TL;DR
HP’s auto-installed BIOS update is bricking ZBook Ultra and EliteBook X laptops. Reverting requires a specific HP USB-C dongle.
HP customers are reporting that BIOS updates pushed through Windows Update are rendering premium laptops unbootable. The affected devices include the ZBook Ultra G1a, a mobile workstation that costs upwards of £4,000, and the EliteBook X G1a. The updates were flagged as critical, meaning they were applied automatically with no user intervention required.
Complaints have been accumulating across HP forums and Reddit for several months. Symptoms include devices freezing during boot, spikes in fan noise, and Blue Screens of Death. The broken BIOS versions for the ZBook Ultra G1a are 01.04.03 and 01.04.05. For the EliteBook X G1a, the problematic versions are 01.03.11 and 01.05.00.
Once the update has completed, reverting is difficult. Users have reported some success using network BIOS downgrade functionality, but only with an HP USB-C to Ethernet dongle. The BIOS does allow users to prevent the operating system from initiating updates, but that setting is only useful before the update has been applied.
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This is not HP’s first BIOS bricking incident. In 2024, a similar update left some ProBook laptops irretrievably bricked. Customers faced hardware repair bills for damage caused by the manufacturer’s own firmware. The pattern suggests a systemic quality assurance problem with HP’s firmware update pipeline.
HP told The Register: “HP is aware of purported BIOS issues and is looking into the matter.” The company suggested affected users contact support. The word “purported” is doing considerable work in that statement given the volume of documented complaints.
The timing is notable. Microsoft is simultaneously working to improve Windows Update reliability and applying greater scrutiny to third-party drivers distributed through the service. Windows Update is also used for BIOS and firmware updates from OEMs like HP. The same channel designed to keep systems secure is now the channel through which HP is bricking them.
HP recently disclosed that memory’s contribution to PC costs has doubled to 35%. The company is already raising laptop prices to absorb surging DDR5 costs. Customers paying premium prices for workstation-class hardware are now also absorbing the risk of manufacturer-pushed firmware that can turn their device into an expensive paperweight.
On 20 May, Richard Hughes of the Linux Vendor Firmware Service project announced that HP was joining Lenovo and Dell as a premier sponsor. LVFS is an open-source firmware updating solution designed to improve the reliability and security of firmware distribution. The juxtaposition of sponsoring an open-source firmware quality initiative while simultaneously shipping BIOS updates that brick premium hardware is difficult to overlook.
The core issue is the auto-installation of critical firmware through Windows Update. Users had no opportunity to evaluate or delay the patch. A BIOS update is not a browser security fix. It modifies the lowest-level software on the machine. If it fails, the device does not boot. Treating it with the same auto-install urgency as a Windows security patch is a design decision that HP, and Microsoft, need to reconsider.
