HP 290 G3 bad flash warning

[Squelch]

Hi everyone,

 

While enrolling HP 290 G3 desktop computers into Intune I seem to have found problems with the bios update that HP automatically install if you leave the computer connected with a LAN cable during windows installation.

Out of twelve of these units, four of them have been bricked by bios vF.30 which HP themselves send to each computer.

 

Product numbers affected so far are: 123Q8EA and 44G59ES which are Gen 10 i3's and i5's. They are around three years old.

 

Windows update will try to supply you with F.38 if you let it (which also bricks some of them) so please beware. Make sure you do not allow Windows update to download drivers, disconnect the LAN cable before rebuilding them.

I have a support case open with HP who seem largely disinterested as they are out of warranty. As I have 52 units I am much more bothered than they are.

[MrEprise]

They wont have been completely bricked as HP do include some sort of BIOS/UEFI recovery on their systems. It's usually a case of downloading an older revision of the firmware and running it on any system, then when prompted there should be an option to create a recovery USB stick.

[Squelch]

Thank you, I have tried absolutely everything. They don’t respond to the recovery drive or indeed anything at all.

My post was meant to highlight the problem to others.

[Squelch]

I'm pleased to report a happy ending to this story.

I managed to get a working but blank BIOS image for the affected machines and after a lot of researching and frequenting various nefarious BIOS hacking/modding websites learnt enough to edit the BIOS image with the correct serial number etc. and flash the new image to the motherboard. I've just autopilot'd the first test machine and it has successfully built.

 

So thanks for nothing HP. I'll be buying from the other manufacturers where possible from now on.

 

/salty rant