Chosen Solution
Laptop is currently running BIOS F.03 and Windows 8.1. I downloaded the most current BIOS (F.42rA) available here: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/sel… It shows up as an EXE file. Running it puts a typical HP “SWSetup” folder on the drive with the appropriate bits inside. About a minute after running the downloaded EXE, the utility runs. I have the option of updating the BIOS so I do so. It goes through a “copying” motion then tells me I need to restart, along with a restart button. I click it and the computer restarts — way too quickly for a BIOS update to have been performed. I get to the desktop, shut down, and start up again to get into the BIOS, and sure enough it’s still on F.03. The updater utility (InsydeFlash.exe) also claims to have the ability to create a bootable USB drive to flash the BIOS of a corrupted machine. I ran through that process but the USB drive isn’t bootable; there’s just a couple of folders containing what are theoretically the BIOS update files. I have tried resetting the BIOS to its default settings, cleaning the hard drive, replacing the hard drive, clean-installing Windows 8.1, AND clean-installing Windows 10. Nothing works. What’s the trick to getting this laptop to update its BIOS? UPDATE: I tried downloading other versions of the BIOS and they all do the same thing — EXCEPT for the F.02 updater. I took the risk and tried it, even though I knew it would be a downgrade from the F.03 I was already running. This one ACTUALLY FLASHED the BIOS. I’m now running F.02. Sadly, however, HP doesn’t even offer an F.03 for download so now I’m downgraded and STILL don’t have a solution. UPDATE 2: Solution found; see below.
This issue has been solved. The problem is that HP’s BIOS update process requires “HP PC Hardware Diagnostics” software to be installed on the drive. There’s apparently a small, hidden partition on the drive where this little bit of code lives. When Windows was reinstalled on this machine, that partition was wiped clean so the “HP PC Hardware Diagnostics” software disappeared. HP’s BIOS update, except for that really old F.02 version, requires that software to be installed. Without it, the BIOS update doesn’t work. This information is not shown on HP’s site or included with any “read me” file or otherwise disclosed anywhere that I’ve been able to find. Once the software was downloaded and installed, I was able to run the current BIOS updater package and at next reboot the BIOS was updated as expected. It’s now running the current BIOS version. The software is here: https://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/hpsu…
Is there a way to update your BIOS through BIOS settings? That should be an option.
Have you tried upgrading to another BIOS besides this most recent one you’ve been trying (ie. F.40)?
