Hi,
I want to backUp the current Bios from an EliteDesk G2 Mini and would like to do it via FPT instead of a hardware Bios reader.
There are 3 Jumpers on the board, one is for resetting the Password, But I can not find any documentation telling me what the other 2 jumpers are for.
I hope that these are for Disabling ME Security so that I can dump the whole Bios. But I want to be sure.
Here is a picture of the board:
https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Hd265c790f131…5cs.jpg_q50.jpg
The Blue Jumper at the lower left corner is for restting the BIOS Password, but what are the other 2 Jumpers for?
Anyone knows and can explain it.
Thanks!
Check the markings at your board to see what it says next to the pins. They are usually labeled. If it’s not at those pins, it must be at the “ROM RCVRY” pads next to it. Maybe the first two pins on the left (where the angle is, above “RO” text) unlock the FD.
Unfortunately there is no label on the board itself and strangely I couldn’t find any info on the Net about those other pins. Also the Hardware Maintenance Manual doesn’t mention what these pins are for. I don’t want to do trial an error. I hoped someone would know for sure.
Her is a video with a better look at the boards BIOS chip: https://youtu.be/SFejSy2dekk?t=37
The Markings around the pins look like “FDO”, and “BB”. WHatever that means.
Good. FDO is what you need as it stands for "Flash Descriptor Override". Sort whatever pins FDO is and you should have full SPI/BIOS chip read/write access.
And BB Stands for “Boot Block”!
The Middle is BB, and the outer Pins are FDO and Password Reset. Password Reset Pins must be removed to reset the Password, while the other pins must be linked to remove the Write Protection.
Here is a more detailed image: (A7) Me FW Downgrade - Request MeSpiLock Failed - HP EliteDesk 800 65W G2 Desktop Mini PC
But setting the jumper doesn’T seem to work. If the FDO Jumper is set, the screen remains black, the Power LED stays on for a few seconds and then the system powers down. After removing the jumper and booting into WIndows, the FD ist still read protected.
I couldn’t find a tutorial on how the FDO Jumper is supposed to work on this board.
Maybe it requires some other pins to be sorted at the same time? Don’t know. You could try the other methods for unlocking the FD as explained at [Guide] Unlock Intel Flash Descriptor Read/Write Access Permissions for SPI Servicing
Yeah! I could but its just not worth the trouble. I just wanted a FTPw backup of the original Bios before I updated to the latest one, due to bad experiences in the past. But I just went ahead and updated to the latest firmwares without any issues.
No need to be extra sure here. So I have no need to disable the FD now, except for academic curiosity, on how that FDO Jumper is supposed to work. I couldn’t find anything on the Net about it. It’s kinda strange why HP would put a FDO Jumper on the board, but not tell anyone how it is supposed to be used.
Very common unfortunately. It’s there for their on-field technicians so they intentionally don’t document it to end users usually.