Hardware update

What it does

Brings the machine's drivers, firmware, BIOS and OEM software up to the latest manufacturer-supported versions using the vendor's own update tool. It detects the manufacturer at runtime and dispatches to the right one:

• Dell → Dell Command | Update
• HP → HP CMSL + HP Image Assistant
• Lenovo → LSUClient

On hardware with no matching tool — VMs, Surface, unsupported OEMs — it skips cleanly, and that counts as success, not a failure.

Options

Option	What it controls
Drivers	Device drivers. Enabled by default.
Firmware	Component firmware. Off by default.
BIOS	System BIOS — may require a reboot; highest risk. Off by default.
OEM software	Vendor utilities (Dell Optimizer, HP/Lenovo tools). Off by default.
BIOS admin password	Vault secret holding the (tool-encrypted) BIOS password. Blank to skip.
Tool acquisition	Auto — use the installed tool, else fetch it. Installed only — never fetch (skip/fail if absent).
Dell Command Update URL	Where to fetch the Dell tool from, for Dell devices without it pre-installed.

Good to know

• Categories are independent, so a profile can choose speed vs completeness — drivers-only for a fast build, or drivers + firmware + BIOS for a fully-updated one.
• This is not Windows Update. It deliberately does not touch Windows / OS / Defender / .NET updates — that's the Windows Update step. Together they cover everything: Windows Update handles Microsoft-published OS and driver updates on any machine; Hardware update reaches the OEM firmware, BIOS and vendor-signed drivers Windows Update never carries.
• It never reboots on its own — it reports whether a reboot is required and the engine orchestrates it.
• Non-blocking by default: it warns and continues.

Part of the step catalogue.