HP Elitebook Folio 1040 3G Touchscreen Upgrade - is it possible?

[WPB]

I'm looking for advice from people with experience on whether what I'm trying to do is even possible.

I bought a laptop (an HP Elitebook Folio 1040 3G) and I replaced the non-touch screen it originally had with a touchscreen. The touch connector had a place to go on the motherboard, and the screen itself is working fine. The touchscreen isn't reported in Windows (Win 11 Pro), and it isn't reported in the BIOS (N83 Ver. 01.62 03/15/2024) either. There should be a "Touch Device" checkbox under "Advanced"->"Built-in device options", but it's not there.

After a lot of research, I've concluded it's because the Feature Byte contains the code "7Q" (= Touch Panel: Non Touch Platform), and I need it to instead be "7R" (= Touch Panel: Touch Platform).

There's no place in the BIOS where I can change the Feature Byte, and I tried BiosConfigUtility, but it failed:

<BIOSCONFIG Version="" Computername="DESKTOP-VUQBUCO" Date="2026/05/05" Time="10:54:22" UTC="1">
<SETTING changeStatus="fail" name="Feature Byte" reason="Failed" returnCode="4">
<OLDVALUE><![CDATA[3X47676J6S6Z6b7H7M7Q7W7j7m7saBapaqawb8bUbhdUehgd.AA]]></OLDVALUE>
<NEWVALUE><![CDATA[3X47676J6S6Z6b7H7M7R7W7j7m7saBapaqawb8bUbhdUehgd.AA]]></NEWVALUE>
</SETTING>
<ERROR msg="An operation failed" />
<ERROR msg="BCU return value" real="13" translated="13" />
</BIOSCONFIG>

I'm not sure if that's because I didn't recalculate the checksum of the new Feature Byte (I don't know how), or if it's a permissions issue because the BIOS is locked.

I tried to unlock the BIOS (place the laptop in MPM mode) using BCU, but that also failed:

<BIOSCONFIG Version="" Computername="DESKTOP-VUQBUCO" Date="2026/05/05" Time="11:05:34" UTC="1">
<SETTING changeStatus="fail" name="Manufacturing Programming Mode" reason="Access denied" returnCode="6">
<OLDVALUE><![CDATA[Lock]]></OLDVALUE>
<NEWVALUE><![CDATA[Unlock]]></NEWVALUE>
</SETTING>
<ERROR msg="An operation failed" />
<ERROR msg="BCU return value" real="13" translated="13" />
</BIOSCONFIG>

HP have told me they won't/can't provide a SMC.bin file.

So my question is, am I flogging a dead horse? Is there any way to get around this and enable the touchscreen? I was wondering if flashing a completely new BIOS would help, but I'm guessing the Feature Byte is somehow stored separately anyway.

It seems crazy to me that I can't upgrade to a touchscreen just because the computer wasn't originally manufactured with one.

Any advice much appreciated.

[reformatt]

Check if you have +3V at pins 2 and 3 on CN11 (touchscreen connector). When this voltage is present, the touchscreen should be visible in Device Manager as an I2C device. Power is toggled on or off by TOUCH_PWR_EN from the CPU via Q3/Q27. You can bypass this by fitting R51 (which isn't stuffed) to directly connect 3V to CN11. You should at least have a I2C device present if the 3V is there.

As far as feature bytes go, your BIOS needs to be in MPM mode to alter it, and you can't set that with the utility. Once it's locked you can't unlock it (at least with the BCU you can't). My approach would be to dump your BIOS, upload it to the BIOS requests group and ask them to rebuild it with your DMI, specifying that you want to change your featurebytes or have the MPM unlocked.

There is a tool you can try called NBDMIfit. If my memory serves correctly, you could create a boot disk which depending on which way you booted it (legacy or UEFI) would give you the option to unlock the MPM. But it may not be compatible with this system.

[WPB]

Thanks so much for the input. I will check the voltage later and follow up here.

If I could just ask a couple of questions in the meantime:

1) Can you flash a new BIOS (including the Feature Bytes) in software, or does it need a hardware programmer?

I know that HP offers BIOS updates every now and then, and they are carried out in software, but I'm wondering if a complete BIOS overwrite is a slightly different kettle of fish.

2) Is it likely that TOUCH_PWR_EN is controlled by the code (7Q/7R) I mentioned in the Feature Bytes? That seems likely to me, but wondered if you knew.

[reformatt]

Needs a hardware programmer. BIOS updates from HP are often patches.

Not sure about the feature bytes and how they are handled. Unfortunately we are reverse engineering most of this as the manufacturers don't publish their own tools.

[WPB]

So I measured 3.3V on pins 2 & 3. How can I check if the I²C device is visible from Windows. Under Human Interface Devices in Device Manager, I can see "I2C HID Device", but it says the best drivers are already installed, so presumably that's something else. Is there a tool to scan the I²C bus and show everything that's connected?

[reformatt]

Touch interfaces usually just show up as an I2C HID device in Device Manager. Just unplug the touch connector while it's on and see if it disappears in Device Manager if that is indeed the correct one. I don't know the history of the system, but on a lot of HP's with touch screen replacements (that have different versions or aftermarket digitisers) I have to uninstall that I2C HID device and reboot. Driver should automatically be reinstalled and it works afterwards.

You can also use the Nirsoft DevManView utility for a more detailed view.

[WPB]

Thanks for the insights. I've been called away from home, so I can't try this out for a couple of months, but I will when I can. Much appreciated.