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.
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.
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
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…
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.
This is interesting. Not a lawyer, but I’d encourage anyone in Australia to demand a free repair under Australian Consumer Law because the company bricked the laptop. I’d guess it would fall under the Acceptable Quality consumer guarantee, since the fault was caused directly by the manufacturer.
Not sure how you’d go about proving that, but you could then just take it to your state tribunal, like VCAt in Victoria and file a small claim.
Not a lawyer, not legal advice, but something to think about if you’re in this situation.
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.
I wish HP made good products so I could not buy it to boycott them. But I already don’t buy their crap.
What would be the solution? Re-solder some chip from the motherboard?
I had Windows push a bios update on my HP omen desktop. It completed the update but wouldn’t get back up after restart. The fans went crazy for a moment and then it was dead. Luckily I had warranty left. They replaced processor and motherboard. Good job HP/Microsoft.
HP is the one responsible here, Windows is just the delivery service HP uses to deliver their updates.
I’m all for hating on Microsoft, but you don’t blame the UPS driver for delivering a bomb to your house.
No one should buy HP products anymore. Seriously everything they make is terrible and then they break it more when they get bored of you and want you to buy another one.
Thing is, all the other major manufacturers are just as bad or worse.
As a PC technician, HP still somehow has the best service and support, which speaks volumes about how bad everyone else is. Dell’s support tools are a generation behind HP’s, and Lenovo’s build quality is atrocious. Not to mention Lenovo’s technician support is so badly fragmented and poorly run, they default to having the customer send the device in for repair and avoid sending an on-site technician just so they can avoid dealing with technician support. Speaking from personal experience, getting to the right person when I have a problem or need to order additional parts is like pulling teeth, and even if I manage to reach someone, they’re usually equal parts incompetent and unhelpful.
And Apple doesn’t even want to service their stuff.
These days, you have to pick your poison.
Thanks for Update HP But I use Linux :)
And presumably not an HP motherboard, so this doesn’t really apply to you.
? I have HP probook 6570b
HP:
Just one extra free bit of advertising for Linux.
What does a motherboard BIOS have to do with Windows other than that was how the update was delivered? I swear Lemmy loves to shoehorn Linux into any article that even mentions Windows.
What does a motherboard BIOS have to do with Windows other than that was how the update was delivered?
So what does this have to do with Windows and Linux other than the fact that Linux wouldn’t have a mandatory unskippable update?
If they were running Linux the HP update utility would not be running.
At a business we had an hp laptop for 6 months before it bricked. We sent in for warranty, they sent it back saying we broke it in a noncovered way
It was a workstation on a table top that never had any food etc near us. Even with appeals they will not fix it. My IT guy is now aware we do not do business with them.
This is a classical example of user error.
They made the easily preventable mistake of buying HP.
using windows*
fwupd under Linux also pushes firmware updates, if you let it.
PEBCAHP
Problem between keyboard and wallet
Jeez, I am currently trying to install Linux on my HP ProBook and having issues with it - one thing I noticed was my bios was last updated in 2014 so I was going to see if updating helped… Might hold off on that now
What the hell. How are automatic bios updates a thing. That seems like a horrible idea for multople different reasons.
we’ve had clients have their dell systems bricked from bios updates. it’s not just hp.
at least dell (reluctantly) offered free repairs, even out of warranty, on those models at the time. ‘repair’ being motherboard swap plus shipping both ways if not covered by an onsite warranty plan.
i still have one of those ‘repaired’ systems here. user gave it to us years after it got fixed. it just sat, unused, once they got it back as they bought a new one due to the lengthy turnaround they were quoted.
This happened to me on my daughters Lenovo. Got a windows update overnight. Updated while traveling in the car. Wouldn’t boot. Apparently the BIOS updated and there was no fix. Had to send gor a replacement under warranty. Sent it off, took 8 weeks to get it back. Wasn’t even the same serial number, just a replacement with no sdd.
I read this as talking about BadBIOS at first - did that ever turn out to be real, or was it just paranoia?
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