need bios update for hp pavillion that is no longer supported by hp

[jamminjim]

I need to update the BIOS on my old HP Pavillion DV7 2277cl, but HP  no longer supports this laptop from 2009. I'm hoping to find a newer version of the BIOS -  The current BIOS Version/Date is Hewlett-Packard F.36 10/09/2009,; it has not been updated since I originally purchased the laptop.   The motherboard is quanta 3624.

My reason for doing so is that I purchased new RAM from Crucial to increase the memory capacity of my device, but the computer will not boot with the new RAM.  Crucial assures me the new RAM is compatible with my device and that the problem is my old BIOS).   Since HP no longer supports this device online, I am at a loss as to how I might find an updated BIOS.  Maybe through the motherboard manufacturer (Quanta Computers, Inc), but I can't reach them, or by purchasing support from HP, but I can't talk to them to learn whether or not they still have access to the BIOS for my old device, before I purchase the support.  I'm in serious financial difficulty and simply can't afford to buy support if they're unable to help.  That's one of the main reasons I'm trying to maintain this old, but very nice laptop.  I'm also not a computer guru by any means, and since my life is on that laptop, I don't want to take a chance of losing it, by doing something risky.  Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

While Crucial indicates the memory is compatible, it isn't.

You need a very specific specification of memory to work.

It has to be PC3-10600 or PC3-8500, and it must have 8 little back memory chips on each side of the circuit board.

This is the most readily available memory that would work in your dv7...

G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Laptop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-8G...

Now, if you want to try updating the BIOS to see if the Crucial memory will work (which I doubt), here are the info and exe file links to the last BIOS update HP released for your notebook:

F.46:

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp54501-55000/sp54629.html 

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp54501-55000/sp54629.exe 

Updating the BIOS does have risks.

Get a portable hard drive and save your files to it before updating the BIOS.