HP bricks ProBook laptops with bad BIOS delivered via automatic updates — many users face black screen after Windows pushes new firmware ( www.tomshardware.com )

On May 26, a user on HP's support forums reported that a forced, automatic BIOS update had bricked their HP ProBook 455 G7 into an unusable state. Subsequently, other users have joined the thread to sound off about experiencing the same issue.

This common knowledge regarding BIOS software would, then, seem to make automatic, forced BIOS updates a real issue, even if it weren't breaking anything. Allowing the user to manually install and prepare their systems for a BIOS update is key to preventing issues like this.

At the time of writing, HP has made no official comment on the matter — and since this battery update was forced on laptops originally released in 2020, this issue has also bricked hardware outside of the warranty window, when previously users could simply send in the laptop for a free repair.

Overall, this isn't a very good look for HP, particularly its BIOS update practices. The fragility of BIOS software should have tipped off the powers at be at HP about the lack of foresight in this release model, and now we're seeing it in full force with forced, bugged BIOS updates that kill laptops.

Kongar ,

The article doesn’t say/clarify. Was it some crap HP software that performs driver updates, and it decided to force a bios flash? Or was it windows update itself?

If it was windows itself, holy crap, that’s a serious over reach on Microsoft’s part. Like “this is insanity windows needs to be removed” bad.

Linkerbaan , (edited )
@Linkerbaan@lemmy.world avatar

Years ago Windows used to not provide drivers. This lead to many users never downloading drivers for their devices. Users ran their devices for years without trackpad, Wifi and GPU drivers etc. The drivers were also scattered all over the internet.

These days vendors can supply Windows with drivers and even Bios updates.

It is very unlikely Microsoft pushed these drivers out themselves. HP likely provided the Bios update..

TCB13 ,
@TCB13@lemmy.world avatar

The irony here is that if you've an HP laptop you'll still need to download certain drivers from HP to get things to work at 100%, for instance you may get all the hardware working after running windows update but your special brightness or wtv keys won't work unless you go into HP's website and download a thing.

efstajas ,

It was most likely HP, through Windows Update (which handles device-specific driver etc. updates that OEMs are in control of). Microsoft doesn't concern itself with pushing BIOS updates to some random 4-year old HP model

egeres ,
@egeres@lemmy.world avatar

What would be the solution? Re-solder some chip from the motherboard?

TCB13 ,
@TCB13@lemmy.world avatar

User error, should've got an EliteBook instead of that cheaper thing. :P

AI_toothbrush ,

What the hell. How are automatic bios updates a thing. That seems like a horrible idea for multople different reasons.

uid0gid0 ,

I thought UEFI had replaced BIOS a number of years ago. Or are we just keeping the name BIOS because everyone knows it?

Croquette ,

The latter. It has been BIOS for so long that it is ubiquitous now.

recursive_recursion ,
@recursive_recursion@programming.dev avatar

On the offhand chance that someone with a bricked HP laptop stumbles here looking for what to do (prob via smartphone or public library computer),

  • I'd recommend on removing the M.2 SSD (gumslice-shaped PCB that contains your data) to protect your data
    • this can be found by googling your laptop's serial number and looking for the manual, after downloading the PDF file you'll be able to open it with Firefox
    • you'll typically need a philips-head screwdriver to remove the laptop's case and remove the SSD

I'm assuming the users might be coming from Windows

hopefully this helps someone out there

breakingcups ,

I'd strongly recommend against that at this point since it will be useless without your Bitlocker key form the laptop's TPM.

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

Since probably 99% of Windows PCs don't run Bitlocker, I think your recommendation is a bit overblown.

jj4211 ,

Even if it isn't "bitlocker" branded, most Windows PCs ship with "BitLocker" enabled. The distinction between Windows Home disk encryption and "BitLocker" is that BitLocker additionally allows external management of the key material, while Home only supports the TPM and your microsoft account for the key/recovery codes.

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

most Windows PCs ship with "BitLocker" enabled

No, they simply do not. Microsoft branded hardware, sure. But I've never seen a Dell or an HP with Bitlocker enabled from the factory, and at this point I've put my hands on thousands of them.

jj4211 ,

I can tell you every factory preload of windows on a Lenovo I have seen for the past few years has disk encryption on by default (windows home, so not "bitlocker", but it's the same thing with respect to being tied to TPM.

breakingcups ,

When did you last check the statistic you just pulled from your ass? Bitlocker is on by default on all machines that support it, which is all pc's and laptops being sold the past few years.

The only exception used to be when you bypass oobe to create a local user account, which also isn't supported anymore.

SaltySalamander ,
@SaltySalamander@fedia.io avatar

Part of my job description includes repairing PCs. I see quite a lot of them over the course of a month. I also set up lots of new PCs for people when they buy them. All I see Bitlocker enabled on by default are Surface devices and the occasional Lenovo laptop/tablet hybrid POS. So I pulled that statistic from my own personal observations.

x0x7 ,

If you don't use HP and you don't use windows you won't have the problem. You should be boycotting HP as a part of BDS anyway. https://bdsmovement.net/boycott-hp

"But I already bought an HP." If you had adopted BDS much earlier like you should have you wouldn't have these problems.

echodot ,

I wish HP made good products so I could not buy it to boycott them. But I already don't buy their crap.

skeezix ,

This is Hilary Clinton's fault.

sugar_in_your_tea ,

Nah, somehow it's Ronald Reagan's fault.

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