.
9:05 AM  Nellie Fox: you keep dropping out.
9:05 AM  HP Support: I would request you to update bios and drivers through HPIA using the link below, this is an advanced version of HPSA.
9:05 AM  HP Support: https://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/HPIA.html
9:07 AM  Nellie Fox: this seems to be about system images.
9:07 AM  Nellie Fox: I do not want to WIPE MY BOOT DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
9:07 AM  HP Support: Once you download HPIA>> click on Analyze>>Please check under recommendations>> there is a list of drivers which needs to be updated. please select all and click on dowload>> and click on download softpaq, extract and install.
9:08 AM  HP Support: This will not wipe the boot drive.
9:08 AM  Nellie Fox: BIOS is not a driver.
9:08 AM  HP Support: It shows the updates which is required for PC, and you can perform all the updates.
9:09 AM  Nellie Fox: can you direct me to something that says what the bios update updates?
9:09 AM  Nellie Fox: that is clearly for system administrators who work full-time with dozens of HP systems.
9:10 AM  Nellie Fox: can you connect me with someone who can answer my questions?
9:10 AM  Nellie Fox: that would be great.
9:10 AM  HP Support: May I know if you are looking for the bios update?
9:11 AM  Nellie Fox: I found a bios update.
9:11 AM  Nellie Fox: please connect me to someone who can understand what I need.
9:11 AM  Nellie Fox: I have been online now for over a hundred minutes.
9:11 AM  HP Support: Unfortunately we do not have any such options to connect.
9:12 AM  Nellie Fox: how do I connect with someone more knowledgeable?
9:12 AM  HP Support: May I know what you are looking for?
9:12 AM  Nellie Fox: I have told you over and over, I am not going to do it again.
9:13 AM  HP Support: I see that you have an issue with the audio for which bios and drivers update is required, if its an software issue that could be fixed with the updates.
9:13 AM  HP Support: The last bios update available is 02.78 Rev.A
9:14 AM  Nellie Fox: yes. I know.
9:15 AM  Nellie Fox: why won't the support assistant install it?!?!?!?!?
9:15 AM  Nellie Fox: why doesn't the support assistant even know it exists?!?!?!?!
9:15 AM  Nellie Fox: why doesn't the support assistant or the HP website say what the update is designed to do?!?!?!?!?!
9:16 AM  HP Support: There is a known issue with the support assistance and HP Image assistance is the advanced version of HP support assistance, you can download all the required drivers and bios updates through HPIA.
9:16 AM  Nellie Fox: If I download it, there is NO INFORMATION along with it. Just an exe file.
9:17 AM  Nellie Fox: I downloaded it. it's a .exe file. I don't want to run it because I don't know what it will do or what I need to do first.
9:17 AM  Nellie Fox: HPIA is not designed for consumers.
9:17 AM  Nellie Fox: I DON'T NEED OTHER UPDATES.
9:17 AM  Nellie Fox: they are mostly years old.
9:18 AM  Connection lost. Attempting reconnection...
9:19 PM  Saving chat transcript

[savvy2]

NO product code number told at all just 800 G1, (base line name) BIOS must be matched to correct PC, oK?

ever heard if it is not broken  do not fix it?   1million + hits on updated BIOS bricks my PC,  why risk that./

if you must ,the you do.

no problems stated with the PC at all no reason stated for the doing this, 

please do not flash or fun or at every  winter solstice😂.

first lean to look at your  support page.

1: see your ESC bios page to learn  your current BIOS version  first.

2: then go to hp.com your page. (using only your service tag !)

3: click software/drivers

4: click bios filter.

5: see? that is all you get and going backward (regression) is not allowed no with new UEFI rules.

my first wild guess is this,  do not use this ; is just 1 example  of 1 support page 800 G1. do you own using your service tage

HP Business Desktop System BIOS (L01)

02.78 Rev.A

15.9 MB

Apr 29, 2020

Download

the long page on that BIOS is here, called HISTORY

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-elitedesk-800-g1-tower-pc/5387466/swIt...

[savvy2]

sorry that is not totally true "no instructions" ( view full information clicked you see...)

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).

and sure if the installer fails, there are no instruction for that.

HP now uses an INSTALL agent, unlike the glory days of DOS, or F12 bios updates and the like.😎

The rules changed too with 2020 new PCs and UEFI CLass III(3) grade (bios-old name) and super strict firmware rules on all OEM sold PCs. now.

and seems the rules even are added now to older PCs,  bit by bit yes,  and we all find that frustrating to the max.😅

[savvy2]

somewhat functional. 🤔😐😮