Warning on laptop

[Esther301]

Each time I turn on my laptop, I get this warning ' This BIOS is not for production use'. Please what does this mean and how can the problem be resolved?

[NonSequitur777]

@Esther301,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

That warning means your laptop is running a pre-production or development BIOS, not the official public release. This normally happens only in these situations:

• A beta / engineering BIOS was installed by mistake

• A repair shop or previous owner flashed an internal HP test BIOS

• The BIOS flash was incomplete or corrupted

• The motherboard was replaced with a demo / evaluation unit

This is definitely not normal on consumer systems and should be corrected.

 

How to fix it:

1. Flash the correct official BIOS:

1. Go to the official HP support page.

2. Enter your exact laptop model (e.g., 15-da0xxx, Pavilion 14-ckxxx, etc.).

3. Download the latest BIOS update for your model under Windows 10/11.

4. Run the BIOS update utility and allow it to reflash the system.

If the warning was caused by a test BIOS, flashing the correct BIOS usually removes it immediately.

 

If the BIOS refuses to flash ("not matching"):

This means the BIOS installed on the motherboard belongs to another model, or to a non-retail engineering sample.

In this case:

2. Check the System Board Information in BIOS:

• Press F10 → System Information
  Check whether:

• Product Number

• System Board ID
  match the sticker on the bottom of the laptop.

If they don't match → the wrong BIOS or wrong motherboard is installed.

 

When a motherboard swap causes this:

Some shady refurbishers install HP prototype boards that trigger the message permanently.

If flashing the correct BIOS doesn't fix it, the only real fix is:

 

3. Replace the motherboard with a retail (production) unit:

The laptop will still function, but:

• HP Support Packs/tools may not work correctly

• BIOS updates may fail

• Certain security features may be disabled

 

Your data and Windows are NOT affected:

This message only indicates a firmware issue — it is not a virus or OS problem.

 

If you want, share your full HP model number (e.g., 15-da0072tx, 250 G6, Pavilion 15-au114tx, etc.), and I can give you the exact BIOS download link and steps for your specific device.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777