HP Victus 16 e1 Bios Corruption

[TDres]

Victus was being dual booted and in windows it auto installed a bios update that I did not want. The update disabled legacy booting on me and now my linux install cant boot at all. This is a personal pc I used for schooling and my projects and everything were on the linux side. I now can't access it without pulling the harddrive?  
I trieddoing the Win + B but it says "Bios Recovery Failed Cannot load signature file" or "Cannot load bios image" and when I try to revert it loads the same error. Did an update HP Pushed to my pc and installed removing functionality from it just lose all my classes progress and projects from my laptop? 

I have tried the Win + B revert 

I have tried creating boot media for the efi with older firmware but it errors out due to sig/bios image failed to load

I have tried using the 4in1 tool to create it but no luck 

Any help or advice would be extremely appreciated on how to revert HP's bios update

[Raj_05]

Hi @TDres,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you're in a frustrating situation with the BIOS update affecting your system's ability to boot into your Linux installation. While the automatic BIOS update removed the legacy boot option and caused issues with your dual-boot setup, there are several steps you can try to recover or revert the BIOS.

Try an External Recovery using HP's BIOS Recovery USB

• Create a BIOS recovery USB:
  1. Download the latest BIOS update for your HP Victus 16 from HP's support website.
  2. Create a recovery USB using the HP BIOS Update Utility or use HP’s 4-in-1 Recovery USB tool again (confirm the latest version).
  3. Insert the USB into your laptop and perform the following steps:
     • Power off your laptop.
     • Press and hold the Win + B (or Win + V) keys, then press the power button for 2-3 seconds and release the power button while continuing to hold the keys.
     • If the recovery works, the BIOS will restore from the USB drive.

Attempt a Manual BIOS Downgrade

• If HP pushed a BIOS version that removed features, try locating the previous version of the BIOS for your HP Victus 16 on HP's support website.
• Some versions of the BIOS may have restrictions that prevent downgrades, but you can bypass this by:
  • Create a custom EFI boot media with the older BIOS version.
  • You may need to try renaming the BIOS file as HPBIOS.ROM to trick the system into accepting it for recovery (use the 4-in-1 tool again to create this media, but ensure you point it to the older BIOS file).
• If it still doesn’t work, explore modifying the boot order using a UEFI shell to point to the correct file.

Accessing Data from Linux Drive (without removing the drive)

If you're unable to restore the BIOS or boot into Linux, you can still try accessing your Linux files from within Windows by:

• Using a Linux Live USB: Create a bootable Linux Live USB (ensure it's UEFI-compatible). While legacy boot is disabled, many Linux distros can still boot from UEFI. You can then mount your Linux partitions to recover your school projects and files.
• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL): If your Linux partition uses a format like Ext4, Windows can't natively access it, but using third-party software like Ext2Fsd or WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) could allow you to access your Linux partitions from Windows.

Re-enable Legacy Boot (if possible)

• Sometimes manufacturers hide options in the BIOS. Enter your BIOS settings (by pressing F10 during boot) and look carefully for any hidden options related to boot mode. Some BIOS updates may disable the option but leave a way to enable it through advanced settings.

[Raj_05]

Advanced BIOS Recovery via Chip Reflash

If all else fails, you might consider flashing the BIOS chip manually using specialized hardware, but this requires specific knowledge and tools (such as a BIOS chip programmer). Alternatively, you could contact a technician with experience in flashing BIOS chips.

Backup and Restore Projects

If you're unable to resolve the BIOS issue immediately, recovering your data via a Linux Live USB or external disk reader will ensure your important work is not lost, even if the system is temporarily inoperable.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support