Forced BIOS firmware update: Difference between revisions

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==Examples==

[[File:~~Alienwarebiosrollback~~.png|thumb|From a comment on a laptop repair video<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Parts-People Dell Laptop Experts |date=2024-12-28 |title=Laptop Destroyed By Windows Update {{!}} Make It Stop! Microsoft |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-31 |website=[[YouTube]]}} ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s Archived])</ref>, a Dell user had to roll back a forced BIOS update to restore GPU performance.]]

[[File:Alienware BIOS rollback.png|thumb|From a comment on a laptop repair video<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Parts-People Dell Laptop Experts |date=2024-12-28 |title=Laptop Destroyed By Windows Update {{!}} Make It Stop! Microsoft |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-31 |website=[[YouTube]]}} ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s Archived])</ref>, a Dell user had to roll back a forced BIOS update to restore GPU performance.]]

These examples are non-exhaustive, some known instances are currently not listed due to insufficient source(s). All the examples below have BIOS update as non-optional Windows Update.

===Dell===

Blocked downgrade<ref name=":1" />, removed undervolting<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=@WorldDj |date=2020-09-20 |title=Another victim of the BIOS update unfortunately |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218173346/https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=TechPowerUp}}</ref>, removed previous BIOS download links<ref>{{Cite web |title=Driver unavailable |url=https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=c5jy9 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Dell Product Support}}</ref>.

Blocked downgrade<ref name=":1" />, disabled ACPI S3 sleep state<ref>{{Cite web |last=okwei |date=2018-08-08 |title=XPS 15-9570, BIOS 1.3.0, sleep mode gone? |url=https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/xps/xps-15-9570-bios-130-sleep-mode-gone/647f7bd2f4ccf8a8dea1c8d4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201142957/https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/xps/xps-15-9570-bios-130-sleep-mode-gone/647f7bd2f4ccf8a8dea1c8d4 |archive-date=2024-12-01 |access-date=2026-04-02 |website=Dell Community}}</ref>, removed undervolting<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=@WorldDj |date=2020-09-20 |title=Another victim of the BIOS update unfortunately |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218173346/https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=TechPowerUp}}</ref>, removed previous BIOS download links<ref>{{Cite web |title=Driver unavailable |url=https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=c5jy9 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Dell Product Support}}</ref>.

===Asus===

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===Lenovo===

Disabled ACPI S3 sleep state<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Matusaprod |date=2023-07-15 |title=Linux sleep mode on newer thinkpad missing? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218181844/https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>, added battery whitelist<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Bob297586 |date=2020-03-27 |title=Help with Lenovo thinkpad w530 battery whitelist |url=https://linustechtips.com/topic/1200330-help-with-lenovo-thinkpad-w530-battery-whitelist/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linus Tech Tips}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=@OrganicBrian |date=2023-12-27 |title=Thinkpad T420 battery suddenly rejected by the laptop: could an update have caused this? |url=https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=409942 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linux Mint Forums}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@Scorpion8 |date=2020-04-27 |title=Thinkpad Battery "Whitelist" ... how does it work? |url=https://thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130513 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=thinkpads.com Support Community}}</ref>.

Disabled ACPI S3 sleep state<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Matusaprod |date=2023-07-15 |title=Linux sleep mode on newer thinkpad missing? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218181844/https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>, added battery whitelist<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Bob297586 |date=2020-03-27 |title=Help with Lenovo thinkpad w530 battery whitelist |url=https://linustechtips.com/topic/1200330-help-with-lenovo-thinkpad-w530-battery-whitelist/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linus Tech Tips}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=@OrganicBrian |date=2023-12-27 |title=Thinkpad T420 battery suddenly rejected by the laptop: could an update have caused this? |url=https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=409942 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linux Mint Forums}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@Scorpion8 |date=2020-04-27 |title=Thinkpad Battery "Whitelist" ... how does it work? |url=https://thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130513 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=thinkpads.com Support Community}}</ref>, removed hardware codec<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rautio |first=Loki |date=2021-07-14 |title=Lenovo laptops silently stripped of important feature in BIOS updates |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-laptops-silently-stripped-of-important-feature-in-BIOS-updates.550673.0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250722091254/https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-laptops-silently-stripped-of-important-feature-in-BIOS-updates.550673.0.html |archive-date=2025-07-22 |access-date=2026-04-02 |website=Notebookcheck}}</ref>.

==Countermeasures==

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 ==Examples==
-[[File:Alienwarebiosrollback.png|thumb|From a comment on a laptop repair video<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Parts-People Dell Laptop Experts |date=2024-12-28 |title=Laptop Destroyed By Windows Update {{!}} Make It Stop! Microsoft |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-31 |website=[[YouTube]]}} ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s Archived])</ref>, a Dell user had to roll back a forced BIOS update to restore GPU performance.]]
+[[File:Alienware BIOS rollback.png|thumb|From a comment on a laptop repair video<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Parts-People Dell Laptop Experts |date=2024-12-28 |title=Laptop Destroyed By Windows Update {{!}} Make It Stop! Microsoft |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s |url-status=live |access-date=2025-12-31 |website=[[YouTube]]}} ([https://preservetube.com/watch?v=pvhUPIkKt1s Archived])</ref>, a Dell user had to roll back a forced BIOS update to restore GPU performance.]]
 These examples are non-exhaustive, some known instances are currently not listed due to insufficient source(s). All the examples below have BIOS update as non-optional Windows Update.
 ===Dell===
-Blocked downgrade<ref name=":1" />, removed undervolting<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=@WorldDj |date=2020-09-20 |title=Another victim of the BIOS update unfortunately |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218173346/https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=TechPowerUp}}</ref>, removed previous BIOS download links<ref>{{Cite web |title=Driver unavailable |url=https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=c5jy9 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Dell Product Support}}</ref>.
+Blocked downgrade<ref name=":1" />, disabled ACPI S3 sleep state<ref>{{Cite web |last=okwei |date=2018-08-08 |title=XPS 15-9570, BIOS 1.3.0, sleep mode gone? |url=https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/xps/xps-15-9570-bios-130-sleep-mode-gone/647f7bd2f4ccf8a8dea1c8d4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201142957/https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/xps/xps-15-9570-bios-130-sleep-mode-gone/647f7bd2f4ccf8a8dea1c8d4 |archive-date=2024-12-01 |access-date=2026-04-02 |website=Dell Community}}</ref>, removed undervolting<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=@WorldDj |date=2020-09-20 |title=Another victim of the BIOS update unfortunately |url=https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218173346/https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/another-victim-of-the-bios-update-unfortunately.272361/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=TechPowerUp}}</ref>, removed previous BIOS download links<ref>{{Cite web |title=Driver unavailable |url=https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=c5jy9 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=Dell Product Support}}</ref>.
 ===Asus===
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 ===Lenovo===
-Disabled ACPI S3 sleep state<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Matusaprod |date=2023-07-15 |title=Linux sleep mode on newer thinkpad missing? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218181844/https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>, added battery whitelist<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Bob297586 |date=2020-03-27 |title=Help with Lenovo thinkpad w530 battery whitelist |url=https://linustechtips.com/topic/1200330-help-with-lenovo-thinkpad-w530-battery-whitelist/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linus Tech Tips}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=@OrganicBrian |date=2023-12-27 |title=Thinkpad T420 battery suddenly rejected by the laptop: could an update have caused this? |url=https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=409942 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linux Mint Forums}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@Scorpion8 |date=2020-04-27 |title=Thinkpad Battery "Whitelist" ... how does it work? |url=https://thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130513 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=thinkpads.com Support Community}}</ref>.
+Disabled ACPI S3 sleep state<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Matusaprod |date=2023-07-15 |title=Linux sleep mode on newer thinkpad missing? |url=https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218181844/https://old.reddit.com/r/thinkpad/comments/1505if1/linux_sleep_mode_on_newer_thinkpad_missing/ |archive-date=2025-12-18 |access-date=2025-12-18 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>, added battery whitelist<ref>{{Cite web |last=@Bob297586 |date=2020-03-27 |title=Help with Lenovo thinkpad w530 battery whitelist |url=https://linustechtips.com/topic/1200330-help-with-lenovo-thinkpad-w530-battery-whitelist/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linus Tech Tips}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=@OrganicBrian |date=2023-12-27 |title=Thinkpad T420 battery suddenly rejected by the laptop: could an update have caused this? |url=https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=409942 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Linux Mint Forums}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=@Scorpion8 |date=2020-04-27 |title=Thinkpad Battery "Whitelist" ... how does it work? |url=https://thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130513 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=thinkpads.com Support Community}}</ref>, removed hardware codec<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rautio |first=Loki |date=2021-07-14 |title=Lenovo laptops silently stripped of important feature in BIOS updates |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-laptops-silently-stripped-of-important-feature-in-BIOS-updates.550673.0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250722091254/https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-laptops-silently-stripped-of-important-feature-in-BIOS-updates.550673.0.html |archive-date=2025-07-22 |access-date=2026-04-02 |website=Notebookcheck}}</ref>.
 ==Countermeasures==