diff --git a/playbook/pxe_server_setup.yml b/playbook/pxe_server_setup.yml
index 1d074df..6698e07 100644
--- a/playbook/pxe_server_setup.yml
+++ b/playbook/pxe_server_setup.yml
@@ -400,16 +400,24 @@
           the Blancco preferences). Fix them in playbook/site-vars.yml and re-run.
         quiet: yes
 
+    # MATCH / DIFF / UNKNOWN: does pxe's shadow hash match $PW? crypt()
+    # handles every scheme (the autoinstall hash is $6$, chpasswd and passwd
+    # write yescrypt $y$). Used by the two Admin tasks below.
     - name: "Admin: is the Linux pxe login still the shipped password?"
-      shell: |
-        h=$(getent shadow pxe | cut -d: -f2)
-        case "$h" in
-          '$6$'*) salt=$(printf '%s' "$h" | cut -d'$' -f3)
-                  if [ "$(printf 'pxe' | openssl passwd -6 -salt "$salt" -stdin)" = "$h" ]; then echo DEFAULT; else echo SITE; fi ;;
-          *) echo UNKNOWN ;;
-        esac
-      args:
-        executable: /bin/bash
+      shell: &pxe_pw_compare |
+        python3 -W ignore - <<'PY'
+        import os, subprocess
+        try:
+            import crypt
+        except ImportError:
+            print("UNKNOWN"); raise SystemExit
+        h = subprocess.run(["getent", "shadow", "pxe"], capture_output=True, text=True).stdout.split(":")
+        h = h[1] if len(h) > 1 else ""
+        print("MATCH" if h.startswith("$") and crypt.crypt(os.environ["PW"], h) == h else
+              "DIFF" if h.startswith("$") else "UNKNOWN")
+        PY
+      environment:
+        PW: "pxe"
       register: pxe_admin_state
       changed_when: false
 
@@ -417,7 +425,7 @@
       assert:
         that:
           - pxe_admin_password is string
-          - pxe_admin_password | length > 0 or pxe_admin_state.stdout != 'DEFAULT'
+          - pxe_admin_password | length > 0 or pxe_admin_state.stdout != 'MATCH'
           - pxe_admin_password | length == 0 or (pxe_admin_password | length >= 8 and pxe_admin_password | length <= 128)
           - pxe_admin_password | length == 0 or pxe_admin_password is not search('[\x00-\x1f]')
           - pxe_admin_password != 'pxe'
@@ -1551,24 +1559,22 @@
       changed_when: "'created' in smb_users.stdout"
       no_log: true
 
-    - name: "Admin: set the Linux pxe password from pxe_admin_password"
-      shell: |
-        h=$(getent shadow pxe | cut -d: -f2)
-        salt=$(printf '%s' "$h" | cut -d'$' -f3)
-        if [ -n "$salt" ] && [ "$(printf '%s' "$PW" | openssl passwd -6 -salt "$salt" -stdin)" = "$h" ]; then
-          echo UNCHANGED
-        else
-          printf 'pxe:%s\n' "$PW" | chpasswd && echo CHANGED
-        fi
+    - name: "Admin: does the Linux pxe password already match pxe_admin_password?"
+      shell: *pxe_pw_compare
       environment:
         PW: "{{ pxe_admin_password }}"
-      args:
-        executable: /bin/bash
-      register: pxe_admin_set
-      changed_when: "'CHANGED' in pxe_admin_set.stdout"
+      register: pxe_admin_cur
+      changed_when: false
       when: pxe_admin_password | length > 0
       no_log: true
 
+    - name: "Admin: set the Linux pxe password from pxe_admin_password"
+      shell: printf 'pxe:%s\n' "$PW" | chpasswd
+      environment:
+        PW: "{{ pxe_admin_password }}"
+      when: pxe_admin_password | length > 0 and pxe_admin_cur.stdout != 'MATCH'
+      no_log: true
+
     - name: "Deploy nf_conntrack TCP timeout sysctl for PXE workload"
       copy:
         src: "{{ usb_mount }}/pxe-server-helpers/99-pxe-conntrack.conf"
diff --git a/webapp/services/blancco_update.py b/webapp/services/blancco_update.py
index f61d376..3407e4c 100644
--- a/webapp/services/blancco_update.py
+++ b/webapp/services/blancco_update.py
@@ -1011,10 +1011,15 @@ def refresh_live_prefs():
                 ours = f.read()
             try:
                 new = patch_config_img(cfg, ours)
-            except (StageBlocked, ValueError) as e:
-                warning = (f"the live config.img (BIOS boot) was not updated: {e} "
+            except StageBlocked:
+                live = prefs_version(cpio_member(cfg, "preferences.xml") or b"") or "?"
+                warning = (f"the live config.img (BIOS boot) is Blancco {live}, older than our "
+                           f"{prefs_version(ours) or '?'} preferences, so it was not updated. "
                            "Stage a current release on Updates > Blancco releases.")
                 new = cfg
+            except ValueError as e:
+                warning = f"the live config.img (BIOS boot) was not updated: {e}"
+                new = cfg
             if new != cfg:
                 _atomic_write(cfg_path, new)
                 changed = True
diff --git a/webapp/tests/test_share_accounts.py b/webapp/tests/test_share_accounts.py
index 53560c2..3e5f33b 100644
--- a/webapp/tests/test_share_accounts.py
+++ b/webapp/tests/test_share_accounts.py
@@ -190,7 +190,8 @@ class ShareAccounts(Fixture):
         with open(os.path.join(BU.blancco_root(), "config.img"), "wb") as f:
             f.write(cfg)
         done = SA.set_password("blancco", PW)
-        self.assertTrue(any("WARNING" in d and "config.img" in d for d in done), done)
+        self.assertTrue(any("WARNING" in d and "config.img (BIOS boot) is Blancco 7.15" in d
+                            and "older than our 7.20" in d for d in done), done)
         with open(BP.served_prefs_path(), "rb") as f:
             self.assertEqual(self.prefs_share_pw(f.read()), PW)
         with open(os.path.join(BU.blancco_root(), "config.img"), "rb") as f: