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HP bricks ProBook laptops with bad BIOS delivered via automatic updates — many users face black screen after Windows pushes new firmware

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.

barsquid ,

Are we sure it is the BIOS? Perhaps these people have run out of magenta subpixels or their printer ink subscription has lapsed.

corsicanguppy ,

Heh. Same HP. Though? I forget which company got what in the divorce. I think this one is the "code built by revolving-door sweatshops and who has budget to validate it" and not the "standing over the corpse of Print and hoping lock-in will keep customers" one. The two sides may sound the same but I'm sure there are differences.

(Keeping score at home? A drunk sailor with a fist full of hundies still can't buy anything off that horrendous website, so some things haven't changed in the divorce)

x0x7 ,

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.

echodot ,

I wish HP made good products so I could not buy it to boycott them. But I already don't buy their crap.

AI_toothbrush ,

What the hell. How are automatic bios updates a thing. That seems like a horrible idea for multople different reasons.

Psythik ,

Since when does Windows Update touch the BIOS? How is that even possible?

WaterWaiver ,

Windows update fetches all sorts of things now. If the hardware advertises X device then Windows update will check if it has anything for it. Approved vendors can provide all sorts of guff. Historically that has included drivers that intentionally brick your devices. HP probably packaged up some software that updates the BIOS and got it into the Windows Update DBs.

zaph ,
@zaph@sh.itjust.works avatar

About halfway through windows 10 iirc

uid0gid0 ,

I thought UEFI had replaced BIOS a number of years ago. Or are we just keeping the name BIOS because everyone knows it?

Croquette ,

The latter. It has been BIOS for so long that it is ubiquitous now.

D_Air1 ,
@D_Air1@lemmy.ml avatar

I swear when it comes to forced updates of any kind it seems like this kind of outcome is always inevitable. There will at some point always be a bad update.

MonkderDritte ,

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.

Anyway, they break it, they fix or replace it.

There's even laws in some countries about computer sabotage. Germany for one.

alphacyberranger ,
@alphacyberranger@sh.itjust.works avatar

Is it just for ProBooks?....I think something similar is plaguing my Pavilion Gaming as well.

foggy ,

Presumably any model using the same motherboard/chip set, running that OS, I would think. Not my area of expertise.

davidgro ,

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.

Xanxia ,

My wife's Elitebook was also bricked by the most recent forced BIOS update.

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