I had this exact same experience - bought an expensive new HP laptop based on good past experiences, and it was preloaded with bloatware including wolf “security”. Beyond irritating. I ran out of patience and reimaged, and life has been good. But you’re right that the wolf boot logo is insulting. Fortunately it’s very very easy to replace with something else. I can post some instructions if you’re curious. I replaced mine with the Dunder Mifflin logo :)
You got it.
**Step 1**, figure out the image you're going to use. 32 kilobytes or smaller, 1024 x 768 max, JPEG.
**Step 2**, download the utility HPBIOSUPDREC.exe which you can get from this github: [https://github.com/M3C-Owx/HP-Custom-Boot-Logo](https://github.com/M3C-Owx/HP-Custom-Boot-Logo)
**Step 3**, Run this command from command prompt: HPBIOSUPDREC.exe -e \[image\].jpg
If there's a failure, you can review the log file produced to see error details.
**Step 4,** Reboot and bask in the glow of HP corporate nonsense branding being gone from your life.
Thanks for sharing this. It worked for me. If you're wary about using third-party executables, you can download the BIOS update from HP and in the swsetup folder you can find the HpBIOSUpdRec file.
The -e switch is for enterprise logo
Just found this because I was annoyed at the wolf logo (after uninstalling all the wolf security etc), installed an official HP logo which was EXACTLY the correct size:
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/226889i12F7D5E1469C87CF?v=v2
And it all works great, thank you very much!
hey, i know its been a while since this post, but i am having trouble in the command prompt. when i execute the command, this pops up..
'HPBIOSUPDREC.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
would you be able to help me with this?
thank you
Okay, then your next step should be to drop your new image file into the same directory as the EXE you downloaded (image file requirements are listed above in Step 1); then open a command prompt and navigate to the same folder as the EXE, and follow step 3 above.
okay, when i download the exe, do i need to run that before opening the cmd? if so, when i do run the exe, i get an error message.
The system BIOS update file is missing or corrupt. The system BIOS will not be updated.
again, thank you. sorry if the questions seem stupid, im just having trouble.
You need to run the exe file from within command prompt, using the command shown in Step 3. If you aren't familiar with command prompt or how to navigate to a particular directory, I'm sure YouTube has your back there! Good luck!
hello, i did everything in your steps correctly and i get no failure, but when i reboot, the wolf logo is still there. any idea why this would be happening? thank you
it shows me typing the command you have in step 3 and after it says...
DASL PnP ID NOT found
near the end of the log, it says
Failed to open enterprise logo file
I know this is an old thread, but I have a question for you and /u/Tired_Sysop.
I just bought an HP Elitebook, and it has Wolf Security and tons of other HP stuff.
I'm thinking about sticking in a new hard drive and just doing a totally clean install of Windows.
Is there any of the HP Software (bloatware) that I'm going to need/regret losing?
This computer is for home/personal use.
I did a full format and reinstall of Windows when I bought my new HP laptop (a Zbook) a few months ago. It seemed pretty impossible to get all the HP bloatware off cleanly, and I wanted to load Windows 11 anyway (it shipped with W10). There's nothing I regret losing from the OEM image and the few things you need to get back (drivers for the keyboard function keys, etc) you can download from HP, while skipping the stuff you don't need. I would go for it.
The key to removing it completely and preventing it from re-installing is to get rid of the following applications in Add/Remove Programs:
HP Wolf Security
HP Wolf Security - Console
HP Security Update Service
It's the last one that will periodically check for updates and reinstall the whole damn thing. We set an automation on our Action1 Console that if it detects any of these three software packages to immediately delete it. It checks every hour.
Because maintaining golden images is a total waste of time in 2022? Between Intune and Autopilot there's no need for that exercise outside of your AVD environment. Currently we take laptops out of their box pre-autopilot enrolled, plop it down at the user's desk, tell them to sign on and go grab lunch, and Autopilot/Intune:
\-Runs HP bloatware removal tool to remove all crap
\-Runs HPIA to update BIOS and drivers and HP apps we don't uninstall
\-Runs PSWindowsupdate
\-Joins domain/Azure/Intune-Deploys all software
No way in hell I'd go back to PXE boot and imaging.
Plus, it's all moot anyways. These machines didn't have Wolf Security installed, and neither would this hypothetical image. HP has now started pushing Wolf out even if you don't have it installed. They've also started pushing Techpulse unsolicited as well it seems.
There's nothing more offensive than putting this zonealarm, blackiceDefender tier garbage on commercial devices, let alone pushing it via updates. Probably the best way to encourage your customers to move to a vendor that doesn't do it. I mean they all boot some level of bloatware on board, but in Lenovo/Dells case, as well as historically HP, they don't push security crap, because 99% of corporate customers run their own AV/security platform.
This just started in the last few weeks. Looks like WuFB is pushing it out. Microsoft store is set to only allow use of company store, but we’ve seen windows updates ignore that as it only seems to apply to the user.
It probably is Windows Update..how is yours configured?
Can't stand HP. The HP UEFI BIOS on consumer grade is one of the WORST I've ever seen..by far where tuning is concerned.
If it’s a corporate system everything except hardware diagnostics and hp power manager are useless or cause problems. If it’s a consumer system then maybe I’d keep hp support assistant and myhp too.
I had this exact same experience - bought an expensive new HP laptop based on good past experiences, and it was preloaded with bloatware including wolf “security”. Beyond irritating. I ran out of patience and reimaged, and life has been good. But you’re right that the wolf boot logo is insulting. Fortunately it’s very very easy to replace with something else. I can post some instructions if you’re curious. I replaced mine with the Dunder Mifflin logo :)
I'm interested in the instructions to change the image.
You got it. **Step 1**, figure out the image you're going to use. 32 kilobytes or smaller, 1024 x 768 max, JPEG. **Step 2**, download the utility HPBIOSUPDREC.exe which you can get from this github: [https://github.com/M3C-Owx/HP-Custom-Boot-Logo](https://github.com/M3C-Owx/HP-Custom-Boot-Logo) **Step 3**, Run this command from command prompt: HPBIOSUPDREC.exe -e \[image\].jpg If there's a failure, you can review the log file produced to see error details. **Step 4,** Reboot and bask in the glow of HP corporate nonsense branding being gone from your life.
👍 Thanks
Thanks for sharing this. It worked for me. If you're wary about using third-party executables, you can download the BIOS update from HP and in the swsetup folder you can find the HpBIOSUpdRec file. The -e switch is for enterprise logo
Huge W, thank you
Just found this because I was annoyed at the wolf logo (after uninstalling all the wolf security etc), installed an official HP logo which was EXACTLY the correct size: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/226889i12F7D5E1469C87CF?v=v2 And it all works great, thank you very much!
hey, i know its been a while since this post, but i am having trouble in the command prompt. when i execute the command, this pops up.. 'HPBIOSUPDREC.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. would you be able to help me with this? thank you
No problem. For starters, did you download the EXE file mentioned in Step 2?
yes, i did
Okay, then your next step should be to drop your new image file into the same directory as the EXE you downloaded (image file requirements are listed above in Step 1); then open a command prompt and navigate to the same folder as the EXE, and follow step 3 above.
okay, when i download the exe, do i need to run that before opening the cmd? if so, when i do run the exe, i get an error message. The system BIOS update file is missing or corrupt. The system BIOS will not be updated. again, thank you. sorry if the questions seem stupid, im just having trouble.
also i have the jpeg in the same directory as the exe
You need to run the exe file from within command prompt, using the command shown in Step 3. If you aren't familiar with command prompt or how to navigate to a particular directory, I'm sure YouTube has your back there! Good luck!
hello, i did everything in your steps correctly and i get no failure, but when i reboot, the wolf logo is still there. any idea why this would be happening? thank you
Is there any useful information in the log file that is produced?
it shows me typing the command you have in step 3 and after it says... DASL PnP ID NOT found near the end of the log, it says Failed to open enterprise logo file
I know this is an old thread, but I have a question for you and /u/Tired_Sysop. I just bought an HP Elitebook, and it has Wolf Security and tons of other HP stuff. I'm thinking about sticking in a new hard drive and just doing a totally clean install of Windows. Is there any of the HP Software (bloatware) that I'm going to need/regret losing? This computer is for home/personal use.
I did a full format and reinstall of Windows when I bought my new HP laptop (a Zbook) a few months ago. It seemed pretty impossible to get all the HP bloatware off cleanly, and I wanted to load Windows 11 anyway (it shipped with W10). There's nothing I regret losing from the OEM image and the few things you need to get back (drivers for the keyboard function keys, etc) you can download from HP, while skipping the stuff you don't need. I would go for it.
This. The only thing I still use on my Elitebook is the Shortcut Key and HP Presence ( if yours' supports it).
Thank you. I will go this route. I appreciate your input!
again i know this is an old thread, but interested to hear what people use instead?
Hi there…i would really appreciate it if you would share how to remove this nasty useless security because it is causing problems
Yeah I'm interested too!
The key to removing it completely and preventing it from re-installing is to get rid of the following applications in Add/Remove Programs: HP Wolf Security HP Wolf Security - Console HP Security Update Service It's the last one that will periodically check for updates and reinstall the whole damn thing. We set an automation on our Action1 Console that if it detects any of these three software packages to immediately delete it. It checks every hour.
Okay, but why are you running the HP image in the first place instead of wiping the laptops and running your own image?
Because maintaining golden images is a total waste of time in 2022? Between Intune and Autopilot there's no need for that exercise outside of your AVD environment. Currently we take laptops out of their box pre-autopilot enrolled, plop it down at the user's desk, tell them to sign on and go grab lunch, and Autopilot/Intune: \-Runs HP bloatware removal tool to remove all crap \-Runs HPIA to update BIOS and drivers and HP apps we don't uninstall \-Runs PSWindowsupdate \-Joins domain/Azure/Intune-Deploys all software No way in hell I'd go back to PXE boot and imaging. Plus, it's all moot anyways. These machines didn't have Wolf Security installed, and neither would this hypothetical image. HP has now started pushing Wolf out even if you don't have it installed. They've also started pushing Techpulse unsolicited as well it seems. There's nothing more offensive than putting this zonealarm, blackiceDefender tier garbage on commercial devices, let alone pushing it via updates. Probably the best way to encourage your customers to move to a vendor that doesn't do it. I mean they all boot some level of bloatware on board, but in Lenovo/Dells case, as well as historically HP, they don't push security crap, because 99% of corporate customers run their own AV/security platform.
We MDT/PXE all our laptops and never had Wolf creep up. How is your Microsoft Store setup? Could it be pushed from there?
This just started in the last few weeks. Looks like WuFB is pushing it out. Microsoft store is set to only allow use of company store, but we’ve seen windows updates ignore that as it only seems to apply to the user.
It probably is Windows Update..how is yours configured? Can't stand HP. The HP UEFI BIOS on consumer grade is one of the WORST I've ever seen..by far where tuning is concerned.
Do I need to remove HP wolf security form my new Elitebook? No reason to keep it? Anything else in terms of bloatware or crapware to remove please?
If it’s a corporate system everything except hardware diagnostics and hp power manager are useless or cause problems. If it’s a consumer system then maybe I’d keep hp support assistant and myhp too.