UEFI BIOS Update via Windows Updates?

fireberd said:

One of the user tech's ("rockstar") on the Dell Community Forums reported he got a BIOS update for a Dell via the Windows 10 Updates.

Was this a fluke or is this something that is coming for all or selected PC's?

No, it wasn't a fluke. You do get UEFI Firmware updates through Windows Update. I've received a couple myself on my Acer laptop.



When Windows updates your system's firmware, you'll find the Firmware device in Device Manager



Also, you'll find a Firmware folder under Windows containing .FD (firmware driver?) files corresponding to the versions of the firmware that Windows Update installed over time on the system.



The below links shed some light on the Windows UEFI Firmware Update Platform and an overview of the process how firmware updates are submitted to Microsoft by the firmware manufacturer.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...driver-package

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...pdate-platform

NavyLCDR said:

Well, looking at, actually, I might have been mistaken. This is what my Device Manager shows:

Attachment 217266

Then if I delete the device, checking the box to uninstall the driver, and reboot, it comes back again like this:

Attachment 217268

Then, if I manually update the driver, it goes back to the first screenshot, ver 1.9.0. Thing is, my UEFI firmware version is 1.10.0 and it was updated manually with a download from Dell Support website. So, I think maybe what is being seen in device manager as an "update". It is the driver that interfaces with the UEFI firmware for various functions, not the firmware itself. The version number shown in Device Manager is the version number of that driver - not the version number of the firmware itself.

Well, in your case, 1.9.0 is indeed the version of UEFI firmware that Windows has last downloaded/updated for your system. If you have updated the BIOS manually, Windows only downloads the firmware driver package and updates the version of the Firmware device in Device Manager. It'll not update the BIOS again. It could very well be that v1.10.0 has not yet been made available to Microsoft by the firmware manufacturer/OEM. Keep checking and it'll eventually update the version in Device Manager when it is available.

bro67 said:

If it is a "Surface" style device, yes it can get firmware. I would not let Windows download firmware updates for the actual machine. Too many problems with Windows 10 as it is.

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean by "Surface" style device. I have an acer laptop.

Well, I've never had a problem with any of the firmware updates via Windows Update. In my personal experience, it has been just like any other device driver update. However, I admit things could go very wrong when it comes to BIOS updates, especially considering all the precautions required when manually updating the BIOS such as unplugging all unnecessary peripherals, keeping the device plugged in while the battery is fully charged, temporarily disabling 3rd party AVs, etc. One could end up with a bricked system if the BIOS update goes wrong.

That said, I mostly update the BIOS manually if I happen to find a BIOS/firmware update for my system on the OEM's product support page. When I don't and an update is available, Windows might automatically update it.

bro67 said:

Someone pulling people's leg. No, the bios does not get updated unless the user allows it to happen, by downloading it and running the updater.

That isn't true I'm afraid. Firmware updates are delivered via WU.

This is their latest plan : Introducing Component Firmware Update - Windows Developer Blog

And as you can see from others screeprints, it certainly happens...

Also, sometimes a firmware update would be available via WU before your OEM provides it on their product support page. This happened to me and I thought Windows had updated my system with the wrong firmware. I contacted Acer about this and they confirmed that it was a valid firmware update and after apologizing for the confusion caused, immediately added the BIOS update in question to the product support page. Acer is normally very slow to provide driver updates for their devices.

NavyLCDR said:

... This is what my Device Manager shows:
Attachment 217268

Mine too...

Howevert, mine is on an ASUS Q-Series 2-in-1 notebook (Q504UAK)...