HP dc7700 - Convertible Minitower PC White Paper

1
BIOS Flash Q&A
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
What are the files and directories in a BIOS softpaq? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
In what operating systems can I update the PC BIOS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Will I lose my setup configurations when updating the BIOS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
How do I update my PC BIOS in Vista, Windows XP, or 2000? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How do I update the BIOS in a DOS environment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
How do I update the BIOS when not running Vista, Windows XP, 2000, or DOS? . . . . . . . . 6
What are the steps necessary to execute the HPQFlash utility? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
What are the steps necessary to execute the HPQPswd utility? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
What are the steps necessary to create a bootable floppy for BIOS update? . . . . . . . . . . . 14
What are the steps necessary to create a bootable CD for BIOS update? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
What steps are necessary to create the BIOS image CD for F10 ROM flash and recovery? . 15
What are the steps necessary to create a bootable USB flash media for BIOS update? . . . .15
What are the steps necessary to use Altiris for BIOS update? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
What if the PC does not complete the BIOS flash process? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
What is a processor microcode update softpaq and how is it used? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
How can a processor microcode update be executed in Windows? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
What does the BIOS binary image naming convention indicate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Can the BIOS POST splash screen be modified? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
How do I update the ME firmware in Vista, Windows XP, or Windows 2000? . . . . . . . . . .21
How do I update the ME firmware in a DOS environment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
What are the steps necessary to use Altiris for ME firmware update? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
What if the ME firmware does not complete the update process? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Can the ME firmware be restored to a previous version after updating? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Appendix A - Modifying a DOS boot diskette for Flashbin.exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
For More Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

HP dc7700 - Convertible Minitower PC Specifications

General

Chipset	Intel Q965 Express
Memory	Up to 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM
Memory Slots	4 DIMM slots
Optical Drive	DVD-ROM, DVD+/-RW
Audio	Integrated High Definition Audio
Expansion Slots	1 PCI Express x16, 1 PCI Express x1, 2 PCI
SATA Ports	4 SATA ports
Form Factor	Convertible Minitower
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo, Intel Pentium D
Storage	SATA Hard Drives
Graphics	Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000
Network	Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
USB Ports	8 USB 2.0 ports
Operating System	Windows XP, Windows Vista
Power Supply	365W
Ports	Serial, Parallel, VGA, Audio I/O