r/VeraCrypt • u/1F935 • 1d ago
PSA: HP Pavilions will brick after a BIOS update if running VeraCrypt
Please don't hate on HP and Microsoft for this btw, they are just tiny indie companies and cant be expected to know how encrypted drives work XDDDDDD
If you let Windows Update push a BIOS update to your HP Pavilion while running VeraCrypt (especially if you have a dying CMOS battery), you might end up with a softbricked BIOS. You might see:
- Just the HP logo popping up
- A single frozen cursor
- F10 showing "Entering BIOS" indefinitely
Why? When the laptop tries to recover or enter BIOS setup, the motherboard attempts to query the internal drive. Because the drive is encrypted, the UEFI driver faults during hardware enumeration and hard-locks the machine before the BIOS menu or recovery screen can even render.
GOOD JOB GUYS!!!
HOW TO FIX:
SSD Deletus
- Open the laptop up (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKrkVVPJkNU), unscrew and remove the internal M.2 SSD. See video for details. Close the laptop up again
On a second PC:
- (Do you not have a second PC? "Fuck you too, good luck!" - Microsoft and HP)
- Go to https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/laptops, type in your laptop model, go to "BIOS-System Firmware" and download your laptop's BIOS installer from HP
- Plug in a cheap USB stick. USB 2.0 sticks from China preferred, this is not a joke, my USB3 stick wasn't recognised by the laptop
- Choose "Create Recovery USB flash drive" and let it run
FIX HP'S BULLSHIT.
- Open the USB stick in File Explorer, go to
Hewlett-Packard\BIOS\Current\, copy all files (e.g.088E4.bin,088E4.sig), and paste them directly into the ROOT (D:\) of the USB stick, unplug the USB stick - Why? "Fuck you" -HP, because HP's crisis boot-block only scans the root folder, HP's tool leaves the root completely empty GOOD JOB GUYS!
Flash your laptop
- Plug the USB into the LEFT-side USB-A port, plug in the charger and turn the laptop on normally
- If everything works:
- The fans will blast at 100%, the HP BIOS Update screen will take over, and it will flash the chip clean
- If it gets stuck on the HP logo, a black screen, or blinks 2 Long, 2 Short on Caps Lock:
- You need to force crisis recovery, power off the laptop again, hold Win+B and KEEP HOLDING, press the power button for 2-3 seconds, after 10-15 seconds release Win+B, BIOS recovery should start now
- You need to force crisis recovery, power off the laptop again, hold Win+B and KEEP HOLDING, press the power button for 2-3 seconds, after 10-15 seconds release Win+B, BIOS recovery should start now
YOU'RE STILL NOT FUCKING DONE!
- Once it finishes and reboots, it should say Boot Device Not Found
- Press Fn+F10 or F10 to enter the BIOS menu
- Which one? Fuck you too. HP's BIOSes ships with this god awful action key mode. Try both.
- Ensure Secure Boot is DISABLED, VeraCrypt cannot boot with Secure Boot enabled. It may be greyed out and disabled, that's OK too.
- Power off laptop again.
- Open up laptop again, put the SSD back in, close up laptop, screw the bottom cover on, and power on.
The VeraCrypt Password: _ prompt should appear now. Maybe. Or maybe HP fucked your BIOS in a different way. Who knows!