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Archived This topic has been archived. Information and links in this thread may no longer be available or relevant. If you have a question create a new topic by clicking here and select the appropriate board.

‎02-02-2015 11:58 PM

HP Recommended
Product: HP Probook 4440s
Operating System: Linux

Hi,

 

My laptop (HP Probook 4440s) is in the list of laptops with BIOS updates related to security issues [1].

 

But I am running Linux, for which no update seems to be available [2], while there is a BIOS update available for Windows [3]?

 

Could anyone tell me how to get and apply this update via Linux..

 

 

Thx,

Aaditya

 

[1]: https://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c04393276

[2]: http://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5229488&swItemId=ob_107629_1&swEnvOid=202...

[3]: http://h20566.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/detail?sp4ts.oid=5229488&swItemId=ob_135974_1&swEnvOid=413...

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

‎01-11-2016 01:37 AM

HP Recommended

I have done this recently on my HP ProBook 450 G2 running Kubuntu Linux 15.10.

 

A new version of BIOS (01.16 Rev.A 1 Dec 2015) was available but for Windows only.

 

What I had to do to install BIOS on Linux:

 

* download the exe file (for instance: sp74048.exe): it's an archive

 

* unpack it with 7zip

 

* go to my laptop setup: restart, hit [ESC] >

 F10 BIOS Setup > MAIN > Update System BIOS > Update BIOS using local media

 

* read the instructions:

 

     “Place the System BIOS BIN file on a FAT32 partition either

       on the system hard drive or on removable USB Key

       under the "Hewlett-Packard\BIOS\New" folder.

 

      Next, add or verify the HP Bios update utility (HpBiosUpdate.efi)

      and signature file (HpBiosUpdate.s12) are located

      on the same FAT32 partition under

      the following folder path: "Hewlett-Packard\BIOSUpdate".”

 

* grab a flashdrive, create the folder "Hewlett-Packard\BIOS\"

 

* copy the whole folder “BIOSUpdate” from the original installation file to it

 

* create the folder “New” and copy the bin file to it (in my case “M74_0116.bin”)

 

* so at the end the flashdrive looks like this:

 

\---Hewlett-Packard

    +---BIOS

    | \---New

    |      Mxx_xxxx.bin

    |

    \---BIOSUpdate

          all files here

 

* place the flashdrive into the laptop and in “Update BIOS Using Local Media” hit the [Accept] button below “The System BIOS will be updated immediately.”.

 

Then HP BIOS Update will appear saying: The System BIOS is being updated. > Writing new BIOS Image. > Veryfying new BIOS Image. > restart.

 

Done.

 

It's really beyond me why HP doesn't provide a simple archive with the proper directory structure and a readme file so that everyone could update their BIOS regardless their operating system.

 

Disclaimer: I'm just an average Linux user. This procedure worked for me but before using it you must consider the risks for yourself. You MUST know what you are doing.

View solution in original post

39 REPLIES 39

‎02-03-2015 02:41 AM

HP Recommended

BIOS updates for your notebook are provided in softpaq form for use in Windows only.  Some HP notebooks do have Linux BIOS upgrade support, but unfortunately yours is not one of them.

 

If you want to update the BIOS, then you will have to install Windows. Any Windows version from Windows XP to Windows 8.1 will suffice.

 

The BIOS updates are in the driver and software  download section of the support portal for the Probook 4440s notebook at the following URL.

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=5229487&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=4158


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‎02-03-2015 02:59 AM - edited ‎02-03-2015 03:07 AM

HP Recommended

Thx for the reply @erico

 

My laptop came with FreeDos installed, which I replaced with a Linux distribution.

 

HP does seem to provide some software for Linux for my laptop ( http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/swd/public/readIndex?sp4ts.oid=5229487&swLangOid=8&swEnvOid=2020 ), but the problem is that the BIOS version at offer is F.01(5 Jul 2012) rather than the latest available for Windows which is F.50 Rev. A (8 Aug 2014)

 

Now I looked at what was in F.01, and its just a compressed archive of the BIOS updates packaged in a specified format, with a script to copy it to a fat32 partition, which can then be updated by the existing BIOS.

 

Hence, I dont see why a similar update cannot be provided for F.50, especially as it is a security fix.

 

Edit-

Screenshot of the F.01 extracted Linux BIOS update added.

 

hp_bios_update_linux.png

‎02-03-2015 03:36 AM

HP Recommended

According to the script in the image you provided, even the F.01 version is only for notebook delivered with preinstalled Suse Linux. It appears that you are paying the cost many people do when trying to keep their own purchase costs down by purchasing a notebook that is as close to barebones as possible. FreeDos is quite barebones. 

 

Why not temporarily put in another hard disk and install a Windows 10 Technical preview?

https://www.google.nl/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=windows+10+technical+pre...

 

Once you have installed it, download the applicable BIOS update and install it. Once the BIOS has been updated, Remove rthe disk and install your Linux OS disk and you are back in business.

 

 


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‎02-03-2015 04:04 AM - edited ‎02-03-2015 04:04 AM

HP Recommended

I dont want to spend a couple of days downloading a 5gb ISO of Windows Technical preview and spend half a day in installing it, only to apply a 5mb BIOS update.

 

I chose FreeDos because I wanted to be free in installing any OS I wanted.

 

BIOS updates are not dependent on the OS AFAIK, and if HP claims to support SuSe Enterprise Linux (or any other form of Linux), and not provide security updates for the BIOS... well I dont know what to say.

 

Here are the contents of the script:

http://pastebin.com/WyTuZfLK

‎02-03-2015 04:14 AM - edited ‎02-03-2015 04:15 AM

HP Recommended
@aadityabagga wrote:

I dont want to spend a couple of days downloading a 5gb ISO of Windows Technical preview and spend half a day in installing it, only to apply a 5mb BIOS update.

 

I chose FreeDos because I wanted to be free in installing any OS I wanted.

 

BIOS updates are not dependent on the OS AFAIK, and if HP claims to support SuSe Enterprise Linux (or any other form of Linux), and not provide security updates for the BIOS... well I dont know what to say.

 

Here are the contents of the script:

http://pastebin.com/WyTuZfLK

BIOS is cross platform, but BIOS update software is normally provided in Windows or Linux format. That is something that you really cannot change. Now what you might be able to do is extract the BIOS softpaq on a Windows 8 PC to get the F.50 version. and then put it in the same HP_Tools BIOS \hp_linuxbios_temp that the script you provided described. I would replace the F.01 version with the new one. 

 

"I dont want to spend a couple of days downloading a 5gb ISO of Windows Technical preview and spend half a day in installing it,"  Wow!  It would take you a couple of days to download a 5GB ISO? I do feel for you. Your internet bandwidth must be seriously low.


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‎02-03-2015 04:24 AM

HP Recommended

Yup, there is a Windows install in my home that I could use to run the Windows exe, but I dont want to mess something up when creating the archive, as it could literally mean the death of my PC.

 

Hence I came looking for an offical update that I could use.

 

‎02-03-2015 06:50 AM

HP Recommended

Do you have a spare notebook SATA hard disk?


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‎02-03-2015 06:59 AM

HP Recommended
@erico wrote:

Do you have a spare notebook SATA hard disk?

Nope.

 

Even if I had, I would probably not be installing Windows on it to upgrade the firmware!

 

I got some generic ways to install firmware if using Linux:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate

 

But I will wait for an official response from someone at HP about providing a Linux compatible BIOS update before attempting that.

‎02-03-2015 07:40 AM

HP Recommended
@aadityabagga wrote:
@erico wrote:

Do you have a spare notebook SATA hard disk?

Nope.

 

Even if I had, I would probably not be installing Windows on it to upgrade the firmware!

 

I got some generic ways to install firmware if using Linux:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate

 

But I will wait for an official response from someone at HP about providing a Linux compatible BIOS update before attempting that.

If that is your desire, then I highly recommend that you contact HP directly.

 

You may have quite a long wait otherwise,

 

This is the HP Consumer peer to peer support forum.  


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