BIOS update from INSYDE Flash today

[7essdee]

Hello. I had a pop up regarding a BIOS update.  I didn't think and automatically agreed to it.  It wasn't from HP. It had a blue bird logo and in my Programs it says it was from Insyde.  I tried to verify that the Performance System is working properly through the HP Assistant.  Everything seems to be fine except for the Clearing Web Browsers.  An error came up that says:  "1.[E1] - Could not find a part of the path 'C:\Users\SD\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\zys4hfai.default-1451871863304\cache2'..

I also used HP Assistant to check the Operating System.  It  came back fine as well.

Besides INSYDE FLASH now showing up in my Programs, Fishhook.exe is now showing.  They haven't shown up previously.

Can anyone tell me if the BIOS update is okay or if it is a virus/threat?  Thank you

[IT_WinSec]

Hello @7essdee

Thank you for posting in the HP Support forum. Welcome !

Not sure what popped-up for the BIOS update - it could have been from HP Support Assistant, but this is not a virus. Insyde is the vendor of the BIOS you have on your PC. It's used for lots of PC vendors - check their website >> https://www.insyde.com/

Personally, I do not recommend you do it unless you experience some issues with your existing BIOS and you are sure that the new BIOS will fix it. General recommendation I provide to users/customers is NOT to upgrade BIOS/UEFI unless they experience any kind of specific BIOS/UEFI issue. Updating just for updaing and just for using the latest verson is not solution. Any kind of update (no matter for what and who relesed it) can fix 2 issues but may introduce 10 more issues. Additionally, upgrading the BIOS (for any vendor) poses more risks because BIOS recovery is not that easy as compared to typical software updates IF something goes wrong.

Same applies for Windows Updates, OS update, drivers updates, etc - upgrade/update IF you have issues which you know are fixed in the newer version or for some severe security issues. Otherwise, keep the existing version as long as possible.

Here is an additional reading for you >> https://www.howtogeek.com/136881/htg-explains-do-you-need-to-update-your-computers-bios/

In order to check your BIOS:

- The BIOS includes instructions on how to load basic computer hardware and includes a test referred to as a POST (Power On Self Test) that helps verify the computer meets requirements to boot up properly. If the computer does not pass the POST, you will receive a combination of beeps indicating what is malfunctioning within the computer. Therefore, if PC boots fine, most likely BIOS is OK.

More info >> https://www.computerhope.com/help/bios.htm

- also, restart the PC.

- please, shutdown the computer using the power button (pressed and hold for a few seconds until PC powers off)

- Power the computer back on.

As soon as you press the power-on button, immediately begin hitting the Esc button repeatedly (like tap-tap-tap) before any logo appears. This should open a HP Startup Menu

- Choose/press F10 to open the BIOS configuration. Does it open ??

- Exit BIOS without saving the changes and start Windows

Let me know how it goes. Provide your reply/feedback/update.

[7essdee]

Thank you for your reply.

My screen was black for a long time when I first turned it on this morning.

It finally came to the log in screen.

I hit ESC as you asked and then F10. It seemed to be fine but then realized I had my volume off.

I turned it back on and restarted the computer.  The volume shut itself off again.

I tried again to restart the computer and it seems to be fine now.  

I am concerned because I did not request the BIOS update.  The BIOS update window popped up while I was editing photos in Lightroom.  I've had Windows updates pop up for the past three days through Windows Update.  This was the first one that popped up in the middle of my screen and subsequently shut down all of the windows and programs I had open. 

I don't know if there were beeps when I first turned the computer on and the screen was black because the volume was off.  Anyway to try and verify again to make sure the BIOS is okay?  Thank you.

[IT_WinSec]

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@7essdee wrote:

Thank you for your reply.

(...)

I tried again to restart the computer and it seems to be fine now. 

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You are welcome. All is well when it ends well 🙂

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@7essdee wrote:

I am concerned because I did not request the BIOS update.  The BIOS update window popped up while I was editing photos in Lightroom. (...) Anyway to try and verify again to make sure the BIOS is okay?  Thank you.

---

No, there is no other way. You have already verified you can open its configuration F10 and since your PC starts fine, then the BIOS is verified as OK.

With regards to your concern where it came from, please provide me with a log file so that I can see for any signs.

Download Autoruns (from Microsoft) from this URL => http://live.sysinternals.com/autoruns.exe

Information about the product => http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

- Save the file on your Desktop

- Run Microsoft Autoruns  with Administrator rights (right click -> Run as Administrator).

Agree with the standard license agreement from Microsoft.

- Once Autoruns is started, it will need some seconds (could be a minute) to gather the snapshot, wait for it.

Once it is ready, you will see the word Ready in the lower left side.

• Click on Options

Make sure that only the following are selected:

• Hide Empty Locations
• Hide Windows Entries

- Click on  Rescan button  or  click on File -> Refresh to rescan the system.

It will need some seconds (could be a minute) to gather the snapshot, wait for it.

Once it is ready, you will see the word Ready in the lower left side.

- Finally, click on File -> Save

Save the snapshot on the desktop in .TXT file

Open the newly created TXT log file.

Mark and Select all of the text (e.g. CTR+A), copy it and

then visit http://pastebin.com/ to paste it there

Create new paste in the site and give me the URL to review the log file.

Looking forward to your reply.

[7essdee]

Hi there - I hope I did this correctly.

https://pastebin.com/5fagrixJ

My computer is really running slow and it's freezing off and on since the BIOS downloaded.

I checked the date of the BIOS and it's the original date from a few years ago.  The date was not updated so it seems really odd to me.  

Thank you again for all of your help

[IT_WinSec]

Hi,

I checked the Autoruns log file and it seems to prove my theory - most likely the BIOS update came from it. It came from HP but as mentioned above, the BIOS vendor is Insyde

HP Support Assistant is a useful tool but is not mandatory for your PC to be used.

You can go to Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features and uninstall it

- Uninstall HP Support Assistant

- Uninstall HP Support framework

Your PC will function properly even without it.

With regards to your PC freezing:

Please, check this interactive guide and follow the steps >> http://hp.dezide.com/ts/start.jsp?guide=pclockupfreeze.net&as=true&section=ccweb&sfs=tdoc&lc=en

Follow all the steps in the article (but temporary avoid updating the BIOS).

If no improvement is found even after that, you can try to update the BIOS to the latest version , following this method:

1) https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00042629

2) Updating the BIOS when Windows does not start (Windows 10, 8, 7)  - from within the UEFI/BIOS

[7essdee]

I will give it a try asap and get back to you. Thank you very much