Can I get a firmware update file for an HP 250G3 without windows or a valid serial number

[miiklb]

The objective is to give it to a kid who can't afford a computer. This was supposed to be a 20 minute job.

A friend gave me a bricked HP laptop - an HP250G3.  I don't know how old it is, but it looked in good condition. He had taken it to a computer repair place who had sold him a new laptop (an ASUS not HP).  After days of trying to recharge the battery I got enough life to see a 'replace battery warning message'. I bought an aftermarket replacement for $30.  The laptop booted to that annoying spinning Windows loading wheel, and stayed there for hours. I put a Linux iso on a usb and successfully booted into Linux, so the machine was no longer a complete brick.  I told it to install Linux (LMDE6 if you're interested) which it did.

Subsequent reboots have been slow with the Linux boot stepping around a bios error. The first line is:

"DMAR: [Firmware Bug]: No firmware reserved region can cover this RMRR [0x000000009d800000-0x000000009fffffff], contact BIOS vendor for fixes"

I decided to try updating the firmware and have become mired in a world of HP pain. No longer can anyone just download a file from a list and apply it. In the HP support site, I learned that HP doesn't believe operating systems other than Windows exist.  I provided the product from the back of the laptop  L9V87PA. Things looked good until it wanted the Serial Number: CND5362M7T, which it rejected as invalid - and  no I did not mistype it on multiple tries.  I took a step backwards by signing up to this HP community. I no longer asks for the product - just the serial number, and stonewalls when I can't provide a valid one.  (BTW CND636MT7 is valid for an entirely different laptop model.)

I even resorted to the Artificial Idiocy of chat.  ChatGPT provided an out-of-date procedure for obtaining a firmware update without using the HP Windows tools - it used to be so simple. ChatGPT thinks it still is.

I've wasted hours on this, so if reaching out to this forum doesn't work it's going in the bin. The BIOS info is: Date 12/18/2014, Vendor: 

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[Paul_Tikkanen]

When I need to find info on a HP PC, I just do an internet search (250 G3) and if you had done that, you would have gotten the support page.

Here is the link to the latest BIOS update HP released for the notebook (F.49):

HP 250 G3 Notebook PC Software and Driver Details

Since you are not running Windows on the notebook you will have to use a Windows PC and make a USB BIOS recovery drive so that you can update the BIOS outside of Windows.

Watch these two videos at the links below for how to make and use the BIOS recovery flash drive to update the BIOS outside of Windows:

How to create a BIOS recovery drive with the above BIOS file.

Creating a BIOS Recovery Flash Drive for HP Notebooks | HP Notebooks | HP Support

How to recover/update your notebook's BIOS with the recovery drive:

Restore the BIOS with a Recovery Flash Drive on HP Notebooks | HP Notebooks | HP Support

According to the serial number, the notebook was manufactured during the week of August 31 - Sept 6 of 2015 (the 536 in the S/N indicates that), and the serial number for the notebook does exist in the HP PartSurfer database.

HP PartSurfer

[miiklb]

Thanks very much for your reply and  the link. I borrowed a Windows PC and created the HP_TOOLS usb.  However, Win+B didn't work - blank screen and caps lock flashing slow in sets of two. At least the PC still boots into Linux, but the process is slow - it displays the bios error screen twice during its boot sequence. Further internet research suggest the CMOS battery may be failing, or the bios chip itself is corrupt.  I am also now getting a SMART report that the HDD may be starting to fail.  I think it might be time to give up on this charity project. The kids can just use it as is until it dies completely.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Sorry that updating the BIOS didn't work.