How to use the HP BIOS update (uefi) utility

[j1m0t]

Hey emmanuelgrant,

Either, like my laptop, you won't be able to flash the bios because of a corrupt boot block (HP are fixing mine at the moment), or you need to put the files in a different folder on the USB stick and try again.

Call the stick HP_TOOLS, then make a folder at root called HEWLETT-PACKARD, then in there a folder called BIOS, then in there a folder called Current and put the .bin files in there. So, the filepath should be HP_TOOLS/HEWLETT-PACKARD/BIOS/Current/xxxxx.bin

For me, I took out the battery, unplugged it, then hold Win + B, plug in the power, still holding Win + B press and hold power for about three or four seconds, then let go of power but keep holding Win + B for about 10 seconds. I don't know if this will make a difference but this is how it got the Capslock light to blink twice for me, cos sometimes it didn't.

Check this PDF from HP or download and run the latest UEFI tool from the driver page - this will set up a USB stick with the right folder structure for you.

http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.BINARYPORTLET/public/kb/docDisplay/resource.proc...

Good luck man!

[emmanuelgrant]

Thank you I will try it that way and reply if there are changes or not.

[HPSAwizard]

If you are using a 2013 or newer model HP notebook you can create the USB recovery key by downloading the BIOS Update for your model from HP.com and selecting "Create USB Recovery Key" from the options present when you execute the udpate.   Of course you will need to download and execute the BIOS update from another PC.  For older models, you will need to build the key manaully as described in this thread.   Model built in 2010 oe earlier do not support BIOS recover from UEFI.   Note that the BIOS would have automatically recovered if you did not remove the recovery parition from your hardrive.   

BIOS Recovery only will work on systems that indicate the BIOS is corrupted when you power on.  Look at the CAPSLOCK and NUMLOCK LEDs.  The blink pattern will depend on the year you purchased your notebook.   If it blinks 2 time and repeats, the BIOS can be recovered.  Other blink patterns indicate other possible issues.   

[abdlsk]

so i did a fresh windows 37bit install on a cq57 480sa. i downloaded all the drivers on my tower in preparation. mistake number 1 was probally not updating the chipset first but what i did instead was update the bios first, which was on f33 to the current one f38. halfway through i know it crashed as chinese writing came up. i just new what was coming. after an hour i decied to try and reboot as the mouse and keyboard were not moving. after i booted up i got the caps lock blink and black screen. so i downloaded the bios file from the f33 version unpacked and placed 03762.fd onto my flash naming it 03672.bin. booted up hoplding win & b with no luck.

any help would be much appreciated as i just bought the laptop yesterday 

[j1m0t]

Hey,

Did you use the uefi tool first? It prepares the USB stick by putting some folders on there and calling it HP_TOOLS. I'd try that, then run the bios tool and point it to your prepared USB. Then take out the battery and power cable, hold Win + B, plug in the power, press and hold power for a couple of seconds whilst you're still holding Win + B and keep holding them for about 8 seconds. This is how I managed to get the caps lock blinking lights, but I never managed to get mine to reboot or reflash. I had to send it in for repair, under warranty. I'm not gonna buy another HP in a hurry!

Good luck!

[abdlsk]

EDIT; forgive my ignorance i do know what the uefi tool is however im not sure if it applies because as i understand it you need to be able to see esc at the boot start up

im note sure what the uefi tool is? my caps look is blinking and been browsing forums for hours now. found many solutions but dont quite understand what exacly i need to do. curernlty im using the phoenx tool250 cus i need the sig file. i think

if anyone has any experience in what im dealing plese give me a hand

also do you think the bios update crashed becasue the chipset was not installed or was it just a random occurence becasue ive updated bioses before

thanks in advance

[abdlsk]

sorry, but you seem to know what your talking about. when i unpack the bios using 7zip there only seems to be the fd which i can change to bin however no sig unless i have to change a flie to that. is that what needs to be done?

[j1m0t]

Sorry, I could have made my message a bit clearer.

That's ok. I don't know much about bioses, I've only picked up things from mine going wrong!

I'll send you some more advice in a bit but I'm cooking dinner!

Go to the HP drivers and downloads page for your model, then scroll down to Diagnostic. Download the UEFI Support Environment. It should give you an .exe - run it and I think this is the tool that will prepare your USB stick. Then on the drivers page find the BIOS part and download that. It has some .fd files and an .exe called InsydeFlash I think. If you run that it should let you 'create a recovery drive on a USB stick' or something like that. Point it to your USB and then it should put the right files in the BIOS/Current folder.

This is all I know really. I tried to use PhoenixTools too to get the .sig file from the .fd, but it wouldn't work - I think you need to run it on the system that you want to recover which is a bit stupid. Someone else had the same model as mine and recovered theirs without a .sig file, so it's all a bit confusing, annoying and frustrating!

Cheers.

Jim

[abdlsk]

just wanna say all the thanks in the world to max who i have pm. thanks for the response jim but the solution from max did the trick and im up and running again.

if anyones was in my situation just follow maxes referral. btw phoenix tool is easy to use if you just follow the instructions

peace

[j1m0t]

What did you do? It would help others to explain a bit, then it'll save them time PMing someone.