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 idea of forced automatic BIOS update is dumb. BIOS only should initialize its required components and fuck off afterwards.
There is no BIOS anymore. It’s all UEFI, which is massively fatter and more complex. Being fat and complex, they have plenty of security vulnerabilities that need to be patched.
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.
I am not all that big on conspiracies, but this is HP, which is famous for screwing people over for as much money as possible and bricking perfectly usable technology, so if it turns out this was intentional, I won’t even be a little shocked.
As the enshittification of everything gains momentum, I could also see this as an intentional “oops!”
But we are talking about HP. They are now and always have been completely incompetent PC makers. I had friends back in the early 2000s with broken HP desktop computers that I refused to work on because they were the hardest to get working again.
I wish we could get a dump of executive emails.
Are we sure it is the BIOS? Perhaps these people have run out of magenta subpixels or their printer ink subscription has lapsed.
This is a classical example of user error.
They made the easily preventable mistake of buying HP.
PEBCAHP
Problem between keyboard and wallet
using windows*
fwupd under Linux also pushes firmware updates, if you let it.
How do these things not have unbrickable A/B firmware partitions by now? Even I have that on a $2 microcontroller. Self-test doesn’t pass after an update? Instant automatic rollback to the previous working partition.
My motherboard legit does this. Though it’s probably more so it’s an industrial one with like 8 SATA ports than anything else.
Plenty of motherboards do that and plenty of laptops. It’s just HP sucks big time, not only their printers. Fuck HP.
HP expanding their bad practices from printers to PCs now?
Microsoft should also be to blame here. Sending BIOS updates via automatic windows updates should not be a thing.
After the first 4 words of the title I was assuming it was intentional - Glad it doesn’t seem to be, but HP’s reputation is just that bad.
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.
I hope HP aren’t surprised when they get accosted with bricked laptops through their execs’ windshields at random intervals…
If i knew of any execs near where i live they would be getting a front row seat to my reenactment of the Office Space printer scene.
It’s rare for me to viscerally hate someone just for existing, but if i met an HP exec I would have to exert quite a bit of self control to not beat them until I lost feeling in my hands
after Windows pushes new firmware
If a Linux distro pushed bad HP firmware, people would be blaming the Linux distro. Why does Microsoft get a free pass?
It’s not really Microsoft’s fault, they’re just delivering what HP releases via the firmware update channel.
I mean, Microsoft are a bag of dicks, but not on this one.
Some Linux distros probably did push the bad HP firmware. Vendors push updates via fwupd.
Ugh. Microsoft really trying to advertise for Linux again
HP did the damage.
HP laptops are garbage. This is the hinge of my HP X360 laptop after 6 months of occasional use: https://i.imgur.com/LhZWBIt.jpg
Damn that laptop is unhinged
They don’t play well with Linux. Occasionally my HP laptop will turn back on SecureBoot with no warning. There’s also like a full minute of delay between opening the thing and keyboard strokes registering. (Iirc, HP is so Linux hostile it’s not really supported by Arch)
Mine will start immediately after shutting down. I have never found a solution other than holding the power button
Must depend on the model. I’ve been running Mint on that (repaired) X360 for years without significant problems outside crappy Realtek wireless module issues.
If it’s not a touchscreen, it’s fairly easy to repair. Still shouldn’t have broke in the first place, but it’s just the back panel cover.
I’ve repaired hundreds of laptops across multiple vendors on all kinds of damage, fwiw.
Touchscreens are also easy to repair, they just have two more wires in the ribbon, that’s all.
Depends on the model. Some are more involved than others.
Yeah, agree. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Some companies are just lazy, sadly.
There’s been a few models I’ve tried repairing in the field, and it would have required a likely damaging of the end of the WiFi antenna wires (at the very least). Some will have this effectively thick copper tape that’s soldered onto the end of the WiFi wires, and the glue is very aggressive.
And again, some you can peel off without too much trouble, but some not as easily. Granted the vast majority of my repairs were onsite at the customers home/business.
Why anyone buys HP shit these days is beyond me. So many better options.
I have a no HP policy because of their printers and a no Samsung policy because of their TVs.
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What are your suggestions? The only reasonable choice I’ve found is the Framework. I’d prefer if I had more than a single choice.
I don’t buy enough laptops to answer that. My last purchase was an Asus which I’m happy with, but after their recent scandal with scamming customers on warranties I don’t think I’ll be buying from them again. But HP has such a terrible track record with laptops, printers, and just the way they operate in general for consumer stuff, that I would never consider purchasing consumer devices from them.
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.
Microsoft has no business forcing firmware updates on anything. This is something HP should have handled. Those laptops are THEIR products, not Microsoft’s.
Those laptops are THEIR products, not Microsoft’s.
Microsoft: All your PC are belong to us.
What you say!!?
Move, Zig!
“Hit the road Jack”
This logic breaks down when you realize the laptop is mine, and not HP’s or Windows. And any software that is mine, my copy of windows should also be mine and not microsoft’s, can modify my device if I have selected some of my software to do that.
Well, you might want to avoid
fwupdtoo thenFwupd is a pull model, not a pushed automatic update. Who the fuck doesn’t read release notes and do due diligence before running fwupd?
Every fucking Ubuntu user where it’s installed by default in Software Center?
Fedora pulls fwupd by default. If you use one of the ‘check for updates’ UIs, fwupd, dnf, and flatpak sources are all polled.
Since when does Windows Update touch the BIOS? How is that even possible?
About halfway through windows 10 iirc
