How do I upgrade the BIOS on my HP Z400 Workstation?

[STUOS]

I've been having ZERO LUCK using the methodology HP provides to upgrade the BIOS on my Z400 Workstation. When I reach the page where it does a local scan to determine my computer and its settings, the spinner never stops. It never finishes. I'm on Microsoft Edge, fully updated when this happens but it also happens using a Cisco Chrome browser.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Your PC is not supported by HP for W10.

The latest BIOS update is for W7.

Driver - HP Z400 Base Model Workstation | HP® Customer Support

I recommend that if you want to update the BIOS, you use the F10 setup flash method to do so.

That way you update the BIOS without having to be in Windows.

[STUOS]

Thank you, Paul. Where is the "F10 setup flash method" documented? I need a step by step procedure, please. And how do I get the updated BIOS? Download it on a thumb drive? 

Observation for HP: there should be a better way to find out that W10 is not supported, rather than seeing the hardware scan fail without adequate feedback to determine it will NEVER work and WITHOUT providing users a troubleshooting path to follow.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

Download and run the BIOS update file.

An info page will open providing the various methods to update the BIOS.

You want the instructions found under the F10 Setup BIOS Flashing section.

Here is how you do it in a nutshell.

Get a USB flash drive.

Format it with the FAT32 file system.

Under the F10 Setup BIOS flashing section there is a link to click on labeled 'View Contents of DOS Flash Folder.

Click on that and copy all of the files in that folder to your USB flash drive.  Just the files, not the folder.

After you do that, close out of any open windows and restart the PC.

Press the F10 key to get into the BIOS setup.

Select the File tab, Flash System ROM option.

Select the USB flash drive.

The PC should 'see' the BIOS files on the flash drive.

Follow the onscreen instructions to update the BIOS.