Corrupted BIOS. Can't create USB recovery tool

[Madcapper6]

I'm getting the black screen and the 2x blink code telling me I have BIOS corruption.  I no longer have the HP_TOOLS partition on the hard drive so I need to create the USB recovery tool.  I went through the instructions from this page http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c02693833 but I can't create the recovery tool because the option in Step 12, Figure 4 "Create an HP BIOS Recovery USB flash drive to recover another HP device" is grayed out.  WHY in the heck is that option grayed out?  I've tried to create this tool using both FAT32 and NTFS formatted USB drives as well as a 16GB USB drive, an 8 GB drive and a 2 GB drive.  I tried creating the tool on four different computers and all end with the same result: the option to create the tool is grayed out.  

Why is this happening?  What do I need to do to create this dang tool? 

The file I'm trying to create the tool from in an executable with the filename sp68425.exe I got from HP website from my laptop's support page. 

Please, somebody, answer this question.  It's a somewhat common problem but hasn't been adequately answered or addressed anywhere, either on this site or on the internet in general. 

[VJ_R]

Hi

I don't know how much it will help you, but i found this 

• This tool is intended for use by HP Authorized Service Personnel and Self Maintainers only. 
• With the release of version 3.0.0.0, a feature has been added that can be used to recover many systems that have failed due to a corrupted BIOS.
• A blank USB key of 4GB capacity or larger is required.
• Updated HP PC Diagnostics will be released at various times throughout the year, and technicians should ensure they are using the latest version available.

Get the latest version of the 3-in-1 Diagnostics USB key:

 Download (3-in-1 USB Key v.3.3.0.0)

[Madcapper6]

Thanks for the response.  How can I use this to run diagnostics on a pc that is inaccessible because of the corrupted bios and nothing but a blank screen?  I can't access the BIOS startup menu or anything else.  

By the way, as an HP employee, do you have any idea why I can't make a USB bios recovery tool and why the option to make it is grayed out?  That's the million dollar question I'm trying to get answered.  Thanks.  

[VJ_R]

You can download that tool on to a blank USB stick and at the boot Press Windows + B 

One reason i can think of for the option to create BIOS recovery to be grayed out is if you are not running the latest BIOS on the unit the latest BIOS when installing should create a backup image on to HP tools on your PC using that you can create a BIOS recovery, that's just my opinion.. there can be other reasons as well 

[Madcapper6]

I'm not sure I quite understood your response.  I'm not trying to create the backup tool while updating the bios on the broken down pc.  I'm trying to create a recovery tool on a different pc so I can use it to restore the bios on the broken down system.   Are you telling me that the USB recovery tool has to be created on the same pc it's going to be used on to recover the BIOS?   It says nothing about that on the page with the instructions on how to create the recovery tool.  Based on the instructions, the recovery tool is created from an InstallShield Wizard extracted from an .exe file that's downloaded from HP's website.   It says you can create the tool from the executable AFTER a pc gets a corrupted bios by using an entirely different computer and the HP_TOOLS recovery partition is no longer present on the broken system.   I'll post the link to the instructions again:  http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c02693833  

Step 12, Figure 4 is where everything stops.  The option to create the tool is greyed out, as well as the "Next" button that I need to press to go on to the next step.  

[VJ_R]

Hmm now i understand what are you saying, but sorry i have no idea why.. try the other tool and see if that helps.

[Madcapper6]

Well I've tried downloading the 3 in 1 diagnostic tool seven times now and it keeps erroring out.  This is really getting frustrating.  

[doughjohn]

Hiya

Yes it did with me too.

The lonk is didgy;  sorry that should be The link is Dodgy.

I did something silly and tried an ftp client and failed.

So try the link given by VJ_R   -   ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp72501-73000/sp72954.exe

and when it errors out try modifying it to

http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp72501-73000/sp72954.exe

in your browser, and hope it runs to 100% (I had a fail at 99.9%), but got it 2nd time.

[Madcapper6]

I'm still seeking info on how to make the USB recovery tool.  Isn't there ANYONE in HP's support team that has an answer to my question?  Why make an executable file to create a USB recovery tool that doesn't actually allow you to make the dang recovery tool? 

If no one at HP has an answer, can someone at HP please tell me if it's possible to create the tool manually from the files extracted from the .exe file?  Before it blocks me from creating the USB recovery tool, 15 files and 1 folder are extracted to a folder located in ...C:\Program Files (x86)\SP68425.  These are the filenames:

01818.bin
CaslApp.exe
CaslApp.exe.hpsign
config1.ini
config2.ini
CrisisKeyDLL.dll
FlsHook.exe
FlsHookDll.dll
FWUpdLcl.exe
InsydeFlash.exe
iscflash.dll
iscflash.sys
iscflashx64.sys
platform.ini
xerces-c_2_7.dll

The folder extracted from the .exe is called CrisisFolder and it has 10 additional files in it with filenames like CryptRSA.efi, HpBiosMgmt.efi, and so on.  If I knew how the InstallShield Wizard is supposed to arrange everything on the USB drive, I could work around the aggravating "grayed out" issue.   Thanks. 

Thanks also doughjohn for the response on how to get the 3 in 1 file downloaded.  I finally got a full download after another 4 or 5 tries by your suggestion. 

[dogfishhead]

I got it to go.  Took me a few days scouring the net and poking around - the answer is simple and it is sad that HP made this so difficult.  You can use just the official tools with no weird bootleg untrustworthy downloads from third parties.  I am putting this out there so someone else can benefit - hopefully HP does not delete this post.

You will note there is an 1818.bin and a platform.ini file in your listing from the system bios update download.

Rename the platform.ini to platform.ini.orig

Rename the 1818.bin to 1818.fd

run the insydeflash.exe - now you will be able to create the USB properly and the "bin" and "sig" will be generated in the process and put in the proper place on the USB directory structure

Cheers,

dogfishhead

PS:  I had a totally bricked dv7t.  we have had 5 out of the 50 we bought go the same way so far - just failed for no special reason - power on results in just black screen and caps lock blinking twice and fan roaring.  We had no UEFI partition because we had replaced the hard drives with SSD and were running linux anyway with legacy boot mode in BIOS.

Total fix process outlined below:

On bricked machine:

unplug power

remove battery

remove cmos battery

unplug hard drives

in a working computer running some version of windows (64-bit may be required):

download HP bios update and HP Unified Extensible Firmware Interface Support environment for your computer model

format USB key (1GB or more works - nothing special here) set label to HP_TOOLS

run the HP UEFI installer - pick USB Flash Drive destination - you will now have a good UEFI boot subdirectory structure on the USB

run the HP bios update - all options will be greyed out, but it will have created the c:\programs files (x86)\SPxxxx directory

apply the rename fixes specified above (.bin to .fd and .ini to .ini.orig) then run the insydeflash executable - the create recovery usb flash drive option is no longer greyed out - choose this option and you will now have installable bios files in the USB Hewlett-Packard->BIOS->Current directory

insert this USB in the bricked computer - I used the right side usb that was not SS - not sure if it matters

plug in the power - the computer will start and end up at a screen that says cmos corrupt hit whatever function key it says or ctrl-alt-del - it will either take you to another screen about running diagnostics where you hit the function key it says or it will just go there automatically - I think I had to hit F2.

You now get the UEFI diagnostics menu booted from flash where you can flash the bios you have on the USB - just browse to the BIOS->Current directory and select the xxxx.bin file - you can also run diagnostics to see if something is legitimately broken or if it is just unstable BIOS in these things.

After following on screen instructions and observing reboot you end up at a screen about having no boot partition - you can now shut down and put it back together and remember to set legacy boot in BIOS if you are running linux like me.