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BIOS update and Track 0

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Hello,

I am using ATI 2020 to recover a full disk backup of an HP Omen 15 laptop back to the same laptop from which the backup was made.  However, since I made the backup that I am recovering from, I have upgraded/flashed the BIOS for my laptop to a newer BIOS version.

I am wondering... will this BIOS update that I have performed since my last backup cause me problems if I try to restore my entire disk  and include Track 0 in the recovery/restore process?  I am worried that my BIOS upgrade/flash may have overwritten my Track 0 in a way that will cause problems if I restore my old Track 0 during my recovery.  ( I don't know if my BIOS upgrade/flash changed the laptop's Track 0 at all.  I'm just ignorant/curious/worried about this possible interaction.)

I am also fearful that my computer may have been infected with a virus after my last backup, so I want to restore/recover my Track 0 from my backup (made prior to my suspected infection) if at all possible.  (Some viruses have been known to alter Track 0 in their operations.)

Can anyone here give me any insight as to whether the BIOS upgrade/flash that I performed after my most recent backup is likely to cause me problems if I do recover/restore my old Track 0 from this most recent backup?

Thanks in advance for any help that anyone can give me concerning this question.

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This is not an issue on which I have expertise. However, I would expect that the risks are relatively minor. If you are worried about this, create a disk and partitions backup of the PC in its current state so that if something goes wrong you can revert by recovering that backup. But, I would still exercise abundant caution an wait for further responses as there are several regular contributors who are (much) more experienced in this aspect than I am.

Ian

BIOS updates / upgrades do not touch the internal disk drive data - these are changes made to the laptop firmware where typically these will be to EEPROM modules on the motherboard.

If you have the default HP Omen BIOS setup active with UEFI and Secure Boot enabled, then there should be minimal risk of malware being able to change any of the boot track information on the disk.

If you suspect any form of virus / malware infection, then look out for antivirus tools that would allow you to perform a full virus scan outside of Windows using boot media.

See the following links that may be useful in this respect.

10 Best Portable Antivirus Software For Windows 

23 [ Complete List ] Free Standalone / Portable Antivirus Scanners 

Comodo Cleaning Essentials 

Standalone On demand Antivirus Scanners for Windows 10

Ian and Steve,

Thank you both for replying to my query.

Steve, thanks a ton for the great information you provided.  With your answer in mind, I do feel much more secure in recovering/restoring my old Track 0 from my backup.  Even if it is unlikely that my Track 0 was altered by my BIOS upgrade/flash or compromised by a virus, I will probably go ahead and recover/restore the old version of my Track 0 from my backup just to be safe.

Ian, thanks also for your suggestion. I actually have already made a new backup of my system (one made after the BIOS update) just in case I do need to revert my system to its current state (as a last resort) in case my recovery/restore operation results in some sort of system failure.

Thanks again to both of you for your responses.  I really appreciate it!!

I should have more accurately replied that since my post-BIOS-update-system should still be compatible with the Track 0 in my old backup, and even though it is unlikely that a virus has actually compromised my current Track 0, I will still probably recover/restore my old Track 0 from my backup just to be safe and to respond to the unlikely possibility that a virus did manage to compromise my current Track 0, after all.