HP probook 640 g2 - does it self destruct with bios chip removal?

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Psychovich
    New Member
    • Dec 2015
    • 2
    • United States

    #21
    Re: HP probook 640 g2 - does it self destruct with bios chip removal?

    I know its a couple years later, but I have a possible theory. The HP laptops that have socketed BIOS chips are internal engineering samples. I've gotten my hands on them twice on the used market. They have Rev. B bios instead of the standard Rev. F bios most of them have. That would account for why the 1st laptop didn't work, but not the second. So I'm not sure about that. But I can confirm that the internal prototypes they use in testing do in fact come with removal bios chips. The first one I found was a 8540W with a dreamcolor screen. It had no stickers, nothing on anything, the CPU was written on with a marker. Even the case seemed hand made. I scored it off eBay years ago. I just recently scored a 810 G2 it has some stickers, it's funny the warranty says 0 years and the serial number starts with ABC and is not in their system.

    Comment

    • greg_gorrell
      New Member
      • Jul 2016
      • 2
      • USA

      #22
      Re: HP probook 640 g2 - does it self destruct with bios chip removal?

      Like others, I too have noticed the dates on this thread but as I was just directed here via a Google search, I will add some info. I was just looking into the possibility of sniffing a Bitlocker key from the TPM chip on Probook 640 G5 and see the engineering samples being mentioned as a reason for removable BIOS chip. This laptop I am contemplating the Bitlocker recovery on actually has a removable BIOS chip. A coworker has had success in both these and the G2 in removing the password, so it should be possible for you.

      Comment

      Related Topics

      Collapse

      • lucaszmn
        Summary of BIOS Whitelist Removal Problem Lenovo Thinkpad T560
        by lucaszmn


        Summary of BIOS Whitelist Removal Problem


        Problem:
        I am attempting to remove the WWAN card whitelist from my Lenovo ThinkPad T560.
        Initial Findings:
        • My current BIOS version is N1KET58W (1.45).
        • I have a CH341A programmer and have successfully created two full backups of my BIOS.
        • I have the ability to use command-line tools on a Linux machine.
        Troubleshooting Steps & Conclusions:
        • I attempted to use several automated and manual patching methods on my N1KET58W (1.45) BIOS, including using hex strings. These attempts all failed.
        • I concluded that the
        ...
        08-12-2025, 03:01 PM
      • studdy05
        Bricked HP Probook 450 G7 Bios questions
        by studdy05
        Hp Probook 450 G7 s# SCD0348W35 had a locked BIOS. Bought BIOS and EC chips off Ebay that were supposed to match this machine - the 450 G7. Flashed in the BIOS on chip i bought using a CH341. BIOS unlocked next boot. Some error to contact HP. Entered BIOS and reset to system defaults and rebooted. Machine worked fine but every cold boot the contact HP message popped and everything else worked as fine. Assumed the error was from EC chip not matching BIOS that i just flashed in. So i flashed in the EC that was supposed to match from the EBay chip i bought and instant brick.

        Ive got...
        07-08-2025, 09:24 PM
      • macabook
        🛠️ MSI GP75 Leopard MS-17E71 – No Display, Deep BIOS/EC Troubleshooting
        by macabook
        Hello everyone,

        I’m currently working on a dead MSI GP75 Leopard (MS-17E71) motherboard (i7 CPU, NVIDIA GPU) with a no display/no backlight issue initially. After extensive investigation, I’m at a critical stage involving EC firmware, BIOS/ME region interaction, and possible deep corruption. I'm seeking advanced insight from anyone with experience in EC/BIOS sync issues or PCH-level behavior. Here’s a full breakdown:
        🧩 Initial Issue
        • Board powers on (fans spin, keyboard lights up and can be adjusted, caps lock led lights), but no display or backlight
        • External display (HDMI) shows
        ...
        07-24-2025, 02:17 PM
      • pirati
        ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo UX8402ZA BIOS
        by pirati
        Hello everyone,

        I recently bought a non-working Asus Zenbook Pro Duo OLED UX8402ZA that was listed for parts only. The seller mentioned that it had no display output but that the charging lights worked.

        When the laptop arrived (without a charger and SSD), I connected a charger and confirmed with a multimeter that it was charging the battery. However, when I tried to power it on, only the backlight of the secondary display came on. There was no image, and it didn’t boot into the BIOS.

        I decided to try flashing a new BIOS, but since I didn’t want to desolder...
        10-27-2025, 04:20 PM
      • Vesko356
        [Guide] How to find the right HP bios version to flash
        by Vesko356
        First of all thanks to all of our members who have posted previously all methods posted here.
        Please leave a comment if you find something new,or have anything else to add.
        -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Find by serial number,model number or series

        If you know the laptop serial or model number go to HP support https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/laptops .
        Enter the serial number or model number and click submit.On the next screen you will have to enter the OS
        Operating system and OS version.If...
        08-11-2023, 03:27 AM
      • Loading...
      • No more items.
      Working...