Most of the computer's memory rendered unavailable in Linux after updating BIOS

[Jarkko Toivonen]

I have got a HP HP ZBook Studio G5 laptop.

After updating BIOS from "BIOS Q71 Ver. 01.15.00 12/28/2020" to version "BIOS Q71 Ver. 01.16.00 04/22/2021" most of the memory got unavailable in Linux. The system has 16 GiB of memory, but now free -h shows only total of 1.5 GiB. In Windows all memory seems available. No other indication of the problem in /proc/meminfo and /proc/iomem (will attach) is shown except that the total memory is 1.5 GiB. No large area is shown as reserved in /proc/iomem. But there is now an error message in dmesg that didn't use to be there: "kernel: efi: memattr: Failed to map EFI Memory Attributes table @ 0x72f69018". Also that EFI MEMATTR address seems to have changed after the BIOS update. I will also attach an earlier dmesg prior to update and a one after the update, since I updated the BIOS two weeks ago, and after that the kernel has also got updated.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: linux-image-5.4.0-84-generic 5.4.0-84.94
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-84.94-generic 5.4.133
Uname: Linux 5.4.0-84-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.20
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC1: jttoivon 2725 F.... pipewire-media-
 /dev/snd/controlC0: jttoivon 2725 F.... pipewire-media-
 /dev/snd/seq: jttoivon 2724 F.... pipewire
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CurrentDesktop: X-Cinnamon
Date: Sat Sep 18 08:53:18 2021
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-01-23 (603 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 19.10 "Eoan Ermine" - Release amd64 (20191017)
MachineType: HP HP ZBook Studio G5
ProcFB: 0 i915drmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.4.0-84-generic root=UUID=c6b19f0f-68ff-4d8c-985a-c3ed88345389 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
PulseList: Error: command ['pacmd', 'list'] failed with exit code 1: No PulseAudio daemon running, or not running as session daemon.
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-5.4.0-84-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-5.4.0-84-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.187.16
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 04/22/2021
dmi.bios.vendor: HP
dmi.bios.version: Q71 Ver. 01.16.00
dmi.board.name: 8427
dmi.board.vendor: HP
dmi.board.version: KBC Version 16.4C.00
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 5CD9495R4G
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: HP
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHP:bvrQ71Ver.01.16.00:bd04/22/2021:svnHP:pnHPZBookStudioG5:pvr:rvnHP:rn8427:rvrKBCVersion16.4C.00:cvnHP:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.family: 103C_5336AN HP ZBook Studio
dmi.product.name: HP ZBook Studio G5
dmi.product.sku: 2ZC51EA#AK8
dmi.sys.vendor: HP

[Ubuntu Kernel Bot (ubuntu-kernel-bot)]

This change was made by a bot.

[Jarkko Toivonen (jttoivon)]

I got it fixed! In the BIOS I ran quick diagnostic test (includes a memory check). No problems were indicated, but the next time I booted the machine (using Ubuntu 21.04 on a USB stick) the memory seemed normal again. All memory available. And it has worked ever since, independent on whether I boot from a stick or from the fixed disk.

So, most likely the diagnostic test touched something, after which it started working. (Probably trying newer version of Ubuntu live from USB stick had no part in this:)

[Alex Hung (alexhung)]

Thanks for updating it was fixed by running BIOS diagnostic test. It likely forced BIOS to update the memory configuration which corrected memory maps reported to OS.