[NBLUG/talk] HP BIOS Flash

Steve srj at adnd.com
Wed Jul 9 20:16:01 PDT 2003


Yep, and if you are DOS impared, you can get a boot disk here

http://www.bootdisk.com/

-Steve


On Wed, Jul 09, 2003 at 10:16:09PM -0500, Jeff Hemminger wrote:
> Here are the instructions from the README:
> <snip>
> 1. CREATING THE BIOS INSTALLATION DISKETTE
>   a. Create a system diskette
>   b. Copy the contents of this directory onto this diskette:
>      copy *.* A:
>      (Assuming that your diskette drive is A:)
> 
> 2. FLASHING THE BIOS
>   a. Insert the BIOS installation diskette into the A: (B:)
>      drive
>   b. Boot the PC from the diskette to ensure a clean boot.
>   c. Launch the flashing command by typing from A: (B:) the
>      following command:
>      Flash
> </snip>
> 
> It sounds like I need a DOS environment to flash the BIOS, doesn't it?
> 
> Jeff
> 
> ME wrote:
> 
> >Jeff Hemminger said:
> >  
> >
> >>Hmm, the instructions on the bios upgrade exe were to copy the contents
> >>to a floppy, and then boot my pc with the floppy, and type "flash" at
> >>the A:/
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >Well, you could take a dos formatted floppy and then copy that file over
> >to it and see if that works. What happens when that "upgrade.exe" is run
> >from a windows box? Do you get a prompt for inserting a floppy disk?
> >
> >If that does not work, you can try to make a dos bootable floppy and then
> >copy this file over to it.
> >
> >  
> >
> >>I have flashed the bios on a different machine before, and it was just a
> >>matter of booting from the floppy and away it went, as I recall. This
> >>one doesn't do that, however.
> >>    
> >>
> >
> >If after copying the file to the floppy and booting from it, you find an
> >error, then it likely needs to be run and will write out information tothe
> >floppy, or it needs a boot floppy.
> >
> >
> >  
> >
> >>ME wrote:
> >>
> >>    
> >>
> >>>BIOS Flash methods are almost always based on images files or
> >>>image-to-disk applications that write an image to a floppy disk. That
> >>>floppy disk is then used to boot the machine and upgrade the flash BIOS.
> >>>Most of the apps from vendors of hardware are 32bit executable
> >>>windows/dos
> >>>program that write out the image to the disk.
> >>>
> >>>So, you may be able to get this functionality with DOSEMU (Never tried)
> >>>but with upgrading flash BIOS, I do not take chances. You can try using a
> >>>trsuted computer that has windows and use that machine to create the boot
> >>>floppy, then boot your laptop from that boot floppy.
> >>>
> >>>Is this what you were after?
> >>>
> >>>-ME
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>jeff at dreadidread.homelinux.org said:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>      
> >>>
> >>>>Hi All,
> >>>>
> >>>>I have an old HP Vectra P2 that I'm having trouble with. Basically, I
> >>>>can
> >>>>install an OS, but I can't boot it after the install. I get "L", and
> >>>>that's it.
> >>>>I'm pretty sure that's an "L" as in Lilo. Anyway, I've installed a very
> >>>>bare
> >>>>bones RH9.0 on it.
> >>>>
> >>>>I was talking with a sys admin at work and he said he'd run across an
> >>>>issue
> >>>>simila r to this and he upgraded the BIOS and that took care of it. I
> >>>>went
> >>>>to HP
> >>>>land and found the upgrade, an exe for Windows NT.
> >>>>
> >>>>My question is, is there any way I can upgrade the BIOS without
> >>>>installing
> >>>>Windows? Is there a comparable BIOS upgrade program written for Linux? I
> >>>>really
> >>>>don't know much about this, but I don't know what else to do but install
> >>>>windows, upgrade the bios, and then reinstall redhat? But that doesn't
> >>>>seem right...
> >>>>
> >>>>Thanks,
> >>>>
> >>>>Jeff
> >>>>
> >>>>_______________________________________________
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> >>>>talk at nblug.org
> >>>>http://nblug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>        
> >>>>
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> >>>
> >>>
> >>>      
> >>>
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> >>
> >>
> >>    
> >>
> >
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> >  
> >
> 
> 
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