Do I need a swap *partition* to use hibernation?

[Bo Berglund]

On Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:01:50 +0200, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com>
wrote:

>On Mon, 20 Apr 2020 at 08:40, Bo Berglund <bo.berglund at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Both have had their disks removed and now I face the BIOS update issue
>> probably on both.
>>
>> So since the 8560w has not been fixed up with a new disk and operating
>> system yet I thought that I should try to update BIOS on that first.
>>
>> After making an update USB for both I used the 8560w one on that
>> notebook but it totally failed to work as described by HP.
>>
>> I inserted the USB drive and depressed the Win and B keys as described
>> while pressing power for 5-10 s. Nothing was shown on screen but the
>> system started the fan and lit up the capslock LED and then nothing at
>> all happened.
>>
>> So given this I have not dared trying the USB for the 8440w yet. Don't
>> want to lose the carefully crafted Ubuntu system...
>>
>> QUESTION 1:
>> Must there be a hard drive in the notebook when updating BIOS?
>> Since it should boot from the USB I thought not, but maybe???
>> In that case, must the drive contain a working operating system too?
>>
>> QUESTION 2:
>> How do I back up the old BIOS?
>
>OK, several things here.
>

>1. I suggest you try to Google stuff like this before coming here and
>asking us. It will be quicker for you and less work for the volunteers
>on the list.

I am sorry if I am a nuisance, was not meant to. Also I now realize
that this is probably a mail list rather than a news server or forum,
right? It changes the approach some, I guess...

I am interfacing with it through GMANE using a news reader so I can
check at will and I don't get my mailbox clobbered...

Anyway to answer:
Yes, I have tried googling the problems before asking here and the
results were disappointingly varied...

>2. A keystroke starting with the Windows key implies (but does not
>necessarily mean) that this is a keystroke that requires Windows to be
>running.

Sure, it is the Win key that exists on most computer keyboards
nowadays...
Probably hides some Ctrl code combination behind it.
>

>3. If other errors are stopping the machine from doing things, then
>fix those errors first before you proceed. This is basic common sense.

I think I have fixed most problems before this step on my other laptop
and the last item was rather to try and update the BIOS on that unit.

However I was afraid to break it so I tried it on this second and
newer laptop which also was leftover after updating us to new hardware
and Win10.
So I just wanted to update BIOS on this other machine.
Could get it after some fiddling as described on the HP Service
website.

>4. Have you actually entered the BIOS setup screen yet, verified what
>versions they currently have, and checked to see if they need to be
>updated?

Oh yes I have and both machines have BIOSes dated 2010 and 2011
whereas the newer BIOSes for both are dated 2015.
Apart from the timestamp I don't know if they *need* to be updated,
but the handling of the sleep and hibernation might be part of the
updates, who knows?

>
> 5. I think you should fit a hard disk and at least make sure that the
>machine can boot to DOS before moving on. FreeDOS is free and is
>helpful for BIOS updating.

I was wrong when I said it was empty, I had in fact installed a 120 GB
SSD into the 8560w notebook but not yet installed an operating system
on it. Forgot that when working on the other notebook...


So I have installed Ubuntu with the Mate desktop also on this notebook
and set aside a swap partition for the hibernate data in the process
of installation (had to use the non-standard install option to reach
the partition functions).

It turns out that unlike on the 8440w notebook this does suspend
properly, i.e. it suspends when the lid is closed and then when I open
the lid I can tap the power button and it resumes.

So this is like I would expect the 8440w machine should operate...
The only remaining items that I think may influence this on the 8440w
are
- The old BIOS
- The dead battery (note that I am running on AC power all the time
here). I have ordered a replacement battery but it is 1-2 weeks away.

BIOS update on the 8560w
------------------------
I tried on this by going into the BIOS and located an update function
not available on the 8440w. This update can in fact operate from
either a USB FAT formatted drive or any other on-line storage as long
as it is containing the BIOS files in a subdirectory HEWLETT-PACKARD.

This exists on the USB stick I made from the softpack.

So I have created a new partition of 100 MB in FAT32 format on which I
have copied the HEWLETT-PACKARD subdirectory from the USB stick. I
hope that it will find this when/if I need to update the BIOS later.

But my main struggle is with the 8440w notebook which has an older
bios without the possibility to update from within the BIOS itself...

I think I am good for the time being and I will try not to bother the
list anymore, unless there will be a problem with 20.04 when it is
released in a week....


-- 
Bo Berglund
Developer in Sweden