Envy 14 - Bios won't update to F.05A

SOLVED:

Instructions for future bios updates from shaolinx:
Download .7z file above
Extract it to "C:\swsetup\SP49493" <-- no you cannot choose your own location
Download new bios from HP
Run it but hit Cancel when it asks you if you want to update the bios
Go to "C:\swsetup\SP#####\" <-- not C:\swsetup\SP49493
Extract Winflash.exe instead of running it (To extract an exe, download winrar, install it, right click the exe and hit extract)
Copy 01436.bin
Go to "C:\swsetup\SP49493"
Paste and overwrite 01436.bin
Run InsydeFlash.exe as administrator


I downloaded the new firmware F.05a and ran the update utility... it shuts down my laptop automatically and when I boot it up again, it's still at F.02. Anybody besides me having this problem? The only reason I can think of for this to happen is because I deleted the HP_TOOLS partition so if someone can compress theirs and upload it, I'd appreciate it.

Sorry for the double post, I got no response from the owner's lounge so I figured I'd give this a shot.

 

yeah HP_Tools being gone is the problem.

HP Tools root.zip

just unzip that and put the Hewlett-Packard folder in the root of HP_TOOLS

the partition has to be named HP_TOOLS in all caps and needs to be FAT32.

it also is 104,161,280 bytes (or 99.3 MB) in size

 

Which bios version did e14's have from the factory? When I go the bios it says version 3.5 instead of F.04 or whatever.

edit: nevermind I found it--was looking at the wrong thing
mine shipped with f.05

 

I still have HP_TOOLS and yet still cannot update the BIOS.

 

*shrugs* not sure then what's going on smevawala.

maybe you already have the latest bios.


I haven't tried updating my bios, still on F.02 A

 

No luck for me either. Wierd. Thanks for the help though.

 

I still have F.02 A.

Has anyone successfully updated to F .05 A after doing a clean install?

 

*shrugs, tries it out*

yup. mine won't update either. maybe there's something important in the recovery partition. *shrugs*

 

what drive letter do you guys set for HP_TOOLs? Maybe thats the problem I cant update either.

 

Guys, great news! After an hour of messing around with the bios file, I managed to update the bios to F.05 with a clean install.

I repacked my configuration for InsydeFlash. This has the latest F.05A bios. Just unzip it to C:\swsetup\ and it should work. Run the InsydeFlash as administrator. Do it at your own risk.

~HP_TOOLS is not required~

http://sites.google.com/site/androidfilez/SP49493.7z

 

I just tried this out, and it updated! I unpacked all the files to C:\SwSetup\SP49493 (where the original Insyde utility was extracted to) and ran as administrator from there. After the system shuts down, boot into the BIOS to make sure it's updated and change any settings to what you had before because they get reset. Thanks shaolinx!

edit: after the update, there is a 1436_new.bin file in the root of the C:\ drive. I think it should be ok to delete.

 

so anyone with the new BIOS. have you noticed any change in the fan profile or thermal profile?
And has it sped up the boot sequence?

 

I got mine to update using this method and I deleted 1436_new.bin file safely.

 

How can I re-create that partition if I already deleted it? Will I need to resize my current partition and then create a new one? If so, are there any recommended (free) tools for this?

 

what does the F.05 bios fix? is the BIOS update necessary?

 

well there was some battery updates that may help alot of people.

 

Success, you're a genius.

 

Sweet. Tried it and it worked like a charm. +Rep.

For those of your wondering, the BIOS update didn't change any of my fan settings...nothing noticeable anyway. My laptop didn't have the fan issue (although the one I had before this replacement did) so I don't know if it would correct the problem. It seems safe though.

 

Worked! Thanks man.

 

What's the difference between that link and the one provided by HP? Also, is it still ok to update my BIOS even though I have my HP_TOOLS partition?

 

this link works. The one provided by HP doesn't seem to work even with the HP_TOOLS partition

 

Would I need to reset my current BIOS's settings back to default settings? I do know for my desktop, I couldn't flash my BIOS until all settings were reset back to default.

Edit: NVM. I was questioning the procedure because I was a bit scared about bricking my envy. Anyways, IT WORKED! THANKS!

 

the new flash resets cmos settings to default (action keys are enable Hardware VT stuff is disabled, etc)

 

Also, anyone notice that the brightness level transitions are a little more even with the BIOS update? 90% to 100% doesn't seem like that big of a jump anymore.

 

yeah. Transition doesn't seem to be as extreme.

 

Feels the same to me. The fans does sound a little more annoying, or is it just me...

 

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but where do I download this new Firmware update?

 

Hmmm.. Didn't have any whine.. Updated bios.. Now I have whine...

You think it's the upgrades fault? And can I downgrade my bios?

 

Oh yea, I didn't try adjusting the brightness after update but you're right, it's definitely not as big of a jump from brightest to second brightest. Very nice

You probably can...somehow.

 

I was wondering why people were saying the transitions were huge from 100 to 90... I got mine with F.05 BIOS so it makes sense

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-drivers-software-forum/496027-drivers-hp-envy-14-intel.html

Yay for the drivers thread

 

of course, just force it using the the older bios file.

 

How do you force it to revert - i've tried downloading the older versions and running them but it keeps going back to the newest version upon re-boot.

Edit - by the way, my new envy is running .06

 

I REALLY hope for a revised BIOS with the option to turn switchable graphics off.

 

Hmm. Well, I still cant find a way to roll the bios back, I've tried a few different things and get excited each time because it goes through the install process, but then on restart its back to the newest version.

 

So how long before we are able to flash f.06?

 

Since I've flashed its actually making my battery worse... so it appears?
Discharge rate is at 15.5k on light browsing and 50% brightness at what was before 12-13k.
My full lifetime still says 4hrs, how do I recalibrate to change this?
To see if any positive changes happened?

 

There's a f.06 out??

 

guys, it should be pretty simple to revert. I dont have my ENVY to test but this is how you should do it.

1. download the old bios sp.exe from HP
2. extract the files using 7zip
3. extract the extracted file(its a winflash.exe i believe). This should give you an installer + a bin file + other random files.
4. replace the new bin file(from my link with F05) with the old bin file(the one you just extracted)
5. run installer.

This is the same way you would update to F06.

 

Yes,

Check HP website, just came accross it. The fix is mainly for correcting charging levels when the slice is attached.

 

I still dont quite understand these steps (trying to update to f.06)

 

I can't seem to install F.06 over F.05. I run it as an administrator, and it seems successful as it eventually turns the computer off, but upon restart F.05 is still loaded....

Any one else with the same problem?

 

Using the straight .exe downloaded from the Drivers page mine is the same. I dont understand the flashing instructions posted here though

 

I extracted with 7zip per the instructions given and it extracts 11 files. Running InsydeFlash.exe in administrator doesn't work.

I understand that reverting back to a previous version you would replace the .bin file with the 'old' version... but I want to upgrade to the 'new' version.

I am running Win Ultimate x64, but I still have the hp_tools partition, although that doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

For all of you having problems updating to F.06, go to the first post.

 

Can someone please explain what this means? Why was this required. I would think that the configuration that comes with the bios update from HP would be sufficient...

 

Well, same instructions but download the 'new' sp from HP and get the 'new' bin file and replace with the one I posted.

I dont know why the hp version work for some but not for others(ones that did fresh install), but I had to set the new config for the flash to "force" flash all.

 

deleted...

 

Why does it say missing rom file when I run the insydeflash.exe

 

How can I extract WINFLASH.exe file?