[URGENT] Bug #1734147 Ubuntu 17.10 Linux corrupting BIOS - many laptops models are affected

[COE2k14]

(Please note that  I am not affected by this bug. This is a critical news which I hope HP notices)

Installing Ubuntu 17.10 and newer distros in machines with Insyde BIOS are discouraged. Ubuntu has pulled 17.10 release because of the devastating nature of the bug. Many laptops are affected. So far, no reports of HP laptops/desktops affected by this bug. But, we need an affirmation from HP's part that our machines are safe.

https://linux.slashdot.org/story/17/12/20/1724244/ubuntu-1710-temporarily-pulled-due-to-a-bios-corru...

I am seeking the attention of HP support to the issue Bug #1734147 reported in Ubuntu 17.10 which corrupts the BIOS and bricks the laptop. We, as users of Linux distributions in HP laptops (with Insyde BIOS-UEFI) wants to verify that our laptops are not affected by this bug. Most probably, it is not alone Ubuntu 17.10 which is affected by this kernel bug. As this is a kernel bug, many distros carry this and since it is not a module and is a built-in code, many thousands may be affected, including HP.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1734147?comments=all

Many Lenovo, Acer, Dell laptops got BIOS, prominently "Insyde BIOS" which HP also uses in their new BIOS-UEFI implemented laptops.

The symptoms are BIOS settings cannot be saved and is read only, cannot exit BIOS, USB drive booting not possible anymor and most critical ones are laptop bricked. As per Ubuntu bug tracking system, this is all caused by a new driver from Intel that is built-in into newer Linux kernel versions.

https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/Documentation/mtd/intel-spi.txt

Ubuntu 17.10 Temporarily Pulled Due To A BIOS Corrupting Problem
Written by Michael Larabel in Ubuntu on 20 December 2017 at 05:55 AM EST.


Canonical has temporarily pulled the download links for Ubuntu 17.10 "Artful Aardvark" from the Ubuntu website due to ongoing reports of some laptops finding their BIOS corrupted after installing this latest Ubuntu release. The issue is appearing most frequently with Lenovo laptops but there are also reports of issues with other laptop vendors as well.

This issue appears to stem from the Intel SPI driver in the 17.10's Linux 4.13 kernel corrupting the BIOS for a select number of laptop motherboards. Canonical is aware of this issue and is planning to disable the Intel SPI drivers in their kernel builds. Canonical's hardware enablement team has already verified this works around the problem, but doesn't provide any benefit if your BIOS is already corrupted.

A respun Ubuntu 17.10 release with the updated kernel is expected, but as of writing the download page is still discouraging the use of 17.10.


Should your BIOS be corrupted, you may need to replace your motherboard if there is not a removable flash chip. There are some reports that resetting the BIOS does work, but it's too early to know if that works for everyone. This issue has been confirmed for several different lines of Lenovo laptops including the Yoga and IdeaPad products. There is also the reports of it affecting a few Acer, Toshiba and Dell laptops.

When the BIOS is corrupted by the Intel SPI kernel driver, the effects range from being unable to save BIOS settings to no longer being able to boot from USB devices.

The Intel SPI kernel driver is responsible for reading/writing to SPI serial flash. Due to the SPI serial flash holding the BIOS and other platform specific data, Intel's driver is supposed to make the contents read-only, but clearly something is going awry with the driver in 17.10.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Ubuntu-17.10-BIOS-Corrupter

[medspc]

My laptop is affected.

HP envy x360 u000

this is my post on ask ubuntu

[COE2k14]

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@medspc wrote:

My laptop is affected.

HP envy x360 u000

this is my post on ask ubuntu

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There are some recovery methods mentioned in the bug report. Did you tried? If not, it is a difficult job. I believe, you may contact and intimate HP through chat/email support. systems with  Insyde BIOS is affected.

[COE2k14]

Many HP laptops/ultrabooks are also affected:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1734147/comments/217

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1734147/comments/218

[Riddle_Decipher]

@COE2k14

Thank you for posting on the HP Support Forums, 

I understand your concern and to help you out, 

I have escalated your concern to HP's Support Team in your region to have it reviewed for available options (if any). 

You should be contacted within 4 business days (Excluding Holidays & Weekends). 

Response times may vary by region. 

Please send a Private Message, if you aren't contacted within 4-5 business days.  

Additionally, keep in mind not to publicly post personal information (such as serial numbers and case details).

And Feel free to post your query for any other assistance as well, 

It's been a pleasure interacting with you and I hope you have a good day ahead.

[medspc]

I have tried almost all the ways I found on different forums. No luck.

[COE2k14]

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@medspc wrote:

I have tried almost all the ways I found on different forums. No luck.

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If it is out of warranty, you will have to find some chip level laptop repair specialist who can pull out BIOS chip with hot air and use some USB programmer to write the BIOS code again (EEPROM). Still, as a courtesy HP can repair the motherboard as a good gesture. May be, you can contact HP email support and ask (Don't explain about how this happened).

[medspc]

I am out of warranty. So, they are gonna charge me. Do you still think I shouldn't tell them how it has happened?

[medspc]

I am able to fix the problem by just updating the kernel. check it here

[COE2k14]

It is reported that, updating to latest Kernel 4.14.8 fixed the BIOS error.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1734147/comments/292

If you can boot into Ubuntu or any distro with the bug #1734147, update it to a kernel version >= 4.14.8 and try. It is reported that:

So - Lenovo E31-70 Xubuntu 16.04.03, kernel 4.14.8 (installed with ukuu) - bios settings survive reboot, secure boot can be disabled. I created bootable usb with Linux Mint - it is recognized in bios and boot from it.

Hope this helps.