HP BIOS Configuration Utility (BCU) : User Guide
HP BIOS Configuration Utility (BCU) : User Guide
User Guide
© Copyright 2012–2015, 2019 Hewlett-
Packard Development Company, L.P.
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iv User input syntax key
Table of contents
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1 Getting started
System requirements
Table 1-1 Minimum hardware and software for clients
Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows PE (version 4.0.1.1 or later), Windows 10.
NOTE: BIOS setting management is supported under Windows PE 3.x, 4.0, or 5.0. See WMI support required on page 4.
NOTE: Support of Windows XP and Windows Vista™ has been deprecated in BCU version 4.0.
Installation
Run the BCU SoftPaq to install its contents to the folder <PROGAMFILESDIR>\HP\BIOS
Configuration Utility\, where <PROGAMFILESDIR> is the Program Files folder on the target
system (For example, C:\PROGRAM FILES). The resulting files at the target folder include:
● BIOSConfigUtility.exe
● BIOSConfigUtility64.exe
● HPQPswd.exe
● HPQPswd64.exe
● BCUsignature32.dll
● BCUsignature64.dll
● Internet shortcut to BIOS Configuration Utility User Guide.pdf
—or—
BIOSConfigUtility64.exe <options>
Parameter Description
—or— NOTE: If "filename" is empty, BCU writes configuration data to the output
console.
/GetConfig:"filename"
/Set:"filename" Modifies the system BIOS configuration. Accepts only REPSET formatted files.
—or—
/SetConfig:"filename"
/cspwdfile:”filename” Specifies the current BIOS Setup Password by providing an encrypted password
file. Current password should be provided when changing BIOS settings or
—or— password. Can specify only one current password file. Use HPQPswd.exe to
/CurSetupPasswordFile:”filename” generate password file. See Password management on page 6 for additional
details on this utility.
—or—
NOTE: Requires BCU version 3.0.1.1 or later.
/cpwdfile:”filename”
If using a BCU version earlier than 4.0.1.1, use /cspwdfile:”filename”.
/nspwdfile:”filename” Specifies the new BIOS Setup Password by providing an encrypted password file.
To remove the password, use /npwdfile:””. Use HPQPswd.exe to generate
—or— the password file. See Password management on page 6 for additional details
/NewSetupPasswordFile:”filename” on this utility.
—or— NOTE: Clearing the BIOS Setup Password will remove all BIOS Users.
—or—
/Help
NOTE: /SetDefaults does not change every possible value; also, it does not
change settings on an individual basis.
/verbose When used with /Set, displays details about each setting, such as success, the
reason for failure (warning), or failure code (error).
/WarningAsErr When used with /Set, displays details about each setting. Unlike /verbose,
any settings not applied due to warnings cause BCU to return program error code
13 instead of success.
/Unicode Checks platform support for Unicode passwords only. If not supported, returns
error code 32. Use only in batch files; this command is not compatible with other
commands.
/log Generates the log folder and log file default to the executable folder.
/getvalue Gets the value of a given setting without using the config file.
/setvalue Sets the value of a given setting without using the config file.
/ot:value When this value is set to 0, a setting will be rejected if the anti-replay value
specified is less than what is stored by the firmware.
When this value is set to 1 a setting will be rejected if the anti-reply value
specified is less than or equal to what is stored by the firmware.
Since BCU uses the same anti-replay value for all the settings made within a file,
when it is used with a settings file containing multiple changes, this value must be
set to 0 or only 1 setting will get applied.
/ar:value Provides AntiReplay value. The firmware compares the anti-replay value used for
each setting with an internal value (initially 0). If the value provided with the
setting is less than (or equal based on the /ot setting) to what is stored then the
setting is rejected. If the setting is accepted. the firmware updates its internal
value with the value used by the setting. This logic is used to prevent older
settings from being reused for security reasons. A common method of simplifying
the management of this value is to use the epoch / unix time in UTC as the
value. The current values stored by the BIOS are available in the BIOS settings:
/uid:value Provides the MachineID Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) this is available in the
BIOS setting “Universally Unique Identifier (UUID)” and can be used to target the
setting to a single platform.
/pkey:“*.pfx” Specifies the path /filename to the PFX file that contains the private key to use
when signing the settings.
NOTE: Includes the unique signature strings required to change BIOS settings on
a system with HP Sure Admin enabled.
3
3 BIOS configuration
BCU is a Windows-based tool that lets you create standard configuration settings and deploy them across the
enterprise. By creating a configuration text file with only the setting you want to change, you can deploy it to
all systems in the enterprise. If a particular system does not support the specified setting, it will be ignored.
Replicated setup
To create, save, and deploy the configuration settings, complete the following procedure:
1. Run the program BIOSConfigUtility.exe using the /GetConfig:config.txt command-line
parameter.
2. Edit the file config.txt. Remove properties that you do not want to change and modify the other
properties.
NOTE: Some properties, such as model and manufacturer, are read-only. Such properties will be
ignored with a warning if specified during /SetConfig.
NOTE: If a property value has not changed in the input configuration file from its existing value in BIOS,
it will be skipped during /SetConfig. It is recommended to remove such settings during /
SetConfig operation.
NOTE: If a property name or value is invalid or does not exist on the client system, such settings will
be ignored with a warning during /SetConfig.
The following config.txt example shows a configuration file that changes some properties:
BIOSConfig 1.0
;
; Originally created by BIOS Configuration Utility
; Version 4.0.10.1
; Date="2015-03-20" Time="14:37:40" UTC="-5"
;
; Found 214 settings
Asset Tracking Number
CORPTAG001ABCDEF
Important notes
● The /Set and /Get functionality is supported on select commercial desktop, mobile, and workstation
systems. Supported settings vary by model.
● In BCU version 4.0.1.1 and later, the first line of the configuration file must be the word “BIOSConfig,”
followed by the file format version, currently 1.0. For backwards compatibility, the word “English” is
accepted. This keyword is deprecated and support may be removed in the future. For BCU versions
earlier than 4.0.1.1, the first line must be the word “English.”
● The settings are indented with a tab character.
Replicated setup 5
● Only password changes are guaranteed to take effect immediately and without a reboot. All other
settings might not take effect until after a reboot.
● The exact strings for some boot devices may vary between models. For example, the network controller
for Boot Order was identified with the tag “PNP Device #1” on one system and “Network Controller” on
newer systems. If your environment includes a mix of systems, then ensure that all known values for a
particular boot device are placed together in the list relative to the next type of boot device. See the
previous example. Devices not found on the system are ignored. See the previous example, noting that
CD-ROM is specified several different ways.
● It is recommended that you do not mix replicated setup changes with software updates that include
BIOS firmware updates. It is a best practice to perform each operation independently and to restart the
system between each operation. This procedure accommodates cases in which the internal structure of
BIOS configuration setting information changes between BIOS revisions.
Password management
BCU also has the ability to establish, modify, and remove the BIOS setup password. Use the HP Password
Encryption Utility (HPQPswd.exe) to create the password file needed to specify new or current password. It is
available at HP Client Management Solutions website at http://www.hp.com/go/clientmanagement. See HP
Password Encryption Utility on page 18 for password utility usage samples.
Use the following sample command to create a setup password on a system with no existing password:
BIOSConfigUtility.exe /nspwdfile:"new password.bin"
Use the following sample command to modify the BIOS setup password use:
BIOSConfigUtility.exe /nspwdfile:"new password.bin" /cspwdfile:"current
password.bin"
Use the following sample command to remove the BIOS setup password use:
BIOSConfigUtility.exe /nspwdfile:"" /cspwdfile:"current password.bin"
NOTE: A password change command can be combined with BIOS configuration, in which case the password
is modified before the configuration is applied.
BIOSConfigUtility.exe /set:"configuration.txt" /nspwdfile:"new
password.bin"
NOTE: To Enable Enhanced BIOS Authentication Mode. Secure Platform Mode must be in the Provisioned
state, and you must use a authorization string either using beamsetting.txt or /addauthstr to
enable or disable.
There are three ways to change settings on a system that has HP Sure Admin enabled.
The following example shows you how to add an authorization string to a config file:
2. Open config.txt and make any changes you want to the configuration.
The second method of making changes to a system with HP Sure Admin enabled is to use
beamsetting.txt
2. Open <config>.txt, and make any changes you want to the configuration.
3. Put a file called beamsetting.txt in the root folder with BIOSConfigUtility.exe that
includes the following information:
● HP Beam Mode Setting
● AntiReplayValue=0
● OneTime=0
● TargetID=FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
● PrivateKey=<signing_key>.pfx
4. Run the following command: BIOSConfigUtility.exe /set:<config>.txt
NOTE: The TargetID field in beamsetting.txt is the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) of the
system. If you want the signature strings to only be valid for one system, you can enter the Universally
Unique Identifier (UUID) in this field. To apply the config file to multiple systems, leave as
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.
To apply settings directly from the command prompt without BCU-Authstring.txt or beamsetting.txt:
1. Run the following command: BIOSConfigutility.exe /get:<config>.txt
2. Open <config>.txt, and make any changes you want to the configuration.
6 Access Denied WMI result code – Setting modification failed due to BIOS permissions.
10 Valid password not provided. BCU was unable to find a valid password on the command-line in the
following cases:
11 Config file not valid. BCU was unable to locate the configuration file or unable to read the file
at the specified path.
12 First line in config file is not the keyword First line in the configuration file must be the word “BIOSConfig”
“BIOSConfig”. followed by the file format version, currently “1.0”.
13 Failed to change setting. BCU failed to change one or more settings. Use /verbose or /
WarningAsErr to get status per setting.
15 Command-line syntax error. Possible reasons for this error include the following:
16 Unable to write to file or system. BCU was unable to connect to HP BIOS WMI. WMI classes are corrupted
or the system is not supported. See the section WMI support required
on page 4 for additional information.
9
Table A-1 Error codes (continued)
18 Setting is unchanged. This return code is returned by BCU on a per setting basis when /
verbose or /WarningAsErr options are specified. Settings with this
return code are skipped when BCU attempts to write to BIOS and do not
affect BCU return code.
19 Setting is read-only. This return code is returned by BCU on a per setting basis when /
verbose or /WarningAsErr options are specified. Settings with this
return code are skipped when BCU attempts to write to BIOS. When /
verbose is used, this return code generates a warning and does not
affect the BCU return code. If /WarningAsErr is used, it results in
BCU error code 13.
20 Invalid setting name. This return code is returned by BCU on a per setting basis when /
verbose or /WarningAsErr options are specified. Settings with this
return code are skipped when BCU attempts to write to BIOS. When /
verbose is used, this return code generates a warning and does not
affect the BCU return code. If /WarningAsErr is used, it results in
BCU error code 13.
21 Invalid setting value. This return code is returned by BCU on a per setting basis when /
verbose or /WarningAsErr options are specified. Settings with this
return code are skipped when BCU attempts to write to BIOS. When /
verbose is used, this return code generates a warning and does not
affect the BCU return code. If /WarningAsErr is used, it results in
BCU error code 13.
23 Unable to connect to HP BIOS WMI System not supported. Unable to connect to HP BIOS WMI namespace:
namespace. root\HP\InstrumentedBIOS. See the section WMI support required
on page 4 for additional information.
24 Unable to connect to HP WMI namespace. System not supported. Unable to connect to HP WMI namespace: root
\HP. See the section WMI support required on page 4 for additional
information.
25 Unable to connect to PUBLIC WMI System not supported. Unable to connect to PUBLIC WMI namespace:
namespace. root\CIMV2. Ensure that WMI service is enabled and running.
31 Password is not F10 compatible. If a platform does not support Unicode passwords, BCU can set and
change the password, but the password will not function in F10 Setup.
BCU must be used to change or clear it.
32 Platform does not support Unicode Returned when the /Unicode option is used to check for support.
passwords.
33 No settings to apply found in Config file. Config file contains no settings or they are commented out.
0x80040002 Unexpected WMI error. PFX file does not contain a private key.
11
B Sample configuration file
This configuration file shows a partial list of the BIOS settings for an HP ZBook 15:
BIOSConfig 1.0
;
; Originally created by BIOS Configuration Utility
; Version: 4.0.1.1
; Date="2014-09-17" Time="09:39:33" UTC="-5"
;
; Found 244 settings
;
Manufacturer
Hewlett-Packard
Product Name
HP ZBook 15
System Board ID
1909
Universal Unique Identifier(UUID)
7FAC190ABD17E411A132884C5F06E0FF
Processor Type
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4900MQ CPU
SKU Number
D5H49AV#ABA
Warranty Start Date
00/00/0000
Processor Speed
2.80GHz
Sunday
*Disable
Enable
Monday
13
Memory Slot 4 Information
Bottom-Slot 1(left) Samsung 4096 MB @ 1600 MHz
Define Customized Boot Option
15
16
Language
*English
Francais
Deutsch
Espanol
Italiano
Dansk
Nederlands
Suomi
Japanese
Norsk
Portugues
Svenska
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Custom Logo
*Disable
Enable
CD-ROM boot
*Disable
Enable
Fast Boot
Disable
*Enable
Backlit Keyboard Timeout
*5 secs.
15 secs.
30 secs.
1 min.
5 mins.
Never
SD Card boot
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C HP Password Encryption Utility
The HP Password Encryption Utility (HPQPswd.exe) accepts a password entered by the user, encrypts the
password, and then stores it in a file for use by the BIOS. This utility can be used in either command-line mode
or GUI mode. To run it in GUI mode, double-click the executable or run without parameters.
HP recommends using a strong password to protect managed assets.
The following is a sample command to create a password file in silent mode:
HpqPswd.exe /s /p"12345678" /f"sample password.bin"
In this example, /p specifies the password, and /f specifies the name and path of the encrypted file.
NOTE: Use the /? command to invoke help for additional information on the password utility.