HP BIOS Configuration Utility (BCU) User Guide

[Pages:23]HP BIOS Configuration Utility (BCU)

User Guide

? Copyright 2012?2015, 2019, 2021 HP Development Company, L.P.

Intel and Core are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft?, WindowsTM, and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Confidential computer software. Valid license from HP required for possession, use or copying. Consistent with FAR 12.211 and 12.212, Commercial Computer Software, Computer Software Documentation, and Technical Data for Commercial Items are licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor's standard commercial license.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

Seventh Edition: August 2021

First Edition: May 2012

Document Part Number: 700600-007

User input syntax key

Text that you must enter into a user interface is indicated by fixed-width font.

Table -1 Syntax and their descriptions

Item

Description

Text without brackets or braces [Text inside square brackets] {Text inside braces}

|

Items you must type exactly as shown

A placeholder for a value you must provide; omit the brackets

Optional items; omit the brackets

A set of items from which you must choose only one; omit the braces

A separator for items from which you must choose only one; omit the vertical bar

...

iv User input syntax key

Items that can or must repeat; omit the ellipsis

iii

Table of contents

1 Getting started ............................................................................................................................................. 1 What is HP BIOS Configuration Utility? .................................................................................................................. 1 System requirements ......................................................................................................... ................................... 1 Installation ............................................................................................................................................................. 1

2 Command-line parameters ............................................................................................................................. 2

3 BIOS configuration ......................................................................................................................................... 4 WMI support required ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Replicated setup .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Important notes .............................................................................................................. .................... 5 Password management ......................................................................................................................................... 6 BCU with HP Sure Admin ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Comments .............................................................................................................................................................. 8

Appendix A Error codes ..................................................................................................................................... 9

Appendix B Sample configuration file ............................................................................................................... 12

Appendix C HP Password Encryption Utility ...................................................................................................... 18

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1 Getting started

What is HP BIOS Configuration Utility?

HP BIOS Configuration Utility (BCU) is a free utility that enables you to do the following: Read available BIOS settings and their values from a supported desktop, workstation, or notebook

computer Set or reset Setup Password on a supported desktop, workstation, or notebook computer Replicate BIOS settings across multiple client computers Download the latest version of BCU from .

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 VistaTM has been deprecated in BCU version 4.0.

Installation

Run the BCU SoftPaq to install its contents to the folder \HP\BIOS Configuration Utility\, where 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

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What is HP BIOS Configuration Utility?

2 Command-line parameters

Use the following syntax to run BCU: BIOSConfigUtility.exe --

or--

BIOSConfigUtility64.exe

The valid options are:

Parameter

Description

/Get:"filename" --or-- /GetConfig:"filename"

/Set:"filename" --or-- /SetConfig:"filename"

Gets the configuration data. NOTE: If "filename" is empty, BCU writes configuration data to the output console.

Modifies the system BIOS configuration. Accepts only REPSET formatted files.

/cspwdfile:"filename" --or-- /CurSetupPasswordFile:"filename" --or-- /cpwdfile:"filename"

/nspwdfile:"filename" --or-- /NewSetupPasswordFile:"filename" --or-- /npwdfile:"filename"

/? --or-- /Help

Specifies the current BIOS Setup Password by providing an encrypted password file. Current password should be provided when changing BIOS settings or password. Can specify only one current password file. Use HPQPswd.exe to generate password file. See Password management on page 6 for additional details on this utility.

NOTE: Requires BCU version 3.0.1.1 or later.

If using a BCU version earlier than 4.0.1.1, use /cspwdfile:"filename".

Specifies the new BIOS Setup Password by providing an encrypted password file. To remove the password, use /npwdfile:"". Use HPQPswd.exe to generate the password file. See Password management on page 6 for additional details on this utility.

NOTE: Clearing the BIOS Setup Password will remove all BIOS Users.

Requires BCU version 3.0.1.1 or later.

If using a BCU version earlier than 4.0.1.1, use /nspwdfile:"filename".

Displays a help message.

/SetDefaults

Sets BIOS settings to their default values.

NOTE: /SetDefaults does not change every possible value; also, it does not change settings on an individual basis.

/verbose /WarningAsErr

When used with /Set, displays details about each setting, such as success, the reason for failure (warning), or failure code (error).

When used with /Set, displays details about each setting. Unlike /verbose,

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any settings not applied due to warnings cause BCU to return program error code 13 instead of success.

Chapter 2 Command-line parameters

Parameter /Unicode /log /getvalue /setvalue /ot:value

/ar:value

/uid:value

Description

NOTE: Requires BCU 3.0.11.1 or later. When both /verbose and / WarningAsErr are used, /WarningAsErr will take precedence.

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. NOTE: Requires BCU version 4.0.1.1 or later.

Generates the log folder and log file default to the executable folder. NOTE: Requires BCU version 4.0.1.1 or later.

Gets the value of a given setting without using the config file.

Example: BIOSConfigUtility.exe /getvalue:"Asset Tracking Number"

NOTE: Requires BCU version 4.0.1.1 or later.

Sets the value of a given setting without using the config file.

Example: BIOSConfigUtility.exe /setvalue:"Asset Tracking Number","12345678"

NOTE: Requires BCU version 4.0.1.1 or later.

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.

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:

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. Using a value of FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF allows the settings to be applied on any machine. The default value is FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.

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/pkey:"*.pfx" /pkeypwd:value /addauthstr

Specifies the path /filename to the PFX file that contains the private key to use when signing the settings.

Optional. If the specified PFX file is password protected, this specifies the password to the PFX file

Generates BCU-AuthString.txt. NOTE: Includes the unique signature strings required to change BIOS settings on a system with HP Sure Admin enabled.

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