Updating DELL BIOS from Windows Updates

Question

Hi Folks

Intune/Autopatch/Windows Updates, can do BIOS firmware updates.

However, is this a good idea to update the firmware this way? As i understand, Windows Updates does not suspend bitlocker for third party driver updates.

We currently let Autopatch update the BIOS firmware for DELL's, and roughly 80% may succeed.... but there are ones that don't. We suspect it is due to Bitlocker not being suspended.

Then the strange thing is, why do majority succeed then? Shouldn't all of them fail, if we are not suspending bitlocker?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello,

Updating BIOS firmware through Windows Update mechanisms, including Intune or Autopatch, can be efficient, but there are caveats:

Manufacturer Support: It’s important that the manufacturer, like Dell in your case, provides proper support for updates via these mechanisms, ensuring that BIOS updates are delivered in a way that is compatible with Windows Update.

BitLocker Considerations: Windows does typically handle BitLocker suspension and resumption automatically when applying updates it manages. For firmware updates from third-party drivers delivered through Windows Update, the handling of BitLocker can be less certain. Normally, if the update process requires a restart and BitLocker is not suspended, you’d be prompted for the BitLocker recovery key upon reboot.

There could be several reasons why some devices succeed in updating while others fail, including differences in:

BIOS versions: Some versions might have different update mechanisms or processes.

System Configurations: Differing system setups or group policies can affect the update process.

Update Mechanism: The update process delivered through Windows Update is designed to be safe and should handle necessary precautions like suspending BitLocker. However, the extent of this can depend on how well the firmware update is packaged and integrated with Windows Update.

Best Regards,

Hania Lian

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Answer 2

Updating firmware is something you must do nowadays, because of the security becoming more and more important and hackers started to use firmware as attack level as well. If Intune Update Drivers solution does not do the trick for you and don't want to do Dell integration to your Intune, you could try my solution, which picks up more drivers and firmware than Windows Update for Business does.

See my blog and link to script here.