Impossible to update the BIOS

[Rv-Fr]

Hello,

facing a numerous of BSOD always saying "The BIOS in this system is not fully ACPI compliant. Update the BIOS", so I tried to update my BIOS.

I download from HP support website the .exe for my laptop Probook 4730s (CNU131277W):

http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp79501-80000/sp79716.exe

This is the update for Version F63 (68SRR Version F09 actually installed)
Mother board HP

As I succeeded in fixing the BSOD issues by disabling the permutable graphics within the BIOS section, so I could try to update the BIOS through all the different ways proposed by BIOS updating pack.

Whatever the way to update the BIOS, it does not wokk.

Windows:
I launch the HPQFlash to update the BIOS through windows. got the message saying the BIOS will be updated on next restart. But nothing happened.Checking the log file, I found the following error : "EFI partition does not exist. -h cmdline arg NOT provided"
>I lost the HP_recovery and EFI partitions last time I replaced my HDD...

USB Flash:

I tried all the archives found on the download section of HP support. None worked. The BIOS updating process starts, it finds a new version to install but immediatly skips to a message error "The BIOS update failed".

Got the error message : Bios\New\68SSR.s12 not found. For sure, no .s12 file within this directory. Only a .bin and a .sig files are present.

The USB disk struture is built as following:

\HEWLETT-PACKARD directory at root containing 2 directories: BIOS and BiosUpdate (and a log file)

BIOS holds 2 directories: Current et New, each of them gets 2 files: 68SSR.bin and 68SSR.sig

BiosUpdate holds the folowing files:
HpBiosUpdate.efi
HpBiosUpdate.sig
HpBiosUpdate.s09
HpBiosUpdate32.efi
HpBiosUpdate32.sig
HpBiosUpdate32.s09
CryptRSA.efi
CryptRSA32.efi
HpBiosUpdate.s12
HpBiosUpdate32.s12
HpBiosUpdate.log

I wonder if I can use this process to update my BIOS considering I have no EFI partition anymore.

Found this post https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebooks-Archive-Read-Only/How-to-update-BIOS-on-Linux/td-p/4869835/p...

same situation except I am not using Linux but Win7

It is proposed to copy HPBiosUpdate.efi file and .sig file at the root of the USB flash. Is that to avoid using the EFI ?

That would be great if someone could help me.

[erico]

Does your notebook have an EFI BIOS installed? EFI BIOS is modern, and unlike a legacy BIOS, it makes updating the BIOS near zero risk operation.

Was your notebook delivered with Windows 7 or did you install it to an MBR Volume Disk? You said you "lost" the EFI partition when you replaced the disk. Did you perform a clean install of Windows 7 or did you use the recovery media to reinstall the OS as it was delivered to you? 

Information on the UEFI BIOS

You can tell if your BIOS is legacy or EFI BIOS by trying to use the touchpad's cursor to select items in the BIOS. If you can use the cursor, then the BIOS is EFI.

You can install then UEFI BIOS environment by downloading and double clicking of the following file while logged into Windows.https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-probook-4730s-notebook-pc/5060893/swIt...

I see you tried running the file. What it needs for you to do is create a FAT32 partition called HP_Tools just as it states in the following system requirements.  Do you know how to do that?

"Prerequisites
- Microsoft .NET 2.0 is required. UEFI and custom imaging ------------------------------- HP BIOS Update must be run from a FAT or FAT32 partition with a volume name of "HP_TOOLS". This installer will give you the option to install to the HDD or a USB drive. If you install to the HDD and the HP_TOOLS partition is not present, the installer will prompt you to create the HP_TOOLS partition. If you install to a USB drive, the installer will rename the partition on the USB drive to HP_TOOLS. If you use a custom image, you can create the HP_TOOLS partition manually with type FAT32 and make the volume name HP_TOOLS. Caution - The UEFI partition is not protected and can therefore be deleted. - Backing up the computer using the Windows® Vista® Complete PC Backup does not back up the UEFI partition. For these reasons, HP recommends that you do not place additional data on the UEFI partition. Because the partition is not backed up, corruption or failure of the partition will result in loss of all data on the partition, plus loss of UEFI functionality. You can find more information on www.hp.com/go/techcenter/startup 
 

[Rv-Fr]

Hi Erico, and thanks to help me.

Regarding the BIOS, I don't really know if it is legacy or EFI. I guess it is EFI as it is pretty rich. Gets 3 main menu File/Safety/System configuration (names could be a bit different as my native language is french). For example, I could disable the permutable graphics from this BIOS version, or perform some hardware tests

My notebook has been delivered with windows. And When I replaced the HDD I have installed a system image and also an image of HP_TOOLS partition, but I didn't reinstalled the HP_Recovery partition. This HP_TOOLS partiton is 5Go FAT32. It holds files and directories just like the USB flash described in my previous post (I think coming from the numerous attempts of BIOS update through HPQFlash).

[Rv-Fr]

I confirm the BIOS is EFI as I could use the touchpad.

I also found this post https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/bios-recovery-procedures.870/page-40#post-398310, describing the way to modify some names of the softpack files to make a BIOS recovery:

1. Get a USB memory stick that is <= 4GB and format it to FAT (FAT16) in windows. (It doesn't work to use a larger memory stick formatted to FAT, or a memory stick formatted to FAT32)
2. Make this directory structure on the USB memory: \HEWLETT-PACKARD\BIOS\CURRENT\
3. Download the Softpack with the BIOS update for your system from the HP website. Extract the spxxxxx.exe with winrar or a similar software, or run the program and look in the C:\SWSetup\spxxxxx\Rompaq\ directory for a file called 68XXX.bin (XXX differs on different systems).
4. Copy 68XXX.bin into the \HEWLETT-PACKARD\BIOS\CURRENT\ directory on the USB memory.
5. Open the archive C:\SWSetup\spxxxxx\Rom.cab and extract efibios.sig to the \HEWLETT-PACKARD\BIOS\CURRENT\ directory. Rename efibios.sig to 68XXX.sig (replace XXX with the same letters as in your 68XXX.bin).
6. Insert the USB memory stick into a USB port on your computer. While pressing Win+B, power up the system.
7. The Caps lock led will flash continously, and the computer will read the file from the USB stick.
8. In under a minute the system will shut down. Remove the USB stick. The system will power up again and immediatly shut down. The system will power up again, and you will be greeted with a screen that says the your BIOS was recovered.

I guess this can be adapted to perform the update. But there are some many files within the pack that it doesn't seem so easy to do.

[erico]

I know what you mean. It can be a bit tricky. Some files become useless when renamed.

Good luck.

[Rv-Fr]

I tried to install  the UEFI BIOS environment as you suggested (https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/swdetails/hp-probook-4730s-notebook-pc/5060893/swIt...), but it doesn't seem to change anything. I tried the 2 different ways proposed (USB flash or HP_TOOLS partiton).

How could I check if the UEFI is installed or not ?

[erico]

From a powered off state, press the power button and tap the Esc key. A menu should appear. 

The menu shows that the UEFI Environment is present.

One of the choices should be F2.  Tapping F2 should invoke the PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI utility.

Choose Firmware update. That is where you can choose to update or rollback the BIOS to a previous version.

The rollback feature is only available if the UEFI Environment had already been present and a BIOS update had been done.

[Rv-Fr]

F2 invokes the system diagnostics, but no rollback deature available.

I tried to install the UEFI environment, but:

Using a USB flash, the DOS found the update but its installation failed (no error in the log file).

using EFI : nothing happened.