Qflash Tool Driver Download

[Raymond Freedman]

Ireceived my HP support email critical driver alert stating a critical driver (SP85516.exe) was available for the BIOS. I downloaded the file and remembered when I was updating my bios a year ago over the HP website going back a long ways through its revision history, installing in a consecutive order of its bios version files, that perhaps I should ask if there is any special way to install this critical driver? There was with the bios flashing, but is there with this, or can I just open it or do I run as admin or is there a readme that says do it such and such? The file is version 00.03.06 Rev.A and so is my present bios version, they match. So can I just double click this critical file open and let it do its thing or what?

Yes, I agree, and it would take more stress out of things if I could condense my previous posts, so I would like to add that after reading all the appropriate documentation, and still being confounded due to a lack of some information....a post asking for additional help would preferably go something like this in the future:

A: Try doing a search on your local computer for the driver file SP885516, which should result in revealing the full directory path to the folder of extracted files containing the flash utility on the Computers hard drive. Run the flash utility right from inside the bios driver extracted file folder. This works when Windows will not install correctly at first.

I checked my HP PC Software & Driver downloads webpage under the tab BIOS and clicked on my revision history and confirmed I was able to double click and install the SP85516 critical update, but I was in error to say it was the same version in my previous post, sorry about that.

I looked around my PC after installing and following the on screen instruction, like next, continue, etc. for the folder SWSETUP in my C drive, and the driver file SP85516 had unpacked with all the available text files among the executable BIOS files. I think this is where I need to do a next step with a utility??

I cant remember from over a year ago what I had to do, perhaps using HPQFLASH, or SoftPAQ when Windows says it doesnt install correctly (NOW THIS IS MY PROBLEM) as HP immediately goes to a BIOS FLASH HOW TO PAGE on C:/Drive:

yes, did that, had those tabs open already on that webpage, with details already expanded, and the more details you suggest to read is called full details, a link going to a page of other links and is just more of the same simplified instructions:

My problem is when Windows rejects it and takes me to a page that requires deeper knowledge on how to use the FLASH utitilities, as I was shown when under warranty by HP once, maybe I have the email, will have to check, but it required me doing WAY MORE than just these above instructions, I thought I had made that part clear?

I found the email instructions regarding my HP phone-in tech help. These were details not included in any of the .txt files in the SP.... folder in C:/ drive, called SWSETUP in Windows, and this title and where to find that folder are both not revealed in the .txt files. How a person will know this is beyond me, but thankfully I had notes written down.

And, as for reading the FLASH instructions for Windows, no remedy or workaround is provided anywhere about how Windows users need to right-click over both the SP....file and the HPQ utility file (instead of double click) to RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR. As Windows often rejects installing with a simple double click. HP had given me this solution as a troubleshooting aid, and is not anywhere else to be read. If you find it on any of the pages you sent me to READ, then pls point it out.

Several methods for changing the BIOS version on your computer may be chosen.

Included are the various ways to perform the update. Each folder provided has

self-contained files to perform the BIOS update and any unwanted folders may

be deleted.

NOTE: The Business Desktops BIOS Utilities SoftPaq is also available on the web.

It contains additional utilities to support Hewlett-Packard Company products. The

BIOS Utilities SoftPaq will be shown when searching for software support of products

in the category BIOS and Firmware.

The DOS Flash utility consists of the executable file (DOSFlash.exe) and a

driver file (FlshUefi.cpu) specific to updating the system BIOS. They must be

present in the same directory. DOS Flash also supports updating the initial

graphics display logo to a custom image.

DOS Flash requires a BIOS binary image file included in a BIOS SoftPaq

release in order to update the System BIOS. See the DOS Flash folder for the

correct files. Not all HP Desktop systems are compatible with this version of

the DOS Flash utility. If the utility is run on a system that does not

support it, an error message will say so. The BIOS SoftPaq release package

for that system will include the correct DOS Flash tool (typically,

Flashbin.exe and flsh.cpu).

DOS Flash can update a system BIOS without requiring the administrator to

enter a Setup password if the unit has not already been assigned a Setup

password. However if a Setup password is set on the target PC, then DOS Flash

will require password verification before allowing a BIOS update, or the

process will report an error. The Setup password must be provided in the

command line when the DOS Flash utility is executed, using the /p option.

See below for syntax description.

DOS Flash allows replacing the standard HP logo image with a custom image

provided by the user. Valid image files are JPEG or uncompressed BMP (bitmap)

images up to 1024 x 768 resolution. Also, the maximum file size differs from

system to system, but will be between 22KB and 32KB. The command line switch

"/I " followed by the image filename will write the custom logo to the BIOS.

When using DOS Flash to change the logo, the System BIOS is not updated at the

same time. The custom image can be deleted (restoring the standard HP logo)

with the "/I delete" option.

DOS Flash will search the current directory for the System BIOS binary. If

more than one are present, the latest BIOS image file (highest version number)

compatible with the target PC will be used.

The /f option is used when needing to suppress any user prompts, for instance

when automating a mass deployment using Altiris. BIOS family is listed in BIOS

Setup / System Information / System BIOS before the version number (e.g. K01),

and is also the first part of the binary filename.

dosflash /I delete

This will delete a custom startup logo from the system. The default HP logo

will be used after reboot. This syntax implies that there is no BIOS

Setup password set.

NOTES:

1. [Path]\HPQFlash -? will display the available options for this utility.

2. If the system has a F10-Setup password enabled, then HPQFlash will prompt

for the password to be entered before completing the flash process.

I wanted to copy and paste these exact txt files before but thought it might be too long, so I am glad you did. Thanks for putting this to the test! You are savvy, but others like me may not be, so our posts should be very helpful in the future, as I know for one that I will need to refer back to this next year.

The only reason people even need to read these txt files is because they are having difficulty in the Windows environment in the first place, or it would usually just be a simple double-click that runs the bios driver file and to then restart PC and should be good to go....?

And, with these txt files being so thorough and offering quite a few choices, a number of ways to go about it, I just wanted to cut it down to layman's terms, basically narrow this process down a bit.

After failing to properly install the driver file using the easy method, I didn't find where it says anything in these txt files about searching for another folder called SWSETUP, and where to even find this extracted folder over a computer? Yet, that is the next step to be confronted with after Windows rejects the simplified double-click steps and following onscreen instructions, only to discover the update did not occur after a restart. One would think the txt file should say where the flash utility could be found, if this is the next obvious step, even having to go deeper and actually read these txt files in the first place?

It would be helpful if the txt file information would provide the name of the folder (SWSETUP) to search for, and perhaps even the directory over various operating systems? Or how do people know they can take the next step retrieving the driver file within and its contents inside, in order to access the flash utility?

If one knows the name of the extracted driver folder and where on the computer to locate it, and to right-click over the chosen flash utility file within said folder to run as administrator, this being done specifically to solicit Windows cooperation, then all is easy. Now if the txt files could just add that....?

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