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Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.
HP Recommended

I am unable to use the BCU to read or set the BIOS for a particular operating system image.  This is not hardware dependent, but is instead consistent under a particular software setup; if I reimage the computer with a different image, I am able to work with the BCU without issue.

 

The image in question is not running antivirus, and is a reasonably "vanilla" Win7x86 build.  When I run:

 

biosconfigutility /get

 

I see the following:

 

<BIOSCONFIG Version="3.2.3.1" Computername="ZT-ACC1004E8E63" Date="2014/11/18" T
ime="15:42:28" UTC="-5" >
<GETCONFIG><![CDATA[
English
;
;     Settings file originally created by BIOS Config Utility
;     Version:3.2.3.1
;     Date:2014.11.18
;
]]></GETCONFIG>
<SUCCESS msg="Successfully read BIOS config." />
<Information msg="BCU return value" real="0" translated="0" />
</BIOSCONFIG>

It appears to read the BIOS, but does not display any of the settings in the <GETCONFIG></GETCONFIG> section.

 

Any pointers for troubleshooting would be appreciated.  I have been using the latest version of the BCU, and tested using the same image on both an HP 6200 Pro SFF and an HP 6300 Pro SFF with no success.

22 REPLIES 22
HP Recommended

 

BCU version 3.2.3.1 requires a filename when performing a set or get function.

 

Example-    

 

        BCU   /get:"FILENAME.TXT"

 

 

 

The BCU users guide can be found at-

     www8.hp.com/us/en/ads/clientmanagement/white-papers.html

 

Look in the table for the document titled "HP BIOS Configuration Utility User Guide"

 

 

This has been posted to the HP PC Client Management forum.

 

Like other forums here, this is a peer to peer forum but there are some employees with pc client management experience that subscribe to this forum and volunteer their time to answer questions when they can assist.

  

The pc client management discussion board is focused on the following topics but is not exclusive to them -

 

HP Client Catalog

                The HP Client Catalog for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager products is used in the deployment of HP software updates (SoftPaqs) to HP commercial PCs in a Microsoft System Center environment.

 

HP Driver Packs

                HP Driver Packs contain the necessary Microsoft Windows drivers required

to support HP hardware platform(s) listed in each of the driver pack’s release notes.

 

HP Client Integration Kit

The HP Client Integration Kit ( HP CIK ) is a plug-in for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager.

 

HP BIOS Configuration Utility

The HP BIOS Configuration Utility ( HP BCU ) provides the ability to manage BIOS settings on HP supported desktop, workstation and notebook computers.

 

HP System Software Manager

The HP System Software Manager ( HP SSM ) is a utility for updating BIOS and device drivers on your networked PCs.

 

 

These tools and more can be found at www.hp.com/go/clientmanagement

Look in the Resources menu for items such as the HP CMS Download Library,  HP CMS Whitepapers or HP Driver Packs.

 

The HP CMS Download Library contains the latest release version of of these applications.

     HP CMS Download Library

 

 

Thanks,

Richard

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

 

HP Recommended

Richard, it fails with or without a filename.  When I provide a filename, I get the same text that I put in my original response -- the contents of the CDATA section.

 

English
;
;     Settings file originally created by BIOS Config Utility
;     Version:3.2.3.1
;     Date:2014.11.18
;

 

It's also consistent -- it failed on 18 different HP 6200's when cloned with this particular image, but it works when I use a different Win7 image.

 

Thanks for replying -- any further pointers / troubleshooting to perform?

 

Adam

HP Recommended
What system model was the os originally installed on before being cloned to the 6200's?

Also,
Have you experienced success or failure using WinPe?

I have a 6200 running Win7-64 that works.
I have also verified WinPE 4 & WinPE 5 on the unit.

Thanks,
Richard
HP Recommended

Re: the original system model, I have to admit -- I don't even remember.  It may have started with a dc5800 or a 6910p laptop.  The image has been sysprepped, though, and runs without issue as an O/S.

 

Re: success or failure using WinPE, I am not using WDS as my imaging solution so I do not have WinPE readily available to me to test.

 

I was hoping to get a debug build of BCU to find out what was going on?

 

Adam

HP Recommended

I don't have a debug version of BCU but I can offer another method of performing some checks.

 

Download the SoftPaq sp52783.exe which contains  HP CMI Admit Toolkit.

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp52501-53000/sp52783.exe

 

A description can be found at http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03621664

 

This has not been updated since 2011 but contains a script file that will enumerate all WMI settings.

Note - There are not any newer versions of this SoftPaq and I have been informed there are no plans to update it.

 

Run sp52783.exe

This will extract the installer which is named  HPCMIUtilities.msi

Double click on HPCMIUtilities.msi to install.

 

Open a CMD line window and change directory on the C drive to the following

       Program Files (x86)\Hewlett-Packard\HPProviderUtilities\Sample Scripts\Windows Scripts

 

Now run the command line

       Cscript   .\EnumSettings.wsf > SystemSettings.txt

 

 

This will enumerate all public WMI settings.

You should be able to open the SystemSettings.txt file and see a list of all WMI settings for the unit.

 

 

a partial listing of a ZBook 15 is included below:

Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.8
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

EnumSettings.wsf Version 1.0.0.1
Copyright (c) 2007, 2008 Hewlett-Packard Development Company

namespace=: winmgmts:{impersonationlevel=impersonate}//./root/HP/InstrumentedBIOS

==========================================
Computer: .
==========================================
Legacy Boot Order== Notebook Hard Drive , Notebook Ethernet , Notebook Upgrade Bay , USB Floppy , USB CD-ROM , USB Hard Drive , Dock Upgrade Bay , eSATA Drive , mSATA Drive , Boot Device 13, , , , , , , , , ,B Device, Customized Boot, , , , , , , , , ,
Password Minimum Length==8
UEFI Boot Order== OS Boot Manager, Notebook Ethernet IPV4, Notebook Ethernet IPV6, USB Hard Drive, Notebook Upgrade Bay, Dock Upgrade Bay (UEFI), eSata Hard Drive, mSATA Hard Drive, SD Card Boot, Generic USB Device, Customized Boot, , , , , , , , , ,
Manufacturing Programming Mode Counter==2
                                      == 
                                      == 
                                      == 
Setup Password== 
Notebook hard drive drivelock master password== 
Notebook hard drive drivelock user password== 
Upgrade bay hard drive drivelock master password== 
Upgrade bay hard drive drivelock user password== 
Asset Tracking Number==
Ownership Tag== 
 ==
BIOS Power-On Time (hh:mm)==00:00
System Configuration ID==A12345678901     [ modified before posting ]
Define Custom URL==
PCID Version==A3.00
Manufacturer==Hewlett-Packard
Product Name==HP ZBook 15
Processor Type==Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU
Processor Speed== 2.70GHz
Total Memory Size==16384 MB
BIOS Date==10/25/2013
System BIOS Version==L70 Ver. 01.06
Serial Number==CNDxxxxxXS  [ modified before posting ]
Video BIOS Revision==INTEL  2171
Video BIOS Revision 2==nVidia 09/13/13
Keyboard Controller Version==94.47

 

This will provide an indication regarding WMI communications with the installed OS.

 

I am requesting you perform these actions based upon previous experience.  Several years ago I worked on an issue where a customer captured a custom image ( not factory ) from a notebook and was trying to deploy it to an 8300 desktop.  Our team discovered that in this particular circumstance several WMI classes were being corrupted when the image was deployed to an 8300 and the only resolution at that time was to create a desktop image for deployment across desktops.  Because the corruption of one or more WMI classes existed as soon as we booted the desktop with its image, BCU was unable to communicate to the BIOS.   As that is the only occurrence that I am aware of, I believed it to be specific to their custom image until now.   Desktop systems and notebook systems do not share a common BIOS and this may be a contributing factor.

 

If the enumerate settings script works, that indicates the WMI communications are working and BCU is encountering something other problem.

 

Please run the script.  If you post the results, remove serial number, UUID & similar ID numbers.

No personally identifiable information should be posted.

 

 

Thanks,

Richard

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

HP Recommended

Richard, I used my "problem" image on a 6300 out of convenience.  I confirmed that BCU failed (as expected), but the EnumSettings.wsf script successfully communicated with WMI; an edited SystemSettings.txt and output from the BCU is attached.

 

Next steps?

HP Recommended

Thank you Adam,

 


Without having possesion of the specific image you have deployed, it is difficult to isolate why this is happening.

In the end, it may be that capturing a notebook image and deploying to desktop has no simple solution.

 

 

The 6300 that I currently have works using Win7 64 bit.
It is my understanding this unit has an HP factory image targeted for the 6000 series of desktops so I am aware there are differences between this image and yours.  I am uncertain as to which difference is the root cause.

 

One possibility that may help isolate the issue -
Use BCU version 2.50.3.1 and run the command
     bcu.exe  /verbose   /get:"filename.txt"

 

What code does it return ?

 

 

You might also try rebuilding the WMI repository.

Since Microsoft suggests this only as a last step in rebuilding the WMI repository, you should proceed with this only for investigation and expect to re-deploy an image to the system after the investigation is complete.

 

        http://blogs.technet.com/b/askperf/archive/2009/04/13/wmi-rebuilding-the-wmi-repository.aspx


After rebuilding the wmi repository, re-run bcu
     bcu.exe  /verbose   /get:"filename.txt"

 

What are the results with version 2.50.3.1 ?

 

If BCU now works with version 2.50.3.1, what are the results with version 3.2.3.1 ?

 

 

If rebuilding the repository does not work, using wbemtest.exe to delete the following wmi classes may resolve the issue - HP_BIOSUser and HP_BIOSUserInterface.

These classes are in notebooks only and are not present in our factory desktop images.

 


Notes:

Older versions of BCU can be obtained from
        http://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/softpaq/sp62273.html

 

 

[edit]

version 2.50.3.1 does not create an entry in the start programs menu.

After running the SoftPaq, the executable utility can be found on a 64 bit OS at

       C:\Program Files (x86)\Hewlett-Packard\BCU

 

 

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

 

HP Recommended

Richard, I went back to a 6200 for this next round of testing.  The issue is image-dependent, and the image works on both platforms (so the difference should be moot).

 

Using BCU version 2.50.3.1 and the command
     bcu.exe  /verbose   /get:"filename.txt"

 

I get the following result:

 

<BIOSCONFIG Version="2.50.3.1" Computername="ZZ-ROTCVBS3" Date="2014/11/21" Time
="09:35:53" UTC="-5" >
<Warning msg="BCU return value" real="0" translated="0" />
</BIOSCONFIG>

but no text file was created.  I then rebuilt the repository using the instructions in the Microsoft Technet article, but BCU continued to return nothing.  Note that after rebuilding I did reboot the computer, and running "winmgmt /verifyrepository" told me that the "WMI repository is consistent". and I ran the enumsettings.wsf script from the earlier post to query WMI and derive the attached system settings text file.  I also tried "Winmgmt /resetrepository" from the TechNet article, but again, BCU refused to work.

 

Finally, I used wbemtest.exe to attempt to delete the wmi classes HP_BIOSUser and HP_BIOSUserInterface.  The wbemtest program told me that those classes did not exist, so it could not delete them.

 

So:  next steps?  I would be happy to send you or support a sysprepped image on an SSD.

 

Thanks,

 

Adam

 

 

HP Recommended

Hi.  It's been two weeks -- is there anything more that I can do in order to try and resolve or work around this bug?

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