Happy to help, and you may find added benefits to having a more recent BIOS than just having a newer number. Upgrades of BIOS can (but not always) let your run more recent processors. The associated "microcode" updates that can be included with newer verions of BIOS have added processors to the HP-approved list sequestered in BIOS so they can thereafter be booted from.
You fit into the "way-old BIOS" category before now. We don't see that often these days. Welcome!