BIOS update failure on OMEN 40L (GT21-0000i, Mainboard 8918, BIOS F.40) after GPU upgrade

[Chris_235]

Hello all,

I am using an OMEN by HP 40L Gaming Desktop PC GT21-0000i with mainboard 8918.
My current BIOS version is AMI F.40, dated 08/03/2023.

When I try to update the BIOS using the official HP BIOS Update and Recovery tool (package F.46 Rev.A for ROM family 8918), the update fails with the message "BIOS update failed” after reboot.

I recently upgraded my graphics card from an NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti to an RTX 4070 Ti, and also replaced the power supply with a 750W unit. Since the upgrade, my system has been experiencing random crashes and BSODs. The Windows dump files point to nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA driver) and dxgkrnl/dxgmms2, suggesting a possible compatibility issue that might require a BIOS update.

Could you please confirm which BIOS update is the correct one for my system, and provide guidance on how to install it successfully?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best regards,
Chris

[Bill_To]

Greetings @Chris_235 

Welcome to the HP Forum. 

Well, BIOS update F.46 Rev.A (sp158593.exe) would be the correct BIOS for the generic HP product number of GT21-0000i. And the MB SSID (8918) is also correct.

Did you uninstall the previous Nvidia drivers and then update to the correct Nvidia drivers after installing the 4070 Ti?

Are you running the BIOS update within Windows or are you doing the HP USB BIOS Recovery drive method? I could see the BIOS update failing if the PC is unstable.

You should try the BIOS update for your PC's specific product number. An example product number for a specific PC in this product series would be something like GT21-0110ng.

You might also try to check and fix system files to see if this helps.

Check System Files:

Open an Admin command prompt as follows:

Open Search then enter "command prompt". Right-click on the search result.

Select "Run as Administrator".

Enter the following commands, one at a time. Wait for each command to complete before running the next command.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth note: the PC must be connected to the network when using the DISM command.

Enter the next command to verify system files are okay.

sfc /scannow

Regards

[Chris_235]

Hello Bill

thank you for your response.

By retrying there the update failed again with reference: unable to open image file.

I have already run both DISM and SFC scans – no issues were found.

The NVIDIA graphics driver was removed in Safe Mode using DDU and then reinstalled with the latest version.

The exact model is: OMEN by HP 40L Gaming Desktop GT21-0xxx.

Is there perhaps a previous version of the latest BIOS available for my model? On the HP website I can only find the 2022 release and the most recent one.

If you require screenshots, logs, or any other diagnostic information, please let me know and I will provide them.

So far, I only tried the BIOS update using the “Update” option in the HP BIOS Update and Recovery tool.
The USB BIOS Recovery drive method does not work, and there is no firmware update option in the BIOS menu itself on this system.

Could you please provide further guidance on how to successfully apply the BIOS update on my specific model?

Best regards,
Chris

[Bill_To]

Greetings @Chris_235 

My pleasure.

I will try to assist. But I'm fuzzy on some stuff.

You checked Windows system files. They are okay. This is good.

GT21-0xxx is not a specific HP PC product number. Your PC should have a product number similar to something like GT21-0188z or GT21-0657y.

Using a specific HP PC product number you can download the BIOS update file tailored to your PC's specific MB. 

If the correct BIOS  update fails to take: you will have to solve the Windows blue screen problem to stop the blue screen error and possibly fix the BIOS update problem.

I also don't know what a "HP BIOS Update and Recovery tool" is.

Are you doing the BIOS update via HP Support Assistant? This could be causing the BIOS update problem.

I recommend downloading the correct BIOS update file from HP. Then you run this file within Windows to update the BIOS. Or you use a HP USB BIOS recovery drive to do the BIOS update outside of Windows by booting to the USB drive containing the BIOS.bin file.

But you need the complete HP Product number to get the correct BIOS update file from HP.

And your PC is blue screening showing: nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA driver) and dxgkrnl/dxgmms2 per the Windows dump files.

Can you provide the specific Windows screen error provided when the PC blue screens?

It sounds like your PC may have: a driver problem or a hardware problem. I don't know.

Regards

[Bill_To]

Greetings @Chris_235 

Have you run HP Hardware Diagnostics at startup to check all components?

Maybe you should try the 3070 Ti to see if the blue screens stop. Or use onboard graphics if your CPU and MB rear I/O support video out.

Then. if possible, download and install the correct BIOS update, using the correct product ID.

Try the 4070 again if the PC seems to be stable and you can update the BIOS using the 3070 or when using onboard graphics.

Regards

[Chris_235]

Hello Bill,

thank you for your suggestions. I have tested the system further:

• I reinstalled the RTX 3070 Ti and played two games → no crashes occurred.

• After reinstalling the RTX 4070 Ti, the problems came back.

• Each time I switched GPUs, I completely uninstalled the graphics driver (using DDU in Safe Mode) and then reinstalled the correct NVIDIA driver.

I also ran the full HP Hardware Diagnostics – no hardware issues were detected.

My suspicion is that the current F.40 BIOS may not fully support some of the settings/features required by the RTX 4070 Ti.

Here are the exact product details from my system scan:

• OMEN by HP 40L Gaming Desktop PC GT21-0000i (392G1AV)

• Product number: 65G08EA#UUZ

To clarify the behavior:

• With the RTX 4070 Ti, there is no blue screen. Instead, the system freezes during use, and after about 3 minutes it restarts automatically with the message that a problem occurred.

Regarding the HP BIOS Update and Recovery tool:

• The options are: Update, Create Recovery USB flash drive, and Copy.

• When using Update, I get the error “Unable to open image file”.

• When creating a Recovery USB drive, there is no option in the BIOS menu itself to run a firmware update.

Could you please confirm the correct BIOS update procedure for this specific product, and whether a newer BIOS version is required to ensure proper compatibility with the RTX 4070 Ti?

Best regards,
Chris

[Bill_To]

Greetings @Chris_235 

My pleasure.

HP is throwing some curve balls in reference to your PC's product number. GT21-0xxx and GT21-0000i are generic product numbers.

Your PC's  specific product number should be GT21-0747nz. I used your PC's serial number.

You should remove the first two images in your post revealing your PC's serial number.

This HP Site has the specific BIOS update for your specific HP PC.

I realize this update (sp158593.exe) is the same one you are working with now. But the MB information contained in the BIOS update at the above HP site should exactly match your PC's MB information. 

Flash the BIOS within Windows:

Try doing the above referenced BIOS update within Windows using the 4070. You may have to reinstall the 3070 if you can't do this BIOS update using the 4070.

I don't know what to tell you if you can't do this BIOS update when the PC is stable using the 3070.

Flash the BIOS outside of Windows:

This HP Site has instructions on how to flash the BIOS using a HP USB BIOS recovery drive.

At the above site, scroll down to "Recover the BIOS using a USB recovery drive".

I don't understand why you would need to flash the BIOS outside of the operating system if the PC is stable and you are using the correct BIOS update.

It might be a good idea to try the 4070 in a different PC to verify the 4070 is good to go.

Regards

[Chris_235]

Hello,

I have now successfully updated the BIOS and installed an older, more stable NVIDIA driver.
Unfortunately, the system still freezes – and now I am even getting a DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION blue screen.

As the next step, I will try a complete reinstallation of Windows to see if this improves stability.

However, at this point I suspect that this HP mainboard may have compatibility issues with the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti, since the system runs without any problems when using the RTX 3070 Ti.

I will update you once I have tested the fresh installation. If the problem persists, I will most likely replace the mainboard.

Best regards,
Chris

[Bill_To]

Greetings @Chris_235 

My pleasure.

Reinstalling Windows is a very good step. Don't forget to back up data.

A DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION is usually a Windows driver error. But all of your drivers are up to date and the PC works fine using the 3070 Ti.

It would also be a good idea to test the 4070 Ti using a stable Windows installation in a different, compatible PC to verify the 4070 Ti is okay.

I have an Asus 4070 running great in an older AMD B550 MB PC I built back in 2020. So I can't understand why your PC's MB would have a problem with a 4070 Ti. I guess it's possible, but why???

It would be frustrating to see the same Windows problem when running the 4070 Ti after replacing your PC's MB.

Regards