Extract text from firmware update files (RFU)
To convert RFU update files to another format, you need HP Firmware Update Utility or other System software.
To convert other file formats to the "Hardware Firmware Package" file type, you need software like HP Firmware Update Utility or a similar tool.
The .RFU file is a proprietary firmware update package. It is used to distribute system software updates for Hewlett-Packard (HP) printers and plotting devices. The HP Firmware Update Utility typically handles the deployment of these files directly to the printer memory over a network or USB connection.
Users often attempt to open or convert .RFU files to manually inspect the firmware code, verify the update contents, or troubleshoot printer errors. The disadvantage of the current format is that it is a closed, heavily compiled binary. It is proprietary and often encrypted. Standard desktop operating systems do not support it natively. Attempting to force-open an .RFU file in a standard text editor will usually freeze the application or result in thousands of unreadable characters.
If manual inspection is required, the best conceptual targets are raw data formats like BIN, HEX, or plain TXT for string analysis. Be aware that you cannot convert this file into a usable document or image, and extracting the functional code requires advanced reverse-engineering tools.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because it contains machine instructions designed specifically for HP printer hardware, not desktop environments. Standard online converters fail completely because they expect standardized media or document structures. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your RFU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted EXE, ZIP, INP, FWI, SWI and VFS files.
If you want to convert RFU file to EXE, MSI, APP, DMG, DEB, RPM, PKG, RUN, SH, BAT, CMD or COM, you can use HP Firmware Update Utility or similar software from the "Printer Firmware Update" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert JAR, APP, SCR, IPA, COM, AAB, PS1, DMG, VBS, EXE, XAPK or MSI files to RFU, try HP Firmware Update Utility or another comparable tool in the "Printer Firmware Update" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our RFU converter.