To answer your question, I believe it is quite possible there are virus/spyware etc on the computer that I am trying to flash the BIOS on. therefore unless I can clean up the BIOS along with the rest of the computer it will be useless to me anyway and I will just have to chuck it. (it wouldnt be worth it to pay someone to do it either)
There may not be an update for the BIOS but there still has to be original drivers that came with the computer, and they should be available on the HP website shouldn't they ?