How to update BIOS on Linux

[texadactyl]

Updated 2017-04-09 to be more detailed.

You do not need to install Windows but I succeeded by "borrowing" a Windows installation CD/DVD. 

By the way, do you really need to update your BIOS?  If it aint broken, don't fix it.  (-:

In my case, someone said to me that updating the BIOS from Linux couldn't be done and I was fairly certain that this was not true so I did it to prove my point.  Perhaps, I was foolish to do so!

What follows is what worked for me with a circa 2009 HP Pavilion dv3-1075us (almost 8 years old).

* I made sure that my laptop was plugged into the wall i.e. not running on battery.

* I borrowed a circa 2008 Windows 7 installation CD/DVD from a pal and inserted it into my laptop's DVD slot.  Use a portable USB drive if your laptop does not have a built-in CD/DVD drive.  Borrow an installation disk from a friend or friendly store if you do not have one.  An XP or Vista installation CD/DVD might work just as well.
 
* Downloaded the latest BIOS EXE for my laptop from here:
   - Clicked on "Download" which selected file sp45119.exe
   - Selected "Save File" and clicked "OK".  Do NOT process this file on Linux in any way (E.g. archiver or `wine`).

* Formatted a USB stick drive to FAT32 using `gparted` (Yes, there are other ways.  However, I suggest that you use a GUI-tool).  Be careful before commiting the reformat that this is the drive you think it is!  There is no way to undo this action.

* Copied the EXE file onto the USB stick.

* Booted into the BIOS to update the boot drive order such that the USB CD/DVD drive was ahead of the internal SSD storage and the USB stick drive.  Every BIOS is different so you may need to get its attention during boot with an Esc key, Del key, F1 key, etc.

* Re-booted (F10 using my BIOS) into the Windows installation CD.

* Hit enter when I saw "Press any key to boot ...".

* Eventually, I saw the typical Windows 7 installation box with a prompt to keep/adjust my language, time and currency, and keyboard / input method.  I clicked on "Next".

* Next, I was prompted for "Install Now", "What to know ...", amd "Repair your computer".  I selected REPAIR which is not the default setting (be careful).

* Then, I was prompted for "System Recovery Options".  I selected "Use recovery tools ..." (first radio button).

* On the 2nd "System Recovery Options" menu, I selected "Command Prompt".  This took me into a DOS command prompt box:

     X:\Sources

* Using the DIR command on A:, B:, and C:, I found the EXE on C:.

* C:     (change to the C: drive)

* Typed the name of the EXE and pressed enter.

* The BIOS InstallShield appeared.  I pressed "Next".  Clicked on "Accept the terms ..." and clicked "Next" again.

* The upgade began and prompted me with "Are you sure....?"  I clicked OK and the BIOS upgrade took off.  This process will run for several minutes.  Be careful not to disturb the BIOS upgrade while it is in-flight.

* When it was finished, my laptop powered off.  Yours might too.  I suppose, it might reboot.  Behaviour depends on the BIOS vendor.

That is it verbatim!  I've done it now 5 times on my laptop.  Worked every time like a charm.

[JohnWester]

After reading lots and .... not seeing a "bios update" selection in BIOS of Elitebook, I settled on Bootable USB

BIOS Flash.

1) Download Freedos, make a bootable USB stick.

2) Mount up - say /media/path/FREEDOS

3) mkdir /media/path/FREEDOS/BIOS

4) cp spXXXXX.exe to /media/path/FREEDOS/BIOS/

5) apt-get install cabextract or yum install cabextract  (or however)

6) cd /media/..../BIOS

7) cabextract spXXXXX.exe

😎 Set BIOS to consider USB for Boot.

9) Boot Freedos

10) cd  ROMPAQ (  or wherever erompaq.exe is)

11) Type erompaq and hit enter,

12) Select update.

13) leave it be till its done!!

Done!!!

[charliejones]

I'm trying the same route to update my BIOS without windows ... laptop is HP Envy M6 ...

The file I want (I think I found this by browsing the HP support site on a Windows laptop earlier) seems to be detailed below in ...

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp66501-67000/sp66782.html

as ..

ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp66501-67000/sp66782.exe

So I downloaded that file but my Archiver (which does 7z formats) offers these files instead of anything looking like those posted by Erico above ... no folders at all ... certainly no "BIOS" or "BIOS Update" folder(s)

This is a listing of the sp66782.exe contents ... (sorry it's ls -l output, easier than screen grab)

total 12264
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 6883584 May 14 2014 018A4.FD
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 195584 Aug 7 2012 FlsHookDll.dll
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 231936 Aug 7 2012 FlsHook.exe
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 944664 Nov 4 2010 FWUpdLcl.exe
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 783360 Aug 7 2012 InsydeFlash.exe
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 1472000 Aug 7 2012 iscflash.dll
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 43008 Aug 7 2012 iscflash.sys
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 69216 Jul 31 2012 iscflashx64.sys
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 28540 May 14 2014 platform.ini
-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 1892352 Nov 4 2010 xerces-c_2_7.dll

Of course I wonder what's inside this 6 MB file ...

-rw-rw-r-- 1 cj cj 6883584 May 14 2014 018A4.FD

But trying to extract it only gives me 'file extract error' ...

Would welcome any comments at all ...

Thanks in advance,

cj

[charliejones]

PS: I did check the contents were good with "md5sum" and it matched correctly ... and I checked all the listed .exe files to see if they would extract further ... "extract files" error was all I got ...

[DENIELER]

Hi, guys, I had an issue with update BIOS on my HP ProBook 455 G1, and because of you, I've resolved it. Thank you!

I've written an article how to resolve 500 error and freezing of BIOS update step by step here. Please if somebody will get the same issue use it - http://denieler.blogspot.com.es/2016/11/hp-probook-455-g1-error-and-freezing.html

Also, I think using this trick you can update BIOS on Linux\Ubuntu laptops

[JohnWester]

Great work Denieler! Hey, HP, why do Linux users have to jump thru hoops to get something as agnostic as Bios updated? It's not a challenge for hp to put out a bootable iso, is it? This would move your systems up the food chain for an increasing market segment. Perhaps there is some reason beyond protectionism why this is challenge?

[michal_za]

I followed the steps as close as possible and I got this message:

"The System BIOS Update failed."

Nothing more concrete.

I have been using the sp77821.exe package that contains Rom.bin. no Mxx_xxxx.bin files - is that OK?

Any idea where could the problem be?

Thanks.

[JohnWester]

Can we use the flashrom utility , as its a standard tool now? The .exe format has to go too. We are not necessarily in a post windows place, rather we need HP to be more agnostic. Time to evolve some, thank you.

[aboamer]

where is exactly “Update BIOS Using Local Media”  appears, please?

[texadactyl]

It sounds like you let the Linux archiver open the EXE.  Guessing.  If so, don't do that.  Just save the EXE as-is in a folder for use with Windows 7 as an executable.  Do not be tempted to use the EXE with `wine` either.

Follow the original 05-02-2016 05:19 PM instructions.  I updated it today to contain precise step-by-step instructions which I did execute again today.

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@charliejones wrote:

PS: I did check the contents were good with "md5sum" and it matched correctly ... and I checked all the listed .exe files to see if they would extract further ... "extract files" error was all I got ...

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