HP Dc7100 HP Business Desktop BIOS - Page 17

To flash the computer BIOS locally, the SoftPaq provides a DOS Flash folder that can be copied to the media. As with the ROMPAQ BIOS upgrades, administrator security is available through the use of the setup password. BIOS update while in Windows HPQFLASH is a utility that is designed to flash the HP BIOS within a Windows environment. If the computer has a setup password enabled, then HPQFLASH will prompt for the password to be entered before completing the flash process. This utility is designed for business applications in which DOS images may not be available, users may not be comfortable in DOS environments, or security concerns prevent computers from booting to removable media. Remote BIOS update Many customer computer environments require strict control of BIOS versions. BIOS updates are only distributed after exhaustive testing has been completed. For these environments, the HP BIOS provides support for remote BIOS upgrades through several tools. The BIOS SoftPaqs can be delivered to remote computers as a self-contained upgrades using System Software Manager (SSM) to update the HP BIOS on appropriate computers on a network. Refer to http://h18000.www1.hp.com/im/ssmwp.html for more information and for detailed instructions and downloads. The SoftPaq can also be distributed through HP Client Manager Software (HPCMS) and Altiris Notification Server to remotely target, distribute, and update the HP BIOS on network HP Business Desktop computers. The HP Client Management Solutions website (http://h18000.www1.hp.com/im/index.html) contains information about this feature and other management options. DOS Flash (flshlite.exe) can also be remotely executed through Altiris eXpress. Remote BIOS updating is accomplished by executing the DOS Flash within the limited DOS extended environment that exists while running Altiris eXpress. Fail-safe flash recovery Regardless of the delivery mechanism, HP BIOS-based computers include a write-protected boot block ROM that provides recovery from a failed flashing of the computer BIOS. If the BIOS image fails the POST integrity test after being updated, the boot block code automatically executes, warns the user of the failure, and provides the minimum amount of support necessary to allow the HP Business Desktop computer to boot from the diskette drive and/or the CD-ROM drive. In this recovery environment, the BIOS update can be reattempted with the appropriate ROMPAQ diskette or CD image. Security is maintained through the setup password. If the setup password has been established, the boot block will prompt for this password by illuminating the caps lock keyboard LED and/or displaying a screen message, if video support is available. Most computers require that a PS/2 keyboard be used during the boot block operation. 17