HP 470 G10 : BIOS update F.06 to F.07 and now F.08 has affected video resolution output

[s_Fat_Tony_AQP]

In March of this year my business bought me an HP 470 G10 laptop

For 3 months this laptop worked well – and I had it set up with an external screen – a Samsung Neo G9 with a native resolution of 5120 x 1440 - video output was carried by an HDMI 2.1 compliant cable, and output was displayed at 60Hz. The G10 is equipped with onboard Intel XE Graphics certified to output at this resolution.

At some point in June 2024, I ran the HP Support Assistant which updated the BIOS from F.06 to F.07 – AT THAT POINT the laptop stopped outputting video at 5120 x 1440 – and stopped recognising any other resolution screen attached to the HDMI output other than the native 1920 x 1080 of the inbuilt screen. To be clear, when I attach the HDMI video output to various resolution screens – it no longer recognises the native resolution of the external screen – and simply both recognises the screen as, and outputs video at ,1920 x 1080.

I reported this to HP – they were kind enough to take the unit back for repair – but ultimately, the unit was returned to me with the issue still present.

I called again – and on two separate occasions was taken through a series of troubleshooting actions – resulting in the requirement to re-install Windows, once via a Windows process – and once via a downloaded ISO file which came directly from HP.

Yes - I have updated Windows - yes, I have updated the video drivers - both HP source, and Intel source - and I have tried to roll back the BIOS - but despite using many multiple combinations of different USB sizes, file formats (FAT32, exFAT, NTFS etc) -  it refuses to roll back to F.06. 

None of these solutions have worked – and I remain with a laptop which previously output video at 5120 x 1440 – which now – post the BIOS update – does not – and is therefore of no use to me as a work tool.

Any other ideas ?

I have requested a return / refund - but HP are no longer responding to me 

[BeemerBiker]

you need the Iris driver

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/785597/intel-arc-iris-xe-graphics-windows.html

You should use Intel's support assistant in addition to the HP one

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/intel-driver-support-assistant.html

[s_Fat_Tony_AQP]

Hi Beemer Biker, 

Tried that - I've tried the driver that Windows Update supplies, the driver accredited by HP (an older version which has gone through the process of being "checked" by HP) and the driver supplied by Intel Support Assistant (and also the driver downloaded from Intel - without the assistance of the Support Assistant). 

I've also tried older versions of the Intel supplied drivers - dated around the beginning of this year - as they're more likely to be the versions I was using prior to all of this happening. 

All to no avail ... 

Thanks - but it's not the drivers - I promise you 🙂

Fat Tony 
My last bike was an S1000rr btw - ace fun

[BeemerBiker]

Your system has Iris graphics which support up to  7680 x 4320 at 60 Hz

You also have Nvidia MX550 which is 2k.  

See if you can disable the onboard NVidia graphics in the bios.

Do you have 4k external monitor on the HDMI port?

The service manual for your system list all ports and only the HDMI port provides video.

It is a 1.4b HDMI port

HDMI 1.4b Specification

The major features introduced in the HDMI® 1.4b specification include:

• 4K support enables video resolutions beyond 1080p, supporting high-resolution displays that deliver movie theater-like experiences to the home with incredible depth, detail and color. This includes support for 4096×2160 at 24 Hz, 3840×2160 at 24, 25, and 30 Hz, and 1920×1080 at 120 Hz. All resolutions and refresh rates can be support with the High Speed HDMI Cable.

Set the refresh down to 24 to get 4k

I do not see how you could have viewed 5120 but possibly a lower refresh would do it

[s_Fat_Tony_AQP]

Ok - I will try all of that 

The monitor on the HDMI out port was / is a 49" Ultra wide Samsung Neo G9 - which at first boot ran flawlessly at 5120 x 1440 over an HDMI 2.1 rated cable with the monitor and display settings set to 60Hz.

Prior to the BIOS update - and as per every system I've ever had (this is a bit of a lie, but only because I started building systems when i486 was new - but you know what I mean) - if you connected an external monitor to the video output (in this case the HDMI out - as the USB-C doesn't carry video) then the display settings would show you a second screen option - and would "read" that screens native resolution(s) - listing out all the the possible options for video output resolution. 

Now - post BIOS update - whatever resolution screen I connect, the display options simply give me 1920 x 1080 as the highest resolution output - and lists all the other common permutations of 16:9 resolutions as options - but NOT the native resolution of the screen which is attached. It's like it's not longer "reading" the attached screens characteristics.

As well as the 5120 x 1440 - I have a 4k screen (a TV to be fair) - and when I connect to that - it neither "sees" the 3840 x 2160 potential resolution - nor offers that as an option - same with the 5120 x 1440 - it neither sees it, nor offers it as a possibility - whereas it did - and was happy to output at - prior to the BIOS update.    

It was a marked change at the BIOS update - I did it in the middle of the day - after a morning working with video output at 5120 x 1440 - I did the BIOS update - then all of this started. 

[s_Fat_Tony_AQP]

Update :

Hello again BB - it doesn't have nVidia MX550  - only the CPU onboard Intel UHD - (Iris Xe) : Device Manager only shows the onboard Intel UHD hardware ...  

There's no secondary graphics adapter other than what's onboard the CPU - and no alternative switchable option in the BIOS ... 

Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics should easily accommodate 5120 X 1440 - in theory it's not even 4K - although I do appreciate it's somewhat non-standard  

After months of months of updating drivers, operating systems and BIOS (even the firmware on the screen itself) - I've no other conclusion to draw other than the BIOS has in some way borked the HDMI output (and ability to input / read data from any attached device).

I've asked HP to refund my company - but am getting no replies  - even from an email to the UK MD - is there a method I can formally escalate this ?

UPDATE : I have been able to escalate - and HP have set in motion a potential solution - I'll keep you posted 🙂

[s_Fat_Tony_AQP]

Just in case anyone is interested .. 

An engineer from Hemmersbach called - after numerous other attempts, ended with swapping out the motherboard (to a new one with F.08 BIOS) 

NOTE : Thank you for arranging this HP 

However, it still has the same issue - it doesn't "see" the external monitor - and not just the odd 5120 x 1440  resolution I'm using, we also tried it on my 3840 x 2160 TV - both were reported as Generic PNP Monitors - the machine offered both a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 ...  

The best the Hemmersbach engineer could offer me after that was to suggest I rolled back the BIOS to F.06 - and gave me some pointers and advice as to how best do this (but didn't do this himself as it's a software thing, and he's hardware - but I suppose fair enough .... ) .. so I will attempt the BIOS roll back again ...

So still not resolved - my business has bought a laptop which worked great for 3 months - and now doesn't work - and I suspect - but cannot prove (because I have not yet succeeded in being able to roll back the BIOS) - that it was the action of updating the BIOS which borked it.  

Interested to find if there are any others out there on BIOS F.07 or beyond that have this same issue - the question I'm trying to answer os : is it the BIOS as a whole - or just my machine ?  

[josemariapt]

We are having the same problem trying to connect a new machine (F.08) to a 2560x1440 display using HDMI (USB-C does not support Display Port).

It only shows 1920x1080 as maximum resolution.

I downloaded the F.06 BIOS but I wasn't able to rollback.

I don't see any option to do that in the BIOS, and the "upgrade" option on Windows installer is greyed out...

[s_Fat_Tony_AQP]

Hi Jose, 

I've not been able to roll back the BIOS either - however, the Hemmersbach engineer recommended the following :

- When you download the BIOS flash program from HP - and have unzipped all the folders - look in them to find the actual copy of the BIOS 

- Copy this BIOS to every folder in the unzipped folder 

For some reason - the BIOS flash tool looks in multiple folders for a copy of the BIOS - whereas unzipped it's only present in one folder - copying it to all the folders "helps" ... 

I've not yet tried this - I'm not an IT engineer ... I'll have to wait until I have some spare time  

[BeemerBiker]

Look for a .bin and a .sig file and copy both into the root folder of the USB flash

When doing the win-b procedure make sure the LED on the USB flashes to confirm you are reading the USB.

Use the F.06 bios

 https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/swdetails/hp-470-17-inch-g10-notebook-pc/2101595320/swItemId/ob...

there are two bin files and two signature

10/06/2024 04:25 AM 16,777,216 08B6C.bin
10/06/2024 04:25 AM 256 08B6C.sig
10/06/2024 04:25 AM 16,777,216 08C0E.bin
10/06/2024 04:25 AM 256 08C0E.sig

go into your bios setup and if the bios lists 08B6C as the board ID then delete the 08C0E one.  Hopefully the BIOS knows which one to use but it helps to be safe.