Hello ladies and gentlemen. So I've downloaded the BIOS update but I'm having problems with number 3 and 4. The permissions are executable but I'm having problems trying to execute the file. I don't know what I might be doing wrong. I'm following the instructions to the T. So can maybe someone break it down to me in layman's terms? I mean it's pretty basic instructions but I'm missing something. I'm going to leave a screen shot of the README documentation and maybe someone can give me some suggestions.
Can I get some assistance with a BIOS update on HP ProBook
- Thread starter Banky
- Start date
First thing are you root when trying to execute? If not you need to use sudo and have the terminal open inside the folder with the files
or you can right click the file and select properties and put a check mark in "Allow this file to run as a program" then execute
Brickwizard
Well-Known Member
You will not see anything happening, 3&4 just install the HP BIOS installer to your machine
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
you can simply check the bios version to know if the change has taken place.
yeah it hasn't changed. I'll keep trying though. Sometimes I have to just fall back and leave it alone for a little while, then come back to it. I'm missing something. When I get back in the BIOS and check the box for BIOS update and reboot and go back into the BIOS screen I don't ever see the option to update the BIOS. So idk. It'll get figured out eventually or I'm going to screw something up in the BIOS.
Yeah so I'm referring to step number 6. Whenever I reboot, there's never the option to apply update. Just wanted to clarify. I can't get pass step 6 because I never actually get to "Apply Update". And that's because I'm not doing something right.
Yes I am root when I'm performing the commands. sudo -i
Yes I am root when giving the commands to make executable and to execute
Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Is the success of step 6 dependent on some quick timing?.... does something appear and disappear quickly on that screen ?
I am totally unfamiliar with anything hp, so must admit to taking a wild guess
I am totally unfamiliar with anything hp, so must admit to taking a wild guess
Hmm... You might be able to just download the regular BIOS update, put it on a flash drive (in the root directory), and reboot the computer. It may automatically offer you the chance to upgrade from that. If it doesn't, look in the settings (pre boot) and see if there's an update option in there.
Many vendors support this.
Also, the thumb drive should be formatted FAT32 or exFAT, just to be sure.
I'm not sure how well supported it is, but I've also known CDs to work for this. I wouldn't bother trying that unless you have no other option, as memory says that I only recall that being an ACER thing back in the day when flash drives were less common and you usually used floppy disks for this sort of thing. ACER was unusual in this in that they had some set of CD drivers in operation during the boot phase.
A long, long time ago, assuming you'd filled out your warranty card*, companies offered real support and computers came with reams of documentation... The company would send you, gratis of course, updates by regular mail. They even made their errata known more easily, some of which was important. But, yeah, you'd get entire books, that's a plural, that even included things like schematics.
Alas, those days are gone.
As for the warranty card, back then it was legal for companies to only warranty your product if you'd sent in the warranty card in the right amount of time. In the US, at least, this is now an illegal practice and a warranty is automatic. In my state, that is Maine, we have an additional warranty for any product sold in the state (which includes online purchases made from within the Maine borders) known as a 'waranty of implied merchantility'.
Basically, it means you have a warranty for a 'reasonable period of time' - some of which is hard coded.
Here's an example:
If your fridge only comes with a 3 year warranty and breaks down shortly after that, you actually have a warranty of five years and the company must warranty the fridge for at least that long.
Many merchants don't know this, so be prepared to show them the law. The implied warranty will vary depending on the product but it's a law worth knowing. Maine is not unique in this but it's not all that common. Check your jurisdiction for such a law as it could come in handy at some point.
Many vendors support this.
Also, the thumb drive should be formatted FAT32 or exFAT, just to be sure.
I'm not sure how well supported it is, but I've also known CDs to work for this. I wouldn't bother trying that unless you have no other option, as memory says that I only recall that being an ACER thing back in the day when flash drives were less common and you usually used floppy disks for this sort of thing. ACER was unusual in this in that they had some set of CD drivers in operation during the boot phase.
A long, long time ago, assuming you'd filled out your warranty card*, companies offered real support and computers came with reams of documentation... The company would send you, gratis of course, updates by regular mail. They even made their errata known more easily, some of which was important. But, yeah, you'd get entire books, that's a plural, that even included things like schematics.
Alas, those days are gone.
As for the warranty card, back then it was legal for companies to only warranty your product if you'd sent in the warranty card in the right amount of time. In the US, at least, this is now an illegal practice and a warranty is automatic. In my state, that is Maine, we have an additional warranty for any product sold in the state (which includes online purchases made from within the Maine borders) known as a 'waranty of implied merchantility'.
Basically, it means you have a warranty for a 'reasonable period of time' - some of which is hard coded.
Here's an example:
If your fridge only comes with a 3 year warranty and breaks down shortly after that, you actually have a warranty of five years and the company must warranty the fridge for at least that long.
Many merchants don't know this, so be prepared to show them the law. The implied warranty will vary depending on the product but it's a law worth knowing. Maine is not unique in this but it's not all that common. Check your jurisdiction for such a law as it could come in handy at some point.
So when I go into the BIOS and check mark the BIOS update I get this instruction. I'm having trouble trying to make the file execute on the thumb drive. You know I can right click and in properties I can make the file executable but I keep getting denied access trying to make it executable on the usb. So I can make the file executable but when i reboot to look for the update its never there. I'm messing up somewhere. Will some one go to hp.support.com and enter this System BIOS Version: 68IRR where they request the version number and download the file and look at it please. Maybe someone can get a better idea of what I'm doing wrong. It's not a very big file and you can just download it and see the otther directories that are in the file.
Attachments
Dells used to be the same, IIRC. Notice I said "used to be"..!
They're not around now, but there used to be an outfit online whose name escapes me ATM. They used to supply Dell updates in the form of an ISO download. All you did was to download it, then burn it to a CD.
Fire up your laptop, select the one-time boot menu, and choose the optical drive option (loading the CD in the drive before doing so, natch). Then just hit the 'Enter' button.....and less than 90 seconds later, you're re-booting back into your machine with an up-to-date BIOS.
When I updated the BIOS on the old Compaq desktop rig nearly 10 yrs ago, we did that via use of the 'flashrom' utility. Command-line only; wee bit fiddly, but it was workable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I must admit, to most of you guys this is probably 'old-hat' by now, but this current E6430 Latitude is the first machine I've ever had where you treat the BIOS/UEFI just like any other piece of software, i.e., you navigate around it with a mouse cursor and just click on things. All my previous machines had the older type where it was navigate around with the arrow keys & hit 'Enter' to select stuff.
This is all new to me.....but it does seem like a much easier way of doing whatever needs to be done.
Mike.
KGIII what do you mean, "put it on a flash drive(in the root directory)".
Just a thought, but do you know that the usb is good, and totally readable by the system?
It may also be possible to update the BIOS using FreeDOS, but I guess that would need research in relation to the particular machine.
In the top-most directory - not in a folder. Just the file(s) in the root directory. Don't put the file(s) in a folder unless those specific files came in their own folder downloaded it.
So just put the BIOS update in the root directory? So in the root directory there's multiple other directories etc, usr and so forth. There is a directory in the root directory called root. So do I put it in that root directory or just in the / directory? Lmk KGIII. Thanks man!!!!!!!!!!
No no no no. That's your root partition on your PC. It doesn't go there!
What @KGIII meant was to put what came out the zip files, eg: Hewlett-Packard/BIOS/New/ into the / on your flashdrive and not your PC. I think he also means to copy the efi into the / on your flashdrive (I have to do a similar directory hack on my laptop when I do a fresh install for GRUB's efi file).
PS: I suggest you manually unzip the gzip folder next round.
Checklist:
1. Is your flashdrive FAT32? Check with Disks or GParted (more user-friendly than the output of fdisk -l) Please note: exFAT is not FAT32. Also, you may have to install
dosfstools if it's not default ( apt-get install dosfstools )2. Now after copying everything, when you open you flashdrive in the file manager, does it have the "Hewlett-Packard" directory and nothing else?
3. Does your directory structure look like so:
Code:
Hewlett-Packard/
BIOS/
the-name-of-your-bios-file
the-name-of-the-signature-file-that-came-with-it
BIOSUpdate/
HpBiosUpdate.efi
the-name-of-the-other-signature-file
HpBiosUpdate.efiPS: Just ocurred to me: Can you override the need for signing / disable secure boot? Don't have an HP to tinker but that may also add road bumps during the pocess to come.
If you cannot boot into the updater, I just posted how to boot an EFI fro GRUB (the "Using The GRUB Prompt" section) the other day. You'll have to change the paths accordingly -- I'm too lazy to retype it unless I have to.
This. I thought I made it clear.
(I've never needed to do anything with EFI for this process.)
Hi Banky , maybe I can be of some assistance.
There may be 2 ways to update you laptop bios.
a) Get a bootable flash drive and copy an autoexecutable version of the update file provided by the laptop vendor. So you boot your laptop from your flash drive and it automatically starts the update process.
b) Get an executable version of the bios update and run it from your laptop once it booted normally in linux. This one seems to be the type you got since you already have the instructions to do it.
So assuming it is the b type:
copy the .gz file somewere in your laptop, maybe Downloads folder?
uncompress with gunzip. It might decompress a whole folder
Go to the uncompressed folder and then as root make the indicated file executable and run it, etc. etc. Follow the rest of the instructions. And hopefully that is it .
Good luck
There may be 2 ways to update you laptop bios.
a) Get a bootable flash drive and copy an autoexecutable version of the update file provided by the laptop vendor. So you boot your laptop from your flash drive and it automatically starts the update process.
b) Get an executable version of the bios update and run it from your laptop once it booted normally in linux. This one seems to be the type you got since you already have the instructions to do it.
So assuming it is the b type:
copy the .gz file somewere in your laptop, maybe Downloads folder?
uncompress with gunzip. It might decompress a whole folder
Go to the uncompressed folder and then as root make the indicated file executable and run it, etc. etc. Follow the rest of the instructions. And hopefully that is it .
Good luck
Last edited:
