Does HP Sure Start automatically recovers the firmware?

[rtxboy123]

So I am on an HP Elitebook 840 G5, and it is having problems. Context is not necessary. All you need to know is that I will be playing a bit with the firmware, and potentially modify it. I don't want to brick the system, and so I want to first verify if the firmware recovery works correctly.

I was putting so much time in trying to initiate the automatic firmware recovery, only to know that USB recovery method is not supported on systems with HP Sure Start. All that I could find is that HP Sure Start "automatically" recovers the firmware. All this seems pretty high level stuff and I have less faith in it. If the base firmware itself gets corrupted, how exactly will I be able to recover my firmware?

[resistencia]

Hi @rtxboy123 ,

I understand that you must configure in the BIOS the automatic recovery, then you must configure the ethernet network connection, then when the update fails you must connect the device by Ethernet cable.

I have not tried it, but I know of users who have recovered the BIOS this way.

[rtxboy123]

I could only find an option for HP Sure Recover, and that is used for re-installing the OS, not firmware. Please tell me what option you referring to in the UEFI.

[resistencia]

You must enter the BIOS of the device, in particular I think you should not manipulate the BIOS, not always the software recovers the BIOS.

[rtxboy123]

Yes, I am in the UEFI (BIOS), but I only really see stuff about HP Sure Recover. What option are you specifying to configure?

I know I shouldn't mess with the firmware, but with the state of this machine, I really have to. I hate all of this advanced recovery bs. Why couldn't they just allow me to directly flash the firmware from the USB?

[resistencia]

Go to security, and check if you have the option

[rtxboy123]

Ah yes, was about to comment that. I see BIOS Sure Start under Security. But what option do I really need to look at? The recover option or whatever is set to automatic. And it is not set to verify the boot blocks on every boot and at runtime.

[resistencia]

for greater safety use the automatic mode. I think it is the default option

[rtxboy123]

How they recover is not very transparent. I saw a video, and they say that a backup copy is saved in a completely separate location. They even showed a demo where they installed corrupted firmware on an HP Sure Start supported PC and one with not, and the one with HP Sure Start did manage to recover the firmware, while the other could not.

You said you know people have recovered their firmware that way. So is it really simple as that? I had reset the firmware once, and so I hope whatever it plans to do when the firmware is corrupted works out. And still if it isn't able to recover the firmware, what are the ways un-brick the machine? By those USB programmer thingies for flashing the firmware? And what is the chance that those don't work? I really just don't want to go towards a motherboard replacement.

[rtxboy123]

@Resistencia  Please respond.